Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,

I acquired a year-old leucistic rat in June, and so far, everything had been going well until about a week ago. Since his first escape last week, he has constantly been attempting to escape his enclosure. I blocked his last escape route (he slipped through a gap in the sliding door), but he has been relentless in trying to get out since then. He has been eating consistently, shedding, and appears healthy, but seems very restless. He patrols the perimeter of his cage often, and rubs his nose on the glass. I like seeing him more often, but I can't help but think something is wrong.

Is there anything I can do for him? He is about two feet long, and kept in a 24"x12"x15" sliding door cage. The temperatures are about 77 (cool side) and 82 (warm side) with plenty of hides, climbing branches, and plants that provide cooler shady spots and basking points. Humidity generally stays around 50%.

Is the cage too small, or is something else the problem? I have been planning to upgrade once it became necessary, as I know he'll need a bigger cage once he's an adult, but maybe now is the time?

Thanks for any advice. I am at a loss, and really want him to be comfortable.
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.0 Leucistic Ratsnake (Houdini)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.2 Panduro cichlids (A. panduro)

Just a correction, the cage is 30" x 12" x 15". I took a guess without measuring and realized that the cage is actually 6" longer than I thought. Thanks again for any tips.
-----
::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.0 Leucistic Ratsnake (Houdini)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.2 Panduro cichlids (A. panduro)

well i can't tell you if the cage is too small before you tell me how big your snake is

It could be that you don't have adaquate hides for him.. he's out looking for a better place to hide. what kind of setup do you have in there? or he could be hungry. Thats another possibility.

Hi,

I mentioned in my first post that he is about 2 feet long. There are plenty of hides on both sides of the cage - a hide rock, a tangle of branches for climbing and hiding, and tons of fake plants that he loves to curl up under.

This has been a really recent occurence, within the last two weeks. He'd been acting normally until then.

Thanks for any input!
-----
::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.0 Leucistic Ratsnake (Houdini)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.2 Panduro cichlids (A. panduro)