# Is this a good cage?



## Keelyrawr (Mar 7, 2012)

I'm going to be buying my little rat a bigger cage soon. I've been looking around on Petsmart/Petco and I think I found a pretty good one. I just have a few questions about it.






Will I need to put Liners over the shelves? They already have plastic on them, so I was just wandering.
Will this be big enough for 2 rats when they're full grown? I plan on replacing the Hammock and wheel with different, more sturdy ones.
It's supposed to be quite a bit bigger than it looks in the picture. It costs 100 dollars, so i'm just making sure I'm getting a good deal here.
Thanks


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## tm22 (Mar 19, 2012)

I would actually recommend strongly against this cage as rats have teeth strong enought to chew through would, they could chew the plastic up. Rats live 2-4 years some even have made it to 7!!! That rare though. Point being this would wear our soon, or your rat could potenitaly chew off a piece of plastic, as they have no gag reflex it could choke and die. Let me link you what I have 
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4470992

 Extremly afforadble. My tiny one level I got when I had just been quarntining the first rat was 60 bucks, this is only 50 and its a 2 floor and the wood is a MUCH better alternative. Wire caged bottoms/platforms can hurt their delicate feet, plastic can be chewed and is unatural. Your cage is the biggest and most important investment and should be a wise one. I had bought 3 cages until stumbling across this one. Great deal, perfect size for 2 rats ,as per rat you want 2-2.5 feet of room.


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## tm22 (Mar 19, 2012)

Please also know that wheels and balls should be avoided. Rats back do not bend the way a hamsters does, they may not even use it for one, rats tend to for the most part find these confining and confusing, for two if they do use it, it could cause early set pain issues.


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## tm22 (Mar 19, 2012)

As this is your first cage make sure to ask for a water bottle WITHOUT aspring behind the ball. it is far better to have it leak then to have it not let any water out. I learned this the hard way. :c I would also recommend a cermanic food dish. They are heavy and will help keep them from tippingthe bowl or chewing through it.


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## tm22 (Mar 19, 2012)

OH just kidding sorry didnt read you were UPGRADING not just buying your first one!! Super mega sorry! :C


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## tm22 (Mar 19, 2012)




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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

i just bought a rat manor and i love it!! it does have mesh tho so i need to still cover it with fleece still, but the rats are loving climbing all over it and the different levels, they instantly went up and down with no issues


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

View attachment 5049


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## tm22 (Mar 19, 2012)

The manor is a VERYYYY popular one as well. I've seen it recommended on a TON of rat care sites.


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## Keelyrawr (Mar 7, 2012)

Thanks tm22, and thanks Iheartroxyrat. My only concern about the Wood cage is- Don't rats LOVE chewing wood? My rat is constantly chewing up his cardboard house, tubes, ect- He also nibbles on the homeade wood chews I give him. Wouldn't he be able to chew it up?
I was looking at the manor as well. Fleece just seems like a HUGE pain. What would I secure the Fleece with? Also it looks really tricky to clean.

Thanks


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## tm22 (Mar 19, 2012)

The type of wood it is, is non toxic, and they havent but they do chew their wood chew toys. If you do choose pet manor see the cage sticky on this forum a woman posted a pic of that cage with fleece she used office clips (the metal kind) from the outside to secure the fleece. My understanding is you keep 2 sets of fleece. one will always be clean and ready to flip over while the other is being washed. I'm actually considering it for the bottom of my gals cage. it would take a longgg time to chew through this kind of wood, i forget the type but there are hard and soft types, hard would take some yearsssssss of gnawing to do any real damage. the chew toys are a type of "soft" wood like balsa is. Which ever you decied these are both two good ideas. You should post a pic when you have it done. I want to seeeee!! C:


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

A rat that has made it to 7?

