# need cage for 16 rats



## Cate (Nov 12, 2007)

Well after my frankencage disintegrated a couple of months ago my girls have pretty much had the entire box room as their own massive cage until I get around to finding a new cage big enough for them. I've been putting it off but now is the time to find this cage. Sooo....I've been looking and it's difficult to find one thats a)big enough for all 16 of them and b)sturdy enough to last (my youngest 2 will be 1yr old next month so this cage needs to stay in one piece for about 2 more years withstanding some pretty rough ratties.

So can anyone suggest anything? I was thinking about getting another Ferplast furet tower (my boys currently live in one of these) but its so awkward to clean out and I'd prefer something like a ferret nation, where you can shut them in one half while you clean the other? I'm in the Uk so I need something from a British company ideally. Thanks.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Perhaps "The Explorer"? http://www.petworlddirect.co.uk/acatalog/Rodent-and-Rabbit-Cages.html


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## Cate (Nov 12, 2007)

oh yeh of course. This is the one everyone is always talking about as an alternative to fn/cn. Somehow I had an idea in my head that it didn't hold as many as 16. Oh, I love new cages :


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

You could have a look on zooplus too - take a peek at the ferret cages aswell as the others  - http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/rodents/cages


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

The explorer, imo, won't take more than 12. That's how many is reccommended for it anyway. However, if you have the space and money, you could get two explorers and join them together. All you would have to do is remove the wire on the sides when you're assembling it, zip tie it together and tada, mammoth cage


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## wizzyjo (Mar 3, 2009)

my only problem with the explorer, (i was planning on getting it but decided against it) is that it has vertical bars, meaning the rats cant climb, all 4 of my boys love to climb, and with you having 16 rats im sure at least half of them probably like to. I guess you could add a different kind of mesh to the inside or something?


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

wizzyjo said:


> my only problem with the explorer, (i was planning on getting it but decided against it) is that it has vertical bars, meaning the rats cant climb, all 4 of my boys love to climb


I'm pretty sure they will be able to climb.


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## wizzyjo (Mar 3, 2009)

> I'm pretty sure they will be able to climb.


Are you sure? My 2 oldest boys are kept on a square kind of wired cage, but the 2 babies are kept in a cage that has 2 sides of vertical bars and 2 sides of horizontal but they seem to slip down the vertical ones whenever they attempt to climb them. :\ anyone else have any input on this? whether or not their ratties can climb vertical bars? or anyone with the explorer have any input? Just curious because the only thing which did put me off was the vertical bars so if they can climb them then thats great


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## kleeheartsratandrabbit (Mar 21, 2009)

My rabbit cage has verticle bars and my rat Pedro TRIED to climb it but slipped down. So NO, he four not climb verticle bars


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

There are the odd horizontal bars, so perhaps they'd be able to climb as those are there? 

For those that don't know what The Explorer looks like:








http://www.petworlddirect.co.uk/acatalog/Rodent-and-Rabbit-Cages.html


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## Cate (Nov 12, 2007)

Ration1802 said:


> The explorer, imo, won't take more than 12.


That's what I thought too, but when I typed the measurements into cage calculator it said it could hold 16. Maybe 2 different cages with the same name? 

hmm...I didn't think about the bars. I suppose I could do something with mesh, but I'm a little unsure - sounds like the kind of straightforward task I could veeery easily overcomplicate and screw up. I'm not much of a craftswoman


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

Cate said:


> Ration1802 said:
> 
> 
> > The explorer, imo, won't take more than 12.
> ...


Nope - there's only one Explorer cage. Perhaps the height on their website includes the height of the stand? I'm not sure... :-\. Unless Ration was going by 2.5 cubic feet per rat.


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

Yeah, I usually follow the larger of the two options on the cage calculator (for the boys rather than the girls) and atm I have 3 cages (two designs) that will fit 16 girls and 12 boys, and I can tell you ... you would risk cramping them up a bit if you take it to capacity. Thats mpo anyway

Oh, and none of my rats have any issues climbing the bars of the explorer. Even tilty headed Harry clambers up quite easily


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## wizzyjo (Mar 3, 2009)

http://www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-6+small+pets/breed-is-rat/product-is-22955

this can fit upto 16 rats, it looks pretty much like the uk version of the critter nation. i would love to have it but just dont have £260. I plan on waiting quite a while to save up enough money for it, although some people say rats can climb vertical bars, I have noticed that none of mine have been able to when theyve been in the smaller cage and I dont really want to have to spend a tonne of time on possibly destroying a new cage by trying to add mesh to it so they can climb lol. I have also read in alot of places that the explorer isnt really very good quality and many peoples turned up broken but also read alot of people say theyve never had problems. I guess it just depends on your luck really but I would personally rather spend the extra money if I had it and save alot of time.


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## FeffOx (Feb 8, 2009)

http://www.ideas-4-pets.com/high-rise-mammal-cage-rjl-p-1862.html

I am still thinking about getting this one tbh, it looks really good and it is at quite a good price for a cage of that size. Also I wouldn't pay £260 for a cage that looks so similar to this one IMO.


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

I have the HRMC (two of them) and really like it. The only issue is bar spacing, but if you're planning to mesh anyway it's all good


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