In this century, people keep many different types of animals as pets. There was a time when dogs, cats and a few other animals were the only pet options people had. However, now you can meet the owners of rats and other exotic animals. Although rodents are small in size, they are very smart and cheerful.
Every owner of a pet rat wants to spend more time with it. To do this, you need to find a safe and reliable way for the animal to move freely in your company. Harnesses and leashes can help your pet travel with you or simply play freely.
Harnesses for cats
To make a leash, you need 3 measurements: neck circumference, circumference under the front legs, the distance between two circumferences along the back.
The fabric harness starts with an H-shaped pattern. Add allowances and 3-4 cm to the girth for fasteners. Cut out, finish edges with bias tape, add fleece lining. The fastener is made from ribbons. The main part is put on the animal, the fasteners are adjustable. On the top jumper, approximately in the middle, a loop is sewn into which a connecting ring is inserted. A leash is attached to the ring, its length is 2-2.5 meters.
Thread harnesses have a different design: the partition goes on the stomach, and the strap and holders are attached on top. To create a harness from sling and leather straps, no lining or braid is required for processing. Fire the edges of the straps and slings, cut off the parts for the throat and belly with 3 cm allowances, the bottom jumper and a small piece to secure the ring. Sew the pieces together and add fasteners to the sides. The sling needs to be sewn and the straps secured with eyelets.
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IMPORTANT! A finger should fit between the parts of the harness and the animal. If the distance is greater, the cat will be able to get out.
Harnesses for rodents
The measurements for rodents are the same, the features of constructing the pattern are the same. For rats and guinea pigs, it is better to make a harness from lightweight materials, choose a leash from strong fishing line or other light and durable materials. Make sure your pet doesn't chew through the leash.
In rodents, the leash is attached to the stomach, but more often not to the back. For this purpose, rings and metal carbines are used. The distances between the fabric and the rodent are not commensurate with the cat’s parameters, since rodents have a different body structure that allows them to get out of the harness.
Popular models
Let's look at hamster leashes and harnesses that are popular with pet owners. The following models have proven themselves well:
- Gamma. A simple harness made of cord with a diameter of 6 mm, leash length 1.3 m. For large hamsters. Metal carabiner and sliders. Price – from 100 rubles.
- Ferplast. Open harness made of nylon cord. The size is easily adjustable, so the accessory is suitable for dwarf hamsters and large Syrians. Cost – from 220 rubles.
- Ferplast jogging small. A vest for small rabbits, which is also suitable for a well-fed hamster. The size is adjustable, all fastenings are made of plastic. Costs 690 rubles.
- Taonmeisu. Open harness for jungarik with a bell. The harness itself is made of nylon, the fastenings are metal. Price from 170 rubles.
Not everyone has the opportunity to purchase such things for their tiny pet. If you want to dress up or walk your pet, you will have to make an accessory for your hamster with your own hands.
Introducing the pet and harness
Not all animals like to walk in a harness.
How to walk with a cat:
- Accustom your cat to wearing a harness from the first months of life. For older cats, wear a harness first for a few minutes while walking around the apartment with him. If the animal is more than 10 years old, it is almost impossible to accustom it to walks with a harness;
- If an animal becomes nervous at the sight of a harness and tries to get out of it, you should not force it. Be patient: if the cat reacts just as negatively after wearing it every day for a short time after a month, give up this idea.
- In order for the cat to get used to new conditions, the leash and harness must be given a sniff.
How to walk with a rodent:
- While walking, keep a close eye on the animal. Rodents are very resourceful and can crawl out of the thickest vests. Pay attention to the leash; thin rodents can bite.
- After putting on the harness, give your pet a treat. This will reduce stress.
- If the animal hisses and runs away from the leash, abandon this idea in favor of a rodent ball.
It is possible to make a harness and tame an animal to it, the main thing is to show patience and care.
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Where can you take your hamster for a walk?
The place to walk must be safe. The best option is your own apartment. The hamster can also roll on it in a ball, choosing its own direction. But carrying an animal for a walk in the yard in a walking ball is dangerous, because the door may suddenly open. In this case, the homa will run away and you will never see him again.
It is for street walking that special harnesses for hamsters have been developed. They securely clasp his body: with the correct size, it is almost impossible to jump out of the vest and run away. But during a street walk, you must remember that a tiny animal can suddenly be overtaken by predators. Therefore, we do not recommend dragging your hamster around the yard.
You can walk your animal at your own dacha. It’s great if you have a neatly trimmed lawn: your pet will willingly run on the grass, eat it, and won’t get lost. But you cannot leave a rodent harnessed alone, even in a tied state. Firstly, a neighbor's cat, dog or crows may suddenly appear and offend the defenseless hamster. Secondly, the hamster itself can chew through the leash and run away. Therefore, when walking, make sure that:
- there are no other animals around;
- the harness is not too big for the fluffy one;
- the carbine is in good condition.
These rules will ensure a safe walk and will not allow your nimble pet to escape.
What is a harness for?
It is not difficult to tame a rat, but in an extreme situation it will run to hide not with its owner, but will look for a secluded shelter under a gate, in holes or thickets of bushes. May be afraid of someone else's smell, a cat or a dog. Rodents get lost very easily on the street. Even in a small apartment, it can climb into an inaccessible place, and you will have to dismantle the floors or ventilation ducts.
