# PetCo Rat Manor



## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

Hey Guys 

So I have the PetCo Rat Manor..and I was wondering if anyone else did!

If you guys can, will you post pics of your cage so I can get some ideas?

My cage is kinda emptyish right now..They chewed all their toys up!

Maybe I can post a picture later...

Anyway, thanks


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## RosesRufflesandRats (Apr 25, 2013)

I'm deciding whether or not to get one. How do you like yours so far?


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## ThreeMagicBeans (Dec 16, 2012)

Even if it's not your cage, you can still get ideas on how to decorate it from looking at other cages. ^_^

Cage picture thread, on Rat Forum:
• http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?46885-Cage-Pic-Thread-(No-chat) 

I love the Dapper Rat website for cage idea's:
• http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

@*RosesRufflesandRats*
I actually like mine!
I bought mine in the store, since I was afraid of shipping bending it..
But it's a nice cage all in all.
The only thing I don't like about it, is the small doors. But the doors are still pretty big 
Other than that, I love the cage


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

Here's mine! The cardboard tubes are stuffed with recycled paper and treats, and the bright blue things are lava ledges for their nails and chewing.


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

pwoink said:


> Here's mine! The cardboard tubes are stuffed with recycled paper and treats, and the bright blue things are lava ledges for their nails and chewing.
> 
> View attachment 44114








Yours is really nice!
Thanks for sharing


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

Here's a picture of mine a few months ago. The cage itself has not changed much now, but I have gotten some new cage liners for it. Their cube has also since been torn to pieces. I have to fix it. Lol. I'll have to get a more updated version later.


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

Phantom said:


> Here's a picture of mine a few months ago. The cage itself has not changed much now, but I have gotten some new cage liners for it. Their cube has also since been torn to pieces. I have to fix it. Lol. I'll have to get a more updated version later.




WOW!
Your cage is awesome!!


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

I like those triangles you cut into the tubes, Phantom. That's a good idea!


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

pwoink said:


> I like those triangles you cut into the tubes, Phantom. That's a good idea!


Thanks! I started doing that after I saw that they weren't chewing on the paper towel rolls/ toilet paper rolls when they were still intact. So I cut the holes in there, and they pretty much tear them to shreds when I put them in there. I guess the holes make it more fun to chew.


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## RosesRufflesandRats (Apr 25, 2013)

I was trying to decide what cage to get, and after seeing your cage, Phantom, I am definitely going to get the rat manor!


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

All of these cages are awesome


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## Rinzy (Aug 29, 2012)

I like the rat manor. There's a few things that bug me though - top doesn't open, not a big deal but it would be nice. I also wish the doors on it were a bit bigger as it limits the size of items you can put on the upper level - I also wish it had a better pan release like a clasp or spring-hook on the outside. But I do like the cage. Here's my dudes in their rat manor. 










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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

Rinzy said:


> I like the rat manor. There's a few things that bug me though - top doesn't open, not a big deal but it would be nice. I also wish the doors on it were a bit bigger as it limits the size of items you can put on the upper level - I also wish it had a better pan release like a clasp or spring-hook on the outside. But I do like the cage. Here's my dudes in their rat manor.
> View attachment 45706
> 
> 
> ...


For the pan, what I do with mine is I only clip in one side, clipping in both sides is a bit of a hassle to remove come cleaning day. For my wheel, I put it in the bottom before I put the top of the cage back on. I try to put things in the top that can fold or be put together inside the cage.


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

Rinzy, Phantom, what do you mean by the pan release, and the clips? Maybe I constructed my Rat Manor differently, but to remove the top from the pan, I just squeeze in the bottom part of the cage slightly -- just enough for the bars to slip past the tabs holding the bars to the pan. It's very hassle-free.

