# Petco Rat Manor Cage Liner Questions



## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

So, I've finally decided to join the majority of you rat folks and use fleece or towels or something since bedding is just to expensive. 
I have a Petco Rat manor cage and I just have a couple questions that haven't been answered specifically in my research. 
First off, how would I cover the base of the manor? It's way deeper then the average FN/CN cages pan.
Next, how do you lay them. Don't really now how I phrase this question, so I'll try and go into more detail. Do you like double layer them, do you wrap it all the way around or just to cover the top? 
Is the fleece you buy the typical thin stuff or thicker, more absorbent stuff? 
How often do you change them on a weekly basis? 
How often do you switch the actual materials, do you change/rotate it every time you clean the cage or just when it's been all chewed up?

Thank you


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Ok keep in mind I'm a newer rat owner and others will have better advice probably. I know more on the material aspect since I've been sewing since I was like five. LolRight now my boys have two different sets if liners that I'm washing/rotating. Then jut a variety of fleece hammocks, cubes ect I've made.The thing to keep in mind with fleece is first wash it a few times. It's not a good water absorbent material to begin with, but if you were to use it without washing you would notice water just stands on it and doesn't do anything. You have to get those factory chemicals off. I don't have the rat manor but the rat starter from Petsmart. I've looked at both and they seem somewhat similar. The bottom pan is pretty deep on mine. You will need something like towels to go along with the fleece since fleece will not absorb the moisture. Right now my fleece is done kinda like a double sided pillow case with a towel inside of it and snaps to keep the boys from tunneling under the pee fleece. If you're sewing depending on your machine be careful. You need more hambone layer of fleece, but it's rough in the machine to have too many layers. I also make similar covers with fleece and towels for the level/platforms.I switch the fleece out every three days or so with the liner since it does get messy. I just measured the pan sides to determine what I needed. Also keep in mine typically with fleece it stretches when on te sewing machine and jut generally over time. You won't need a massive seam allowance since after it's sewn it will have stretched some anyway.Sorry not the most helpful! Just some fleece care ideas.


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Sorry for my weird typos. Sometimes hit weird things from phone typing. Lol


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## MimiSkye (Feb 3, 2014)

This is why I am getting rid of my rat manor lol!

It is so difficult to keep the fleece on. I have tried everything! Velcro seems to be the only thing that kind of works, but my rats are strong enough to rip it up anyway so it's not fool proof. I usually just cut a piece to fit the bottom of the cage then give them a few big scrap pieces for them to nest with and chew. I also put a corner bed in there, like this:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/172217...type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

I put it in the bottom left corner of the cage and hook it on just to secure it. It gives them that extra layer of comfort.

As far as cleaning, it depends on which piece. The very top level they don't spend much time on, so it doesn't get very dirty. But the second and 3rd levels get dirty quick. I was them once or twice a week depending on how dirty they get. The bottom one I was probably once a week but I also take it out, vaccuum and wipe the cage down twice a week.

If you wash fleece 3 times it gets almost water proof, so I keep two sets and switch them out as I need. My girls are chewers so they usually destroy the bottom lining. I keep a bunch of extra fleece in for whenever I need to cut a new piece.

i just got the Critter Nation cage, so I wont have to deal with this crazyness as much anymore ;D


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## Sylver (Sep 5, 2013)

Does your have the straight shelves, or the curvy plastic ones? 

Here's the kind I have, along with the solution I have for the shelves. They're pretty easy to make, and they like using the bottom part of it as another hammock. 

http://www.ratforum.com/showthread....f-liners-for-Rat-Manor-(your-thoughts-please)

Fitting, stretching, and binder clipping down 2 layers of fleece made cage cleaning take almost an hour. For 2 rats. Now it's like a 15-20 minute operation. 

I still haven't figured out the bottom though to my satisfaction. I was just draping the fleece and letting it fall along the sides, but then they discovered that they could chew a hole through it and live underneath it... basting in their pee. So we went back to carefresh in the bottom, with the fleece liners on the shelves. They never poop on the shelves. 

