# Critter Nation Double Unit VS Martin's RUUD cage



## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

I know there have been similar posts to this one in the past, but I wanted a current assessment from the pros...you guys, of course 

I'm looking into a serious upgrade for my 4 female rats. I currently have them in an All Living Things Luxury Home for Rats which was okay for when they were babies, but they're growing fast and need more space.

I know a lot of people swear by either Martin's Cages or CN and I'm looking to get one of the two. I was curious if any of you own either cage (the Martin RUUD or the CN Double Unit, both of which are quite sizey) and if you would recommend it, and why.

I like all the levels in the RUUD cage, however the CN looks FAR easier to clean since the double doors open up all the way. Also according to the rat calculator, the RUUD holds 9 rats and the CN can hold up to 12. There's always the possibility of me getting more rats down the road since I love them so much (plus I have two males in a separate cage that I'm thinking of getting neutered soon so they can all stay in one cage together) so having the option of fitting up to 12 is nice, however I doubt I would get that many so I'm not sure it's worth it or not.

If anyone owns the RUUD, is it hard to clean? The doors do look pretty big but I wonder if it's still difficult to maneuver around. 

I've seen other people say it's easier to hang hammocks and things in the CN, is that true?

I'm just trying to weigh all the pros and cons of each....if the CN is super easy to clean, it may just be the winner off the bat. Between the current cage I mentioned and a very old Super Pets model ferret cage I have, it takes me three hours+ to clean both cages.


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## Kyleee Dupper (May 8, 2013)

I have the CN double unit and i LUV it it is huge and it is easy to clean but if ur rats are really bad chewers be ready to possibly have the corners of the trays chewed to bits like no longer their lol(mine do that)
Hopefully this will help with ur choice
:thumbup:
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## Kyleee Dupper (May 8, 2013)

Oops that sad face was supposed to be this face  lol

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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Thanks Kyleee, that's the main reason I'm leaning towards the CN. I've seen a lot of people say it's so easy to clean! Thankfully my rats don't chew plastic, I guess I got lucky.


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

My DCN is MUCH easier to clean than my Martin's cage. I had two R-680's stacked and to clean it I had to take it outside and powerwash it because scrubbing it down by hand was nearly impossible for me. While it sounds simple enough, when you live in unpredictable Texas weather, it's hard to have a good cleaning schedule.

I am MUCH happier cleaning my two double critter nations now. I actually enjoy scrubbing the shelves clean and the sides don't get dirty very fast.

You may want to look into a deeper pan, though. You can get a good one at lowes (called a cement mixing pan) that is nearly the perfect size. It just needs a tad bit of trimming to fit.

Also, what's cool about the DCN that I doubt you can do with a RUUD is separate it into two cages. Right now my girls have an entire DCN to explore, but my boys are split into two units of their DCN. Meeko is alone at the top while Gus Gus, Bartok, and Tantor are at the bottom. It's good if you ever have to keep any of your rats separate OR for when you're cleaning the cage. I put the girls in which ever unit I'm not cleaning. I used to have to displace the girls to clean their cage (putting them into a small spare cage) which stressed them out. This is MUCH better for them and I wish I could do it for my boys, but... Meeko isn't getting along with anyone and may be neutered in the near future...

I will say, it's probably easier to hang hammocks in the RUUD cage. You have to be creative when placing hammocks and cubes in critter nations (I'm not creative ).

Just my two cents. Some people greatly prefer Martin's cages to DCNs, so it's just a matter of personal preference and what works best for your situation. I like the DCN because I don't have to lift it to clean it, but some people like being able to set a Martin's cage in the bathtub for a wash. Gotta do what works for you.


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## wicious (May 22, 2013)

I ordered a double Critter Nation cage over a week ago, and it is one of the worst purchasing decisions I have ever made.

I ordered it online (at Amazon, which I'd recommend if you order online, because they will replace it every time it arrives damaged, which it probably will). The first two arrived damaged. The third one arrived defective, with pieces that do not fit together at all (and lots of reviewers on Amazon have received similarly defective units). The pegs are welded on at a totally different distance than the holes they're supposed to go into, and it isn't adjustable. The L-brackets are also welded on at the wrong angle.