Here's my updated cage now that my guys have settled in:


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

pwoink said:


> Rinzy, Phantom, what do you mean by the pan release, and the clips? Maybe I constructed my Rat Manor differently, but to remove the top from the pan, I just squeeze in the bottom part of the cage slightly -- just enough for the bars to slip past the tabs holding the bars to the pan. It's very hassle-free.
> 
> Here's my updated cage now that my guys have settled in:
> View attachment 47545


Lol. For my cage it's not as easy as it looks. When I got my cage (I went to Petco with a broken one I ordered and they had to look through three cages to find one that was not broken.) there was a bit of a manufacturing defect. Some of the bars on one side do not want to snap into one of the tabs no matter how much I fought with the cage. So instead of snapping in three of the tabs I only snap in two and let the rest of the cage sit on the other two tabs.


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

Oh! I only have two tabs, the ones on the short side. Weird!


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## haunt (Sep 9, 2012)

I both love and hate the rat manor. I used to have two of them side by side, and they are such nice looking cages.. but I didn't find them particularly easy to clean. Pretty time consuming..  Eventually upgraded to cn and been happy.. but wish I would have figured out a way to make the rat manors work more for me.


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## Famous Amos (May 23, 2013)

I have half dozen of them in the shed. I don't like how tiny they are. I wouldn't put a pair of adult males in it. Maybe females but only 2. And it's the smallest I would do. For me it's one I can use as a temporary cage for little babies but that's about it. Martins makes much more appropriate sized cages for adult rats.


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

Famous Amos said:


> I don't like how tiny they are. I wouldn't put a pair of adult males in it.



That's interesting; according to these four rat cage calculators, the Petco Rat Manor can comfortably house two adult rats -- three if you consider the various levels. The cage's dimensions of 16.5 x 22.5 x 32 give each rat 2.5 cubic feet per rat, which is actually even more than the recommended 2 cubic feet. I wouldn't call that "tiny" at all.





Famous Amos said:


> Martins makes much more appropriate sized cages for adult rats.


Of the ten Martin's cages listed on their site, five of them can barely house one rat according to the calculators above. The Den, Carriage House, High Rise, and Cubbyhole are too small overall, and the Cabin is not even wide enough for daily living according to this cage calculator. Of the remaining five that can even house two rats, the Lodge only has two shelves and the Retreat has one small shelf and one level, compared to the Rat Manor's two shelves and entire level. (Despite this, the Retreat bizarrely costs $70 more than the Petco Rat Manor.)

That leaves three Martin's cages that are comparable to or better than the Petco Rat Manor. If we ignore the cage calculator's suggestion that 14 inches is not wide enough for daily living, Martin's Rat Tower is an acceptable cage almost identical to the Petco Rat Manor, except there is an extra four inches in height (and $50 price difference). The only Martin's cages that are actually significantly bigger than the Petco Rat Manor are the Skyscraper and Ruud Cage, which can house five and seven rats, respectively.

It is of course true that those two cages are bigger, but I wouldn't call them "appropriate sized cages" for rat owners who have two rats -- they are not just a little bigger, but more than two and three times bigger than the amount suggested for good pet ownership by numerous sources. It's great that you have the resources to give your rats more than two or three times the amount of space they need, but that doesn't mean the rest of us are keeping our pets in a "tiny" cage that isn't "appropriate sized."


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## Famous Amos (May 23, 2013)

Martins doesnt carry one model and leave you with no options. There is no need to compare same sized cages. When you can just get a bigger one. And cage calculators are very under shot. They give you minimum requirements with no room to spread their wings. Going bigger is always better for them. And with a Martins you can do that. Rat Manors are not even as long or as wide as a male rat from tail to nose, so the rats will ahve to squish down to accommodate it. And the small holes for the entry to the levels are very small. Martins are wide open. Just because you can buy a small cage and put big animals in it through the door doesnt mean its the only option. It just means thats the cage you could get in town so you got that one. it does not mean its the most appropriate. Rat manors are cute yes, but only for a starter cage. Any time you get a pet you want to get the right sized cage thats species appropriate. And not try to go as small as you can to save space. The R 690 is a much better option.


