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Introduction:
Rats and other small pets greatly enjoy hammocks to sleep or rest in. Hammocks increase the surface area of a cage, creating
a use for an otherwise empty corner. Store-bought hammocks can be expensive, however, especially if your rat likes to chew
on them.
An alternative to buying hammocks from a pet store is to make your own. In building your own, you have a great choice in
what the pattern of the fabric or the design of the hammock will be. A good place to look for fabric is in the fabric remnants
bin, where you can find a variety of colors that are small enough to suit this project. The steps that follow are a guide
to creating a basic rectangular hammock as pictured above, using a double-layer of fleece for comfort, durability, and warmth.
Materials:
• fleece, cut to be 30” x 10”
• a length of fabric, 50” x 3”
• 4 safety pins
• sewing pins
• sewing machine, or sew by hand with needle and thread
Method:
1) Fold the edges of the fabric strip in towards the center, shown in Figure 1.
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| Figure 1 |
2) Iron the fabric strip with some steam so that the fold is sharp and will stay in place.
3) Fold the fleece in half, forming a 15” by 10” rectangle.
... • Make sure that the pattern desired is facing out on both sides.
4) Wrap the fabric strip as a border around the fleece’s edges, pinning it in place, shown in Figure 2.
... • Make sure that the folded edges of the fabric strip are facing downward onto the fleece.
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| Figure 2 |
5) Sew the fabric strip to the fleece, as shown in Figure 3.
...• Make sure that the ends of the sewing string are secure and won’t unravel if pulled.
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| Figure 3 |
6) Remove the pins.
7) Insert a saftey pin in each corner of the new hammock, shown in Figures 4 and 5.
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| Figure 4 |
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| Figure 5 |
8) Attach each corner of the hammock with the safety pins to the wire of the cage, shown in Figure 6.
...• Make sure that the hammock is in an area that will be accessible to your rats.
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| Figure 6 |
9) Let your rats relax in comfort!
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