I have a giant (GIANT) half-made cage taking up 1/3 of my bedroom, on the third floor, and I either have to get someone to modify it (and prevent me from being able to return it, which is bad, because every part of it is poorly made, and I'm not sure I want it anyway) or return it for a third time (it's hard to repackage, it weighs 110 pounds and I'm on the THIRD FLOOR).

I have been crying for an hour. I hate this cage. If you decide to get one, you might want to get one that is already made (craigslist, shop model, etc.), or try to buy from a brick-and-mortar store with good customer service.

That's why I am visiting today...I want to find something else with similar functionality to the CN cages that can actually be assembled. I can't wait to get this piece of junk out of my house.


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## wicious (May 22, 2013)

I just called to get return pickup, and apparently they'll only let you order two replacements, and then you have to get a refund. So Amazon won't replace it *every* time, but they'll still go above and beyond to fix it (for instance, they picked up and sent out the cages for free, and the replacements came with one-day shipping, which is amazing). Just to correct what I said before!


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## the_musical_fruit (May 6, 2013)

I have the Single CN and a Rat Lodge from Martins, which clearly aren't the same as what you're looking at but the cleaning would be similar. I much prefer the CN when it comes to cleaning. It's so easy to just change out the fleece, change their litter box and wipe the cage down. On the other hand, if you're using all bedding on the floor and your girls aren't potty trained, I could see where a Martins cage would be a huge advantage since you can't really use bedding in the CN, unless you buy the mixing pan someone mentioned above. Our CN didn't fit together perfectly, but a few good whacks with a hammer set it straight and now it looks awesome! Good luck in your decision, getting a new cage is so exciting!


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## Flora (Aug 30, 2012)

I have a DCN. Love the cage and so do my rats. Very easy to clean. Its not the best cage though if you use bedding. The pans are shallow and bedding will fall out. I cover the pans with fleece and have 2 litter pans in the cage. I have heard of it coming damaged. It weighs over 100lbs and any mail man is just going to be throwing around the box since its so heavy. This is why a lot of the time its arrives damaged. In my life time I have ordered 2 Ferret Nations and 1 Critter Nation and the pans with the DCN were the only things wrong. They were a little warped however I stuck them in there anyways and they have since flattened out. However Midwest is great at sending replacement parts for something that got damaged. To avoid the shipping try Petsmart. They are starting to carry the cages.


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## Famous Amos (May 23, 2013)

I have several DCN and have become burnt out on rat cleaning for a very long time because of how hard they are to clean. So I recently bought 2 Ruuds. Hoping they would be easier for me to clean. And I was wrong. They are both very difficult. And awkward and heavy. The only thing I can say is a huge difference is that the martins don't rust apart on you like the CN does so quickly. But at least the martins can fit in the tub. You can't wipe them down forever they need to be washed. And in the winter when your hoses are frozen you can't wash a CN. Breaking it down will chip up your tub. So now the CN got thrown in the dumpster and the martins are up for sale after 3 months of ownership. I am now looking for a different brand. 


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Famous Amos, if you don't mind me asking what makes them so hard to clean? I just figured one would wipe down the cage bars on location and not bother with trying to move it to a tub or anything.

FallDeere, that was an EXTREMELY helpful review! I've heard the pans are pretty shallow and the cement mixer pan sounds like a really great idea. I think I may try to use the shallow pans it comes with first as I don't use bedding with my rats, I just use fleece. 

wicious, I'm sorry to hear you're having such a crappy experience. From what I'm to understand, the DCN is known for coming with mildly defective parts from getting beaten up during shipping, but I've never heard a case as bad as yours. Most people just say a part is slightly bent and they had to bend it back in place by whacking it with a hammer. 

Thanks everyone for the reviews, I went ahead and purchased the DCN knowing it may come with defects, but I'll cross my fingers. Guess I'll find out for myself if I love it or hate it


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Agh, sorry Famous Amos for some reason I skipped right over the "sometimes they need to be washed" comment...I realize they probably need to be sudsed up once in awhile but I'm hoping I can still find some way to do that without having to take it apart or *gulp* carrying it downstairs...


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## Famous Amos (May 23, 2013)

You can't wipe it down forever. Maybe 4-5 times at the most. They get chalky and stickiness in areas you can't wipe. They have to be showered or hosed. And they are too big to do either. And if you do the legs on the CN weaken fast.


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## Famous Amos (May 23, 2013)

I mean I did hose mine for 3 years, but they fell apart from moving them. And it sucked my will to live. They are a chore! Both brands are.


