Help me, PLEASE! D:

[Hanoverian]

My rat, Ellie, escaped from her aquarium last night! She has never done something like this before! She had fresh food and water in her cage, but...... HELP! Her cage is in a room with a CLOSED door but I am worried that she could of squeezed through the bottom opening, and we have cats! I looked under the bookshelves, the couch, the computer, and tried to look behind the couch, but it is dark back there and I can't lift it. Then, behind our TV, there is a hole in the wall with wires in it, so she could be in there, but I am so scared! I left out a treat for her, but help! And I can't hear if she is in here because of my other rat cage, with Suzie and her elven babies. Help, PLEASE!

[Hanoverian]

OK, she is not under the couch, either, and the open space in the walls with the wire goes STRAIGHT. DOWN. Help

[Hanoverian]

Please? I don't want her to die.......

[Saluna]

Don't worry, but look for signs of damage throughout the house. Look for paint missing from the walls or threads hanging off the sofa where they weren't before (lol). Also, set out delicious fruits and rat mix near her cage, and make sure it is clean. Set out a small dish of shallow water near her cage (so she doesn't dehydrate on her adventures around your home)and make sure all cats are out before you close the door.

Before you leave for the night make sure she has a way back in to her aquarium such as a book with a textured cover (propped against the side) or a pile of dirty clothes will work (set near the tank) since you're going to wash them anyway. Make sure the cage in on the floor since rats can jump down very easily but may not be as great at climbing back up unto a table or desk. Aquariums are not the best suited living environments for rats but if that is what you have then that is what we shall work with.

If you need more help just PM me, I'll be glad to try. I have two rats and three cats, so I understand how you feel about one escaping. Oh, and make sure that your other rat's cage is secure from the outside, since the escapee might try to sneak in.

[Hanoverian]

Thanks...... it has been a long time now, very worried. I have set out water and food around the house, but I can't shut the cats out EVERYWHERE..... where I can, I did though. She doesn't usually live in an aquarium. but a large, 2 story wire cage. Her cage-mate, Suzie, had a litter of babies, so we had to temporarily move her to a aquarium. How can I get her out of the wall, if she is in it, when the opening is tiny, only big enough for part of my hand, let alone my arm? Food and water are set out, but she hasn't come out yet.... I looked everywhere upstairs, and downstairs, but I don't think that she would venture downstairs.......... so scared..

[Saluna]

The best idea to coax her out of the wall if she is there is to set the aquarium near it, keep the food and water handy and make sure she can get inside the tank. Rats come out for lots of exploring at night, so maybe this is the night she will find her way back. Only put the aquarium by the wall if you know she is there, otherwise she may get confused when she tries to come home and her tank is missing. Good luck.

[Hanoverian]

Still haven't found her, and I don't even think that she is in the wall. ;(

[Atwood]

Put out some of her favourite treats like fruits or peanut butter on lids near both her aquarium and her usual cage, put shallow water dishes near things she might shelter under like the couch, and try putting lots of 'rat houses' (cardboard boxes with a few rat-sized holes cut in the sides and some Kleenex, small loose piles of clothing, old boots on their sides, etc) on the floor in areas where there's no furniture for her to hide under. That way she'll be able to get water and escape from the cats if needed, you'll have a better chance of catching her in one of those spots, and the smell of her favourite foods will hopefully draw her back home. I've heard of people whose rats went missing for over a week before being recaptured safe and sound, so hopefully she'll be fine and show up soon - good luck!

[Hanoverian]

Thanks! I will do that! I still haven't found her, but I hear a tappy noise coming from the closet...... could just be a woodpecker from outside, tho.... but I will check now

[Lady]

If worse comes to worse and you cannot catch her for some reason, a large glue trap may be in order. It's not the best thing, but if you're going to be around to check it every hour and be ready to peel her off and clean her up, she should be okay. We had a few babies get loose that weren't too people friendly yet, and it was the only thing that we could catch them in with the cats around. (They would just open the doors on the closing traps.) Only one of them got a little hurt because he cut his foot trying to jump off the trap, but otherwise all of them were safe and sound.