# bar spacing question???



## ratgoddess

hey everyone!!!!
i am just wondering about the bar spacing of a cage i plan on purchasing. it is 2.5cm between the bars or 1 inch!!! i realise this is too big for babies but is it too big for older rats? ???
thanks!!!


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## js6stone

My girls are half grown and have bars with 1 inch spacing. I've seen them stick their heads through so I know they can get out. But they haven't. One night I set a plate outside of their cage with 6 little pieces of chicken lined up. I figured I'd find out if maybe they were coming out but going back in. The chicken wasn't touched.


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## Stace87

For most fully grown females 1 inch bar spacing will be too large. You may still have problems with any particularly small males. You could always mesh a cage if needed, but I'd get a cage that's suitable for rats of all ages.


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## kerma

If the rat's head gets through the bar spacing, the rest of the body will follow. It kinda depends on your rats if they are little bulldozers or not  I think that the biggest usually-rat-proof bar spacing is 2 x 2 cm. I would not go over that. I prefer something around 1-1,5 cm


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## rongallnt

Why than is there so many photos on this site will non meshed rats? I was trying so hard to find a critter nation around town. No go, online only. I want to try a critter nation as my two males have outgrown their cage.
So confusing.


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## Stace87

rongallnt said:


> Why than is there so many photos on this site will non meshed rats? I was trying so hard to find a critter nation around town. No go, online only. I want to try a critter nation as my two males have outgrown their cage.
> So confusing.


A Critter Nation IS suitable for rats of all ages.... are you thinking of a Ferret Nation? Perhaps you're getting them muddled up? Ferret Nations may need to be meshed as I think they have 1 inch bar spacing.


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## this_wallflower

I have a bar spacing question too so I hope you don't mind me barging in.

I picked up a cage for the babies today, and stuck them in it without any toys or anything to see if they could get out.

They can fit their heads up to their eyes through the bars but I don't think beyond that. Would they keep pushing and squeezing do you think? 

I'm not sold on the cage...I might be returning it, but I'm going to see what it looks like mostly set up tomorrow.


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## abazoo

this_wallflower said:


> I have a bar spacing question too so I hope you don't mind me barging in.
> 
> I picked up a cage for the babies today, and stuck them in it without any toys or anything to see if they could get out.
> 
> They can fit their heads up to their eyes through the bars but I don't think beyond that. Would they keep pushing and squeezing do you think?
> 
> I'm not sold on the cage...I might be returning it, but I'm going to see what it looks like mostly set up tomorrow.



My Girls were about at that point when I put them in a 7/8" spaced cage.... I just gently pushed their noses back in and snaped my fingers (which they were already trained was a corection sound) and they never did it again.


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## this_wallflower

I actually decided it against it anyways, and returned it. The bar spacing was something I could have probably lived with (keep the cage in a locked ratproof area for a few nights and make sure they aren't getting out) but the cage construction was shoddy.

Thanks! I am not sure I'll be able to get ideal bar spacing so its good to know they can be corrected.


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## Stace87

this_wallflower said:


> Thanks! I am not sure I'll be able to get ideal bar spacing so its good to know they can be corrected.


You shouldn't have an issue finding a cage suitable for rats of all ages. I wouldn't bank on correcting them working in a cage where the bar spacing is too large ... if they want to get out and wander they will.


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## Sprout_and_Elsa

Stace87 said:


> A Critter Nation IS suitable for rats of all ages.... are you thinking of a Ferret Nation? Perhaps you're getting them muddled up? Ferret Nations may need to be meshed as I think they have 1 inch bar spacing.


Hi! I bought a Ferret Nation, not knowing it was different, and have 2 boys. Will they be able to go through? If so, how do i stop them?


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## LT_2022

Sprout_and_Elsa said:


> Hi! I bought a Ferret Nation, not knowing it was different, and have 2 boys. Will they be able to go through? If so, how do i stop them?



FYI you just responded to a thread that was started 13 years ago It's better to start a new thread than to resurrect an old one.

Can you return the Ferret Nation if it's unused? If not, you can try covering the entire cage with hardware cloth to keep the rats from squeezing out between the bars. There's a good video here on how to do that:


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## CorbinDallasMyMan

Sprout_and_Elsa said:


> Hi! I bought a Ferret Nation, not knowing it was different, and have 2 boys. Will they be able to go through? If so, how do i stop them?


If your boys are fully grown, it's unlikely that they'll be able to squeeze between the bars but if/when you get new babies, they will probably be able to escape.


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## Sprout_and_Elsa

LT_2022 said:


> FYI you just responded to a thread that was started 13 years ago It's better to start a new thread than to resurrect an old one.
> 
> Can you return the Ferret Nation if it's unused? If not, you can try covering the entire cage with hardware cloth to keep the rats from squeezing out between the bars. There's a good video here on how to do that:


sorry, i didnt realize. I can't return it, as i bought it on next door. I think we are going to buy chicken wire, and wrap it around.


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## LT_2022

This thread on another forum says that rats can squeeze out through chicken wire: Is chicken wire okay to use for a homemade rat cage?

Chicken wire wrapped around a Ferret Nation might be ok though. You'd have to make sure the cage bars are in between the open spaces of the chicken wire "holes" to keep a determined rat from escaping.

__
https://www.reddit.com/r/RATS/comments/2n6d06/_/cmara70

Hardware cloth is a more secure option to use.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan

Yep, hardware cloth is wire welded in a square grid pattern. That's what you want. Chicken wire is wire that is twisted together in a more hexagonal pattern. That's not what you want.


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