# My rat's cage



## DoubleDimey (Apr 6, 2012)

My two dumbo rats live here. The cage doesn't look very big in the picture but it is. 
I've added some hammocks to it. I bought it for 15 dollars at a local pet store but I don't know how to clean it. 
The bottom base is wood and so it the top level. I was thinking of lining it with towels but I don't know. Any help for a beginner rat owner?


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## DoubleDimey (Apr 6, 2012)

You can probably see the stains on the top floor. The petstore used to house their rats in their so it's kind of deteriorating.


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## Maiden (Mar 9, 2012)

it looks nice. Is it hand made?


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## Nenn (Nov 13, 2007)

Personally I would get rid of that. The petstore rats could have diseases and what not illnesses.
You can get pretty cheap cages that are nice sized(from I think craigslist, ebay, and other places like that.), and you can even build one from modular cubes(I THINK that is the name in english for them), if you chicken wire them, which wouldnt be too costy.
This is a rabbit cage, without chicken wireing, so you can see what kind of stuff I mean. http://www.therabbithouse.com/indoor/images/cubecage.jpg
Of course the levels should be covered with cardboard, linoleum, or something else that is easy to clean, or replacable 
I really wouldnt suggest wooden cage because the pee soaks in, and in the end it starts to smell so bad, and you cant get rid of the smell, and since its been used by random rats, if they were ill, the bacteria and suchs will get into the wood, and could danger your ratties 

However if you decide that you really wanna keep that cage, then can you remove the shelve, and replace it with something else perhaps? I would recommend boiling the wood, but the cage is way too big xD, dont know other really good ways to clean wood though.
I hope I didnt come off as too harsh or anything, just giving hints, and trying to help.


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## DoubleDimey (Apr 6, 2012)

Yes it's handmade. Thanks for the advice! I'm thinking about buying some puppy potty training pads for now to cover the bottom floor and top level.


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## halfmoon (Mar 29, 2010)

Maybe you could try scrubbing it hardcore with bleach and then powerwashing it? I'd scrub the heck out of it a few times before I'd let my rats near it though... Get rid of that shelf and the base and replace them for sure though. Wood isn't a great cage material because it soaks up urine like crazy. Try to find a roll of linoleum to cover it with. I'd maybe wrap around the wood that makes up the frame of it about six inches from the bottom too and the part of the frame that touches the shelf, just to keep the urine off the frame.


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## PitterPatter (Feb 28, 2012)

Just use fleece over the puppy pads to be safe. The food you're feeding them isn't good. I had bought it and found out a lot of nasty things about it. Look at the Rat Nutrition thread.


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## DoubleDimey (Apr 6, 2012)

Sorry I'm new to owning rats. Most of my birthday money went into these rats, and I don't have very much left. ^^' 
I'm not sure how I'm going to get a new cage and everything now.


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## halfmoon (Mar 29, 2010)

We were all new once! You just have to do the best you can. For now, work on cleaning that cage!  Use a half a cup of bleach per 4 or 5 cups of hot water. Use very hot water, as hot as you can stand. I'd even suggest pouring boiling water over the cage, then scrubbing with hot water and bleach, rinsing with more boiling water, etc. Repeat this at least a few times. Use a stiff bristle scrub brush as well. It will help get more urine and 'stuff' off of the wood.

As for the other things, start researching rat nutrition. There are a thousand different opinions on how to feed rats and what's best for them. Your best bet is doing research and forming your own opinion. As always, ask questions on here if you have any! No one's going to bite. 

I know it might seem silly to say, but since this is an "all ages" forum and you don't have you birthday or age in your profile I'm going to just do it to cover all bases. PLEASE use extreme caution while using boiling water. If you're younger, you should ask your parents or someone older to help you while you clean. Boiling water is very dangerous and you can be harmed. The same goes for chemicals. Ask an adult to help you mix the solution so you don't accidentally hurt yourself.


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## A.ngelF.eathers (Jul 6, 2011)

I started off with a tank so you're definitely off to a better start than I was. Lol.

The wood, before long, will soak up pee like wild, and if they step on their poo and squish it and it's there forever. I made a cage out of wood and bought some aluminum as well. I lined the floor and the levels with the aluminum so it wouldn't soak up any urine or anything else, and when it comes time to clean all I had to do was basically wipe them down.


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## DoubleDimey (Apr 6, 2012)

If you guys are curious I'm 15. I don't currently have a job right now, so improvements to their cage will come slowly. 
But for right now their upper level is cover with thick dog training pads.They haven't started chewing on it yet. It does a nice job on soaking up their pee. ^^'

As for the food I bought what they were fed at the pet store and I heard it wasn't good to suddenly switch their diets.


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## bgj1010 (Apr 7, 2012)

That food is fine. Don't worry about it. May not be the absolute best lab block, but it's a good block diet and sold at all local Petco/PetSmart stores. I use that one as well as the Kaytee Fiesta Max mix, which in addition to the blocks gives them everything they need for proper health. Of course my girls get fresh veggies and fruits as supplements. If you have the time, money and resources to create a better diet, by all means go for it, but seeing you're 15, the only one of those you probably have is the time :/


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## Lucys_Mom (Feb 27, 2012)

Don't be too hard on yourself. Cages are expensive! I started out with a tank, too. I think the cage is quite big, so i'm sure they love it! With some modifications, it should be a perfect home for them for now. I do suggest putting sticky-backed linoleum tile from the hardware store on the top shelf and the bottom, because that will keep the pee from soaking in to the wood. (Do this after you clean it of course). I got some for like a dollar at Lowes. It was a scrap of tile, so it was on sale. Then, if you want to add some kind of fabric or pee pads, you can, but at least if it goes through the fabric, or the rats pull up the fabric (which they ALWAYS do), you will have a way to easily clean it. I don't mean this in a bad way at all, but if they were going to catch something from the cage, they would have caught it already, so you might as well clean it, make some simple modifications, and keep it


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## DoubleDimey (Apr 6, 2012)

Here is what my rat's cage currently looks like. 








You can see the dog potty pads on the top level, and the home made hammock I made for them out of fleece. 
They barely go on the bottom level unless they want water or to chase each other around. x'D

For now I'm proud of the progress I'm making in the cage. Next thing I need to do is change their rat blocks. ^^'


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## RatzRUs (Feb 5, 2012)

Don't worry too much a bout the diet I mix that in with suubbies food. I only put in 3 blocks because right now I have three diffrent cages. Do what you can


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## Pandora345 (Apr 14, 2012)

I had a wooden cage for awhile. I'd painted the wood with non-toxic paint, which sort of sealed it and then made it look nice. I then covered each shelf with plastic shelf-lining paper (cut to size). I have some old rug samples, so I cut them and put them in too. When they got too messy, I just replaced them =)


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