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## wicious (May 22, 2013)

Yeah, because it said "no tools required!" I thought I'd be able to put it together and take it back apart again easily (when I move in a month or two), but there is absolutely no way. I had no idea what I was getting into. It's a behemoth. I'm on the third floor, and if I wanted to bring it down even one flight of stairs, I'd have to take almost the whole thing apart, which is a huge hassle, and does require tools. Today I called every local store listed on Midwest's site, and no one had a single CN, which I was grudgingly willing to try (and to dry-fit in the parking lot). Not a one in Portland! Instead I got a pretty-big, used Super Pet cage (I didn't see it on their site when I looked, so maybe it's discontinued) and it's a totally different class of cage but a much better fit for me at this point. It folds flat and weighs like five pounds  A pet store (A to Z Pets) in Portland sells new and used cages and supplies, so I totally lucked out. I'm packing the Critter Nation right now! So, hopefully it's a happy ending. Knock on wood.

Anyway sorry for being a drag on your thread. But if anyone can use any of that information, I want them to have it! I wish I had. Hope your new cage is perfect, and you and your ratties love it!


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Cage cleaning will never be a breeze. It's just something that rat owners have to live with. That being said, certain cages are just a LITTLE bit easier than others, but only depending on your personal circumstances.

Someone with a rat room not on a main floor may want to reconsider a CN/FN cage, for instance. There are pros and cons to everything, but there will never be an "easy to clean" cage, in my opinion.

If you are concerned about maneuverability, don't even consider the DCN.


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Hmmm, well now I'm already starting to have buyer's remorse...It would be virtually impossible for me to hose this cage down as my rats' living area is on the second floor of my house. I just assumed wiping the cage down with heavy duty wipes or even using a vinegar solution would be good enough. I know no cage is ever EASY to clean of course, but I do like the idea of having the front of the cage wide open for easy access. My old model super pets ferret cage has super tiny doors in the stupidest places and I've become quite the contortionist when it comes to cleaning and decorating it. That's what the DCN will be replacing...that cage is kind of a nuisance as it is so I guess all I can hope for now is that this be DCN will at least be better than that one.


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## Famous Amos (May 23, 2013)

I have a single level home and its impossible. The DCN weighs 110 lbs according to UPS. And their wheels are rated for 80. So moving them crushes them for one thing if you have carpet. I've heard some say its better on hard floors. I had to go to ACE and get brass replacement casters on 3 of my DCN. But even then the legs weakened and swayed.


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

The upside is my house is all tile flooring so hopefully that helps. Man Im really starting to wonder if I should just send this thing back now....but are there any other cages out there that are light weight and have the fully opening front? That was the main reason I was leaning towards this cage. And if the Martin's are hard to clean too then...I really don't know what a good cage upgrade would be!


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## Famous Amos (May 23, 2013)

No there's not and that's the problem. I am in the same boat. But yours will be a bit better on tile. 


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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

I find the CN ridiculously easy to clean honestly... I have a double and at absolute most it takes me 20 minutes to clean. Usually more like 15. I also have it on carpet and don't have much trouble moving it when I need to.

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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

But yeah I probably wouldn't recommend it if you need to move it up/down stairs more than a few times a year.

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## Mortimryrrh (May 29, 2013)

I just received my DCN from Ferret.com yesterday. Which by the way, I got a great deal on. While the outer box was a little beaten up, everything inside was intact. No bent and/or broken pieces at all. I assembled it in a relatively short amount of time (~40 minutes). Most likely, I could have done it more quickly, but I was sipping on some PBR's as I performed the task.  This cage is definitely a beast, but it's what I wanted for my boys.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

I've heard the Ruud is just as easy to clean as the DCN, you just need a different routine to do it. My former roommate kept her boys in a Ruud and swore by it--she adores Martin's, lives how easily you can switch up the interior, and likes to use bedding so the pan in the Ruud is a huge plus for her. I have a DCN and its the best purchase i ever made. You do have to hammer it together a bit to get it assembled, but that's no big deal. I live the double doors and that the levels can be separated.Basically, they're both big, sturdy cages. The Ruud is better if you use bedding, the DCN better if you want to be able to separate the levels. Also, as i believe you're in the UK, I'd consider the Savic Royal over the DCN. It's cheaper, has deeper pans, but is otherwise identical.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Ooops, ignore that, you're in the US. Lol. So DCN or Ruud it is!