If a rat likes to sit on its owner's shoulder during a walk, it may fall and it is not always possible to react quickly. A rat leash will help control the movement of a curious and timid rodent.
Not all pets allow you to wear a harness. They need to get used to the accessory. The structure of the shoulder joints and small front legs of the animal make it easy to get out of most harness models. Sometimes rodents understand the leash and do not pay attention to it. Males perceive the harness more easily. They are not as emotional as girls.
It will take patience to teach your pet to walk on a leash. Breeders recommend using the accessory only when the pet is calm and friendly. At the slightest sign that he is experiencing stress, the harness should be removed. If the result is successful, the animal is rewarded with a treat.
You should not despair and give up if your pet is categorically against this method of walking. You need to be patient and everything will work out.
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Chew toys
When pet rats get bored, they start chewing on something. To prevent them from chewing on your furniture, blankets and carpets, make your own chew toys for them.
- Walnuts in shell. The hard shell will not allow you to quickly eat the nuts and will occupy the teeth of rodents.
- Boiled chicken or beef bones.
- Wooden chew toys (not pine ones). You can buy such toys at a pet store, or you can cut disposable wooden sticks yourself. A popsicle stick works well, or you can even leave a little of the treat on it. Your tailed friends will thank you for this.
- Dog biscuits are hard, low in protein and fat.
- Baby crackers for teething.
- Wine corks.
- Cardboard boxes are a convenient house and a chewing toy in one.
Rat teeth are constantly growing, so they simply need to constantly chew on something to wear them down. To prevent your pets from chewing everything, offer them chewing toys.
Types of products
Sometimes pet stores offer to buy a collar and leash. They won't solve the problem. Using it is not only inconvenient, but also dangerous.
Two scenarios:
- if the collar is loose, the rat will slip out of it;
- A collar that is too tight can strangle your pet once the leash becomes taut.
What makes the harness different is that it is fixed in such a way that the load from the leash is distributed over the entire body.
Strap construction
A simple strap design that can be adjusted to fit your rat. Soft, but dense and durable straps go around the neck and torso under the paws. There are belts running along the stomach and back that connect the structure. Various materials are acceptable - from braided cords, leather and leatherette. The locks are buckles or latches.
Product with Velcro
The Velcro harness has the shape of a vest that fastens under the rodent's chest. A ring is attached to the back for attaching a leash. Harnesses are usually made of elastic material that tightly and carefully wraps around the animal and allows it to escape. There are options for lightweight summer and winter insulated harnesses with Velcro. They are united by comfort, reliability and breathable quality fabric.
Necessary materials
Today, pet stores offer a wide range of models of harnesses for rodents. They are practical, functional, made from various high-quality materials, but their main disadvantage is their high cost. For this reason, many breeders prefer to make their own leash.
Before you start creating a product, you should understand what types there are:
- From straps. These harnesses have a simple design and can be adjusted to fit the size of your pet. The straps under the rat's limbs encircle its torso and neck, and along the line of the belly and back there are straps that connect the entire product. To make such a leash, scraps of genuine leather and braided cords are usually used. Both latches and buckles are suitable as locks.
- Velcro. This design is mainly made in the form of a vest with fasteners located under the chest. A ring is attached at the bottom of the backrest, designed to secure the harness. Basically, leashes are made of durable, elastic nylon, which is conveniently and securely fixed to the rodent, preventing it from freeing itself and running away.
As fasteners, it is allowed to use small metal buckles or plastic fasteners, which are sold in any sewing store. You can use small buttons or buttons, but putting this harness on your pet will be extremely inconvenient and difficult. Of course, in the process of sewing a product you will need a pattern.
The simplest version of the pattern is shown in the photo below:
- a: 0.5–1 cm;
- c: width of the rat’s body behind the forelimbs;
- c: required interval between ring b and d;
- d: rodent neck volume;
- g, h: latches, for example, Velcro, which are sewn on both sides of the harness;
- e: a clasp, which can be used as a paper clip, or a carabiner from a mobile phone.
How to make a leash for a rat yourself?
You can make a leash for a rat with your own hands and it won’t take much effort. Such a harness can become a training harness so that the animal gets used to going for a walk in a new status.
Materials
You will need thick fabric or thick fabric cord. You should not start making leather products, as you will need special tools. To make fasteners you will need Velcro, metal buckles made of metal or plastic locks in the form of latches. Sometimes they get by with regular buttons, but putting on such an accessory will be more difficult. Accessories can be bought at a sewing supply store or taken from old, worn-out items.
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Manufacturing stages
The simplest harness is done as follows:
- They take measurements. It is necessary to find out the girth of the neck, the girth of the body behind the front legs and the distance between these marks.
- To the measurements taken, add the required length for attaching locks or Velcro and cut off three strips of fabric.
- The resulting collar and the strip covering the body are fastened together with a third part.
- Locks or Velcro are placed on the rat's stomach or back.
- A ring for a leash is sewn to the strip that wraps around the body.
It is convenient to use latches from cell phone key fobs to attach the leash. They are small, but are able to withstand the tension that the rat creates when moving.
Results
A rat on a leash looks interesting and elegant. You need to accustom her to such walks first indoors, then in deserted places outdoors. Until you are completely sure that the rat feels good in a harness, you should not go for a walk with it in the park. Even in this case, you need to be careful so that other animals do not attack your pet, or that it does not fall under the wheels of a bicycle or car. It is necessary to ensure that all locks on the harness are securely fastened.
