Cages

[shezzy]

My rat cage is pretty big with 3 levels, Keeps the boys really entertained

[luthien]

Some of these cages look fantastic - I've been looking on ebay because I find the ones in petshops too expensive - but I've been inspired to make my own

[gabrielleb]

Jun 14, 2009 22:08:58 GMT 10 christie said:

Can the position of the shelves be moved around as well? I like the fact that its got a few quarter shelves but don't like how the full shelf is right up the top.

Yep everything can be moved around, though it is a bit of a struggle to move them, and it was pretty hard to clean, thats why I've upgraded to a Ferret Kingdom

[ithinkismellarat]

some great ideas here.

[mariposa0283]

Jul 16, 2009 13:18:28 GMT 10 gabrielleb said:

Jun 14, 2009 22:08:58 GMT 10 christie said:

Can the position of the shelves be moved around as well? I like the fact that its got a few quarter shelves but don't like how the full shelf is right up the top.

Yep everything can be moved around, though it is a bit of a struggle to move them, and it was pretty hard to clean, thats why I've upgraded to a Ferret Kingdom

that is one NICE setup. i would love to have a cage like that for my babies but its waaaaaaaaay out of my budget

[Kim]

I so need someone to come to my place and set my cages up like that ... my cages always seem so empty and boring compared to everyone elses...

[christie]

Ha ill do it Kim, i love decorating the cage! I just hate the part where they rip it apart though lol.

[mariposa0283]

Jul 30, 2009 23:23:44 GMT 10 Kim said:

I so need someone to come to my place and set my cages up like that ... my cages always seem so empty and boring compared to everyone elses...

mine too, i really need to get some hammocks or something, but money being so tight i have to just stick with cereal boxes and egg cartons lol. someday ill have the pimpinest rodent room ever...

[katie]

Hi,

I don't have any rats at the moment, but my housemate and I are looking to get some in the very near future.

I've started thinking about what sort of cage to get for my new babies. I currently have an indoor rabbit hutch (my beautiful rabbit died earlier this year) and was thinking that I could convert that into a rat heaven.

My question is, do you think it's ok to use a rabbit hutch as a rat cage? How small do the gaps need to be between the cage bars so the rats don't escape? - I know how clever they are at squeezing through little gaps. Also would baby rats be able to squeeze through the bars?

The cage is 100cm (L) x 45cm (W) x 45cm (H) and the bars are 2cm apart. The bottom of the cage is plastic, so no nasty wire for the rats to stand on and it does come with a half second level the rats could climb onto.

Is this length and height ok for rats? I would fill it with toys and the rats would have plenty of time out of the cage-- whenever I am home.

Any suggestions or replies would be appreciated.

Thanks.

(P.S. just so you know how much I love animals, my rabbit was a free range apartment bunny for a while, but she started chewing cords and carpet etc and we rent so couldn't have that anymore. Rather than confining her to a small cage, I bought a 2.5mx2.5m pen and a roll of carpet and she had her own area when I wasn't home. She was always let out to free range when we were. She died when she was only 10 months old of complications due to desexing, but you would never have found a more loved or spoiled animal. I plan on spoiling my rats just the same-- sorry that turned out to be longer than expected, I think it was a bit therapeutic as well, haha.)

[christie]

According to the ratty cage calculator (http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml) your rabbit hutch would be able to hold 3 rattys. Just be sure to add levels and hammocks and stuff like that to use all the room up.
I dont think there would be any issues with using it for a rat cage as long as its not made from wood. But i think that 2cm might be a little bit to big of a gap for baby rats, they prolly would be able to squeeze through that. Some adult females may also be able to if they are small. But males 3-4months + would be fine with it (judging by the size of my 4 month old boys that is). You can always get some coated wire from bunnings or something to cover the cage with till they are big enough not to get through though.

good luck with it

[katie]

Hi,

Thanks for the help. I was thinking that I would have to cover the cage with some mesh or wire, especially to start with. We are only (ideally) wanting two rats so sounds like it would be a nice home for them.

I definately plan on filling it up with toys, and other fun things. I'm also a big on rotating toys for pets (and kids) so they don't get bored.

Talking about rats is making me even more impatient to get some.

Thanks.

[sublimity]

As a recent rat convertee.... I shopped around a lot for a cage. We had an old wire/plastic guinea pig cage but the gaps between the bars were way too big. I didnt want to spend a fortune to start with so I got a RSPCA Rat Starter cage. It was around $90 has three levels, two doors and came with a drink bottle , food dish and stuff. So all I needed to do to start with was buy some food and the rats. Its not too big nor too small and is perfect for two rats.

Since then we have just added a hammock, a ferret tunnel an old peg basket and a cardboard box and the two male rats we have seem comfortable enough in there.

I do however want a Ferret Kingdom, they look so great.