Portable Folding Hammock

introHow to make a cage hammock
This is a good all purpose set of instructions to make any size cage hammock for cat, kitten or ferret. It is non specific because it is intended for recycled materials. Reuse whatever appropriate materials you have at hand. But the design is basically the same.
Hammocks can be made with clips attached or only tabs for detachable clips. Metal clips can chip the enamel inside a washer or dryer. I find I need several, one is always in the wash.

For these projects I used
Polyester fleece stadium blankets from the thrift store for $2.00 each
Polypropylene webbing from a belt strap cut into 4" pieces.
and 4 swivel clips from an old purse (they don’t HAVE to match)
cheap shower curtain hooks

step 1.-Make a template or paper pattern
If you have one you like, trace it on paper and cut it out. Or you draw something freehand. Or cut a template from cardboard, this is best for rectangular ones. Keep r…

step 2.-Cut out material
Pin the pattern to the folded material. Trace and cut out TWO sides. leaving 1/2 to 3/4 inches for the seam allowance. If the top and bottom don’t match perfectly, …

step 3.-Sew around edge while attaching tabs
Start half way down one side and sew until you get within a few inches of the next corner. insert the webbing tabs with or without swivel clips into the corners pointed…

step 4.-Turn the hammock inside out
When you have finished sewing all the way around except for 4 inches in the middle of one side. Pull the tabs and clips through this gap in the seam edge. then finish by …

step 5.-Attach clips
If you are not permanently attaching clips you can use simple shower curtain hooks. Which should do nicely and can be removed for washing.

That is instructions for Small pet HAMMOCK
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Plan B (LOL)
Trousers can be used as tunnels at play time. A single trouser leg cut off and sewn closed at one end can be hung as a sleep sack.
Old jumpers and coats with buttons removed make great bedding.
Take a toilet roll tube and tape up one end, put a treat in and watch ferrets go mad trying to get it out.
Non-instant rice, packing peanuts that dissolve in water and scrunched up paper all make good fillers for dig boxes. Throw in some treats and they’ll go digging for them.
Charity shops sometimes have animal toys, check them thoroughly for bits hanging off before buying.
Toys that are getting worn can be put in a tied-off sock.
Three or four plastic carrier bags placed inside a tied off sock make a fun noisy toy.
Plastic easter eggs left over from easter can have dried pasta or rice put inside and then glued shut for a rattle toy.
Cut-offs from drain pipes and dryer hose make play tubes.
Cut holes in cardboard boxes and link them using tubing.
2-litre pop bottles can be used to make tubing. Cut the ends off and cover the sharp plastic with gaffa tape, join them together to make long tubes and watch the fun.
A big tub of soil, while messy, is loads of fun to dig and wrestle in.
In hotter times, a shallow tray of water is fun and cooling, also very messy.

This is an alternate, read them over and make which works best for you. They both work GREAT for ferrets so rats should be fine.
p.s. Thanks for the email for the question. Sorry it took so long, its been a crazy day! GOOD LUCK DANI

I just cut squares of fleece & attach them to the top of the cages with metal clips. We had been buying hammocks @ the pet shop or rodent rescues, but our little guys chew them up pretty fast so I decided to go really simple. Buying fleece on sale & cutting it as needed saves time & $$.
Not sure what you mean by hanging blocks, but we hang cardboard boxes in the cages too. Just poke a hole in each upper corner & use sturdy string. We also suspend chew treats & toys from the tops of the cages.

easy as, I use two layers of material cut in a rectangle, the width I cut mine is about 8 inches, depending on the size of your rat. the length I make mine is about 18 inches, depending on the size of your cage. I sew the two layers together then fold them in half and sew along the top.
You can then either hang over a perch, which I do. Or thread a chain through the hammock and up over the cage bar. Hope you understood this. cheers Debbie Ps my rat loves them, but had to make a few as he chews through them.

Very simple rat hammocks can be made by cutting the ribbed top part (above the heel, or ankle) off of an old pair of large men’s work socks (I used some left from my late father), and using safety pins, in the four corners, to hang them from the top of the cage. It does not matter if there are holes in the toe or heel of the sock, since that part of the sock is not used, which makes this a good use for worn out socks.

Other possibilities would be sleeves from old shirts (with any buttons removed), or the legs off of old worn out pants.

If you don’t want to bother with cutting anything up, just attach a facecloth to the cage with safety pins. They will eventually chew through the face cloth and tear it down, but then you can just put up another one. If you want to be all fancy, you can take some cloth and cut a rectangle. put two pieces of shoe lace or string on the longest sides then fold the fabric over top and sew in place. Then cut another piece of fabric (fleece works really well) and sew that over top so that you cover where you have folded over the fabric on the other piece. Then you can either tie or use safety pins to hold the hammock to the cage.

check out
http://www.dapper.com

they have great ideas !

i just had a fleece square which i sewed the edges and put holes in the corner and used paperclips as hooks

http://www.dapper.com

the easiest one ive ever made was – get a square of fleece (or a face cloth) and cut a hole in one corner, then take a strip of fleece (length depend on how low you want the hammock to sit) and just thread it though the hole, then tie a knot in it so you have made the strip into a loop, do this for all four corners then attach to the bars with carabiners, paper clips or safety pins. easy!

There are a few websites that give directions for making hammocks. There are some really great hammocks that can be made once you get good.

http://www.rattributes.com/blog/?page_id=47

I’ve found that the more simple the hammock, the less it gets chewed! That being said, the majority of hammocks in our rats’ cage right now are old wash clothes (NONE have been chewed, and I’ve been using the same ones for more than a month! Ha.) with super small holes cut in each corner then put a clip through and hang. The second most common amongst our rat laundry is squares of fleece with the small holes in the corners. For some reason, these last a particularly long time, especially oppose to hanging cubes and what not.

Personally, I love the metal shower curtain hook things that you can get at wal-mart for under a buck for ten or so.

If you’re looking to make more custom things, check out the pack rat swap meet at ((http://www.goosemoose.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,118/forum,rat/board,6.0)). Cubes and pocket hammocks are relatively simple to make, even if you’re not sew-savvy like me! Just take a look around GooseMoose Forum’s Pack Rat Swap Meet and you should get a general idea as to how to make any custom things you’d like to make.

I simply buy tea towels and use metal clips to hang them in the cage! The rats seem to love them and they ruin the tea towels much less than the hammocks you can buy for like £10. I also use rope and metal clips to hang lengths of carpet tubes for them to use which many of them sleep in! Its really simple, just drill holes onto the thick tubes tie a length of rope through the hole and metal clips then attach them to the cage! Simple! Your rats will enjoy that just as much as anything you can buy!

Lloyd!

U KNOW IVE TRIED THAT B4.
IT DIDNT WORK OUT TO WELL AT FIRST BUT I TRIED SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I USED STRAWS AND A RIPPED SHIRT.
BUT I WOULD ACTUALLY TRY USING 2 STICKS AND TIE A RAG OR A PEICE OF BLANKET OR EVEN A RIPPED SHIRT.
DIG THE STICKS IN THE GROUND OR JUST TIE THE MATERIAL TO THE TOP OF THE CAGE.
I HOPE THIS WORKS DANI,
PINKLOVER