Rat carrier

[Noodles]

Hi,

I've never owned rats before and I'm hoping to get 2 female baby rats in the next few months from a breeder. I was wondering what the best type of carrier would be to bring them home in? I'd like something that would see them into adulthood however I don't know if putting kittens in large carrier could mean they're flying around all over the place and a smaller box may be better?

Specific carriers or general ideas welcome!

Thanks,

[Caza66]

The only thing you would need to be careful of is if you get a wire/grill front they may be small enough to escape. So you could either mesh it over or get a top loading one.

[Onthewires]

I've got one like this at the moment, fairly good for trips to the vet etc but wouldn't recommend for really long journeys as you can't really attach a bottle and it's a tad cramped for multiple adults.

I think as long as they've got some bedding to hide in they'll probably be fine in a larger one. I think this is what Caza means by a top loading one? (correct me if I'm wrong!), but again I don't think you can attach a water bottle for longer journeys/introductions.

I also sometimes use a small hamster cage (weather permitting) as bar spacing is small enough and easy to attach a water source, but I think most people prefer to use a small cat/rabbit carrier. Hope this helps! Best of luck with your new ratties

[cyber ratty]

It's best not to fix a water bottle in a carrier for journeys because movement will just make it leak - give them chunks of cucumber instead as solid drinks. If the carrier is stationary, a small bottle can be fixed inside using a cable tie, a metal spring clip, or even an elastic band.

I would recommend one of these (the larger ones are best for a group of up to 4 or 5 adults):
picnic basket style
happy pet medium (better quality than the rosewood one linked in a previous post), or happy pet large
minimals carrier (similar to the happy pet ones)
Aladino medium or large, good quality make but a little more expensive

Or opt for a cat carrier size which can also be used for temporary overnight accommodation:
marchioro clipper - would need the front meshing, but the opening roof is great
catit cabriovery popular and needs no modification

If you're worried about space for babies in terms of their safety, just put an old sweatshirt/t shirt in with them.

[Noodles]

Thanks so much for the advice.

I can't see that they'll ever need to do more than a 30 minute journey in the carrier so water shouldn't be an issue - great idea with the cucumber though which I'll keep in mind.

I have a very large, narrow barred hamster cage in case I ever had to quarantine a rat for longer so really just need a safe carrier for them.

I'll have a look into those suggestions

[[cub]]

I've got an Aladino medium that's served me well for a decade now. I'd say it fits 2-4 rats comfortably for journeys of up to a few hours, depending on how enormous they are and how warm the weather is. I've also got a picnic basket one, and it's definitely bigger, more like 3-5 rats' worth.

So I'd suggest something about the size of the Aladino medium; between that and the hamster cage you should be sorted for both transport and temporary accommodation.