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## PrissyKrissy (Apr 27, 2013)

i have two males in the ALT rat home, which is bigger than the rat manor(I was very surprised, the rat manor looks bigger), and I almost want to get a new cage for them when they are full grown. The cage calculator says 4 rats in my cage, and i would never put more than two. So i think it's all in how comfortable you want your animals to be. I've had many discussions about this on other forums, and my opinion stays the same. Bigger is always better.


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

Famous Amos said:


> Just because you can buy a small cage and put big animals in it through the door doesnt mean its the only option. It just means thats the cage you could get in town so you got that one. [...] And not try to go as small as you can to save space.


I'm pretty sure everyone here is trying to do the best they can for their rats, including you, me, and other Petco Rat Manor owners.



Famous Amos said:


> Rat Manors are not even as long or as wide as a male rat from tail to nose, so the rats will ahve to squish down to accommodate it. [...] The R 690 is a much better option.


According to the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association, full grown rats are between 16 and 20 inches long, including the tail (which is 7 to 9 inches in length). The Rat Manor is 16.5 by 22.5 inches -- wide enough to accommodate a stretched-out rat in its shortest dimension, and more than wide enough to accommodate a large, full-grown rat from nose to tail tip (20") in the other dimension (22.5"). Is the 3.5 inches of tail that a very large rat would hang out of the cage if it was stretching exactly across the shortest dimension what you mean by having to "squish down"? It doesn't seem very squished-down to me.

But, if that seems squished down to you, I'm surprised that you suggest the R-690 as a better option -- it's dimensions are 14 x 24, meaning that the longest dimension (24") fits a large rat nose to tail tip (20") just as well as the Rat Manor, but the shortest dimension offer two inches less room than the Rat Manor! 5.5 inches of the tail would hang out of the R-690.




Famous Amos said:


> And the small holes for the entry to the levels are very small. Martins are wide open.


Do you mean the hole to enter the middle level? That is 5 inches by 7.5 inches, which is actually about an inch bigger than the Martin's. If you mean the cage doors, those are 7 inches by 8 inches -- also slightly bigger than the Martin's.

It sounds like you might have the wrong cage in mind when you're talking about the Petco Rat Manor -- is this the one you mean? Its actual measurements seem different from the adjectives you're describing it with. A lot of people read this forum for information on how to best take care of their pets, so I think it's important to make sure the things we're saying (cage sizes, comparisons, etc.) are as specific and accurate as possible.


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## Gannyaan (Dec 7, 2012)

The rat Manor can look cute, and it can be a good cage , but I would never buy it again personally. The reason is that the shelves are so hard to move around, so my girls' little house can only stay on one level. It's pretty limiting, and you can't switch around the cage lay out much to make the ratters excited. If anyone has any suggestions on how to combat this (replacing that huge middle shelf!!!!) let me know  

Also.... To really get a deep cleaning to the cage, i really like to throw it in the shower. SO hard to do when trying to avoid their little wooden house thats stuck on the middle level ! 


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## pwoink (Feb 19, 2013)

What is your technique to moving the shelves?

I take the small ones out first by lifting the unhooked side up, then pushing the hooked sides out and over the bars, turning the shelf diagonally to move it where I want it, then hooking the curved hooked sides onto the bars first before securing with the unhooked side. It's tougher with the middle shelf because it's more unwieldy and gets hooked on the bars by mistake, so that can take five minutes or so.


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

pwoink said:


> What is your technique to moving the shelves?


I actually take out the smaller shelves first, and move them through the doors. With the big one, I un hook the first part of the cage, and just take it out. It only takes me like 3 minutes to do so. It really isn't that hard for me


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## TygerLynx (Apr 4, 2013)

While doing a deep clean of my rat manor today I realized how nice it would be if the top opened up. Has anyone ever tried to modify the cage so that the top swings open? If so, do you have pictures or a description of what you did?


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

TygerLynx said:


> While doing a deep clean of my rat manor today I realized how nice it would be if the top opened up. Has anyone ever tried to modify the cage so that the top swings open? If so, do you have pictures or a description of what you did?