I'm trying to find some coroplast though so I can cut it to fit the very bottom. Then I'll clip fleece around that, and maybe weigh down the corners, and get back to the litter box.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

I used to have a Petco Rat Manor. It was a really nice cage, and right off the bat I used cage liners to cover the shelves. For the bottom pan I used puppy pads. They fit in there perfectly, but you can make a liner for the pan as well. 

For the shelf liners I used cotton and just sowed two fabric pieces together. I went through several prototypes on how to keep them on the shelf. Paper clips work, but the sharp ends can tear holes in the fabric. I ended up using binder clips to keep the fabric in place. Here are some pictures of the cage liners I made for my Rat Manor:











This is my Rat Manor with a set of jean cage liners to show you how the puppy pad fits in. Yes, they do chew apart the puppy pad, but it's better than them chewing apart the cage liners.


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## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

My cage has the normal selves







So.. I'm still trying to grasp the whole concept of this, it's not just the fleece? You use something under it?
And I'm not really seeing how the pillow case technique works since my shelves have to hook onto the bars on the front and back of the cage. Can I just use binder clips and clip it down instead of making it like that? Or are binder clips used to enforce it?



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## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

@Phantom
I didn't see your post since you posted while I was typing 
Thank you for the pics of your rat manor. How often do you change the puppy pads. What brand do you buy, and how expensive are they? 


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## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Like I said my cage is a bit different than yours so the other rat manor suggestions might be better. I only use the pillow case for the very bottom cage liner. My particular cage has shelves that are plastic that clip on both sides of the cage. For those I made either fleece sleeves that slide on. I had to stop because my boys were actually climbing inside under the shelf and sleeping there stretching it out. Now my shelves fit around the top and corners. I also have it fixed with straps on the bottom that connect with snap hooks(hard to explain). I think essentially just buy enough fleece to play around with it. Different stores are having fleece sales anyway.Oh I see your pics. Yeah my shelf stuff would be no help to you as my shelves are plastic.


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## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

Sorry, I forgot you said you have another cage.
I think I will just buy enough to play around with. 
Does anyone know any YouTube videos or something of someone making liners, even more helpfully for my cage. I suppose I'm more of a visual learner xD


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## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

Has anyone ever heard of Zilla Terrarium Liner? I've been looking around, and a couple rat owners say it reduces smell drastically. And, the rats don't chew on it. 
It's also pretty cheap and easy to clean. 
If people here say it's good as well, I think I'll go ahead and try it!


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

I haven't heard of it, but I think someone on this forum has used it and said it worked great.

I would change the puppy pad every week when I cleaned the cage, but my rats are litter trained and were at the time too so the mess was not too great. What I do now with five rats is I change the litter box twice a week, change the bedding twice a week, and fully clean my cage once a week. Puppy pads are pretty inexpensive. You can get a pack of 100 of them for about 30 dollars, maybe a bit less than that.


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## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

The biggest downside I found to the Zilla liners was their lack of fun colors (green and brown).

Alright so it wasn't to frequent. This might sound like a weird question, but are they sticky? For some reason I just envision them as being sticky 


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## JoshDeMott2010 (Aug 25, 2007)

Measure and cut a piece of good wood plywood will work... Then just wrap your fabric around the wood and lay the floor in the manor's floor. It will hold the fabric down if it's a good solid wood and it will be easy to pull out and clean. Wouldn't hurt to use velcro or a string to keep the fabrics on. Keep it simple and easy hope this helped =D


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## JoshDeMott2010 (Aug 25, 2007)

Also potty training your ratties if you haven't already will help keep the wash times easier to manage. Of course pee may be hard for the boys to train but i had all mine trained to a corner pan for number 2's and some pee... Wouldn't hurt to use a paper or liner until they are trained.


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## Pan&Lou (Jun 14, 2013)

I do intend to train them. One of my rats seem to has a designated potty area.. The others not so much.
I think I am going to use the Zilla stuff. Hopefully I'll have it by next clean.


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