# Savic Royal Suite Rat Cage...



## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

My dad just ordered it for me! I am so excited. Yes, I am now officially poor (I have £10 for fleece material and thats it!) and my wardrobe is having to be moved out my room, meaning all my clothes have to be put on my shelving unit... BUT Its the cage of my dreams and I just hope the rats will love it!
(They have no choice in the matter XD)

I have been stalking this cage ever since I got my girls (back in February!) and now I am finally getting it! Eeeekkkk! 
On amazon its £341 but on Zooplus its £179! I couldn't miss this opportunity!

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rat_cage/132223

I just can't wait for my girls to all be housed together (introductions start tomorrow, which means if all goes well, they will all get to be in the new cage at the same time) and it will be full of fun stuff for them and omg... i'm just so excited! 

At the moment I have (this everything in both Roxi and Rosie's cage, and Rhona's)
2 hammocks
1 long, thick rope bridge
1 shorter rope bridge
A metal thing that hangs from the top so they can work to get food out of it
A wooden archway
A small tunnel
A rope ball thingie
2 removable levels in their cage
2 bird toys
Treatball
Toilet roll tubes
Old t-shirts
A cardboard box

So because this is all divided between 2 cages at the moment (that are considerably smaller than the savic!) I am worried that its going to be incredibly bare... Anything else I can make cheaply?

So excited!


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## zombiesrkewl (Nov 28, 2013)

I saw your post about this on Tumblr.  That's so exciting! I got a Double Critter Nation for Christmas which I was psyched about because I just got my third rat on the 22nd. The Savic is like the UK version of the DCN, right?

I love your ratties, btw. Roans are gorgeous, but super rare in Canada.  Where did you get your girls?


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

Haha, I love tumblr. I post like everything on it that happens with my rats xD
Yes, its basically the UK version of a CN 

I got Roxi and Rosie from PetsAtHome... They were my first rats and I didn't know about there being any rat breeders around near me. (There is actually 2, but they never seem to have litters available anymore...) and I got Rhona from someone who had to rehome her due to her being alone in her cage. Her cagemate passed away (she was much older than her)

I love Roans! They are so pretty :3
I was looking through some old pictures of Rosie when I first got her... She was SO dark it was like  _'is that really you?!'_ haha :')


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## lalalauren (Jul 3, 2013)

You are the reason I am in a cage dilemma!! I'm teetering between getting a Savic for that incredible price or getting the addon for my single CN for £25 less...for £25, I feel like I should get the Savic, as it'll hold substrate better, and even though I'm really enjoying fleece (it's so easy and quick!) I know my boys would enjoy substrate more...

You'll have to let us know how you get on with your Savic! (Although I may have already caved and bought one by then...)


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## zombiesrkewl (Nov 28, 2013)

Haha, yeah looking back at baby rat pictures is always weird. Your post reminded me that I had some photos of Pandora and Sophie when I first got them. Pan's gotten so fat! XD They were pretty skinny when I got them, but comparing Sophie's current size to her sister's.... I think somebody's been hogging the cheerios...

Do you know if Rosie will get even lighter? She already looks pretty pale (judging by the pic in your signature). I know that some horses are born a solid colour, and get lighter and lighter as they grow until they become completely white. Do you know if it's the same with roan rats? Are they born solid colours, and do they eventually grow to be completely white?


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

lalalauren said:


> You are the reason I am in a cage dilemma!!


 Sorry about that!  The savic looks like an amazing cage... which is probably not helping your situation! Also, you are able to fleece the savic. I think the pans are quite shallow but it has a 'barrier' thing on the doors to stop bedding coming out. I am going to fleece mine but I might just end up fleecing the ledges... undecided!


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

zombiesrkewl said:


> Haha, yeah looking back at baby rat pictures is always weird. Your post reminded me that I had some photos of Pandora and Sophie when I first got them. Pan's gotten so fat! XD They were pretty skinny when I got them, but comparing Sophie's current size to her sister's.... I think somebody's been hogging the cheerios...
> 
> Do you know if Rosie will get even lighter? She already looks pretty pale (judging by the pic in your signature). I know that some horses are born a solid colour, and get lighter and lighter as they grow until they become completely white. Do you know if it's the same with roan rats? Are they born solid colours, and do they eventually grow to be completely white?


