Getting to that time of the year again when the days get hotter and stay warmer for longer. So here we are going to cover a few things to know about Increased temperatures with rats and also give some good suggestions on what you can do to keep them safe throughout the summer.
A few quick temperature related facts to begin with. Rat’s have a higher average body temperature than we do and their metabolism is much faster than humans too. This means they produce more heat and can use this extra heat to either warm up or lose it to keep a little cooler. The tail is the best regulator of heat on a rat. It has a bigger general surface area and little amounts of fur covering it, plus its packed with blood vessels so they can use the tail to regulate heat loss.
Average temperatures of 15C – 25C are perfectly fine for rats in your home without having to intervene. If it grows to around 32C you’ll find they will be getting increasingly uncomfortable and anything in or around the 38C mark you could be looking at fatalities. All rats won’t do very well in higher temperatures but bigger bucks will likely be the first to start to suffer with it. Heat strokes at higher temperatures can be quite common so try everything you can not to let it get to this stage. Signs to look for this are the rat acting lethargic, drooling, warm feet and tails to touch and just generally slumped somewhere looking very uncomfortable.
It can be very stressful knowing how to keep your rats cool and comfortable in the summer months but don’t worry there are lots of things you can do to aid them with this. Some cost little to nothing at all but you can also spend a little money on some great items that some shops offer to give extra cooling down opportunities.
Things Not To Do
Keep Rats in locations likely to get warmer such as Conservatories, summer houses or some sheds and garages that you can’t control the temperature in
Keep rats next to window’s where direct sunlight can shine on them. This can heat them up quickly and be very dangerous.
Force them to swim in cold water or pour it on them. They may choose to swim by choice but most rats will hate this and it’s not great for their fur either
Take them outside directly to cool them down. There are all sorts of dangers and risks outside. If you have them in a carrier in a cold shaded spot this is better but staying safe inside is much better.
Attempt introductions in very high temperatures. Being close and huddled up in high heat will not only risk them overheating but they will probably not be too happy and this can also risk intros failing. Much better to wait a while till it cools down.
Things You Can Do
Close windows and Curtains during warmer periods. Close all doors to the house and keep the rats in the coolest room
Fans and air cooler units can be used just try to not have them too close to the rat cage or pointing directly at them all the time. They will appreciate a bit of breeze hitting them but the cooler airflow will be more beneficial lapping the room
Regularly refresh bowls with fresh cold water. You can even pre chill water in the fridge for extra coolness
Provide high moisture items such as cucumber and water melon. Frozen fruit is also a good choice. You can even put it into bowls of cold water to keep both cooler for longer.
Things to Keep Rats Cool
Provide Ceramic tiles or lengths of slate which stay cold. You can even put them in the fridge or freezer for extra coolness.
Pea Fishing. Put frozen peas in a large bowl filled with water and let them dunk their heads in and grab them with paws and they get a treat for their efforts and stay cool.
Put small blobs of malt paste on a plate and freeze. It’s a tasty cool treat for them and they can keep cool on the plate when eating.
Make Frozen Popsicles – Mix some frozen fruits in with water and either put in a popsicle tube or you can even use a small container and dip string in to freeze to hang in the cage. Very enriching for the rats and the frozen treat should last them quite a while
Freeze some water bottles to put on the top of the cage and cover with a large tub or bowl. This will force the cool air downwards and onto your rats. You can also wrap frozen bottles up in towels and put in the cage for them to lay near.
Having a bioactive base is also great in the summer. The rats can go down into the damp soil and relax in the tunnels that they have built which should keep the heat out much better than anywhere else in the cage.
Great Items To Buy From Shops
Cooling Hammocks – Sold by Mischief Made & Ratatat Toys & Things these specially made hammocks have a little Velcro chamber in just underneath where the rats lay where you can insert either a frozen water bottle or cooling tile (Both Provided) and this should gently cool the bottom of the hammock for them for a couple of hours. Buying a spare of each means you can quickly switch these out and keep a frozen on on the go at all times.
Cooling Perch with Tile – These perches are available from Tiny Furry Pet Stop and Pet Ledges UK and have a section cut out of the top where a Ceramic tile can fit in which you can pre cool and as the rats are moving about their cage they can choose to sit/lay on this in passing and cool down. There is a notch cut out underneath to easily push it out to change.
Metal Tunnels – Great little hides to be used by rats all year round but in the summer they have an extra handy feature. When mounted high up in the cage and placed near an ice pack that sits on top of the cage these metal tunnels will absorb the coolness and redistribute it to your rats if they choose to lay in them. A really easy way to cool your rats down and being made of metal they will have a natural coolness anyway even without the ice pack so a handy item to keep in. You can pick up these tunnels from TicTac Wheels and Pet Ledges UK
Snugloo – This is a cooling chamber by Mischief Made that comes with specially formulated rat-safe refreezable ice packs. The inside will stay nice and cool enabling your rats to come in and relax and even sleep while staying cool during hotter weather. The Mischief Made ice pack secret formula is completely rat-safe, made from natural materials and stays frozen for twice and long as water alone and below room temperature for upto 24 hours!
Cooling Plates – Provided by Ratcessories these ceramic plates come in 2 different sizes and can be placed in the fridge or freezer to provide a nice cool flat area for your rats to lay on and keep cool. They have rubber grips at the bottom to prevent them sliding around too making them great for multiple different environments such as in the cage or out during free roam.
Play sink with running water – Can be bought from a lot of places like Argos & Amazon. It’s fun for them to paddle in and sniff at the running water and it also helps them gently cool down too. You can add things in like frozen peas to encourage them to use it.
Lick Mats – These can be used anytime with a lot of treats but perfect in the summer for covering with something like yogurt and putting in the freezer. Once done the rats can have a lot of fun licking it clean and it should last quite a while while gently keeping them cooled down. It is available from Heart Rat Creations.
There are also plenty of other creative and imaginative ways to come up with to help your rats in the summer period but those are a great place to start if you are unsure. Hopefully we can all have a great summer now but also make sure our little pets enjoy themselves throughout it too.
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