Honestly, I would love if I could modify it like that, I just have NO idea how


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

I have a rat manor and love it. I would only put up to two males or three females in it though... Maaaaybe three males and four females, but that's it. I'm asking for the DCN for Xmas though, even though I have a single rat for now (next time I'm getting 2-3) because my mom absolutely refuses to buy Stitch buddies. Here's mine at the moment, very empty, but I'm making hammocks right now. My rats cage door is open day and night, so that's why there is toys/ ladders on the shelves 











































I took the landing off of the top level and put it in the bottom level so there'd be more space for hammocks and such up there.


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

View attachment 55522

View attachment 55530

View attachment 55538

View attachment 55546

View attachment 55554

View attachment 55562


I took the landing off of the top level and put it in the bottom level so there'd be more space for hammocks and such up there.


That is EPICCCCCCCC

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## steeve (Jul 9, 2013)

I have a rat manor! I got it off craiglist for very cheap and it's an excellent cage for the 20$ I paid for it. I don't have pictures since half of it is a hospital cage. I like that you can block off the hole in the big middle level to essentially create two smaller spaces. Like to separate rats and such. I just take one of the shelves and weigh it down with a rock. Doing that now to give my ratty time for her stitiches to heal.

I also like that you can move the shelves around, I alternate mine every time I clean the cage and rearange it. I no longer use the ramps so my girls get more climbing. And the ramps always fall off, such a pain. I covered my levels in linoleum and it works and cleans like a charm. I just take the whole wire top off and rinse it in the shower. It isn't TOO painful to clean.

Not to mention the doors are easy to use for me and my girls love climbing out and onto the top of the cage and all over it.

I'd say it's not the best, but it's very good for a starter cage and for a cheap price.


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## Mball77 (Jul 3, 2013)

your rats chewed up the toys.....mine just ignored them. I buy toys and chew things and they only seem interested in the boxes they came in. I got them nice hammocks and hidey holes and they ignore them and drag in brown paper bags and try to get pop tart boxes though the door to sleep in. My Rat manor looks so sad to everyone else's but my boys like the simple things in life I guess. Also, they don't use the ramps! They just climb up the sides anyway, I put in some thick rope and they ignored that too. I love my rat manor. I find it really easy to clean.


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

Rattielover1331-

Thanks haha, he loves it. I actually got another rattie a couple days ago so soon he'll have to share his fort 


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## Lesti (Jun 25, 2013)

And I added lots of hammocks and a digging box too. I will post current pics later.


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

I need to post current pics of my rat manor.. Lol 

And thanks Lesti


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

Here's my cage 
There's only 1 liner, because I need to make the other ones.
Excuse the mess..Lol


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## Risika (Jun 22, 2013)

Here is my Rat Manor


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## TygerLynx (Apr 4, 2013)

Here's some recent pics of my rat manor!







Bought them a chewable-hideout and the like the box better!




























Trying this as my litterbox to see if they'll pee in it...

Thinking about getting 2 more lava ledges and using the three of them to replace the middle ladder.


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

Risika said:


> Here is my Rat Manor


Your's is EPIC


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

TygerLynx said:


> Here's some recent pics of my rat manor!
> Bought them a chewable-hideout and the like the box better!
> Trying this as my litterbox to see if they'll pee in it...
> 
> Thinking about getting 2 more lava ledges and using the three of them to replace the middle ladder.


How do you make so much stuff fit? LOL


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## TygerLynx (Apr 4, 2013)

RattieLover1331 said:


> How do you make so much stuff fit? LOL


Haha, I don't know! I just kept rearranging until I liked it! I had less stuff in it before but they seemed bored. Now the love crawling in and out of all the hidey places. I don't have a wheel. That would probably take up a lot of room on the bottom if I had one!


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## RattieLover1331 (May 21, 2013)

TygerLynx said:


> Haha, I don't know! I just kept rearranging until I liked it! I had less stuff in it before but they seemed bored. Now the love crawling in and out of all the hidey places. I don't have a wheel. That would probably take up a lot of room on the bottom if I had one!


Hahah I gotta try that


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## Risika (Jun 22, 2013)

RattieLover1331 said:


> Your's is EPIC


Thanks!


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