One of the many important aspects of a cage is its size. The general rule is: at least 2 cubic feet per rat (that's about 0.06 meters). There are some factors to take into account. For example, if your ratties are very active (does and young'uns tend to be more active than bucks) they will need more room. Also, the larger they are (bucks tend to be larger than does) the more room they need.
It's up to you to use the space wisely. There are a number of things you can make and buy to put in the cage and hang inside it as well to make the space usable. These include hammocks, plastic houses, and cardboard packages like oatmeal canisters and soda boxes. For more ideas, visit our Toys page.
There are several cage calculators available online to help you determine how many rats can fit in a cage of a certain size. You can find the links to some here.
The more space, the better (as long as you're still able to clean the monster)!
Buying a Cage
There are two types of cages you can buy which are suitable housing for rats: wire cages and aquariums. Some cages labeled as rat cages are actually fit for rats, but many are far too small. Other cages that might work for rats include chinchila cages, ferret cages, and bird cages.
Aquariums
While acceptable, aquariums are not generally recommended, mainly because of their lack of air flow. A good aquarium will have a mesh top which does allow for some ventilation, but its glass walls cannot compare to the open sides of a wire cage. The positive side to this is that your rats will be protected from drafts. Also, the solid walls will prevent shavings (and raisins) from being flung about and thrown onto the floor.
Another downside of aquariums is that there are less options for hanging and installing toys, hammocks, etc.
If you do decide to go with an aquarium, make sure to get one large enough to accomodate your rats, find creative ways to add cage fillers, and be extra dilligent about cleaning it to prevent a dangerous build-up of ammonia!
You can also buy or make an aquarium topper, which is a wire cage that fits on the top of the aquarium, adding an extra level to the cage. Some examples of aquarium toppers can be found here on the Martin's Cages website.
Wire Cages
There are many well-crafted wire cages available out there, but you may have to do more searching for them than you'd think. Basically, you are going to have a hard time just walking into your local PetSmart and asking them for a cage recommendation. Unfortunately, many pet store employees are ill equiped to provide you with a proper cage for your rats, both because they're uneducated about rattie needs, and also because the stores generally don't carry many rat appropriate cages.
Fear not!
Dig just a bit deeper, and you can find some stores with great rat cages in stock, many of them online. Skip down here to learn about some of these stores.
Things to look for when choosing a store-bought wire cage:
- What is the wire made out of? Galvanized is a common choice for what's underneath, but it is recommended that you get something with a coating over the metal. Uncoated galvanized has two major downfalls: First, when rats chew on it, or lick their feet after walking on it, it may be possible for them to get zinc poisoning.
Secondly, it will get yucky pretty quickly and can even retain yucky smells. Rat urine will eat away at galvanized wire, so basically if you have a cage made out of the stuff it's very likely to end up dirty, stinky, and decaying.
The three main types of coating are vinyl, PVC, and powder coating.
Vinyl is cheap and easy to find, but easiest for rats to chew through. Some people have had good luck with vinyl coated wire and others have had their rats chew the heck out of it.
PVC coating is more durable, but can still be chewed through.
Powder coating is the most expensive and hardest to find. Also, its quality varies from supplier to supplier. Low quality powder coating is a bit brittle and can chip and flake off. High quality powder coating is durable and long-lasting, and rats can't chew through it easily. Like vinyl and PVC coating, it's quite resistant to the various kinds of muck that can build up in animal cages, and it's easy to clean.
- How big is it? The cage you buy must be of adequate size to hold your rats. Visit the Links page to find a cage calculator. Remember, the general rule is 2 cubic feet (about 0.06 meters) per rat.
- What is the bar spacing? The space between the bars needs to be small enough so that your rats can't squeeze through. This is especially important when it comes to young rats and baby rats. 1" square mesh should do well to hold adults in, but if you have smaller rats you should look for mesh with smaller spacing.
Sometimes people wrap store-bought mesh with small bar spacing around cages with large spacing until their rats grow big enough for the larger spacing.
- What are the balconies and ladders made out of? A common affliction among rats is pododermatitis, commonly known as bumblefoot. Rats with bumblefoot develop painful, inflamed, and often infected calluses on their feet. It is possible that wire mesh floors can contribute to bumblefoot by irritating the feet and causing abrasions through which infection can enter. It is also possible that solid floors can contribute to bumblefoot as the rats walk through urine that puddles on the shelves. However, recent information indicates that bumblefoot may actually be caused more by genetics than environment. It's best to do your own research on this and come to your own conclusions.
