# Double Critter Nation Housing?



## WhimsicalArtist (Sep 18, 2016)

Hey there! Soooo DCN time is almost upon us! I'm purchasing my ratties a Double Critter Nation on the 28th of December (sooo looking forward to it). 

I was wondering if it would be able to house 12 rats comfortably. I have 6 boys and 6 girls that I would separate with each sex in a different level. Is this possible? Or should I save some of my paycheck on the 20th to be able to afford 2 DCNs? It won't be impossible, but I won't be able to deck their cages out the way I want to until sometime later in January. 

Thanks for the advice!


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## anilec (May 2, 2016)

Congratulations on getting the DCN! 

I don't have experience with the cage but I entered the measurements of the cage on the rat cage calculator and the results are that;
"This cage will hold up to 16 rats if the space is used wisely."

Good luck!


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

IMO a CN (since you are using each part separately) can hold 4-6 rats comfortably. Putting 6 depends on alot of factors.

Most importantly your rats. Some prefer more room for themselves. Rats that don't share well need more room lol
How well you decorate it matters alot. CNs can have ALOT of wasted room on the other side of the shelf. IMO fill it with hanging baskets, beds, hammocks, ropes, ledges, etc... Make the most room out of the cage.

You also have to think about cleaning & bedding. More rats in a cage means that it will get dirty faster.



> I don't have experience with the cage but I entered the measurements of the cage on the rat cage calculator and the results are that;
> "This cage will hold up to 16 rats if the space is used wisely."


I think you counted the bottom base as it has legs on the bottom. But that doesnt count for cage space


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I you buy your critter nation cages from petsupplies.com and pay with PayPal credit, you have 6 months 0% financing so you might be able to buy two at once. I personnaly would buy two double critter nation cages if you have the room for them. Why? 1) It is so covenient to be able to put all rats in half a DCN to clean 1 half at the time, 2) that way you won't have to worry about rats trying to bite the other through the bars that separate each half or have to buy a Bass pan just to be extra safe (there are other ways but not as safe or convenient), 3) when opening a door the rats rush to climb on the outside of the cage and can be badly bitten/lose toes by the other rats; no way you keep all 6 rats from rushing to the outside and get into trouble with the other rats. Anyway, that's what I can think of from experience with DCN cages, lol. I have two DCN and each has 3 rats in it


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## WhimsicalArtist (Sep 18, 2016)

Thanks so much for the fast reply! I think I'll end up just getting one for now and saving up for another one later. They're all extremely social, and love playing together and sleeping together. I'll just deck each level out with tons of baskets, toys, tunnels, and lava ledges. 

By the time I'm done, I'll want to live in there too! ;D


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## WhimsicalArtist (Sep 18, 2016)

Gribouilli said:


> I you buy your critter nation cages from petsupplies.com and pay with PayPal credit, you have 6 months 0% financing so you might be able to buy two at once. I personnaly would buy two double critter nation cages if you have the room for them. Why? 1) It is so covenient to be able to put all rats in half a DCN to clean 1 half at the time, 2) that way you won't have to worry about rats trying to bite the other through the bars that separate each half or have to buy a Bass pan just to be extra safe (there are other ways but not as safe or convenient), 3) when opening a door the rats rush to climb on the outside of the cage and can be badly bitten/lose toes by the other rats; no way you keep all 6 rats from rushing to the outside and get into trouble with the other rats. Anyway, that's what I can think of from experience with DCN cages, lol. I have two DCN and each has 3 rats in it


Hmm.. that's an interesting thought. Would I need to have the money in my Paypal account to make payments, or can I pay with a $0.00 account balance and have the funds withdrawn from my bank?


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

WhimsicalArtist said:


> Thanks so much for the fast reply! I think I'll end up just getting one for now and saving up for another one later. They're all extremely social, and love playing together and sleeping together. I'll just deck each level out with tons of baskets, toys, tunnels, and lava ledges. By the time I'm done, I'll want to live in there too! ;D


That's ok as long as you are aware of the potential injuries as stated in the post above (we both submitted a reply at the same time LOL). One single injury and the vet cost might be as high as a DCN, not to mention all the stress and heartache. I have had rats who wouldn't have hesitated at ripping a toe off of a strange rat climbing on the outside of their cage, no matter how sweet they were with me or their other cage mates


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## B'sMom (Nov 24, 2016)

Id just like to add to something someone said earlier. When you open the door for any reason the rats will try to run forward and escape. I have two boys in half of a double critter nation and it is such a pain making sure faces, toes and tails arent in the way of the door. I dont know if I could watch all those little toes and tails at once! The double cn is SO easy to clean. I love cleaning it compared to my other cages. If you had two dcn's with 3 rats in each section you could just spot clean daily and then do a full clean weekly. Cleaning would be soo much easier with 2 cages. Thats just my opinion. I do agree though, as said above that if you make the most of the cage 5-6 rats in each is the maximum. Oh! And I recommend checking out $1 stores in your area (example: dollar tree) for awesome colorful plastic baskets!


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## WhimsicalArtist (Sep 18, 2016)

Thanks @B'sMom!  I currently have them housed in 2 separate All Living Things Rat Starter Kit cages (ugh, cannot WAIT to upgrade -- there should have been an insert in the box that says "not suitable for rats" lol). My girls don't really overcrowd me when I open the cage... my boys, on the other hand 

I actually fibbed a bit earlier. I don't have 6 and 6. One of my girls recently passed away and I'm just not used to it yet :'( 

On a brighter note, there's a Dollar Tree right down the street from me! I'm going this weekend to pick up some baskets, cat toys, and shower rings ^_^ I feel like an expectant mom just waiting on the day I have enough money to get my DCN!


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