# Considering a DCN so I have a couple query's!



## Mattsrats (Feb 24, 2014)

Right now I am using 2 Martin's double level cages and was going to upgrade to a Rat Manor. After seeing an assembled Rat Manor at Petco on display, there is something about it I don't like. Could be the small doors or the fact that it looks a bit flimsy. 

So I am gonna bite the bullet and get a DOUBLE CRITTER NATION! (All caps for epic effect!!!) Besides if I got anything any less, I will always covet the DCN and end up getting one anyhow so I might as well go straight to it!!

1. Does anyone know who has the best deals on DCN's?

2. What is the max rat occupancy? (It will house both males and females, Neutered and/or spayed of coarse)

3. If using fleece in it do you cover every surface with the fleece? (I saw someone on youtube made slip on ramp covers out of fleece)

4. This might sound like a dumb question but is fleece washable/reusable? (I used my ex's t-shirts to make hammocks but they just marinated in them and it got gross so I tossed them)

5. Does anyone have any advice for furnishing the DCN or any good ideas for it? 

I am moving to my new apt in a building I lived in previously and I will have double the living room space so I will get my DCN then.(Sacrifice half the bedroom for a double sized living room lol)

Moving time is also back-to-school time and I hear it's busier than Christmas with people pulling 60+hrs a week in overtime! (I am a Wal-Mart Electronics Associate). 

I can easily spend several hundred $$ on Model Railroading or video games so why not divert some of those funds to the Ratties!


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## Lare (Jan 18, 2014)

I don't own a DCN so I can't answer all your questions, but as for 2 and 4 - 

2., you can plug in the width/depth/height of the DCN (that you can find on any product info page) to this calculator: http://www.rattycorner.com/odds/calc.shtml

4., fleece is reusable. Just throw it in the wash when it gets smelly. I use vinegar and baking soda and _tiny _bit of soap powder to give it a faint fresh smell and it's good as new. The vinegar doesn't smell up the washer at all and as long as you shake out any raisins or any other debris from the fleece before you throw it in the washer you shouldn't even notice it was in there.

And for 3, I've heard people cover the ramps because rats have been known to break toes on them. 

Finally, for number 1, there's a ton of places to check. Before my dad made my cage I was looking around everywhere. Check craigslist. Ferret.com, Petco, or even go on google and type in Double Critter Nation. Push shopping, then sort - low to high. You'll have to sort through a bit of miscellaneous stuff but it'll show you the cheapest ones available!


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## Mattsrats (Feb 24, 2014)

Alright, sounds good so far 

I didn't realize Amazon sold cages till I googled the DCN.... $228.00 + $3.49 shipping from Amazon itself!


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## Urbanwolf (Nov 25, 2013)

If you check the sticky topics in this forum, there's one for photos of peoples' Critter/Ferret Nation cages. I just got a DCN from Amazon myself (I got it really cheap since they had a sale plus I had gift cards!) So I've been looking at that sticky topic for ideas.


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## TexasRatties (Jun 2, 2013)

Cheap dcn would probably be at ferret.com or 1800petsupplies.com some ppl also like wayfair


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## TheBears (Aug 8, 2013)

1. I ordered my DCN from Wayfair.com which was the best deal I could find. Fast, free shipping and customer service was great. Sometimes people get lucky on Craigslist so if you're not in a hurry you can keep an eye out for a used one.
2. I think I've heard people suggest 8 rats for the DCN (some calculators say up to 12). I only have mine set up as a SCN and I think 4 would be comfortable, 6 seems like too many.
3. Mine actually came with ramp covers but I haven't used them. I made a fleece liner for the bottom pan but not the shelf yet - still working on the best way to keep the rats ON TOP of the liner.
4. My first liner was only reuseable about 3 times before it had too many holes to piece back together but if your rats are less naughty or you figure out a better system than I did they should last a long time.
5. I second Urbanwolf's suggestion to flip through the picture thread. Some people have really nice setups and are really creative. The only thing I would say moving from a Rat Manor to the CN is all of my things seemed so small! You can use pretty big hammocks, boxes, etc in the CN so if you're going to make new things for them you may want to wait until you have the cage and can really appreciate how much space you have to work with.

Good luck! You're going to love it!


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## Mattsrats (Feb 24, 2014)

I googled Double Critter Nation Review and found some pretty informative reviews of the cage. I even managed to find a couple video reviews which were awesome.

A Double Critter Nation can house up to 10 rats comfortably!

There is an add-on that will add another level to a single Critter nation or the DCN ... Making it a Triple Critter Nation though the manufacturer stated that the TCN is the highest you want to go safety and stability wise. I read they had people making 4x & 5x Critter Nations and then getting mad at the company when they toppled over.

Anyhow I am gonna keep an eye on Amazon BUT also at work as well. Currently I work overnights at Wal-Mart in the Pets Dept. (Getting promoted to daytime Electronics Dept in 2 weeks) and was told that Walmart.com may start selling Critter Nation. This would rock because Wal-Mart always sells stuff way below the MSRP and my employee discount works on the WM website!

I am making it my mission to have a DCN within a week of moving into my new apt on Aug. 1st. I am already getting a new living room and bedroom set when I move from the family... shouldn't the ratties get a new set up too?

Is the DCN hard to clean? that was a con of it on some of the reviews saying you can't deep clean it. My ratties currently kick their aspen shavings onto the carpet so I doubt I will use shavings with the DCN considering it has less of a litter shield.


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## ratswithfoxandbear (Feb 12, 2014)

1. Does anyone know who has the best deals on DCN's?
I believe you answered this question already.

2. What is the max rat occupancy? (It will house both males and females, Neutered and/or spayed of coarse)
Yes, it is 10, but I would heavily suggest bringing that number down. I have four girls in mine, and they are all happy and comfy. I would honestly say 6-8 is a reasonable amount for a DCN. The calculator that says 10... seems incorrect to me.