Some people prefer solid floors because they believe mesh floors aren't comfortable for ratty feet. Again, do your own research and draw your own conclusions.
If you do decide to go with mesh flooring, try to avoid 1" x 1/2" flooring as it is particularly problematic in catching ratty feet. Opt instead for 1/2" x 1/2".
If you do prefer solid flooring but get a cage with mesh flooring, you can always cover it with newspaper, stick-on lino, needlepoint mesh, or a variety of other things.
Where to Buy a Cage
Remember, when looking for a cage for your rats check out other animal cages as well such as ferret cages, bird cages, and chinchilla cages because these are often suitable for rats. Just make sure they're made out of appropriate materials and have the right bar spacing
- Martin's Cages
Martin's Cages provides great rat cages at good prices. You can choose between galvanized and powder-coated (choose powder-coated!). These cages do arrive broken down so assembly is required. (Tip: When assembling Martin's cages, put the c rings in the tool before fitting them around the wires.) The walls of all these cages are made out of 1" x 1/2" wire, and the floors, balconies, and ramps are 1/2" x 1/2". Also, check out the other cages available from Martin's. The ferret cages in particular may be a good pick.
- Terenziani
Many breeders swear by Terenziani cages. They seem to be solid and well constructed. They are, however, pretty hard to find. The company is based in Italy, and their website is in Italian. If you're in the UK there are several online pet supply stores that sell Terenzianis, but they're nearly impossible to find in the US.
- Ferplast
Ferplast is another Italian company, although their website is available in English. You can't order directly from the company, but if you do an internet search for Ferplast you'll find many different places where you can buy their cages.
- Super Pet Cages
Super Pet makes some popular cages, particularly in the Ferret line. You can read a good review of some of the Super Pet cages here.
- Marshall
Marshall doesn't have a website, but you can find many online stores that sell their cages by doing a simple internet search. Make sure the bar spacing on these cages is small enough.
- Prevue
Prevue has some good cages built for ferrets.
- Ware
You can find some good cages made by Ware, but make sure you get one appropriately coated and with the right bar spacing.
- MidWest
MidWest makes some good cages, but their selection is limited.
- Enchanted Forest
Enchanted Forest has a few pre-designed cages for sale, and they also create custom cages. Their prices are fairly reasonable, and you have a lot of options when designing a cage for them to build or customizing one of their designs.
- Some Popular Online Pet Stores:
Making a Cage
You can even make your own cage. You can have a lot of fun designing one and building it yourself. However, keep in mind that depending on your design and chosen materials, your home-made cage may end up being pretty cheap or even more expensive than a store bought cage. There are many designs for homemade cages available online, and you can find links to some of them here.
How Big?
As big as possible! As long as you're willing and able to clean it, of course. Go to the links page to find a cage calculator, and remember the golden rule: strive for at least 2 cubic feet per rat.
Out of What?
The two main types of home-made cages are cabinet-style and wire. Wire cages can be very similar to store-bought cages. Cabinet-style cages are generally pretty big and made out of something solid on all sides except the front. Wood is not recommended because it does not fare well under the stressors of being peed on a lot, and being chewed up, although you can buy sealants to at least help with the pee issue.
Melamite shelving is a popular option.
The door (or doors) to the cabinet can be mesh to allow for a good climbing surface and good ventilation. As when buying a cage, look for mesh that has the right bar spacing (about one inch square--smaller for smaller rats and babies) and is made out of the right material. Don't get galvanized as it will get dirty and stinky and corroded from ratty pee, and could give rats zinc poisoning. Vinyl coated wire is one option but it is easily chewed off by rats. PVC coated wire is a little more durable, and powder coated wire is the best, but hardest to come by. For some more information on wire coatings scroll up here.
The mesh door will probably have to be put on some kind of frame to make it stable enough.
The shelves can be made out of the same mesh the door is made of (but with a bar spacing of no more than 1/2" x 1/2") or they can be solid shelves, such as melamite.
How About the Bottom?
You can order cage trays from online pet supply stores (like Martin's Cages) or you can make one yourself. Just find one of those plastic under-the-bed storage units, minus the lid. Modify in whatever way needed to work with the rest of the cage, and voila.
For more cage goodness, visit our links page!
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