Which Cage Should I Get?
Hey!
I’m thinking of getting a new rat cage, but I don’t know which rat cage would be better …. I have two rats BTW and I want it to be big enough where I can fit the following:
Wheel (http://www.petco.com/product/14921/Super-Pet-Large-Silent-Spinner-12-Wheel.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch)
Pirate Sleeper (http://www.petco.com/product/112324/Marshall-Pet-Hanging-Pirate-Ship-Hangout-For-Ferrets.aspx?CoreCat=MM_Ferret_SleepersHideouts)
Hammock (http://www.petco.com/product/103974/PETCO-Nylon-And–Plush-Hammock-For-Ferrets.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Ferret_2-_-PETCO%20Nylon%20%26%20%20Plush%20Hammock%20For%20Ferrets-103974)
Branch Perch
Two ‘bridges’
Litter Box (http://www.petco.com/product/109093/PETCO-Small-Animal-High-Back-Litter-Pan.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch)
Water bottles and food bowls
Here are the cages!
http://www.petco.com/product/113675/Prevue-Hendryx-Earthtone-Dusted-Rose-Rat-And-Chinchilla-Cage.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Rat_3-_-Prevue%20Hendryx%20Earthtone%20Dusted%20Rose%20Rat%20%26%20Chinchilla%20Cage-113675
http://www.petco.com/product/15487/Super-Pet-Multi-Floor-Ferret-Home.aspx?CoreCat=firstinresult_SAHabitatsAugPOST
http://www.petco.com/product/116401/Midwest-Critter-Nation-Single-Unit-with-Stand-Small-Animal-Cage.aspx?CoreCat=RatHPCagesHabitats
There might be a time when I have three rats (maybe) so I think all of these would hold them. If anyone has ever had any of these cages before I would love their input on them, though the reviews say they’re pretty good. Thanks so much!
Definitely the second one. You will have enough space for them to be entertained if you’re too busy to bring them out one day, and you could easily fit 5 rats in there at a time if you decide to get more in the future.
And the accessories are adorable, especially the pirate one. They will love it. I’d suggest getting a LOT of chew toys though – they’re generally pretty inexpensive, ranging from $1 to $5, and WAY worth it with how much rats chew.
I’d also recommend getting 1-2 bottles of no more tears baby shampoo (Johnson and Johnson makes them smell nice, I use it myself) and a bottle of kitten/puppy shampoo for cleaning emergencies, such as if your ratty has fleas or mites – my boy Goat has mites and he’s overproducing his buck grease, I’m using cat shampoo and it works wonders but it’s too harsh for regular use.
Another tip is NEVER USE WATER DISHES. They pee and poo in it and you will have to change it 3-4 maybe 5+ times a day, but water bottles hung outside of the cage are great, easy to use, versatile, can’t be tipped over or spilled, and if you get large bottles, you won’t have to replace the water so often.
Always keep rats in same sex cages. I have two boys. A single pair of rats can produce up to one million offspring in a single year – that’s how much they breed. Even rat breeders keep the rats in same sex cages until they need a new litter.
Every once in a while, buy a new toy or two and rearrange the cage – it keeps things interesting and if you change it once they get used to it, they tend to like it because it keeps their minds on edge.
Toy examples, well, parrot toys work great – the bells make noise, and the plastic is chewable but not 100% destroyable within a reasonable span of time, and they’re cheap to buy and are built to hang on cage bars. Silly things like bottle caps, cat ball toys, container lids, ferret toys, popsicle sticks, etc. are good cheapie toys, although they may get disinterested easily with things like bottle caps.
Plastic 2 litre soda bottles with the top cut off are good hides for them, which you need to supply for rats – the most famous small animal hides are "Igloo" hides, I have one my young rat absolutely adores. They’re in soft but a wild variety of colours, and they’re EXTREMELY sturdy. My older boy has tossed the igloo up and down the cage, and it’s lived through 5 rats without getting so much as a scratch.
Food is important. you may not think it but many foods are highly dangerous for rats. Oranges for example are very toxic to males!
I’d suggest googling what’s good and toxic to rats, building a list and maybe printing it for safe keeping and easy reference.
If the cages start to smell even just a day after you cleaned it, I’ve been sprinkling light baking soda combined with the paper towel bedding everywhere in the cage and the stink is completely gone, and as long as there aren’t any large mounds of it anywhere, and it’s lightly sprinkled so it won’t be kicked up in masses every time the rat steps someplace, it’s perfectly harmless.
I really hope this helps!
Remember, rats LOVE to chew. Buy many many many MANY chew toys or all of your nicer accessories will be torn to bits in minutes.
get that second cage.the super pet ferret one.its the biggest one out of the three.
it should be big enough to fit them all but you really dont need any of those things.
Hey yourself!
The reasons you definitely should NOT get cages 1 and 3 are as follows;
Both of these cages are designed for a larger animal such as a ferret or chinchilla. Rats love to nest (make fluffy sleeping quarters) and if you got either cage 1 or 3 the bedding would go EVERYWHERE. And I don’t think you’d very much enjoy cleaning it up on a regular basis!
Cage number two is a great size. Notice how much volume there is within the bottom piece (which by the way, is very easy to attach/detach).
That will provide plenty of room for bedding, which they love!
Might I add that I suggest using carefresh; http://www.petmountain.com/brands/122/1/carefresh.html?gclid=COSbxcT-hqsCFewaQgodnXVf3A