For the past couple of days, Ive woken up to find that my 10 week old rats have completely ransacked their cage! Food bowls are over turned, their little cardbox box house they have on their second level is always on its side on the ground level, and their bedding is all over the place along with the bottem layer of newspaper I put down over the wire mesh floor.

They have only just started doing this, they are going completely mad and destroying everything! I know this is probably just over-active ratties but I dont understand why they've all of a sudden started to behave like this? They have a play tube in their cage, along with a climbing hammock and a hanging chew toy, they both get taken out of their cage at least once a day for cuddles so I dont think its boredome.

Why are my girls being so destructive?

they're GIRLS!!!

get used to the 'interior decorating', girls are complete messy horrors

they're just making it how they like it, shredding newspaper is a fun ratty activity and also used for extra bedding.

Up-ending the bowls is either they've hidden the food somewhere else, or they're trying to use the bowl to hide the food. Rats stash food so other rodents or rats don't find it and eat it.

the fact they've just started doing it, if they're relatively new to you, means they're fully settled and have taken charge of their cage as 'theirs'.

keep putting stuff where you want it as it gives them something to move about and arrange it to their needs.

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This is not a game of 'who the fek are you'.

Not a single gram of fek shall be given today.

i have 4 girl rats.. had boys too lol..
girls are hyper. lol they will re arrange everything everytime,lol , have you ever put a cheap roll of toilet paper in.. the whole roll..you kinda fasten it to the side of inside of cage so it can be un rolled.. they will have it shredded by morning.. try a hard boiled egg.. day before clean out, they have fun with them too.. i often only put half the bedding in igloo/box, whatever they have to sleep in, then scatter the rest of the bedding around cage... its all in there beds next morning
they sound very happy...

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