# Which of these cages should I buy?



## zmashd (Dec 25, 2013)

Hello guys! 

It's been a fair while since I've last posted, but I really wanted some opinions on this so I figured I'd ask!

I'm going to buy a new cage for my 3 boys this Christmas, but I'm terribly indecisive about which cage to get (and money is tight, so this is a big decision indeed)! 
I'll show you guys my top two favorites, explain what I like and dislike about them, and maybe you could give me your opinion on which you would buy? 

Thanks! 


So, this was the first cage I became obsessed about. I've never actually seen it in person though:









It's 93 x 62 x 40 cm (36.6 x 24.4 x 55.1 inches), so positively gigantic. Considering that our apartment is just 450 sq feet, I would need to redecorate our living room and throw away half of our couch to accommodate it (my man isn't pleased). And as much as space is good to put beds and decorations everywhere, lets be honest: I have 3 grown boys that barely ever move. I doubt they'd actually take advantage of all the space...
It has two big doors (35 x 25 cm / 13.8 x 9.8 inches) and two large levels (60 x 30 cm / 23.6 x 11.8 inches) which would definitely be useful. It also has a metal bottom which looks great, though doesn't matter much to me seeing as I cover the bottom of the cage with Ikea Borris mats anyways.
Big issue? The bar spacing is 23mm (0.9 inches). Sure, that's fine for my little fatsos... but whenever it's time to get a new rattie, I'll have to cover the entire cage in wire, right? And that wouldn't be practical or look nice... in fact, the cage we have now is covered in wire, and that's a big reason why we want a new one! So yeah, I wouldn't want to get a new cage just to have to cover it in chicken wire within the next year, and I'm afraid the bar spacing on this one might just be too big for that... :/



The next cage I saw in store recently, and really liked:








It's a very pretty cage, first and foremost, and seems really sturdy and safe. It has extra safe locks, which I'm very much a fan of!
It's much smaller than the first one, but still an upgrade from their current cage (and it looked pretty big in store, so it kinda makes me wonder just HOW big the first one is! haha). 80 x 53 x 93 cm (31.5 x 21 x 36.6 inches) are the measurements of the inside.
It has one 23 x 42 cm door (9 x 16.5) which is nice and big, but the other two doors (on the top center, either side) are too tiny to be that useful - so basically I'd only have one door, centralized. Does anyone else have just one door? Idk how practical it would be... hm.
It has no levels or anything, but I'd just make my own + tons of fleece beds. And it has bars on the bottom of the cage, but like I mentioned before, that's fine 'cause I use Ikea Borris mats in the bottom - it's actually good because it would allow the mats to ventilate and dry faster! The cage can also be separated from the stand, which I like, should I ever want to place it onto something nicer!
And down to the most important factor about this cage: it has 10mm bar spacing (0.4 inches). That would accommodate even the tiniest of rats, no problem! That's what made me seriously consider it against the obviously bigger contestant.



Both these cages are the exact same price, so that isn't a factor at all. I just want to figure out which would be best for what I want out of it, which is a good looking yet functional cage that will last me a few rat generations without regrets! 
And do keep in mind that we own 3 lazy males (a 1 yr/o and two 2 y/o's), and don't plan on ever having more than 3 boys at a time, so "space for extra rats" isn't a concern of mine. 

Thank you so much if you read through all of that! You're a champ!


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## Kelsbels (Aug 12, 2015)

I feel like I've seen both cages at Fressnapf before (German pet shop, I'm not sure if they're in Sweden too). They're impressively large in person haha. Personally I find the smaller doorways annoying for cleaning, but it doesn't mean that they're bad cages! I like the second one a lot from the features you pointed out, and it sounds like you're leaning towards that one too.


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## zmashd (Dec 25, 2013)

Kelsbels said:


> Personally I find the smaller doorways annoying for cleaning, but it doesn't mean that they're bad cages!


I actually prefer doors like this! Full sized doors like on the Critter Nation, for example, would complicate things for me: it would make it very hard to keep the boys from escaping while placing things in and out of the cage (my little Stig is a free-faller: he'll jump off anything without a second though!), and it's limiting in terms of hanging things!

Though I have often hurt my wrists and back trying to place hammocks on the far corners of my current cage, so I see what you mean by the smaller doors being annoying. hehe


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## Kelsbels (Aug 12, 2015)

Yeah, when I had my first rats we had a small door for the cage, and I just remember needing to take the top off of the cage to properly clean it (just lots of work and scratched up hands haha). So it's just my personal opinion about the small door, otherwise it looks like a very sturdy cage and perfect for your free falling rat ^_^


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

I would get the cage with the smaller bar spacing if I were choosing between those two. Covering a cage with wide bar spacing is a real pain. My sister used a large bird cage for her ratties and zip tied baskets for shelves. It worked very well, though cleaning was a bit of a chore.


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## Dackie (Sep 1, 2015)

I don't know what your budget is but I got my critter nation here on sale, it's still on sale now.

http://www.petsupplies.com/item/critter-nation-small-animal-cage-double-unit/650232/


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## Kelsbels (Aug 12, 2015)

Also the storage space on the bottom is nice too!


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## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

I feel like if they are the exact same price you should go for the larger one. But, if you have to redecorate your whole living room to accommodate it then you should probably get the smaller one.


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## Felix (Oct 25, 2015)

Where online did you find the first cage?  (Can you send a link?)


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## zmashd (Dec 25, 2013)

Felix said:


> Where online did you find the first cage?  (Can you send a link?)


they're both from findings.se


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## raindear (Mar 3, 2015)

Ordinarily I would opt for the larger cage since they are the same price. It's usually the way to go, but in this case if for any reason you have to cover the cage, it is no longer the same price. Covering a cage with hardware cloth is an additional expense, a lot of work, and creates a whole new set of cleaning woes for you. With the smaller cage and the proper wire spacing, you are set for a long time without having to worry about bringing home babies, the extra work and expense of covering the cage, no worries about rats getting caught between the hardware cloth and the cage, etc. I really think in your case, the smaller cage is more sensible.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

I voted for the second one. I didn't realize the first one has large bar spacing. But the issue I see is it looks like it's a plastic bottom on the first one? If they decide to chew it, you'll have escapes.


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## zmashd (Dec 25, 2013)

I've bought the second one now! So exiting! ^^

It'll be here soon, and once it is I'll start making hammocks and stuff. I'll be recording the process and doing a cage tour on my YouTube channel (zmashd).


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