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Also just now saw that you already purchased one! I somehow mussed the whole second page of this.Ok, for the deep clean--disassemble it. It's as easy as that. When I do my deep cleans I have my fiance supervise my girls and I take about an hour to remove everything from the cage, take it apart, hose it down, and put it back together. Since all my pieces were hammered into place when I got it, reassembly is super duper easy.


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

I'd be curious to know your assessment of the cage after you've had it for a few weeks, Mortimyrrh.And Rumy, I may just get the smaller Martin (the skyscraper?) for my two male rats and see how I like it. I really feel like the All Living Things Rat home is only good for younger rats, they've gotten too big for the shelves now so I want to upgrade their cage as well at some point.As far as disassembling the DCN for deep cleaning, is it actually easy? I've heard most people say that once you put it together, it's almost impossible to take apart. As it stands now my plan is to wheel it out to the second story balcony and hope my hose can reach that far...lol


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Oh and Jenzie do you find it necessary to deep clean the cage? And how do you do it?Before hosing the cage down got brought up my plan was to soap up a scrub brush and just brush it where it's standing, then wipe it all down with wet paper towels followed by dry ones, and using diluted vinegar possibly as well. Honestly, my rats don't really pee or poop on the bars anyway, I got really lucky with them. They basically only go on the bottom level of the cage. I clean the bars anyway of course but I've never noticed concentrations of urine anywhere.


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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

CindrDoLLy said:


> Oh and Jenzie do you find it necessary to deep clean the cage? And how do you do it?Before hosing the cage down got brought up my plan was to soap up a scrub brush and just brush it where it's standing, then wipe it all down with wet paper towels followed by dry ones, and using diluted vinegar possibly as well. Honestly, my rats don't really pee or poop on the bars anyway, I got really lucky with them. They basically only go on the bottom level of the cage. I clean the bars anyway of course but I've never noticed concentrations of urine anywhere.


So far I haven't found it necessary, but I've only had my CN for a few months now so I guess that could change. Maybe my boys are just especially clean (seems unlikely to me, lol), but other than cleaning all the pans and replacing fleece and stuff I almost never even have to do more than wipe down the bars on occasion. I've never had any grossness get caught in the crevices of the cage that would make me want to deep clean it.


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

I really do think some rats are cleaner than others and that will impact what kind of cleaning you do. I was fostering 4 boys a few years ago and they were the worst when it came to chewing and getting pee and poop in all the worst places. And I tried to litter train them, but all they'd do is store their food in the box....along with their poop. For rats being "clean" animals, sometimes they have some very dirty habits!Oddly my current four girls and two boys are the opposite of the foster rats. They don't chew plastic, they don't poop in their hammocks or beds and they don't have a corner that they constantly pee in that causes build up. I think maybe your boys really are just cleaner than some rats, Jenzie.  makes regular cleaning much easier and deep cleaning not as necessary.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

I've found it very easy to disassemble and reassemble. I'm not sure why in the world it would be difficult; once all the pieces are shaped together correctly they just come apart and go back together without a hitch.


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

I'll keep that in mind, Rumy.

And in case anyone cares, I got the cage on Saturday. Only had minor issues putting it together. Required tapping things into place with a hammer just like everyone has said in the reviews I've seen...took about an hour altogether I'd say. So far, I love it! The only problem I have is it's very difficult to put lava ledges in, since you need one hand inside the cage and one hand out of the cage to screw them in, which is very hard to do with those giant doors in the way....


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## RattyBoomBaLatty (May 29, 2013)

Does anyone have any photos of the doors on the Ruud? Its so hard to tell on the website exactly how the doors open and where they are and if you can just stick your hand in or your entire arm...


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

The photos on the Martin's website are a bit outdated as they have created larger doors on all of the cages. Also, if you need to doors to be a custom size or configuration, they can do that for you.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

RattyBoomBaLatty said:


> Does anyone have any photos of the doors on the Ruud? Its so hard to tell on the website exactly how the doors open and where they are and if you can just stick your hand in or your entire arm...


Obviously this feed is old, but I have one of the updated cages, and you can stick your whole arm/head in the thing.

It's easy to hang things, but it's not something you want to have to move around corners on two flights of stairs.


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