# What can I keep in this cage?



## BlackAce (Apr 18, 2013)

So, as evidenced by some of my posts, I'm itching to expand my furry friend family. I currently only have my two boy ratties as pets now, but am used to having much more! I like taking care of different types of animals, I think it appeals to my maternal instincts  My boys will be getting a new cage this summer, and I hope to add two more boys to my mischief when this happens. 

That leaves me with a few open cages! I have a fairly roomy hamster cage that I hope to either put some mice or a hamster in. Possibly gerbils, although I've heard tanks are better suited for them. 

I also have a cage that I used as a quarantine cage previously with my girls. It's marketed as a guinea pig cage, although it's much too small for piggies...as I've kept them in the past as well. The dimensions are 30 inches long, 18 inches tall, 18 inches wide. I also have two wooden levels in it at the moment. The tricky part is that the bar spacing is a little over 1/2 inch, so fairly wide set. I was considering selling it, but first is there any animal that could live in this cage considering the dimensions and bar spacing? Thanks!


----------



## Ratmom83 (Apr 24, 2014)

Some hamsters are a little bigger. But the spacing might still be to big. Um I've heard of dwarf rabbits but I don't know how big they are

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Don't get a pet based on a cage you already have. It's just a bad idea.

Only get a new pet based on whether or not it fits YOU and your lifestyle, rather than a cage you own. Hopefully that makes sense.

Gerbils make fantastic and fascinating little pets. A tank and tank topper work great. Essentially, you fill the entire tank with bedding so that they can burrow naturally, and then they use the tank topper for their other activities and accessories like feeding supplies, wheel, etc.


----------



## BlackAce (Apr 18, 2013)

Oh man if I could find a hamster that big, I'd be sold lol! But I have experience with many small animals, and considering I have the time, money, and space...and no children for quite awhile yet the only pet I know I for sure am taking off the drawing board is ferrets. I fostered a couple a long time ago and they are like having two 8 week old puppies that don't grow older! Not to mention it's hard to find any reputable source for them around my area. Gerbils have interested me for some time though.


----------



## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Mice are good pets too! They're basically tiny little rats, only not as smart and don't form as close bonds with their humans. They are really fun to watch though, and they enjoy the same kinds of toys and activities as rats do. If you get mice though, get girls! I recommend at least three. Boys can be good too, but I have a boy and he STINKS. I mean it's bad. Boy mice will pee constantly, mine would just coat every surface of his wire cage in pee and it made my room smell so bad. He is now in a large bin cage and I can barely smell him anymore. But male mice most of the time have to be housed alone, so females are better as pets I think. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## KrazyKritterz (Apr 26, 2014)

Mice are great, so are Hamsters. I like Gerbils but they chew ALOT. The large cage you have with wide bar spacing you can cover it with hardware cloth and us it for anything. I got a roll of hardware clth for $11-$13 depends on if its 1/4 inch or smaller will cover the whole cage. Hope this helps. I have mice, my girls are all ok together but my males all have to be seperate they will fight sometimes to death and they do smell if not keep in a tank cage or bin cage. Them in wire cages you have to clean them alot they will pee all over including climbing the bars and spraying anything around the cage. I have a nice stackable bin cage for my males it works great. I even have some that are small squishy mice. Love neen handled and are social. Some are more active but none that really are aggressive to me. Hope this helps.


----------



## BlackAce (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks for all information from you both! I've been hearing a lot lately about mice as pets. I've had dwarf hamsters before, and they never really felt fully comfortable with people. I've heard that Syrian hamsters tend to tame easier. As far as mice, I've heard that you can get some pretty friendly ones....as seems to be your experience. I would just get worried that it would be so easy to lose them, being so small and all! lol


----------



## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Oh they are very quick and if one manages to get away, it can take forever to capture them again. One time my boy got out of his cage in the middle of the night somehow, and I freaked out trying to find him. I noticed my cat standing in an odd part of the house and realized he had cornered the mouse under a shelf. It took me forever to capture him but eventually I managed to get him. It's funny with cats and mice, you can't let them near each other and yet my cat is a great mouse detector, otherwise I probably never would have found him again until he was dead somewhere. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------

