Keeping your rats cool in the heat.

Welcome to Australia....

...Where its not even summer but its already stinking hot!! As humans we can do what ever we can to keep cool in the heat. We can sit in the air conditioning, go for a swim, drink some cold water and basically do anything we can to get away from the heat.
 
Sadly it is a little harder for our precious little pocket pets to escape the heat like we can. When exposed to heat for a long period of time rats can experience things like heat stress, heat stroke or heart attacks. Signs that your rats may not be handling the heat are lethargy, slow movements, eating and drinking less, panting, laying outstretched, sweat and hot extremities (tail, nose, ears etc).
 
So what can you do to keep your rats cool and comfortable in the heat?
The easiest and most obvious one is to keep them in air conditioning or at the very least indoors and out of the sun. However, this can end in a high electricity bill. And what if you do not have air conditioning? 

Below is a list of things to help.

1. Water. 
Fill water each morning and if possible with cold water. I have a water dispenser on my fridge that I keep filled with cold water to fill water bottles with each morning.

2. Fans.
Keep the air moving. Hot air rises and circulating the air will help to keep them cooler as well as regulating the room temperature for their comfort and yours. This fan I got from Target for $59 and it is amazing!! ​

​​3. Frozen water bottles.
These are great to place in the cage. They will help to cool down the temperature of the cage. Rats can also lick them or lay beside them if they are really feeling the heat. I often put wet tea towels over the top as well.

​4. Wet Blanket.
Buy a cheap sheet. Kmart can help you with that. Wet the sheet and place it in the freeze for half an hour. Then place it over the top of the cage. Again this well help to lower the temperature of the cage and in my case help to prevent sun from coming in the window and heating them up more.  Definitely make sure its a cheap sheet because they will pull it through the bars and chew it.

5. Fishing for Veggies.
Place a bowl or container of water and frozen some peas, corn or carrot in their cage. Your ratties will enjoy being able to fish out the food and play in the water!

6. Tiles
Place a bathroom tile in the freeze so it cools down and place it in the cage. Your ratties will lay on top of them to cool down. 

There are many other ideas but these are the easy and cheap options to help out your ratties on those hot days. Lastly please do not be afraid to ask for help. If you need someone to duck to your house and turn the air conditioning on or want more plastic bottles to freeze for your ratties, never be afraid to ask for help. We all want the same thing for our animals. If you have any other questions or need help in anyway please contact us via our Facebook Page or contact any of our Registered Breeders! 
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