# Best rat cage for 2 female rats? Can't break the bank..



## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

Hey mates! So I am getting two new female rats (most likely standard size but there is a chance for dwarves) and I want them to have a nice cage that I can deck out and that they'll have room to live/play/climb in. The thing is rat cages appear to be $$$$. I looked at the Rat Manor habitat but heard bad things about it and I would like a Martin's cage but I don't know which one and they are *SO* expensive! Rats are generally cheaper animals to care for and I'm planning to spend some money on a cage but can't break the bank because I also need money for the ratties! The highest I can go is 130 and even that is kind of breaking the bank...

Anyone? Can you help me find a good rat cage for my babies? ))


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## ratbasket (Apr 26, 2014)

TBH I don't think that the Rat Manor is as bad as that website makes it out to be. I have is and I have kept my two standard size female rats in it for over a year. It provides a good amount of space for two rats (though I wouldn't recommend it for more than 2) The shelves are a pain to clean but I just took them all out and replaced them with hammocks and ladders. The small doors are really my only complaint about it, it has 1/2" bar spacing, all metal so unchewable, the doors are secured by pushing the door in and then pushing another latch on top if that to keep the rats from shoving the door out, the base is deep enough that it contains most of the bedding though not all (some does get kicked out). I have also never had an issue with bumble foot. It's not the best cage out there but it is a good starter cage for two female rats.


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## RattusMaximus (Apr 6, 2015)

I have the All Living Things Starter Rat Cage. I know it has a lot of plastic parts, but my girls aren't big chewers and I think that with a proper amount of chew toys it wouldn't be a problem. I like it because it has some spare bedding and stuff, but I had to use a new waterbottle since the one that came with it was too hard for my girls to drink from (they were very young, at the time, though). I don't know how good that website is...

Anyway, I really like the cage I have, and it has a good amount of space for my 2 rats and their toys. The top part can be detatched from the base for easy cleaning. A main plus, I think, to the cage I have, is that it is is cheap, about 100 dollars.

Martin's cage's are also great, but the larger ones can be expensive. A lot of the smaller and cheaper ones are very skinny at Martin's, however, so check your cage of choice into the rat cage calculator to make sure it's OK.


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...&sr=8-1&keywords=feisty+ferret&condition=used


This is a GREAT cage!!! Lots of room but still not a huge cage that takes up tons of space in the home. Room for toys and wheels and what not  I had the cage before I upgraded to a CN and I loved it. Its currently 120 with free shipping so that it near perfect 

It also comes in a single unit if you do not like the big one. (although it is more bang for the buck to get the bigger one)
http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Produc...&qid=1449543622&sr=8-1&keywords=frisky+ferret


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## crow (Nov 18, 2015)

I have this cage with a topper on it and my two girls love it, they're always moving around. 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WORIL6M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

*Thanks everyone!!!*

So my question now is: If I can manage to score a single unit Critter nation with stand for about $100, should I? Is it worth it and is there anything better? I'm 99% sure I'm going to go with this if the Lord is willing and unless you guys have any better ideas.


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## ratman7777 (Nov 11, 2015)

yeah 1 hundred is a steal and its a awesume cage


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## RattieFosters (Aug 8, 2015)

If you can afford it, the Critter Nation is probably one of the best cages out there, and your girls will have tons of room.  I would love to get one, but in Canada a new CN single is over $200. :/


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## RattusMaximus (Apr 6, 2015)

Critter Nation for 100 is a great deal, and it's a quality cage. I'd take it...


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

Alrighty guys, so I got the Critter Nation cage for $104 and "free shipping"[SUP]1 [/SUP]from Dog.com! I'm excited but also just a bit worried because they have quite horrid reviews on resellerratings.com however most of the bad reviews are about them being bad about returns--hopefully I won't be returning this anyways!
Does anyone know how well Critter Nation cages normally ship and how Midwest's customer service is? (Would they replace parts if they're damaged during shipping? I bought new in the hopes of having just that, a *new* quality cage).
I've heard things about the bottom pans being too shallow for some beddings, like aspen. Is this true? If so I'm considering buying a replacement pan that is supposed to be deeper).
I'll try to report back to you guys when the cage comes in and also when the ratties get to use it!  Thanks everyone!

[SUP]1[/SUP]The shipping is indeed normally free however due to the ginormous weight of this cage (58.00 lbs if I recall correctly!) there is a charge for the extra weight. The cage was about $117 all together.


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

Yes, the plastic pans that come with the cage are too shallow for loose beddings. This didn't bother me as I cover the levels with fleece, but my brood did chew the pans til I had to replace them with metal pans from bass.com which are deep enough for loose beddings. You can get them in 2 1/2" or 3" depths. I bought 2 DFNs and some years later 2 DCNs from Midwest and had no problems with them, but I didn't have any problems that I had to contact customer service about so I can't speak to that.


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

Okay thanks. Now I'm worrying because I see someone offering a double unit for $135 about an hour away on Craiglist, and now looking in comparison the Single Unit looks kind of tiny especially since it only has one platform. I know rats like climbing so I'm concerned because are they going to be more bored in there than, say, the Rat Manor Habitat which has three ramps/platforms?!

Sorry, just want the best for my ratties! (And am a follower of good deals!! ugh)

Is it worth it going through all the effort to cancel the order and drive an hour away to get the double unit or how happy will they be in the single unit? Will they have enough room to climb and does anyone know how the addon units work (do they literally turn it into a double unit?)


