# need advice on new cage for my adopted rats.



## FinancialWar (Jan 28, 2012)

I bought two females rats and cage from my local classified, it is a standard wired cage as shown in the picture below. 



DSC_1770.jpg by 日本光学, on Flickr

Is this cage fine for the rats? Would it be okay if I leave the cage in the backyard has my parents complain about the smell.


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## teri (Jul 18, 2011)

The cage looks okay, but there is no way your rats would be safe in your back yard. They are then exposed to harsh heat and cold, any biting and stinging insects, and it is just not fair to them. There are just too many dangers to the rats outside.


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## moonbeam (Jan 28, 2012)

If you can't keep them inside I would try and find a home for them as they are in allot of danger caged outside. Not only predators but many other dangers. Honestly it would be cruel in my opinion to put them outside. If you change the bedding often enough they will not smell. I have 2 rats and 7 ferrets, and I can keep it from smelling just by keeping the bedding and cages super clean. I wash the bedding every other day, clean the cage everyday, sometimes many times a day and my house does not smell. It is 5-10 minutes to clean the cage if you keep it clean like this where doing it weekly would take about an hour. Just my opinion and I am new to rats, I have only had one before the 2 girls I have now. Sometimes the best thing, the most loving thing is to give them up.


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

Rats are not outside animals, it would be incredibly cruel to leave them in the back yard. If you can't keep them inside, please, please find another home for them.

There are many things you can do to prevent a rat cage from smelling. I have 11 finches, 2 bunnies, 2 degus and 12 rats in my large office, and it does not smell. I'm fanatical about it, I won't have it stinking in here. 

*Water- there is a product called No Odor, which is an enzyme that can be added to the water which helps prevent odor. It works. I've also read that you can add 1 tbs. of cider vineger per 1/2 gallon of water and it will have the same effect. 

*Housing- rats are clean animals, and will keep themselves clean. They are stuck in their environment, though, so keeping that clean is your job. It's easy and takes little time if you keep it up. Just a few minutes a day to spot clean, remove soiled bedding or hammocks, etc., and a full cleaning once per week or so should do the trick. Most rats can be litter trained as well - there are many threads on this forum about it. A litter box is very easy to empty often. 

If you do keep your rats, you may want to consider a few more things for their cage that will make their lives better. Something on the floor to walk on besides those bars, some kind of house to hide in (that can even be a small cardboard box or empty tissue box), maybe a wheel to run on and a few chew toys. Rats are very intelligent, and require places to go and things to do inside their cage. 

I hope you'll read around on the forum some, there's lots to be learned a lot of very knowledgable people here to answer your questions. Keep on asking - there's no better way to learn.


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

It's been said before, but I'll go ahead and jump in as well. Rats are by no means outside pets, and they're likely either die, escape or be eaten outside. 
As well, if that's the cage itself, it's incredibly bare. How do they reach the bottle?


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

This is the cage you have. It is the Master Pet Rat Starter Kit. 24.5" x 14.5" x 23.5". Just big enough for 2 rats.










The pull-out pan is obviously missing, probably chewed or removed. You can buy a storage container that is large enough for the base of the cage to sit in, remove the grate in the bottom, and use it as a pan for a paper based bedding that will contain the smell much better.

If two females are too smelly, you have a problem that you need to solve at the root. Either you are feeding them an improper diet, using improper bedding, not cleaning their cage enough, or they might even need bathed to remove smell from previous living conditions. Use unscented baby wipes or a damp cloth to wash them and the bars of their cage to remove urine smell. You will have to change that newspaper out daily unless you decide to change it.

These rats can NOT go outside. Our pet rats have been domesticated for hundreds of years, and they have very little survival instinct left. Why would you adopt rats if you just wanted to stick them outside to be forgotten about, exposed to the elements, prey, risk of escaping, etc?


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