3. If using fleece in it do you cover every surface with the fleece? (I saw someone on youtube made slip on ramp covers out of fleece)
I use fleece on all four of my pans. You need 1 yd for the two large pans and about 3/4 yd. to cover the smaller pans. I also put $1 towels underneath for added protection. The pans are not grated, so theoretically, you could leave them be. I have never seen someone leave them uncovered.
Also, the ladders will come with fleece covering, so you can cover up the only grated part of the cage.

4. This might sound like a dumb question but is fleece washable/reusable? (I used my ex's t-shirts to make hammocks but they just marinated in them and it got gross so I tossed them)
I reuse my fleece, yes. I wash weekly. I use a cup of vinegar plus detergent to rerduce odors from re-use. I did buy some more fleece recently because my girls like to chew and destroy, and I have some fleece where the smells are starting to linger a bit stronger than I would like. (I am hyper-clean with a sensitive nose and don't do well with barn-smell.) But, yes, you can wash and reuse the fleece that you buy.

5. Does anyone have any advice for furnishing the DCN or any good ideas for it? 
Look through tumblr and the Critter Nation tag we have here. You can also go through my personal tumblr (link in signature) because I post photos of my DCN as I clean it and get new toys. They're easy enough to furnish. I buy a lot, but you can definitely make a lot.

Is the DCN hart to clean?
I do a deep-clean every week on Sunday. It takes about two hours to do by myself. If my beau can help, it cuts down to an hour-hour and a half. I am going to link my favorite YouTube video about washing the DCN. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrRX8wdp8JU
It is a bit of work... way more than when I had my first cage. However, it is worth it to me. Many people I know, read about, watch on-line clean every two weeks with the DCN because it is so big. If you do not have too many rats and you spot-clean daily, it can last two weeks for most people.

Also, in regards to the TCN-- you could also make a quad. Instead of building UP, you connect two DCN's together side-by-side. It is a paradise for rats. If I ever commit to a bigger pack, I would. At this point, it is unnecessary for me personally. I definitely won't say I don't get SO jealous seeing those BEAUTIFUL cages!


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## pookycb (Feb 14, 2014)

TheBears said:


> 1. I ordered my DCN from Wayfair.com which was the best deal I could find. Fast, free shipping and customer service was great. Sometimes people get lucky on Craigslist so if you're not in a hurry you can keep an eye out for a used one.


Thanks for mentioning wayfair.com I haven't looked their for my CN add on unit and I just checked and it is the best price I have seen so far including shipping to canada and taxes!! Now I can afford it sooner than I thought


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## brundlefly (Mar 27, 2014)

I got mine from ferret.com for less than $200, shipping included. And it was delivered in less than a week! I find the DCN is incredibly easy to clean myself, maybe I'm just super lucky with my boys. I pull out the shelves, pull up the fleece, dump the poopies in the garbage and throw in the wash.


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## shelld (Mar 13, 2014)

1. Does anyone know who has the best deals on DCN's?
I'm in Canada so I can't answer that. 

2. What is the max rat occupancy? (It will house both males and females, Neutered and/or spayed of coarse)
I had 32 rats for a year, males and females and had CN's and FN's. This is what *I* was comfortable with:
Inactive or Old Males: 4 per level (8 in a double)
Active Males: 3 per level (6 in a double)
Inactive or Old Females: 7 per level (12 in a double)
Active Females: 4-5 per level

Males are larger and thus take up generally double (or more) the space, so I count my males as 2 rats and my females as 1. 

I currently have 4 males (3 are 2 years old and 1 is a very inactive 8 month old) living in a SCN. And I have 7 young, active girls living in a DCN. I previously had 15 young girls (around 1 year) living in a TCN and they were very happy and had a lot of room. I had 7 young males in a DCN and felt it was full. 

3. If using fleece in it do you cover every surface with the fleece? (I saw someone on youtube made slip on ramp covers out of fleece)

It's up to you. You can cover all the pans if you want to, some of the pans or no pans. You can also cover the ramps, but don't have to. Most rats will chew and destroy fleece, especially the covers on pans. They want to dig under it or nest with it. I stopped using fleece for this reason. 

Currently I use nothing on the pans. I wipe them clean morning and night, which only takes a second (I use a baby wipe). I use shredded aspen in the litter pans (which some use, some don't). You can also use newspaper, but they will just shred it up. I'm making pans for my CN's so I can put bedding in the bottom. I'm making mine out of coroplast and putting it on the outside of the cage so they can't chew it. It's only going to cost $20 to make them. I've had them before and they worked great. 

4. This might sound like a dumb question but is fleece washable/reusable? (I used my ex's t-shirts to make hammocks but they just marinated in them and it got gross so I tossed them)

Fleece is completely washable and re-usable. I wash all my hammocks once a week. I prewash first in the sink, then throw them in the washer, then dryer. 

5. Does anyone have any advice for furnishing the DCN or any good ideas for it? 

I have a lot of hammocks that they sleep in and climb. I have rope ladders, wooden bird ladders, wheels, toys and houses. There are loads of pictures online that show good examples. I get most of my toys from the bird section of the pet store. Ropes, wood ladders, bell toys, etc.


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## pookycb (Feb 14, 2014)

shelld said:


> 1. Does anyone know who has the best deals on DCN's?
> I'm in Canada so I can't answer that.
> 
> 2. What is the max rat occupancy? (It will house both males and females, Neutered and/or spayed of coarse)
> ...


I'd love to see pictures of your cages and set up it sounds really good.


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