# 'Cute' Cages



## DannyTheRat (Aug 18, 2017)

Hey RatForum, I am trying to warm my girlfriend up to the idea of us having a rat and so far I have been getting lots of mixed reactions. The stage we are on right now(or trying to be on) is having a cage for the rat in the house so that we (she) can get used to it. I am trying to be really nice in doing this, and was hoping that I could find a cage that she wouldn't mind sitting there, especially with something living in it. Are there any 'cute' styles of cages you can get that are any good? Maybe something that has some color to it. I thought of maybe getting a large tower like cage that would have some built in entertainment value for the rats inside it and maybe look a bit better from the outside. What do you all think? Is this something that I can find online or am I just being silly?


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Well, if you go with fleece lining then you can make it look pretty cute actually! And critter nations are very aesthetically pleasing and fun to decorate, and you can even paint them so long as you use the right sort of paint. I remember someone painting theirs pink!

This is my cage, it's a double critter nation with fleece liners and lots of colorful bins and hammocks, because I really wanted to make my cage look bright and fun:










I've moved things around a bit since then but you get the idea.  Critter nations are in my opinion one of the most classy looking cages but they are a bit expensive, and there are other cages that are great and can still be made to look very nice!


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

If you want my honest opinion, no amount of pink and colourful decorations is going to make your girlfriend warm up to rats. These are living creatures, and if you want own them you need to go and handle some and show your girlfriend they aren't so bad rather than using gimmicks to persuade her into keeping them.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

Living with a big cage is definitely a large part of owning rats so I think the idea of getting her interested in a cage is good idea. I wouldn't actually purchase a cage until you're ready to have rats, though.

The cage is the single most important thing you'll ever buy for your rats. Functionality should be the main concern when choosing a cage. In my opinion, there aren't any really "cute" cages available for rats (at least ones that function well). They're all just kinda big, metal, blocky obelisks that don't ever really fit into a decor. ...but that's what's functional. When you get to the point of purchasing a cage, I would definitely recommend asking the forum for advice. If you give everyone an idea of what you're looking for, your budget, and country, there are tons of helpful people who can give recommendations and even help find the bests deals.

What your gf might actually get into, though (as Coffeebean already brought up), is the idea of decorating a cage. The two of you might have fun looking at pictures of other people's cages to see how they're set up and coming up with ideas for what you might do. There are a couple cage-pic threads stickied in the "Rat Homes" section of this forum. You guys could also spend time watching diy cage accessory videos on youtube. She might get into the idea of making cute hammocks and huts and toys and stuff.

Lastly, (and you probably already know this) you should always get at least two (if not more) rats. I know everyone says it all the time but it's actually really important.


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## nriii (Jun 28, 2017)

I don't know, if she isn't up for having rats (plural - do not ever, ever keep just one) then just buying a cage anyway so she can 'get used to it' seems pretty passive aggressive to me. If she is interested in looking, though, maybe try making something like a pinterest board of rat cage decoration ideas?


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## DannyTheRat (Aug 18, 2017)

nriii said:


> I don't know, if she isn't up for having rats (plural - do not ever, ever keep just one) then just buying a cage anyway so she can 'get used to it' seems pretty passive aggressive to me. If she is interested in looking, though, maybe try making something like a pinterest board of rat cage decoration ideas?


She has agreed that having the cage might be a good idea as just suddenly having a cage with rats in it could be a little overwhelming. 

I really like the idea CoffeeBean had of decorating a cage. My girlfriend is an art major and loves expressing herself in unique and creative ways so having something she can decorate might be a great idea. Thanks everyone


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## nriii (Jun 28, 2017)

https://pethelpful.com/rodents/homemade-rat-cages-and-toys 

Here's a link/guide with lots of pictures of common hammocks/toys/etc that may be helpful for ideas


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## DannyTheRat (Aug 18, 2017)

DannyTheRat said:


> Hey RatForum, I am trying to warm my girlfriend up to the idea of us having a rat and so far I have been getting lots of mixed reactions. The stage we are on right now(or trying to be on) is having a cage for the rat in the house so that we (she) can get used to it. I am trying to be really nice in doing this, and was hoping that I could find a rat cage that she wouldn't mind sitting there, especially with something living in it. Are there any 'cute' styles of cages you can get that are any good? Maybe something that has some color to it. I thought of maybe getting a large tower like cage that would have some built in entertainment value for the rats inside it and maybe look a bit better from the outside. What do you all think? Is this something that I can find online or am I just being silly?


I went with a combination of the amazing replies that I found on here, and me and my girlfriend went to look at some of the multi-tiered cages that she could decorate a little bit (or as much as she wants) and we found a perfect cage that already had some fuzz all around the surfaces. The plan is to put some paint (non toxic of course) on the bars and then add some more color to the mats and toys inside the cage. Thanks for all your advice everyone, we are now one step closer to having some rats in the house!


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