# Cage I Found: Buy It or Keep Looking?



## bampinkfuzzyhat (Dec 19, 2010)

I was just wondering if this cage I found is good enough for two rats. A cage calculator said it could fit 7, which I highly doubt, but I assume if it calculates that high that it must be able to fit two quite comfortably!  I'm worried about 1'' spacing however.. :-\ younger rats are said to escape anything bigger that 1/2'' 
I'll post details here:
Marshall Chalet Ferret Home
-39.4" L x 22.4" W x 27.6" H
-white powder coat finish
-bar spacing 1''

I found a picture to see it here:
http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Pet...resMode=sharp2&op_usm=0.9,1.0,6,0&iccEmbed=0&

it looks fairly large too! and I found it for $70 on a website. Good or Bad? ???


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## rattiesalem24 (Feb 21, 2010)

*Re: Is this cage good for rats?*

If you have females or youngsters, they will most likely be able to escape.


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## susb8383 (Feb 24, 2007)

Yeah, I agree. If the width of the bars is more than 1/2", young ones can escape.

Also I'd stay away from anything with plastic ramps. They'll chew them, and the plastic retains odors if it gets peed on.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Plastic does not retain odor if you clean it. They will get chewed but some they will do it less if you give them lots of toys and hammocks, it is a nice looking cage but honestly for that price I say nay.

Try Martins cages they have alot of great cages in the 80-120 price range that will last a lifetime.


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## bampinkfuzzyhat (Dec 19, 2010)

I don't have that much money.. I'm not allowed to get rats if they are going to be expensive so that's why I was looking for cheaper cages.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

they're going to be expensive. :-\

they are cheap pets strictly maintenance wise. food and bedding is cheap. large cages, enriching toys, and most importantly vet bills are NOT cheap. i hate when pet care sites tout them as cheap pets. they're not. qualified exotic veterenarians that know what they're doing are not only extremely difficult to come by, but also extremely expensive, and i can guarantee that your rat(s) will need to be seen by an experienced vet at LEAST once in their lifetime.

i would say no on that cage as well. the bar spacing is too big and the shelves will be flimsy and annoying. i second that martins cages are wonderful. it's better to spend a little bit more on a cage you know you're going to love than buy one and hate it and have to spend even more on a different one.

but really, you should already have a vet fund set aside for these ratties... i would say $500 is a good place to start. that covers a couple vet checkups, minor medications, euthanasia, and so on, or a single surgery or emergency visit.


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## Kenzie (Dec 31, 2010)

For sure. Rats are not typically inexpensive. You may or may not get all these funds but it DOES pay to be prepared. What happens if you've got a sick rat, and no money? 

Here are some starter tips: Be patient! Don't get hasty. When it is time, you will know because you will be prepared properly. Rats are great pets, they're worth it. You could even find rat + cage combos on craigslist from families trying to rehome theirs. Take a look at rescues, they may offer you discounts on old cages, give you even better tips, etc.

As Jaguar said, you should probably have around 500 saved up, aside from cage fees, rats, bedding, food, hammocks, etc. 

That said, I hope that this doesn't steer you away from rats. They really are worth the wait. You could theoretically hardware cloth it, but that may cost you more. I wouldn't recommend building a cage.


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## Alethea (Jul 14, 2010)

A pet rat might cost only a couple of bucks, but like I learned the hard way with Ruca getting a tumor and not having funds, that they can be costly. If you cannot even afford to purchase a decent cage, that might show you that right now you are not ready to take on the small finical responsiblity of ratties. But like others said, don't allow that to steer you away from liking them and wanting to purchase them. Save up money, even sell items to make money for your rat fund, making it a goal will help you in the longrun :3


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## KassieRose (Jan 13, 2011)

A lot of great advice so far! Like they have all said, rats are NOT inexpensive pets if you want to treat them how they deserve to be treated. My sister and I had two female rats (my sisters passed away) and another that came to us pregnant. She had five healthy babies, 3 girls and two boys, and we are giving the two boys away and keeping the three girls. We have a Martin R-690 Rat Tower that will house our four girls that costs well over $120 with shipping and the flip top, and I sometimes feel like that's not enough and will eventually get them a bigger one.

The babies are almost 4 weeks old and I took them all in for a checkup, got some meds for sneezing. Checkup per rat was supposed to be $59 but she examined them all for that price since they were just babies, and got $30 meds. The actual rat itself is cheap, but the proper care is not.


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## minnehaha25 (Mar 14, 2012)

Hit up craigslist i got my 5 foot by 4 foot by 4 foot cage online from a guy on there for 60 shop smart not hard


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## British (Apr 2, 2012)

minnehaha25 said:


> Hit up craigslist i got my 5 foot by 4 foot by 4 foot cage online from a guy on there for 60 shop smart not hard


...this is from over a year ago...


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