I have that cage for my two males and I've had it since about a week before christmas. I'm in love with it. it's sturdy, easy to clean and it's spacious. I haven't had a single problem with chewing or a smell.
My shelves have fleece on them and you can use the little black paper clips to hold it on. Just clip them on the sides. 
To clean my shelves and I use soap and water, spray it in and wipe it down. To clean my fleece, you can throw it in the washer and drier. -my mother won't allow that though because clearly my rats are the diseased spawn of satan and we'll catch their plague if we wash their fleece in the same machine our dirty underpants go into. -.-' so I hand wash it then dry it.

~~~
OH, by 'that cage' I mean the one in the photo, the Super Pet.
~
OH again! xD I took the wheel out of mine. -it's packaged seperately anyway. Makes it a lot roomier.


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## Keelyrawr (Mar 7, 2012)

Thanks A.ngelF.eathers ! I've decided to go ahead and get it. I'll see how the shelves work without liners for awhile, and If i'm not pleased I'll start lining them.
Is assembling it pretty tricky? I always seem to have so much trouble assembling things. -w- Also, my parents are the same way. Lol~


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## PitterPatter (Feb 28, 2012)

> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4470992
> 
> Extremly afforadble. My tiny one level I got when I had just been quarntining the first rat was 60 bucks, this is only 50 and its a 2 floor and the wood is a MUCH better alternative. Wire caged bottoms/platforms can hurt their delicate feet, plastic can be chewed and is unatural. Your cage is the biggest and most important investment and should be a wise one. I had bought 3 cages until stumbling across this one. Great deal, perfect size for 2 rats ,as per rat you want 2-2.5 feet of room.


WORST cage for rats because the urine soaks into the wood.
I advise critternation or ferretnation. Though ferretnation's bars are only good for full grown rats, and babies and squeeze out.
Any metal bottom cages are good, too. I had a 3 level metal cage for my ex's pet rat who lived on her own, and it was easy to clean and I got it for $25 used. I'm sure they're $80 brand new if you can find them.
If you can't find either of those just get what you can afford and give them plenty of chewables and try to reinforce chewing on those rather than the plastic. My boys are in a bird cage now and they don't chew the plastic.


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## AnastasiaY (Dec 1, 2011)

PitterPatter said:


> WORST cage for rats because the urine soaks into the wood.
> I advise critternation or ferretnation. Though ferretnation's bars are only good for full grown rats, and babies and squeeze out.
> Any metal bottom cages are good, too. I had a 3 level metal cage for my ex's pet rat who lived on her own, and it was easy to clean and I got it for $25 used. I'm sure they're $80 brand new if you can find them.
> If you can't find either of those just get what you can afford and give them plenty of chewables and try to reinforce chewing on those rather than the plastic. My boys are in a bird cage now and they don't chew the plastic.


I agree with you! I had the smaller version of that cage and even with daily cleanings, and I mean FULL cleanings, it would reeeek! It does make a great QT cage though, i'd imagine.


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

Keelyrawr said:


> Is assembling it pretty tricky?


Not really, unless you're lazy like me xD It's really just a snap together thing. You pull the wire walls out -it's pretty obvious which go where- and snap them together. However, mine arrived bent and I had to use pliers to unbend some of the little ring thingies. I had to use some wire to pull the sides together in a couple places. It wasn't anything major or a danger to my rats, but it was a little annoying. Then you just position the shelves at whatever height you'd like them and push them down so they lock into the wires. Since my boys are older I wanted the ramps to be less steep. The ramps are pretty sturdy, and once you -gently- snap them down they hold well. Then you just rest the wire against the floor and use the two included clips to snap the wire to the pan. 
The hammock thoroughly sucks though. My boys used it as a slide until I could get a comfy fleece one, but I lovelovelvoe the bowl. They've always drank out of bowls (they hate the bottles) and now this one they can't tip over


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## Iheartroxyrat (Feb 22, 2012)

i still love my rat manor! lol i wish it was bigger (it is prefect for two rats tho) but im building my own out of an old dog crate so ill have 3 or 4 rat cages floating around in my rat room! and i really love my rat room!! nothing for them to get into thats bad for them hehe


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## Keelyrawr (Mar 7, 2012)

A.ngelF.eathers said:


> Not really, unless you're lazy like me xD It's really just a snap together thing. You pull the wire walls out -it's pretty obvious which go where- and snap them together. However, mine arrived bent and I had to use pliers to unbend some of the little ring thingies. I had to use some wire to pull the sides together in a couple places. It wasn't anything major or a danger to my rats, but it was a little annoying. Then you just position the shelves at whatever height you'd like them and push them down so they lock into the wires. Since my boys are older I wanted the ramps to be less steep. The ramps are pretty sturdy, and once you -gently- snap them down they hold well. Then you just rest the wire against the floor and use the two included clips to snap the wire to the pan.