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## Ratloved (Oct 4, 2015)

If it were me, and the double was in good shape I would drive and get it


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## Olivia.Pikka (Sep 29, 2015)

seriously, i swear by this. its anywhere from 60-80 dollars, its amazing, its large, durable, and easy t clean


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## RatEmporiumToronto (Jun 10, 2015)

Thats an amazing deal! Hope all goes well! I would recommend using binder clips and fleece for critter nation pans or definitely building walls around the pans or ordering new pans. I used aspen for a while but the shallow pans are a gigantic mess maker. Even when I did crazy cleans and put up barriers where the levels were to keep the aspen inside the whole room would be covered in aspen after day 1.


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

Okay so I stuck with the single unit. Will that still be spacious enough for my ratties? (I also have a tinyish space for the cage so the double unit was not practical).


I will be being replacement pan from base, which pan exactly is it that I want to buy? Can someone provide a link or name  And am I just buying one replacement pan or do I have to replace every floor or something


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

As I recall a single CN is good for up to 6 rats. The pans are available here: http://www.bassequipment.com/foundations/store/scresults.asp?category=245*Critter_Replacement_Pans. The stainless are best, the galvanized should be painted or coated. I used epoxy paint. I only used the pans on the bottom, but they do have pans for the shelves if you want to use loose bedding on the shelf, too.


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

I'm considering using fleece but kind of confused how that works. For one thing, I don't want to use paper clips.. aren't there fleeces that can be sleeved over the shelves, etc? And do I have to keep replacing fleece? (I'm talking every few months not like every year) Sorry I'm new to the idea of it as bedding, so any clarification would be helpful!


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

I sew fleece into shelf covers. Sew them together like pillowcases leaving some to fold over and tuck in the bottom. Ebay and Etsy have some ready made covers, but they run a bit expensive. The marketplace here may have some people who make them. How often they have to be replaced depends on how much your rats chew on them. They can last a long time if they aren't chewed to lace by your babies.


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

Is the only way to prevent them from chewing by giving them toys to chew on, and how effective is this? I don't recall my previous rat chewing anything (cage-related I mean) yet everywhere I look people say their rats are chewing everything. Also is there a way to keep them from chewing the actual cage?


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

For me some rats chew on fleece and some don't. It's just the luck of the draw as far as I know.


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## Binky (Nov 15, 2014)

If you decide to cover your bottom and shelves in fleece, it would be a good idea to give them other fabrics or things to tear up such as old t-shirts, strips of loose fleece, tissue boxes, newspaper, toilet paper, etc. But even giving them this they may still decide chewing the fleece bedding is a good idea as well. Unfortunately I think it's just something you will have to find out with your ratties. Making a 'dig' box with a bunch of loose paper or bedding is also a good idea from what I have heard, although I've never had the need for one because my rats don't particularly like to burrow or chew.


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

If you get the pans from Bass, you can get the bottom pan and I believe they offer the half shelf pans now too. You can also request the pans be an extra 1/2" for and extra $6 per pan. I went with this option so I could use loose bedding in my cages. I tried fleece.. I used to have Guinea pigs and LOVED using fleece with them... The rats, however, destroyed it and continued to do so no matter my efforts. It also didn't cover smell for me very well, even with absorbent things underneath. I was having to change it out every 3 days and even so, had to toss pieces after several uses due to holes and large chewed areas. 

I now use a thin layer of horse stall pellets with shaved aspen on top and it keeps the odor down for at least 1 week (their hammocks get changed more often) sometimes 2. If you want to try fleece, you might want to keep the pans the cage comes with at first and try it with those. That way, you'll know when you order replacements what height to get. Flowertown chinchillas in Canada also offers flat pans for the cages, so if you used fleece, those would be a good option.


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

(I said on the first page I would get back to you guys about how the cage from Dog.com came in. It came in almost perfect condition though the box looked kinda sketch. The ramps were a little bent but I just bent stuff back and it worked out fine, the cage looks awesome and is sadly still awaiting some rats.)


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

If you get a single unit Critter Nation can you buy an add on level later if you decide you want to expand?


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

Yes, you can.


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

Thanks everyone for your help, and sorry to bump my own thread but I promised an update. The ratties love their cage, especially when I moved them into that from the travel cage, they started exploring it immediately like it was a mansion  Now they're spoiled entitled brats XD The fleece is working for now, they did chew a little on the sides of one of my sets (I made two so I can just throw one in the wash and put the other down) but it was mainly my fault because now I have all of the sides completely binder clipped and they haven't been able to burrow under or really chew it. My only complaint with that is that it's a pain in the butt constantly taking the pans out and changing the fleece! But it looks good, so for now I'm gonna keep using fleece I suppose...

Can fleece still be used with the replacement pans from Bass/Flowertown Chinchillas or are those too deep to line with fleece?


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

Also which of these two looks better for the backup cage (other house lol)?

http://www.amazon.com/Levels-Ferret-Chinchilla-Glider-Animal/dp/B00HX1182I/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
http://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/you-and-me-rat-manor-habitat

(Also how does this one look? http://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-Fiesta...p/B00CEQKPFS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8 Would all of these be acceptable choices? Thanks everyone, I love you!)


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