# the cat cage for rats--finally the promised pictures



## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i've been talking about this cage for ages, i'm sure many of you will remember this picture:









as i have said in many threads now where i talk about this cage, that was my set 3 years ago now. it housed VERY fat rat boys for a time and now that it is customized for smaller rats with hardware cloth and because i don't even have most of the previous shown toys anymore, the cage looks a good deal different. when putting on hardware cloth there was discussion on the forum about rats getting stuck between the mesh and cage, i made sure that there was no chances of that. i bought a pack of 600 zip-ties and after 10 hours of work there were hardly any left. perhaps it was over kill but my dang-it, there are no rats getting stuck in between the mesh and bars. 

please keep in mind that since upgrading, the hammocks i had before no longer fit and the rats and i are in battle over the litter box. once they get better at that they will get their hanging basket back and their other hamsterball (both of which they thought were potties). so the cage looks a little bare, but we are working on it. 

no without further ado, the long-awaited pictures!








the entire cage, it stands 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep.









bottom inside on the right hand side. it can't be seen in this picture but that level (right where it cuts off) is where the attached food dish and large water bottle are.









bottom inside, on the left hand side. 









middle level.

i was not able to angle the camera properly to get good single shot of the two shelves higher up, but you can see them in further back shots.









top portion, door open. the bright green thing is the bottom portion of a chinchilla dust bath flower, they like to cuddle up in it together and marinate... :roll: and you can just see the very top level. i'm thinking about removing it when i can get a hammock or something else to replace it. the rats like it but it's difficult for humans to manage during cleaning and when trying to catch the rats when they don't want to be caught.









bottom portion, door open









ink trying to sneak out of the open door...

the doors are really big too. they are designed to make it easy for full sized litter pans to go in and out and i myself have crawled in there to adjust the wheel. 

the bottom inch or so is not covered so i can get the tray to slide in and out but the bar spacing is only an inch and none of my girls can get through. by the time they are 3-4 none of them can get out. even at 2 months its only the smaller 2 month-ers and more determined ones that can manage it. 

anyway, that's the cat cage. it cost me only $90 and depending on the cage calculator can hold 11-13 rats. its cheaper then the FN, until you have to cover it, its easier to put up as its a fold up design, and if i were to get a FN i would of had to cover that too so there was nothing lost or gained there. for $90 this was a steal of a deal. the only issue i have with it is more in relation to all the bloody zip ties i put on, the edges are sharp and can scratch when messing around with the cage.


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## madeittothemoon (Nov 1, 2007)

WOW... lucky rats!


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## ari3189 (Dec 2, 2007)

wow! that looks awesome!!! great job


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## beanieboo-rattles (Jan 3, 2008)

yes i aggree slight overkill with the zip ties...BUT it looks great !!!


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## Kiialy (Jan 27, 2008)

Wow!  8O That looks amazing! Your rats are probably in love with you! lol!


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## Phoenix (Jan 29, 2008)

That looks great! I'll have to find your previous post for the getting stuck discussions. We are getting two baby rats tomorrow evening and are planning on using a large glass tank until we can find a large rat cage for a reasonable price. We have a large dog crate (for a German Shepherd), I wonder if we could do a similar conversion? That way the girls would have plenty of room for shelves and crawly toys. My only concern would be the large door. Hmmm


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i had two large doors for the cat cage. just put up the sheet of hardware mesh to fit that side attach it loosely (so you don't have too many zip ties to cut if you mess up) then a zip tie in the middle of the door to hold that in place then start cutting and bending. i discovered its easiest to to cut the mesh in the middle of the square then bend the left over wire flush with the rest of the mesh, bending over is time consuming and no better then bending flush. good luck with the cage. you'll have to show us your progress with it, especially pictures once you have it done


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## Iloveratz500 (Jan 21, 2008)

thats looks so much fun fo the rats!! I have one question though, you have blankets at the bottom of the cage right? Well, don't the blankets get all dirty because the rats poop and pee all ovar them? Is it easier to have blankets instead of bedding?

Just wondering! Great cage though!


