Make your own: Rat hammock

What you’ll need

• Large piece of material (fleece works best) – to be cut into six strips
• Large square piece of material (again, fleece is ideal) for the main part of the hammock – more on this below
• Scissors
• Shower curtain hooks

Step 1

Cut your large piece of fleece into six strips – these will be used to create the ropes for the hammock. The longer these pieces are and the larger the square of material is, the bigger the hammock will be.

Step 2

To make the rope, take three strips of fleece and tie them together with a knot at the top.

Step 3

Make a plait from the top of the knot to the bottom, leaving enough room to tie another knot at the end to secure the pieces together.

Step 4

Repeat with the other three remaining lengths of material.

Step 5

When you have made your two ropes, thread one of them through the middle of the other to make an ‘X’.

Step 6

Next, take the large square piece of fleece and snip each corner towards the middle. Each cut should be a couple of inches in length.

Step 7

Lay the joined ropes on top of the square material, so the ends of the ropes line up with the cut corners on the material.

Step 8

One corner at a time, pull the corners of the square material through the rope, tying it around one of the lengths within the plait to secure it.

Step 9

Tie a double knot for each so it doesn’t come loose when your rats sit in it.

Step 10

Use shower curtain hooks or any existing clips you have, threading them through the knots on each end of the ropes.

Step 11

Attach the hammock to your cage for your rats to snuggle up in together, making sure it’s hung in an area where they can easily reach it.

Top tip: if you find the ropes are slightly too long, or sag into the middle, attach another hook through the middle of both plaits and attach to the top of the cage.