Be sure to check out my other blog, The Doggie Bloggy!
http://www.thedoggiebloggy.com/

Ty's Rat Shack Review

I had purchased two products from Ty's Rat Shack and along with my purchase, I received a few products to review back in June and had posted this unboxing video on my YouTube channel. A week later I took a bunch of lovely photographs of my ratties lounging and enjoying their brand new Ty's Rat Shack goodies...only to have those photos deleted from my phone prior to posting! GGGGRRRRR! I am so glad I was so excited to do a unboxing video and did a little "first impression" type review in that video or might not have had anything to show just how beautiful these products are! At the end of this post, you can see how they stood up to my notorious chewers, almost 2 months later- I think you will be surprised!

Photo Credit: Ty's Rat Shack

I really like standard hammocks- they are so useful! I personally prefer the small size (12x10) as it seems spacious for my rats but is still small enough that I can put several into the cage at one time to add variety and to give my rats options on where they can lounge. Ty's Rat Shack provides standard hammocks in four sizes- Mouse (6x9) $3; Small (12x10) $6; Medium (15x13) $7; and Large (17x15) $8. The quality is high but the price is low so I could not resist purchasing two of the small sized Standard Hammocks for my ratties, and believe me, with the selection of fabrics to choose from, it was hard to limit myself!

The Cuddle square typically comes is 7x7x3 but she is able to customize the size you might need. This design is awesome! It almost like a typical hammock except that it has raised sides. My rats LOVED this design since they have a tendency to bring food into bed with them. The raised sides not only made it more cozy but also kept those midnight munchies close at hand...er...paw? Its an interesting design for sure, and sells for $9.

The Easy Breezy is another really sweet design! It is 11x11x5 and like the Cuddle Square, can be customized in a size that best works for you. Its like a combo bunk-bed and pocketed hammock. What appealed to me most about this design was that rats that prefer to sleep alone or like their own space could sleep in the either side of the 'beds' as I like to call them, all the while another couple of rats can snuggle up together on top or even burrow into the pocketed top. This was probably the most well received product of the bunch by the rats. My girls LOVE their Easy Breezy! This product is a steal at only $10!


To see more of Ty's Rat Shack products, visit their website HERE.

Quality: 5 stars.Excellent quality- well made!

Safety: 5 Stars. All materials used are appropriate for rats.

Ease of Assembly: 4 Stars. Easy to hang- you will need the thinner metal shower curtain rings to hand since the holes to hang are quite small. Not really an issue since most rat owners tend to use these types of rings but if you use the plastic shower curtain rings, you might have some issue hanging them.
**EDIT**- one of my readers, who is a loyal Ty's Rat Shack customer, suggested using key chain rings in the small grommets which then allow you to use the regular shower curtain rings if needed. Brilliant! Thanks Deidre! 

Ease of Cleaning: 5 Stars. Just toss it in the washing machine and dryer!

Price: 5 Stars.Great prices!

Aesthetics: 5 Stars. Ty's Rat Shack has one of the best selections of fabrics to choose from that I have seen!

Rat's Response: 5 Stars.

Easy Breezy- held up even to my chewers and with lots of washings!

RAT WHISPERER SCORE: 5 STARS

Chelsea peeking from the Cuddle Square! It's been chewed to death and still hanging strong!

Review Disclaimer: 

As the owner of the blog, I do receive free products or services. The Rat Whisperer will make note on any posts where a product was received for free. Please view the statement on any post where there is a review and/or a giveaway to learn if a product was received for free. I do not accept paid reviews, but I do receive some compensation from ads and affiliate links on my site. This compensation does not influence my reviews, but it does allow me to maintain the site, purchase more products to review and keep my pets in the manner to which they have become accustomed. Affiliate links will be marked with an *. Please note that compensation in the form of a "free" product does NOT affect my opinions in any way. I strive to provide 100% honest feedback about the products being reviewed. 

Also note that The Rat Whisperer does not accept any liability from the purchase or use of any products reviewed on this blog. The product reviews in this blog are based on the opinion and experiences of my pets and I. Because every pet is different in how they act and how they deal with a product, you may have a different experience. Please feel free to leave a comment about your experience as this will help others make any decision they do need to make. I do reserve the right to delete any comment that I feel is inappropriate. Personal information, including names and email addresses, that is submitted to me will only be used for the purpose for which it is submitted. This information will not be sold.

Longer Days Bring ‘Winter Blues’—For Rats, Not Humans

Interesting article!

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/longer_days_bring_winter_bluesfor_rats_not_humans

Some Sad News to Report...

You can read more about Cicero's health (and my other rats as well) here: http://aquariusmischief.blogspot.com/