# Cage Floors - Wire VS. Flat



## Sheridan (Jan 6, 2008)

Hey guys... I just bought a massive cage that the boys absolutely love... but the thing is, it has a wire bottom. It's moveable and I can take it out, but I've heard that it is bad for rat feet? It's not wire mesh and it's quite thick wire. Any thoughts on wire bottoms compared to flat bottoms? There is a removeable tray underneath that makes it SO easy to clean and the boys dont have the oppotunity to sleep in their litter tray (which has become a habit of late). Anyone had any experience with both? I can change it, but at the moment I prefer the wire above the tray coz of the easiness of the cleaning, but then if it's detrimental to the boys then I would change it.. Cheers


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## Kima-chan (Jan 12, 2008)

It's true that wire floors are bad for rats. It wouldn't be very comfortable to have to walk on monkey bars all the time, would it? If you really like having the removeable tray, you could cover the wire floor with plexiglas or plastic needlepoint canvassing.


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

wire floors are not a problem for rats. the problems start when the floors aren't kept clean and dry, or if the spacing is so small that little feet get caught. dirty, wet floors can cause bumblefoot, no matter what they're made of. my girls and two of my boys live in cages with both solid and wire levels, and i spot-clean every time i walk past. the other boys have wire levels only. i have not had any problems at all with their feet.


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## Sheridan (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks guys... See what I mean? Two completely different answers... Both have a point, but completely opposite! ARH! What to do... I've covered a bit of the floor with their ratty towels... I'm thinking they kinda like it at the moment coz it's disgustingly hot at the moment (I'm in Melbourne, Australia) and it's cooler for them... Any more thoughts?


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## EdwardGiacomo (Feb 12, 2008)

This is what I have noticed with my rats. I don't have a wire floor, but the cage is, and they love to play on top of the cage, running here and there bouncing around. And it doesn't seem to bother them at all. They even sleep straight on the wire at times even if there is a blanket for them to sleep on there.


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## ratbloke (Jan 7, 2008)

my rats were in a cage for quite a few months with a wire floor.
although they didn't seem to have problems i ended up covering the wire with some offcuts of lino.
the reason for this was that i knew if it was me running around the cage i would rather NOT have wire to walk on. plus its cheap to cover the floor, the stuff i got was free.

i just think that there is always the potential for a rat to injure themselves on the wire floor.


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## crapola (Feb 12, 2007)

Sheridan said:


> Thanks guys... See what I mean? Two completely different answers... Both have a point, but completely opposite! ARH! What to do... I've covered a bit of the floor with their ratty towels... I'm thinking they kinda like it at the moment coz it's disgustingly hot at the moment (I'm in Melbourne, Australia) and it's cooler for them... Any more thoughts?


mine all steer clear of bedding of any sort when its hot. right now, its about 35C (too bloody hot in farenheit), and 8.45pm, and all mine are sprawled on the wire floors in all their cages. air conditioner is blasting away, and so is the fan.

the old thought was that bumblefoot was caused by wire floors but that has been totally disproven. now, like i said previously, the only thing you have to worry about is the spacing between wires, and keeping whatever your levels are made of, clean and dry.


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## Sheridan (Jan 6, 2008)

Heya, The levels are made from the same wire as the bottom, as are the ladders. The spacing between the wire really isn't an issue because they can't get their feet or tails stuck...

Sheridan's Rat Cage

This is my cage... but not my rattie's toys or anything... this is one of the promo pics from where I bought it..

Whatcha think guys??


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## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

Great cage! 

To be honest, I'd cover up the wire anyway. It may be the case that dirty wire is the main cause of "bumble foot", but why take the risk? It only takes a second to lay some fleece or material down, and it looks nice too. Imagine how snuggly your rats will be


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

i use fleece cuz you can scoop it out and throw it in the wash so i feel it keeps some stink down. for keeping rats cool, you can try placing a tile of marble or even just a flat rock in there - they'll love it i swear. i would go the extra mile and get the marble tile cuz it will be easier to wipe clean later too.


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## ladybugs984 (Sep 19, 2007)

If it helps any i've had both and the tile floor was easier to keep clean than the wire. I also got some old sticky backed linoleum and put it over the wire. Now all i have to do is get a babywipe and wipe down the floor. Its a lot easier than the wire, doesn't destroy the cloth,a nd its easier to see where its been cleaned


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## mopydream44 (Jun 10, 2007)

I think really good points have been made. I second, third (forth? lol) that it nice to cover wire floors anyway because they are not as comfortable to walk/run/sleep on. 

Now if you're concerned about bumblefoot I believe, like others have said, that it's not so much the type of flooring but rather how dirty/clean the floor is. A dirty floor can lead to bumblefoot, and either type of flooring can and will get dirty; however, it is far easier to properly clean a solid floor than a wire floor I.M.O. Wire flooring probably gets stuck with a bad rep because people aren't cleaning them properly. 

So how do you want to clean? Do you want to have a bigger surface to run a sponge over or do you want to individually clean each bar? I know which I'd pick


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## Sheridan (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks for all of your answers guys... Appreciate that! I've decided to cover a lot of the wire with their ratty towels and enclosed bottom nesting boxes. I'm leaving some uncovered, because I have found the boys love sprawling on them when it is a bit warm here..lol for tummy circulation. I kinda of like the wire because everything drops through, like poo and stuff they have chewed off their toys. It keeps them from rolling around in their poo.. lol. I pretty much get the idea that I need to keep the wire clean, so everytime I change the towels, I'll just wipe the bars down with babywipes? Awesome. Done.


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