# Martin/Other Cage - 4 Males - Ideas?



## sheathepanda (Feb 10, 2010)

So for my birthday, I was rather surprised (not really) with the news that my brother had put three hairless males on hold for me at our local store. He was with me when I met them, and I was in love.

Which isn't really a problem, except for the fact that I was planning on building a custom cage for my birthday, and now i'm second guessing myself on it. 

What Martin cage(or other cage) would work for 4 rather large males, one of which is very much an old man at this point.
He's not a huge fan of climbing anymore, so it would need ramps that aren't very steep.

I was looking at the r-690, but I'd rather have opinions first.
And pictures of cages if you've got them.  (I love pictures.)

I'm really not a fan of SuperPet shelves, though i'm tempted by the SP for Exotics.

So let's toss ideas around!


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

the 690 is too small. it's more of a female cage, because it's a lot of climbing space and not a whole lot of floor space. it's really shallow, so not a lot of room for big boy rat butts to turn around in. if you have an older boy, it may be best to go with the 680. the ramps and ladders are fairly accessible for a mobility compromised rat. i normally wouldn't recommend putting more than 3 in it, but if you have an old guy, he isn't going to be zooming around the cage much, and when he passes, your 3 remaining boys would have the perfect sized cage.

here are some pics of my 680


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## sheathepanda (Feb 10, 2010)

First of all, I LOVE how you decorate your cage!
Seeing them like that gets me all excited, since Nicodemus doesn't seem to like any sort of hammocks in his cage at all, acting like everything has to be at ground level, while the three hairless boys are absolutely crazy about all their fleece toys.

This cage does look really nice. I take it in the last picture, that's a male in the corner? Just asking to make sure i'm comparing sizes correctly.
And as a note on the number of rats going in, other than my old man, the 3 boys are all 6 months old, one of them being the same size as Nicodemus(who's rather large), and the other two are just about the same size as my biggest females, which isn't saying much considering how dainty they all were.
But suffice to say, Nicodemus will only be with me for around 3-4 months more, or so, unfortunately. His health is declining in the same way his mother's did, so I kind of know what to expect this time around.

I've noticed in your cage you use the fleece bedding. Is this just a preference, or is the R-680 unable to hold regular bedding(Aspen, carefresh, etc.)? Just a slight concern.

Have you had any sort of difficulties since owning your cage with cleaning, moving, etc? I love finding people who own what i'm looking for, it makes it so much easier to find these kind of things out.


Thanks so much for responding!


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## Misbehavior (May 29, 2011)

I just have to ask, what kind plastic box is that in the first picture, also seen in the right hand side of the second? I've seen those everywhere but can't find what they're called. And that Batman poster in the corner of the second pic - <3.


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## sheathepanda (Feb 10, 2010)

Are you talking about these?
http://www.amazon.com/Stack--BIN-6-...D6N2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312606866&sr=8-1

I call them stackable/stacking bins. If you google that you can find a TON of them.

You can also find those at most office supply stores, if i'm not mistaken. I'm pretty sure Office Depot has them.
I've been planning on getting me a few as well!


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I also have the 680, and completely agree with Jaguar for 4 rats, 1 who is inactive the 680 is perfect.

I housed 4 girls in mine for a long time and it was perfect, and I have 2 foster boys in mine as we speak.

You can use bedding yes, I do. Fleece is just preference, I don't use it at all in my 680 except for hammocks obviously.

Here is a pic of mine., crappy phone pics. Sorry








I was using fleece here, there is no bottom in this pic.









4 girls in are in this pic ^^

Of course I used to use fleece, but I have so many rats that it's not as easy for me to use it anymore.


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## Misbehavior (May 29, 2011)

sheathepanda said:


> Are you talking about these?
> http://www.amazon.com/Stack--BIN-6-...D6N2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312606866&sr=8-1


Yep - thanks a lot! ;D I was only looking at specifically marketed small animal litter pans since I couldn't find anything around the house to use. Lots of money saved there... which will be directed towards the rats anyway.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

thanks! the 680 is so easy to decorate because it's fairly symmetrical and very roomy. my standard base layout is a big square hammock at the very top, and a rectangular one below the highest shelf. i mix around the hidey huts and other corner hammocks to keep things interesting.
that is bernard's fat butt in the last picture. i'll see if i can dig up some more pictures of them actually in the cage for a better size comparison 





































martins cages are actually very well suited for both litter and fleece. the set in cage frame holds down fleece liners very securely without the need to clip it down, but at the same time the pan is super deep so it holds litter very well.

i have owned a LOT of cages in the past, including a ferret nation, rat resort, generic super pet ferret cage, bird cages, and a bunch of others... and the 680 is hands down my favorite. it is super light so it's very easy to move around, it's the perfect size to put in a bathtub to wash, and if you assemble it with zip ties, they can be cut off so you can pack it flat for moving or storage.

and yup, those are just generic dollar store stacking shelf bins  i only used it as a last resort litter box... i found my boys tipped it over and kicked too much litter out of it. they make the BEST hidey huts, though. i have 5 or 6 of them.  my only issue is they do have a little ridge around the edge that collects pee, but it's easy to wipe out.










again, i went through a LOT of litter boxes before i found one that i really liked. the all living things scaterless lock-n-litter pan is my favorite. it has a nice powder coated grid that is large enough to let the poop fall through, but not large enough that they can use it for food storage or fling it everywhere. the way it attaches to the cage is really annoying, but i just made makeshift clips so they couldn't tip it. i also removed the little white edge guard as it just collected pee and got chewed on.


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## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

I also use the All living things pans. Well not anymore, but I used to when I used a Ferret Nation, I like them much better then the standard petco ones, and they lock nicely.


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## Misbehavior (May 29, 2011)

Yeah, I can just see one of my boys hopping onto the edge of the bin and sending everything flying.  I'll buy a few of those and see how they work with the boys and my cage, whether as a litter box or sleeper. Thanks a lot!


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## sheathepanda (Feb 10, 2010)

To start off with, oh my goodness, Bernard is the cutest thing. I want a rat with that colouration so badly. I just think it's gorgeous.

I may just have to get one of those litter bins! I think the young boys will probably take to it better than Nico though. that old man is perfectly set in his ways.

I've noticed in a few of the pictures, that you all are using actual food bowls. Do you ever have a problem with the rats wanting to use the food bowl for everything but food? That's how Nico is. He much preferred to carry the bowl around and play with it, so now his food is put in one corner of his cage, and he's perfectly content with it.


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