Yay for fattie ratties! :')
Rosie and Rhona are fat (but not obese or at an unhealthy weight, they're just podgy xD) compared to Roxi who is incredibly sleek and slim. However, saying that, Roxi is the most agile and active out of all of them. When I enter my room she is always the first up to the top of the cage demanding attention. Rosie follows, but is never as quick as Roxi! 

I am expecting Rosie to get lighter yes. I think she will either fade a very light grey or go completly white with some grey hairs. Either way, she will look adorable! xD (not that she doesn't already)
Rhona is fading starting from her rump. Its much lighter there than it is up by her shoulder blades.

Yes, some horses are born black and fade over time. At the stables where I ride they occassionally breed one or two of their mares to the stallions and one year there was a stunning foal. He was black and now he is 6 years old and is faded considerably. He's a very light dapple grey at the moment. I'm expecting him to turn completly white (so grey) as he ages.

As for rats... I don't know if they go completly white... but it definitly fades! Definitely!


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

Look at how much she has faded :3
Big picture is her now (taken on christmas eve) and little pictures are taken when I got her home (top one) and a few weeks afterwards. 

Big picture: 11 months
Top small picture: 10 weeks
Bottom small picture: 14 weeks?

You can see her beginning to fade on her rump in the bottom photo :3


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## zombiesrkewl (Nov 28, 2013)

Wow! She faded really quickly! It must be one of those things that you don't notice until you look back at old pictures. She's super gorgeous, though. Whenever I check the shelter website or walk into a pet store, I always check for roan rats. I know that you're not supposed to pick a rat for its colour, but if I saw one as striking as Rosie, I don't think I could resist! How common are roans in the UK? Did you know Rosie was a roan rat when you got her?

Pan's not unhealthily fat either, but when you pick her up, there's definitely some squishiness. XD Sometimes I feel like I should put her on a diet, but little face lights up when I bring out treats and I can't help it.
Oh well. What's the point of having rats if you can't spoil them?


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

So excited for you! You could always make more hammocks using cheap hand towels and those metal shower hooks... I made a corner one by folding a dishcloth in half (triangle shape) and poking the metal hooks through all three ends. 

Sometimes dollar stores have cheap dog chew ropes as well. I combine these using shower curtain rings and make long ropes to climb that you can attach to the cage.

Good luck decking out your cage!


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

zombiesrkewl said:


> Wow! She faded really quickly! It must be one of those things that you don't notice until you look back at old pictures. She's super gorgeous, though. Whenever I check the shelter website or walk into a pet store, I always check for roan rats. I know that you're not supposed to pick a rat for its colour, but if I saw one as striking as Rosie, I don't think I could resist! How common are roans in the UK? Did you know Rosie was a roan rat when you got her?
> 
> Pan's not unhealthily fat either, but when you pick her up, there's definitely some squishiness. XD Sometimes I feel like I should put her on a diet, but little face lights up when I bring out treats and I can't help it.
> Oh well. What's the point of having rats if you can't spoil them?


It is one of those things you don't notice until you see pictures. I think its because you see her everyday and the process is gradual so you don't notice it. But I think if someone saw her say when she was 10 weeks, then saw her again when she was 20 weeks, they would notice then xD
When I got her, I didn't know what colour she was. I think I asked on this forum what colour she was! :3
They said if she faded over time then she's a roan, if not, then silver black. She faded! 

I got her and Roxi at PetsAtHome and they had 4 rats in total. 2 looked like Roxi and 2 looked like Rosie, so I got one of each so I could tell the difference between them easily :3
Rosie was the nervous rat who sat at the back of the tank and I felt sorry for her so I picked her, then Roxi, who was eager to escape the cage (and transport box!)

I think roans are pretty common in the UK. Before I got Rhona I went into PetsAtHome again (a different store to where I got Roxi and Rosie) to pick up some new toys. Obviously I couldn't resist going to look at all the animals and again, there were 4 rats. 1 black hooded, one aguti (cant spell) hooded, one champagne hooded and one roan that looked just liked Rosie!

