#Also the picture makes their cage look small but they're in a 4.5' cage with 2 levels; ramps; platforms; and all sorts of toys I promise.

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

I finally got a picture in the right light where I can show off how I know Sisu has the Touch of Velvet (TOV) gene!

So there are a few traits that give it away. The most obvious are the REALLY dark streak of especially thick, silky fur along his back and a little bit over his head. (TOV "veiling" fur has a different texture, it's a bit hard to describe but it's not quite as cottony and plush as the rest of his fur. It's smother, it's shinier, and it's more solidly black than the rest of his mottled-black-and-gray coat.)

Another trait is the black "wash" over his face, which you can't see as well here because he's facing away from the source of light, but he has the "mask" of that same darker, smoother fur on his face than Dusty has. The fur around his face doesn't stand up or poof out the same way Dusty's does.

(It's especially obvious when they've just waken up from a nap! Dusty's face fur gets very poofy when he first wakes up, and Sisu's really only poofs up around his cheeks rather than at the forehead and nose too.)

[katalyna-rose]

Thought I'd share some pictures of my current setup!

US standard minimum housing for rats is 2.5 cubic feet for the first rat and 2 additional cubic feet per additional rat, and since rats are social and need to be housed together that's a minimum of 4.5 cubic feet of cage space. They also need lots of room to climb, hide, and dig, and lots of ventilation, making tall wire cages with narrow bar spacing ideal.

My setup is extremely indulgent lol. Before I put in the tubs at the bottom that add an additional 8 inches of depth (they're large size cement mixing tubs from home depot that happen to fit perfectly) this setup was 36 cubic feet which means I could comfortably house about 15 rats without crowding. There are only 3 lol (for now. I'm getting more!)

This is a Double Critter Nation and a Single Critter Nation that I've taken the side panels off and zip tied together. I love the Critter Nation because the whole front opens up like that and it's so easy to clean. I keep two dig boxes inside, one filled with oat hay and one with coconut fiber terrarium soil. The oat hay is great nesting material and contains little seed heads that are great for foraging and snacking on - the hay itself is not edible for rats and they do not attempt to eat it because they're smarter than that. The terrarium soil is excellent digging material, safe and clean so I don't have to worry about it. Every time I look at it the soil is in a different shape! They love digging in there, and every month after deep cleaning I get them some mealworms and put them in the soil as a treat!

Remember to research your pets before you buy, never buy live small animals from a pet store because they source animals from unethical breeding mills, and always try to exceed minimum requirements for safe and healthy animals. This has been a PSA from your friendly small animal enthusiast.