# Critter Nation? To buy or not to buy?



## never-sleep (Mar 3, 2012)

I need a new cage for my boy Gambit, so I was thinking of buying a Critter Nation cage. But before I buy it I need to know some things.

-How many rats can fit in one?
-Does your rat seem to enjoy it?
-What is your personal opinion of the cage?
-What type of bedding is best?
-Can it house young rats?
-Where can I find the least expensive one?
-Are they easy to decorate?

If there is a better option I would love to know.


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## glider11 (Sep 7, 2011)

-How many rats can fit in one?
I believe that it can fit 3-4 in the single unit and 5-6 in the double, but I'm not completely sure. To find out exactly, you can use a rat cage calculator.

-Does your rat seem to enjoy it?
I have the double unit Critter Nation and my rats have loved it because they have so much room, but I think that a lot of that depends on what you fill it with.

-What is your personal opinion of the cage?
I really like this cage because of the way it opens. It makes it easy to clean and remodel/redecorate.

-What type of bedding is best?
I use fleece liners which fit really well around the levels and floor. It would be hard to use other beddings because there aren't any sides to the pans and the bedding would likely fall out everywhere.

-Can it house young rats?
The bar spacing should be fine for young rats.

-Where can I find the least expensive one?
Not sure about that. Sometimes you just have to search around. I would try things like Craigslist and Ebay first and if you can't find a good deal there, you can order from a company. I got mine from Wayfair, but I think that others have gotten better prices elsewhere. 

-Are they easy to decorate? 
Yes, they're very easy to decorate because its easy to get in the cage and move things around. There's a thread under the Rat Homes section with pics of peoples decorated Critter and Ferret Nations, so you can get a lot of decorating ideas from that.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

It's more like 4-5 rats in a single and 8-10 in a double.

It is a big, bulky, heavy cage. You need to have ample room and wide enough hallways to wheel it about. It will need taken outside occasionally for a hose down and deep cleaning, as there are a lot of cracks and crevices that accumulate urine and gunk.

Overall it's a great cage with a lot of nice features if you have a big rat hoard, but I found they are difficult to clean, and definitely not suitable for small space/apartment living. For 2-4 rats I would recommend a Martins cage instead.


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I LOVE my critter nation. It was my dream cage and both me and my rats have been very happy since I got it. 

I have a single & it has 2 female rats in it. I could see 4, maybe 5 rats in it. 

Positives:
It is VERY large, has ample floor space & shelf space.
The bars run horizontal so the rats can climb- which is super adorable to have your rat climb the side and stare out at you.
The bars also make it super easy to hang things and the decoration possibilities are endless. One of the omg I have to have it moments came from other forums where ppl post pictures of their cages decor and I fell in love lol
The shelf is also adjustable so you can set the height you want and even buy an additional shelf for it.
Both front doors completely open which gives you complete access to every nook and makes decorating, cleaning and getting to the rats (if for some reason they dont run right to you as soon as the door opens) easy lol
The pans come right out which I love for cleaning.
I haven't found any issues with cleaning it for me. I take the trays out and toss them in my shower and wipe the bars down. Maybe my girls are not that messy though idk lol.
I love the storage shelf underneath and the wheels. I like that I can easily wheel it into a different room. 

Cons:
It is huge lol. The cage is bigger then it seems in photos and you need the space for it. I saw a photo on another site where a woman put her 3 kids in it to show how big it is lmao! I could definitely sit in it myself if I wanted oO I live in a 2 bedroom apartment which isn't large but not small either. I don't find the size to be any issues for me. I actually have three different spots I will put the cage in depending on different things so I don't find any issues with the size and finding plenty of room for it even in my apartment. But I used to live in a 500 square foot apartment before this and there would have been no way it would fit easily lol So that just depends on your space.
I also wheel it easily across my carpet floors and through door ways perfectly without issues. 
Putting it together made me want to shoot myself. It is a pain in the butt to say the least. There were times I felt that the pieces just were not going to go together no matter what. If you have someone to help you it may be easier.
The bars go all the way to the bottom so if you have messy rats they can easily toss things through the bars and onto the floor- so it depends on what bedding you use. I use fleece but give them newspaper strips and some get tossed out. 


I got mine off amazon. It was like $150 I think. All good sized cages are going to be expensive unless you are lucky enough to snag something used. I figured it was worth alittle extra cash for the one I really wanted. But if I didn't get this one I would have gotten a martins, they seem really nice too and are alittle cheaper.


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