Rosie sounds just like Pan xD She is squishy, but adores her treats and when I rattle the treat box she runs as fast as her legs can carry her and jumps on me and gets all in my face. 
Rats need to be spoilt! They only have short lives  so we have to make it great!


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

artgecko said:


> So excited for you! You could always make more hammocks using cheap hand towels and those metal shower hooks... I made a corner one by folding a dishcloth in half (triangle shape) and poking the metal hooks through all three ends.
> 
> Sometimes dollar stores have cheap dog chew ropes as well. I combine these using shower curtain rings and make long ropes to climb that you can attach to the cage.
> 
> Good luck decking out your cage!


Its on order and I am hoping it will arrive on Wednesday at the lastest. Earlier would be fine too! 
I will try that idea using towels to make a hammock, sounds pretty easy... but then again, its me, so it will probably get ruined xD

I like the idea of the dog chews going across the cage! Have to try that one too!

I am wanting to learn how to sew (so I can make my own hammocks) but I need to get my hands on a cheap sewing machine first. I am not sewing by hand! Tried that before and I stabbed myself with the needle >.< I'm so clever!


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## zombiesrkewl (Nov 28, 2013)

It's funny, I always thought boys were the greedy ones, but Pandora seems to be the exception. Her sister likes treats too, but nowhere near as much as the other two! Now that Mick has moved in with the girls, they're constantly shoving each other out of the way when I bring goodies. It's actually kind of funny, because Pandora's a sweet little rat and Mick is your typical lazy boy who couldn't care less about anything, but as soon as treats are involved suddenly Sophie (the crazy one) seems super laid back, and the other two are practically doing backflips.


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

I think the cage will arrive tomorrow... IT BETTER DO! :')
I just want it to arrive already. I am not putting the rats in it until I am certain they will all get along peacefully (which could be a while at the rate its going at the moment) but considering I spent most of the day today emptying my wardrobe and cleaning my room to make space for the thing, it would be nice if it was actually here tomorrow...

My girls go *MENTAL* for treats. A little shake of the treat box is all it takes to get their attention! If they are sleeping and I want them out of their cage, I just shake the treat box. Then they are wide awake! A little rice crispie each then they get scooped up and plonked in the playpen for introductions. They have no choice in the matter! Mwhahahah XD

Yeahhh, they love their treats :3
I really want to own male rats at some point. I'd love a lazy rat that can just cuddle up to me all day!


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## zombiesrkewl (Nov 28, 2013)

When I was first deciding which gender to get, I was so tempted to get boys! I ended up getting girls because that's what the shelter had available at the time. It's been really interesting having Mick and seeing how he interacts with the girls and how his temperament is different from theirs. After my girls pass away, I think I might end up switching to boys. Girls are a little too high energy for me.


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## RedFraggle (Jun 4, 2012)

It's back up to full price now!


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

I have an SRS and adore it, it takes a bit of getting used to in terms of setting it up well but it’s a massively versatile cage when you get the hang of it. My absolute top tip though would be to remove the middle shelf and floor. They don’t need it and it really restricts climbing opportunities. You will quickly notice them muscle up if you get rid of it, and with a bit of time but little money you can get far more exciting cage set ups, and even adapt it for oldies with HLD. Keep that floor though as it becomes very handy if you ever want to split the cage into 2, which I do occasionally, or shrink the cage into half say for intros.

In terms of set ups I would recommend the following items, absolute cage essentials for me, and none expensive (some actually free)

