Lava ledges with added minerals are great for rats, chinchillas, gerbils and small animals. They come in 2 sizes and are our best selling platform ledges. When I was new to keeping rats and hamsters I didn’t understand just how important these platforms were! I have seen many Youtube videos of rats sitting on lava ledges and chewing them, now you can see our Youtube videos too! Rats have four large teeth in the front of their mouths called incisors. Incisors are open-rooted teeth, which means they never stop growing. If your rat doesn’t have something to chew on, they can’t naturally file their teeth. If you decide to use a lava ledge with your pet rat, it is important to take steps to ensure their safety. Here are some tips for using lava ledges safely with your pet rat:

Already, data from the team’s first field deployment is helping scientists understand the interactions between biology and geology in these volcanic caves. New science from the project will be presented this week at the Astrobiology Science Conference in Seattle.Social is an understatement. These creatures thrive on connections to others—even outside of their own species. To strengthen their abilities, you must give them proper playtime outside of their cage and inside of it. Rats’ Learning Capability

But beyond helping us pinpoint the best spots to search for life, these caves could bring us one step closer to a permanent presence on the Moon and safe exploration at Mars – the ultimate goal of the Artemis program. Understanding life in these lava tubes, and the mineral record this life imparts, could be the key to our search for life off of Earth. For places like Mars which likely once held life and could still today, understanding these caves and how to look for even the smallest traces of biology is essential. Even if there is no life on Mars today, caves could preserve the remains of ancient life for us to find. Supervise your pet - Always supervise your pet when they are using a lava ledge, especially if they are still getting used to it. It’s equally important to offer as much stimulation out of the cage. You can even find rat mazes and puzzles for them to complete during floor time. Why Rats Need to File their Teeth

We don’t think there’s life to find on the Moon now, but some day the life on the Moon might be us,” said Jennifer Blank, the principal investigator for the BRAILLE project at NASA Ames. “And if I were going to the Moon, I’d want to go to a lava tube.” With proper lighting, the cave’s layers of microbial material and mineral deposits can create a dazzling array of colors. But NASA’s cave rover, CaveR, is equipped to do more than sightsee; it’s outfitted with a host of scientific cameras and imaging tools. These instruments take in small amounts of light reflected off of the cave wall’s surface, allowing scientists to identify chemical components that reveal the telltale signs of life. The rover also uses a laser scanner to map the subterranean caves. Provide multiple levels - If you have a larger cage, consider providing multiple levels for your pet, including a solid surface and a lava ledge, to encourage exercise and exploration. You'll also find Java Multi Branches at Scarletts Rat Essentials. These are most popular with rats, chinchillas and Degu. They love the strong heat treated wood to chew and the smooth texture wipes clean easier than most other woods. If you want a terrific rat toy but want to go the less pricey route, Kaytee Perfect Chews Rat Toys is a fantastic choice. There are fun colors, hard textures, and flat surfaces. Your rats will have a blast chewing it up.

The lava has been more-or-less evenly divided between the eastern and the central flow lobes for most of the past month. There have also been several short-lived channelized 'a'a flows high on Pulama Pali. Much of the volume of new lava has inflated the flows along the nearly flat coastal plain. Flows inflate when new lava moves underneath previously formed lava crusts and lifts the crust upward. There are numerous small surface breakouts of lava inland on the coastal plain along each of the two main flow lobes.A: Lava ledges are relatively easy to clean, as they can be wiped down with a damp cloth. However, it is important to keep the ledge clean to prevent the buildup of bacteria or mold, which can be harmful to your pet. Q: Can lava ledges be used outdoors? If your pet loves to chew natural bark then the bark platform is a rounded natural platform for hamsters and small animals, even rats. They`ll love to run and climb and you can position them across different levels. As they chew them you can replace them as Scarletts Rat Essentials has low prices, cheap accessories and wheels for small pets so it won't cost you the earth. The westernmost lobe of the western flow is currently advancing parallel to the end of Chain of Craters Road inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. This flow lobe is also inflating and probably will overtop the highway and flow to the ocean, where it will cascade over a high sea cliff. We suspect that this flow should reach the ocean within the next few days. Because the active lava flows occur right at the end of the road, the viewing for visitors has been convenient and close-up. Imagine descending into a cave carved out by lava to work alongside a rover about the size of Spirit and Opportunity on Mars, watching the pristine wilderness of a national park transition into tall pillars and stalactites, all in a search for subterranean microbes.