Even when you are not actively caring for an animal you are still caring for them. This weekend I spent 2 days making rat hammocks. Yup, the entire weekend. Thankfully the the weather was cold, rainy and windy so I had absolutely no desire to go outside. Unfortunately I am not done but I just couldn't sit at the sewing machine any more.
The process can be simple. Two large pieces of fabric sewn together and then add four eyelets, one in each corner to you can hang them from anywhere. I, however, have never been able to make them work. The theory is simple enough but I can never seem to get those little pieces of metal to connect. So I have a different solution. I create loops which I sew into the hammock. Because I want the hammock/loops to look nice, and because I am a REALLY slow sewer creating all the bits and putting them together seems to take forever. For the most part I use old clothes that have been ripped, stained or otherwise unsuitable for donation. I scored a few fleece blankets at a second hand store for super cheap as well. I made 31 small hammocks (10 inches x 10 inches) and cut the fabric and made loops for 18 larger ones (10 inches x 15 inches).
Why do I need so many? Rats like to chew. And many love to chew fabric. I've lost a few curtains due to careless cage placement. Some rats will chew the edges, just enough to remove the eyelet/loop from all 4 corners, and then move the hammock to a more ideal location. I call these rats interior decorators as they are often moving things around in their cages. Others will just chew for the love of chewing, or to make nesting material (male and female do this) etc. Then again, some rats don't care about fabric, won't chew and just like hanging out on a soft fluffy bed. Eventually the hammock's fall apart or just won't clean enough anymore at which time they get disposed of.