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## ratlover4everrr (Jan 31, 2008)

iloveratz500 i think her rats are potty trained, i think. 

the cage is georgeous! im glad you put the extra metal on the outside cuz the bar spacing looked a litttle large. great job. =]


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

we're working on the potty training and the blankets do get dirty but the vacuum is your friend. very easy and quick when they've decided to really have a go at the liners instead of the potty, or if you missed a day of spot cleaning. but they can be washed very easily and put back in. i've found that the snap hook liners are MUCH better at staying put then the velcro (easier to install too). i got new liners from javakittie, i'll need to steal someone's camera to take pictures of the new set up. they are so very NICE!

the bar spacing was HUGE. the only rats i've been able to have in there that couldn't just walk through were massive boy rats that i had a long time ago. they were 5 months old and the smallest was already a pound and a half.they got to their ears then got stuck. the spacing is 1 1/4 inch. the girls walked right through it without even a struggle. the mesh was definately needed.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

i found this cat cage on craigslist for $95. the mesh on this one is 15/16 wide so i will probably have to cover it, but i'm willing to take that step. the cage calculator says it will house 12 rats!

i guess what i'm asking is, should i go for it!?

EDIT: http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/pet/562413242.html


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i would have a concern for that base. does it require that you lift the cage off or is there a tray? the cage could be heavy and getting it off the base may be a problem. i'd ask about that first and ask to see the cage before committing to buying it as well. the picture shown is of a new one, the cage they are selling my be warped, rusted or otherwise damaged that you may want to take into consideration when haggling out a price. you'll also want to try out those doors to make sure you can reach to the furtherest corner. but if all that checks out i'd definitely go for it. 12 is what a FN can fit but costs significantly more. and i love open concept cages because they are so versatile, you change the set up very easily just be rearranging the hammocks and toys.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

general question to canadian residents: would you be interested in this cage for yourself (it does come with castors and can come with more or less (the large levels were bought extra when i got this cage)? if there is an interest i may be able to get my mom to order more of them (she gets a wholesaler catalog) and we could ship them out if the cost of the cage and shipping was covered. i've not seen this cage in stores is why i ask. there are other type cat cages though so you may just want to go that route if getting a cat cage to house your rats. anyway, just wondering if anyone would be interested.


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## Emster (Dec 9, 2007)

I have the same - or similar - type of wheel for my ratties as you have yours...

...Just wondering how you managed to attach it to the side of the cage?


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

there's hooks on the stand to attach to bars but of course the mesh got in the way. so i used zip ties. those things work for everything! i use them to hold up the hamster balls and keep the hanging basket in place too.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

the cage is about 45 pounds from what i have found out by looking it up all over, and yes it has castors, etc. i think that it is practically brand new but i'm going to call the lady later and see if i can pick it up. good price?  i'm stoked, is why i ask.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

its not bad. i have seen the cage go for more when brand new but if its like new it should be ok for that price. the one i have i paid $90 (it had castors but i lost them) for then another 20 for the extra levels then another 80 for hammocks, water bottles and and food crocks and other random items. so 95 isn't bad at all. i'd still try to haggle her down a bit because it is used afterall and if you can get it cheaper then all the better. i would still be worried about lifting it out of the tray when cleaning, if you are by yourself it could be a problem. however the tray looks pretty deep so that would be nice. you'll have to post pictures once you get it. and keep us updated on how it works out for you.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

okay so i went ahead and bought it for $95. i paid for $15 with my "puppy fund" so really i only paid $80 out of pocket for it, so it wasn't really a bad deal. it's in near-perfect condition and the lady threw in a giant store-bought hammock that i can use, yay! i'll get my own thread and such later when i get home and put pics up for you all. <333 thanks twitch for this awesome idea!


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

I'd like to know how to use the cloth coverings for the levels.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i use snap hooks now which are MUCH easier (its like standard hammocks stretched across the floor) but at the time of the picture i was using velcro. i had to glue one part down to the plastic levels (which didn't go on easy nor did it really want to stay) then sew the other half in the liner which was a pain in the butt. i like the snap hooks MUCH better. when i get a hold of a camera again i'll post pictures of the liners (made by javakittie).


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## Phoenix (Jan 29, 2008)

You are using snap hooks instead of binder clips? I'd like to see some pictures, I can't picture how it works.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

it may be a while before i can get a hold of a camera so here's where i bought them from. http://javakittie.com/Attach.php its the grommet with snap kook attachment. essentially its a standard (no pockets or anything else) hammock. it works great until the lovely furkid's chew away a corner.... i'll have to pick up a bit of extra cloth and do a repair. but i will make sure to post pictures of it once i can get a hold of a camera for better clarification.


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