Will this cage be big enough?

[horsegirl]

Hey Guys!

Sorry I haven't had time to do an introduction yet! I will hopefully have time tomorrow.
But first I have a question....

Im about to build a grotto/cabinet style cage out of melemite/ wire mesh etc and due to space restrictions I will probably only be able to make it 45cm x 45cm x 60 cm high, it will have two levels with the 2nd floor being 30cm wide. Its not going to have trap doors so there will be a fair amount of floor space. Im hoping to fit two bucks in it. Whats everyone opinion on wether i will be enough room or not??? I tried to use one of the calculator thingys but not sure if i worked i out properly, it said i could fit 2.3...rats in it so yeah.....
Thanks so much!
Bianca aka horsegirl

[Colleen]

Hi Bianca
and welcome

... lol, 2.3 rats!!!! well i would round it down to 2
yeah i had a look on one of the cage size calculators, and typed your dimensions in. Put it this way, you wouldn't want your cage to be any smaller!! If possible (i know you said you have restrictions) try and make it a little wider and deeper. i'm guessing the 60cm bit is how high it will be, which is a good height. If you cant make it any bigger, it should be ok for 2 rats.

The cage i had for my two boys was 59L x 41w x 36h it had two whole levels but i found it much to small. After i had added in hammocks, toys and boxes there wasn't any room left to move. But your cage is much higher and a bit wider than my cage was, so it will be interesting to see if that extra height makes any difference.

[horsegirl]

Thanks for the reply Colleen

Unfortunately for the moment this is the only size cage I can build, but I will hopefully have plenty more room in a few months so I can upgrade to a bigger cage then. The ratpups im looking at are only 7 weeks old so it should be ok while they're still growing, plus Im home everyday so they will have heaps of time to get out of the cage!

Once again thank you for your advice!

[Colleen]

In thats case they should be fine in the cage for the time being!
good luck with them!

[minniecarrie]

Lots and lots of floor time and free range will make up for it for sure! My ratties don't like being in their cage much anyway, they'd prefer to be playing under my doona on my bed!

[ithinkismellarat]

thanks for the ideas on cage sizes. its hard to know when youre starting out how big to make it

[mariposa0283]

you can always start small then upgrade later on when they get bigger and when you have the space. they'll be fairly small for a little while.

[jude]

Great useful info here.

[Colleen]

there are quite a few cage size calculators around on the internet if ever you need to check the size of a cage

[jude]

I am a new owner and have a standard style bird cage for them, which the pet shop said would be big enough for my two rats but I am thinking now they are getting bigger that it probably isn't big enough. Might get a builder or handyman to build me a custom cage I think. Has anyone else done this or have plans or ideas? thanks

[Colleen]

I know of a lot of rat owner who build their own cages. usually from old wardrobes, book shelves, drawers, cupboards ect..
have a look at these ideas, you may have seen them before: www.dapper.com.au/grotto.htm
it has some great ideas on how to build cages too.
It is definitely a good way to go as you can make the cage to your liking, and make it big enough to house as many rats as you like, and it will be less expensive than buying a large cage.
good luck

[christie]

Most pet shops really don't know what they are talking about when if comes to rat care. Being that they sell pets you would think that they know more than they really do, but in reality they are just a retail store their to make money. If they happen to sell you a cage that's to small then better for them because you'll have to come back and purchase another bigger one. More money for them sadly.

[Kelly]

I had my brother and cousin build me a cage for my fuzzies. It was a fantastic idea, the cage is amazing, and the rats love it. Also, it matches the rest of my furniture!

There are some pics of it here: somethingrandomrats.com/images/Photogalleries/Cage/

There are downsides: They have to be cleaned often (I wipe down the shelves daily). It's extremely helpful to litter train your rats. If your rats are avid chewers you might end up with bits of the cage getting chewed. I haven't found this a problem, as my girls get lots of other chew toys, but it's something to think about. You also need to be careful what you are building from. Some things are not safe (you don't want anything scented, for instance, and the glue used in MDF is toxic if they chew it).

However... If you build it properly I believe the custom built cages are the best. You get to design it to match your tastes. Depending on whether you get someone else to build it or yourself, as well as materials used, they tend to be cheaper than a pet store bought cage of the same size. And the cleaning takes 5 minutes a day, tops (not including washing hammocks/toys which only really needs to be done once a week).

[christie]

Oh Kelly your cage looks so nice, it does just look like a piece of the furniture. It could easily be overlooked as being an animal cage.

[Colleen]

wow Kelly! That is one amazing cage! and it look soo modern, like you said it fits in with the rest of your house well ;D
and its good that you have it designed so that the whole front of the cage opens up, so it can be easily cleaned daily.
great idea thanks