> The hammock thoroughly sucks though. My boys used it as a slide until I could get a comfy fleece one, but I lovelovelvoe the bowl. They've always drank out of bowls (they hate the bottles) and now this one they can't tip over


 Thanks for the info, sounds easy enough  I'm buying mine from a friend, so It's already assembled. Yeah I plan on buying or making some nice hammocks


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## SamIAm (Feb 22, 2012)

I have that cage and I love it!







There is plenty of places to hang things its super easy to clean. I just wipe the shelves down and if it gets too dirty I just pop em out and wash them and the base in the bath tub. I have a girl rat in it and she has never chewed on any of it. I got it used on craigslist and the rat that had been in it was a boy and chewed a tiny bit on the shelves. Someone told me she will chew through the base but I really don't think she will I guess it depends on your rats. All and all a good cage I think. Of coarse I want a critter nation when I can afford it but for 45bucks I couldn't pass it. I also don't use fleece...she has plenty of soft things to sleep on and I would think its just another thing to clean.


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

Fleece isn't tricky to clean. Just shake it out and put it through the wash. Refastening it every time might be a bit of work though (but I don't really know as I've never used it on levels, just as bedding). I've heard people just use binder clips which doesn't sound too hard. Oh, tm22, are the wooden levels painted? If not, don't they absorb a lot of pee?


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## irradella (Nov 5, 2011)

I wouldn't get the wood if I were you...As soon as your rats start peeing on it you'll regret it.


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

Keelyrawr, the cage you're looking at will be perfectly fine for two rats, even adult ones. You can also check out the All Living Things at Petsmart as well- about the same dimensions and price, and it has a door in the top which I found very handy. 

One thing to keep in mind is if you're going to use litter or cloth liners - I can say with the sloping sides on the ALT cage pan, lining the bottom with cloth was a big pain, but using loose litter was fine and easy to clean. I think the one you're looking at has straight sides on the pan, so using cloth in the bottom would be easier. 

I didn't line the shelves with my girls, anything I put on them was promptly wadded up and drug into a house. lol My boys weren't wadders though, so I did put something on two of the shelves, and left the shelf with the food so I could wipe it up easily.

I also own a Rat Manor - I found it kind of hard to keep clean, but I know some folks just love it. It has a metal pan, so no chewing issues. However, I never had a single problem with any rat chewing on the shelves or bottom tub of any cage. They have plenty of things to do and places to be in their cage, and I change it up frequently. 

I've seen the cage tm22 recommends, and I'd have to disagree with him. It's significantly smaller than the one you're looking at, and a cage with wooden shelves and ramps is going to smell permanently funky in a short period of time. Also, you'd have to have quite the acrobats to get in and out of that little house.


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

Keelyrawr said:


> I'm buying mine from a friend, so It's already assembled.


Funfun! 



SamIAm said:


> Someone told me she will chew through the base. . .


I fretted so long over that. I was afraid they would manage to get out during the night and the cat would find out and it would be a disaster but almost 3 months later and not a hint of a nibble. 
I thought my boys weren't big chewers... but then I cleaned out under my bed >_> allll the plastic things were nomed. But they've done nothing to their cage.

BUT if it were to happen, I bought this aluminum stuff to line the bottom with. Perhaps that's an option if a rat ever were to chew through their floor.


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## ilovemyfatcat (Apr 14, 2012)

You could also look into the Martin's Rat Cages, they are big and very affordable. The second to cheapest is $125 plus the shipping (normally around $20) and the measurements are 30" x 18" x 36" and has three ramps, two balconies and a full middle floor. The walls are made of wire mesh so even the smallest of rats couldn't escape (unless of course, they're babies). Martin's cages are great and affordable. 

The only thing with the rat manor is the reviews on amazon.com say it is a bad cage. They say it's not powder coated, which they need to be or it will eventually soak up the urine and smell terrible, they say it rusts fast since it isn't powder coated and the paint chips away, especially around where the door clips back. Plus the doors are kind of small so it's terrible to clean and put big stuff in without having to take the whole thing apart.


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## ilovemyfatcat (Apr 14, 2012)

Here's the link (sorry, forgot to include) : http://www.martinscages.com/products/cages/rat/


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## British (Apr 2, 2012)

I also vouch for the Rat Manor  I love mine! It's completely unchewable, and lining the shelves with fleece isn't hard at all. I use paper clips, and fasten to the outside bars (tried fastening the fleece to the actual shelf and she just uprooted the whole thing). And, best part - because it's all metal, it's easy to sanitize. Plastic and wood are so porous, I'd be worried about getting them totally clean, especially in the case of a rat that becomes ill... Just my $0.02


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