hi all!

i would like to adopt a couple new baby rats sometime soon, and i’m wondering about the ideal location/environment for their cage.

i have a closet in my bedroom that would perfectly fit the big cage that i have, and it even has a little shelf space for things like food, treats, bedding/litter, etc. but it doesn’t get the best light.

i obviously wouldn’t want to leave my rats in a dark cage any time they aren’t out and about for free roam, but what would be ideal lighting? would a small lamp in that room work well?

i also don’t want it to be too cold in there, and i doubt it would be as my bedroom is close to the heater in our house so when that’s on it should be warm enough, but are there any good effective ways to keep their cage warm during cold months ?

i would say it’s ventilated well enough too; i plan on taking the closet door off the hinges so it’s like a small cubby-hole rat space and not just some small closet, but obviously rats can be stanky so i want their space to be ventilated well enough!

thank you for any advice you could offer! definitely not a first-time rat owner, but it’s been a long time since i’ve had new babies and i want to try something new with their living space…just something different :)