•	Green garden wire (thicker gauge if possible) and some wire cutters – most useful removable thing for attaching and hanging objects
•	Large cat litter trays – can be hung as mobile shelves and filled with litter, so much less smelly cage, the trays with SRS aer useful but I tend to hold them for when I have oldies as they aren’t deep enough to put litter on them so get smelly fast even with fleece liners. These litter trays cost a few pounds each, drill or melt (with a heated skewer) holes in all 4 corners and hang using wire or chains / paperclips and your sorted, I use 2 in a typical layout.
•	Branches – an absolute bedrock of my cage layouts, When I go out walking I look out for large branched branches, I aim for hard wood, so your oaks, beeches etc or fruit tree branches. Also worth salvaging any trimmed branches from friends and neighbours gardens (winter/spring is a great time for this). Give them a good scrub and trim off any tiny branches leaving you a few good forks that are 1cm diameter plus and you have a frame to use as the basis for your layouts. If your struggling then buying/liberating some dowelling or wooden poles from people and wrapping them in coarse twine or wool to help the rats grip on them works well. You can see in my cage layouts below that I create a central structure to my cage from them, it helps them get around, stops long drops but also gives me something to hang other things off like hammocks, ropes and litter trays as with a full front opening it can be challenging.
•	Plant pots – using scissors cut a few rat sized openings in them and either place them upside down or hang them from the bars or roof as a nest. Plastic baskets are also good for this and you can get brightly coloured ones very cheap in Tesco’s or asda
•	Ikea – it needs its own section lol, loads of there stuff is very cheap and dependable rat cage furniture, the hanging thing with lots of O’s joined together is a tie hanger turned into a cargo net, they do lovely bathroom soft baskets which can be suspended as litter trays or nests and are washable. They also do things like plastic bag holders, cd racks and such which can make interesting climbing frames and cheap fleece throws / tea towels for hammocks.
•	Ropes – and don’t go buying the expensive rat ropes out there, they are disproportionally expensive. You can get 2 good ropes out of a typicall knotted rope and ball dog throw / tug toy for about £3, just unknot it, fasten wire tightly either side then cut the rope. You can also plate or twist fleece and material into ropes and thick dog and horse leads are also good and a lot cheaper. I also sometimes get a cut of thick rope from DIY or parrot stores.

Here’s some typical layouts for inspiration, about the only thing I’ve spent any real money on are my 2 wheels (which are around 8 years old now lol) some hammocks (which thankfully the boys don’t chew so I get them a couple new ones a year and throw out the oldest), the sputnik nest which was actually a gift and the tray at the bottom which lets me have a deeper layer of substrate without too much being kicked out (makes a great safety net).









Also every now and then I split the cage into 2 for 2 different groups, it’s a lot more limited in terms of layout but it might be useful to see a couple, again I use ropes and branches to try and create a central climbing frame with a few beds. The worst thing you can do is put too much sleeping stuff and not enough doing stuff



I can pull up photos of oldie specific set ups if needed, but most of the time I just make the gaps between stopping points a little smaller, have branches and ropes more horizontal so less steep incline and make sure the bottom has food water and shelter there if they don’t feel up to trying to climb.


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

RedFraggle said:


> It's back up to full price now!


I know!
Orginally, I was going to be ordering it on the 1st January, but I am so glad dad let me order it before! It became full price on like new years eve, so I ordered it just in time! So happy about that! :')


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

Isamurat thankyou!
Your cage design is like amazing and I love the fact you make it look really natural! (Top photo is what I want to aim for)
I go walking regularly and I live in a rural area where there are lots of feilds and forest. Me and my brother go walking regularly to see some horses that live near to us (takes about 3 hours, but still) so I will be on the lookout for branches! 

I love the design and layout of your cage, so you have given me a whole lot of insparation! 
Considering I actually want to go to Ikea soon anyway to get stuff for my room, I will also be looking for those 'hanging things with lots of O's joined together' haha :') They look really good.

OMG I want my cage to arrive already.


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

zombiesrkewl said:


> When I was first deciding which gender to get, I was so tempted to get boys! I ended up getting girls because that's what the shelter had available at the time. It's been really interesting having Mick and seeing how he interacts with the girls and how his temperament is different from theirs. After my girls pass away, I think I might end up switching to boys. Girls are a little too high energy for me.


I love the high energy levels with my girls, they are just so entertaining!
I find that once you stop playing with them after about 3 hours of free-range time, they settle down and come for cuddles. But not everyone has that much time! haha :')


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

hrl20100 said:


> Isamurat thankyou!
> Your cage design is like amazing and I love the fact you make it look really natural! (Top photo is what I want to aim for)
> I go walking regularly and I live in a rural area where there are lots of feilds and forest. Me and my brother go walking regularly to see some horses that live near to us (takes about 3 hours, but still) so I will be on the lookout for branches!
> 
> ...


