Ideal Setup for Rat Cage? (Changed setup - 5/31/13)

[GrayLightNewDay]

I have noticed pictures that people post of their ratties in their cages, and my cage looks nothing like them! I have a Ware Natural Wood Cage for Rats, for my two females. On the bottom of the cage I just use the white/pastel carefresh bedding. I saw that most people have a small litter box and then have blankets on the bottom of the cage, with hammocks and whatnot through-out.

What is the ideal way to setup a cage so that the rats are the happiest they can be?

 

[SQ]

Can you post some pictures of your set up?

A 12 inch diameter solid wheel, hammocks, chew toys, water bottles, water dish, food dish, at least one house/box/etc, and litter boxes are important items to have in a cage. Tubes and other items are also good to have.

 

[Dahlas]

I think the best thing to do when setting up a cage is to keep in mind what rats like to do, climb, explore, hide and chew. They are intelligent so they like things to stimulate their brains....and of course we need to make sure the cage is easy to keep clean and big enough to give them lots of room to roam around. Do all this and you will have happy rats.

 

[victoria]

The cage you have is actually quite small for rats (I know it's called a rat cage but...) and the wood is problematic - it absorbs pee and can't be cleaned, making it an unhealthy environment any animal. Maybe some of the American member can suggest some cages that are bigger and affordable for you?

Edit: I'm assuming it's this cage? http://www.waremfginc.com/sa-detaildisp ... emno=02308

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

Can you post some pictures of your set up?

A 12 inch diameter solid wheel, hammocks, chew toys, water bottles, water dish, food dish, at least one house/box/etc, and litter boxes are important items to have in a cage. Tubes and other items are also good to have.

Right now I have nothing in the cage because I just put my two ratties together and they were fighting when I had the shelves in and their house/box things in the cage. :cry:


Regularly I have the shelves, two houses, a bunch of toys, water bottle, and food dish. I haven't tried the a litter box and they hate wheels. I have tried two different types and they both refuse to use them, but I take them out for a few hours a day so they do get plenty of exercise. I was more wondering if it is better to have blankets on the bottom and a litter box... or just the straight up litter on the whole cage floor?


And yes, Victoria! That is the cage I have and I freakin' hate the wood. I thought it would be a good thing, but it is horrible to clean. In a few months I am going to try to get them a bigger cage, like a ferret nation or something similar.

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

What if I left the wood shelves out and bought a set like this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/122615841/1 ... ge-set-rat
would that be a fun for them? and then a blanket on the bottom with a litter box?

 

[amanda1472]

I myself dont use a litter box, i just have BOXO on all the shelves. This was what my cage looked like (i dont have any recent right now). The only difference is i put a few more hammocks in and a few hammocks are different since they have been chewed XD etc.

Good Luck with your cage.

 

[victoria]

Like Amanda said, it doesn't matter whether you litter train or not, for bigger cages litter can get expensive though and some rats are very sensitive to Carefresh and other beddings.

The cage set could work but you need to figure out a way to add some shelves. That cage is a bit to small to beging with so if you're females are fighting, it may be they're too crowded. I would probably spend my money buying a set that's more geared to rats, even if it has fewer pieces. A lot of the rat hammock makers have designs that are really appreciated by rats, where as that set has a lot of ropes and hammocks meant for smaller, more agile sugar gliders.

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

The cage set could work but you need to figure out a way to add some shelves. That cage is a bit to small to beging with so if you're females are fighting, it may be they're too crowded. I would probably spend my money buying a set that's more geared to rats, even if it has fewer pieces. A lot of the rat hammock makers have designs that are really appreciated by rats, where as that set has a lot of ropes and hammocks meant for smaller, more agile sugar gliders.

Well, they were fighting because they were newly introduced and for some reason Navi (my first rat) decided that the bottom of the cage was hers and Lady Calista was only allowed on the very top shelf. I plan on putting the shelves and house boxes back in this weekend, because it will be a week that they have lived together at that point and they are getting together wonderfully now. Navi just had to adjust to her new cage mate. :hugs:

I will look around for a more rat specific set, and I will definitely get a bigger cage! I just have to save up for it. I can tell I am probably going to end up with another rat in the future, and I plan on having them as pets for many years to come, so I may as well invest in an amazing cage.

Amanda, your cage set up looks awesome! Nice and big! Your beige colored ratty looks exactly like my Navi.

 

[Dahlas]

You don't have to spend lots of money fixing up a cage.....get the biggest cage you can afford but then everything else in it can be homemade...rats are not fussy...scraps of fleece make great hammocks with holes in the corners and dollar store shower curtain hooks to fasten to the cage....any plastic container make good beds...I used to use 4 liter plastic milk containers and cut the front out and fasten it to the cage with twist ties....get creative...rats just want stuff to play in.
Tree branches that you know are not treated with chemicals make great chewy sticks and to climb on...I have an apple tree in my yard and cut branches off of that. As long as it is safe anything can be made into a rat toy...

 

[amanda1472]

Thank you . They have a really large hammock now on top, and a different one then the red cube since they destroyed it XD and i moved the green dotted one to the bottom with the tube etc. :XD they seem to love it.

And id love to see a picture of your rats as well.

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

You don't have to spend lots of money fixing up a cage.....get the biggest cage you can afford but then everything else in it can be homemade...rats are not fussy...scraps of fleece make great hammocks with holes in the corners and dollar store shower curtain hooks to fasten to the cage....any plastic container make good beds...I used to use 4 liter plastic milk containers and cut the front out and fasten it to the cage with twist ties....get creative...rats just want stuff to play in.
Tree branches that you know are not treated with chemicals make great chewy sticks and to climb on...I have an apple tree in my yard and cut branches off of that. As long as it is safe anything can be made into a rat toy...

Very good tips! Fleece blankets are usually pretty cheap, and my sewing skills are good enough to make things out of them. Thank you!

Amanda, I need to find my camera battery (somehow it has been lost for months lol), but I have a few old pictures of Navi. This one is my favorite:

She is beige with a big white belly!

Lady Calista is in my avatar. She is all white with a beige mask. I got them from the same place, just different litters. They are at least half sisters and they look adorable together.

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

Here is Navi posing with me:

My webcam always makes her look darker than she is, but she still looks cute.

 

[Dahlas]

she is sweet and you are beautiful. Love your glasses.

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

Aw, thank you very much!

 

[amanda1472]

They are all such cuties

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

They are all such cuties

Thanks! I think all rats are cute, but when you know their personalities it makes them even cuter.

Here is a picture I got of the two of them with my webcam a few minutes ago.

 

[SQ]

As the others were saying about the cage ....
A cage for 2 rats needs to be at least 4 cubic feet in size,
with a base of at least 30 in by 18 in and height for levels.

 

[GrayLightNewDay]

As the others were saying about the cage ....
A cage for 2 rats needs to be at least 4 cubic feet in size,
with a base of at least 30 in by 18 in and height for levels.

Jeesh! My cage is way too small in that case. It's about 13 inches on the side, 24 inches on the front, and 24 inches tall. I will definitely start saving for a bigger one. Luckily I take them out of the cage a lot, so they aren't miserable in there or anything, but I want them to have the best because I love them so much.

 

[dspch911]

I just recently switched to fleece from the aspen chips. We have 3 liter boxes in the cage and we use paper cat liter in them. Most our boys go poop in them, pee not so much. We put towels under the fleece and just wash it when we switch it out. I've put toilet paper and paper bags in there since everyone's rats seem to enjoy that - not mine, they don't touch them.....