# Housing birds close to rats



## OverAGlassWall (Dec 15, 2014)

Hey guys, so I considering buying a couple of rats next year! yay! and I'm looking at this cage. Now I also have a budgie and I'm planning to get another one so I'll need a bigger cage. 

now I found this cage on ebay

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FERRET-K...666895?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item1e8ef876cf

it's essentially the same as a critter nation or ferret nation and the two levels can be divided. according to the rat cage calculator, the bottom half can house up to 6 rats. I'm only planning to have 2 to 4 rats at one time ever. so I was thinking about housing my two ratties on the bottom half and housing my birds on the top half. there is plastic and will be a liner in the top half so no birdie poop or anything will fall onto the ratties. also budgies are not powdery birds and like rats have sensitive respiratory systems so there will be nothing dusty in their cage that will be harmful to the ratties. 

as far as I can see, this is a safe and space effective idea. I just wanted to see if any of you could find any faults in my idea.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

I'm not sure I'd trust it. I have a conure. Who I would not trust near the rats cause she is a turd and would probably bite the rats. If she was in a cage, that was attached to their cage, I would worry about her tail feathers getting into the cage as well. My rats love love love to chase feather toys. If a tail feather was close to their bars, they would yank that baby fast and be pulling it through their bars. Parakeets are really small, a rat could probably yank it easily to the cage by their tail feathers , which would be most unpleasant for the bird-maybe even losing tail feathers. Rats tend to stick their little arms out of their cage as well. If the bird saw little fingers in their cage they might vary well bite them and a hooked beak bird could probably just about take a finger off, rat fingers are tiny. Birds tend to be fairly territorial about their cage.

Maybe if you need to save space try and find a cage that can go on the floor for the rats and a wide but short cage for the birds that can be put on a shelf above them, but with enough space nobody can infringe on anyone elses cage.


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## OverAGlassWall (Dec 15, 2014)

If you look at the cage, there is really no way for any animal body parts to get near or into the other cage. They're seperated by metal bars and a big plastic tray. The only time it would be a risk is when one of the animals was out and went to climb on the others cage, but i always supervise whenever my pets have out of cage time so that is no issue.


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## Sabatea (Aug 23, 2014)

I would be careful with this... My rat Neera seems to be sensitive to Ivory's (My lovebird) bird dust and litter. I don't see how the bird could get to the rats from within the cage though. I would still be wary to try it though...


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## OverAGlassWall (Dec 15, 2014)

I dont use any dust or litter for my budgie, just paper towel. Worst case senerio, i would attatch a board or something around the cages where they divide on the outside to ensure they cant get to eachother


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## Daize (Jun 8, 2013)

It sounds like a really "bad" idea. 

However, if that's what you want to do. Then go for it. 

Maybe it will work out and maybe it wont. Just make sure you have plenty of money for taking them to the Vet if problems come from housing them so closely.


I didn't read it all, but I found this online. 

http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/community/showthread.php/54322-Rats-and-Birds-enemies


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

I have a DCN, which is essentially the same thing. A bird tail could hang down within reach of rat arms, I'm pretty sure. No it wouldn't happen often, but once would be enough to cause problems. The bird would have to be on the floor with it's tail sticking out the bottom wires. I would want a good couple inches between the length of the birds longest feathers from the bird side to the rat side. You could put up a barrier around the first few inches of the top cage, working as a catch for seed and such on the birds side and it would probably work then.

I just think in the end you'll sleep better knowing there is a good amount of distance and no way anything can happen. A single of that cage for the rats, and then a wide, but not tall bird cage on a shelf above would take about the same space but make it safer. You also might find a decent sized bird cage that can easily be taken off the shelf and into the shower or outside to be hosed. Or if it turns out you don't want them in the same room you'll be able to move one or the other. Both birds and rats are sensitive, so if either have issues with each other it will be an easy fix to move someone.

Not trying to be negative about it, cause I do see your point if you are limited on space and it can work as you said, but as someone who's had a lot of different critters in the same house, I like to have options for separation if necessary.


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## OverAGlassWall (Dec 15, 2014)

mimsy said:


> I have a DCN, which is essentially the same thing. A bird tail could hang down within reach of rat arms, I'm pretty sure. No it wouldn't happen often, but once would be enough to cause problems. The bird would have to be on the floor with it's tail sticking out the bottom wires. I would want a good couple inches between the length of the birds longest feathers from the bird side to the rat side. You could put up a barrier around the first few inches of the top cage, working as a catch for seed and such on the birds side and it would probably work then.
> 
> I just think in the end you'll sleep better knowing there is a good amount of distance and no way anything can happen. A single of that cage for the rats, and then a wide, but not tall bird cage on a shelf above would take about the same space but make it safer. You also might find a decent sized bird cage that can easily be taken off the shelf and into the shower or outside to be hosed. Or if it turns out you don't want them in the same room you'll be able to move one or the other. Both birds and rats are sensitive, so if either have issues with each other it will be an easy fix to move someone.
> 
> Not trying to be negative about it, cause I do see your point if you are limited on space and it can work as you said, but as someone who's had a lot of different critters in the same house, I like to have options for separation if necessary.


I like what you said about putting up a barrier, I think it would work quite well as long as I modified it. 
I'm probably going to get seperate cages for them just to be on the safe side. I've been reading horror stories of rats a budgies from a link someone saved. do you know if it's possible to buy the single version of this cage but take it off the stand? if so I could buy two singles and just have them in different corners of the room.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

If it's like the critter nation you can get a single one. I'll make bets however for the budgie that you can find an equal sized cage that cost less, but ya you can just buy two singles or take the one apart. It will have the hole where the ramp goes, but you could use the full plastic bottom piece on that level and use the one with the ramp spot on the one that is the bottom since it will have wire under it.

Ya, my rats generally let go once they get a feather-but one attached to the bird is probably not quite the same, so I just don't trust the situation much. Seriously my rats go just crazy chasing feathers.


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## erinsweeney (Nov 13, 2014)

I think if you could fix it some way to have a big gap between the two levels it MIGHT work. Maybe keep the rats on the top layer? And rats will eat something as small as a budgie pretty quick, so the smell may be a temptation.


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## OverAGlassWall (Dec 15, 2014)

it's okay guys, I've decided to just get two seperate cages. thanks for your imput though


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