Sometimes nice pebbles or bits of stone are also good for variety in the cage, I also currently have a bit of sawn off birch as a ratty table in my cage I saved from a tree cut down recently. Also coming up to spring you can go ratty foraging when you walk, wild garlic goes down a treat as does bramble leaves, dandilion, platain and a whole host of other natural herbs. I go out armed with a book on wild plants which tells me whats edible or not and the rats get a brilliant salad afterwards. Autumn is even better, beach masts, rosehips, hawthord berries, chestnuts, acorns and even a nice handful of clean dried autumn leaves over the floor of the cage to dig through. Walking and rats work really well as a hobby


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

I really need to write all this down so I remember it. Its really useful!
I never knew rats could eat half of that stuff. I know they can eat practically anything, but I never imagined i'd go out picking bits and bobs for them off of trees! Thats something i'd do for my rabbits and guinea pigs xD

I just want the cage to come so I can deck it out with loads of natural things and make it look really nice, then when the rats have bonded let them in! haha


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## AnimalMad (Aug 5, 2013)

am soo excited for you, can wait to see it all set up when it arrives! my dad says I can get this cage once we have space  , so my dream of a rat room might come true at some stage


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

I dream of a rat room too! But my 'rat room' is my room. Its taken over with animal stuff!
I also have my guinea pigs in my room too XD

At the moment I have 2 cages, a huge castle, a huge box under my bed with spare rat stuff, a cupboard next to the cages with all other rat stuff in (and on top) and several bits of wood covering up the 'no go' areas! 
Along with the guinea pig cage, it doesn't allow me much room for all my stuff!

With this new cage, its so big I am going to have to remove my wardrobe! All my clothes are currently folded up in a shelving unit which will soon be destroyed by the buggers, so I have to find somewhere else to put the clothes.

Yeah, I love my animals. My friends who don't have pets think i'm crazy (most of them!) I have a few that understand me! Haha :')


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## AnimalMad (Aug 5, 2013)

hrl20100 said:


> I dream of a rat room too! But my 'rat room' is my room. Its taken over with animal stuff!
> I also have my guinea pigs in my room too XD
> 
> At the moment I have 2 cages, a huge castle, a huge box under my bed with spare rat stuff, a cupboard next to the cages with all other rat stuff in (and on top) and several bits of wood covering up the 'no go' areas!
> ...


My rats are in the living room along with my hamster , as well as all their stuff my parents joke that I am turning the house into a zoo/shop because of it haha . I have guinea pigs in my room as well so it I slowly getting took over with their stuff!.

Everyone thinks am crazy because I spend so much time and money on them but I just say its what makes me happy .

As for the future rat room , my sister is getting my room and I am getting my parents at some stage , which leaves her old room empty hehe , which ideally would become the rat room


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

So I recieved some news today about the cage (that didn't arrive!).....
ITS IN GERMANY! 

Because of the bad weather, a ferry got held up or something so its been delayed. I have no idea when it will arrive, but it certainly wont come before I go back to college (6th Jan) which is REALLY annoying. 
I sat at home all day today because I was certain it would arrive... it didn't. Then dad looked on the tracker and its in germany! 

Not very happy at the moment.


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

My first srs took a few weeks to get here, meant it was late for my birthday but it is well worth the wait.

I had a rat room, well I kind of do now but its not the same, it was the box room in my old house, it was tiny but fit the cage and a small worksurface for a spares small cage to go on when I had a litter. The best bit was the cat tree I put up and the fact it was rat proofed so they got to free range in it for hours each day. Poor guys have a 1.5m diameter puppy pen now, it's just not the same


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## zombiesrkewl (Nov 28, 2013)

Wow, that really sucks!  I hope it gets to you soon!


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## hrl20100 (May 1, 2013)

Its so annoying!
Checked today... still in germany.

I am going to be getting my girls a cat-tree. I have been looking around for one that I think would be most suitable for rats. I have found several (ones with lots of ledges and hammock like things on it) so I should be getting one when I have the money xD


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