# Going to upgrade my Rats Cage- Need Help



## GaaFG (Aug 20, 2012)

Hi Everyone  I am a new rat owner. I just recently brought a lovely two new rats at the Petco , and also brought the cage there as well.
I brought an aquarium type cage. (After reading some of the articles - most people say that the aquarium kind cage is not good for the rats heath.) I want to upgrade to a wire type cage but I don't know which brand or type I should choose - Cn, Martin, or Ferret nation. It is a really hard decision to make. I like the CN Cage because most people said that it is easy to clean - but I don't like that it have a wheel [I am thinking of buying just the add-on , but I am not really sure.] The Martin's cage looks really good , but I heard that it is hard to clean. So I really don't know which one to pick. Any opinion or suggestion would be highly appreciated. 

Thank you :3


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

You don't have to put the wheels on the critter nation  and they lock so even if you did its not easy to move. I personally have a martins and a critter nation and I love the critter nation. Also the critter nation is better for rats than the ferret nation and babies and small females can not live in a ferret nation they will escape.


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I'm not a big fan of martin rat cages (though their other cages look really nice) so you can always ask them to custom make you a cage with a pull out tray, typically they won't put wire on top of it unless you ask for it (though make it clear in the email that you don't want wire on top of the tray just in case) you can also ask for a modification on their cat and ferret cages for the wire to be the right size, and bigger doors since their doors typically aren't that big. if you go with them make sure to get the PVC/powdered coated ones so the urine doesn't get absorbed into the wire. Since the coated wire is white you can always get pet safe paint and paint it black or another color.

I have the rat manor but I will admit that its not that big for the price. not that hard to clean, its the same with cleaning as martin cages. Unless you can find one on craigslist (for some reason people advertise them as gerbil cages) its not worth it. Super pet also makes good cages. You can also try to build your own cage, and you can make it so that its easy to clean, like with a grotto just make it high enough off the ground so you just have to put a trash can in front of it and push the bedding out into it. With enough creativity you can also make an 100% wire cage with a pull out tray.

Try searching on craigslist and other website for people selling old cages, if your on a budget it would be the best idea since people typically sell ferret nations (you'll have to modify it) and even martin cages for half the price you would buy them new.


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## aripatsim (Jul 26, 2012)

Well, if you can afford it I'd get a critter nation! I do not personally have that cage, but it is my dream cage. Even the single unit will be plenty of room for 2 rats!

I upgraded my 2 males to the Feisty Ferret Cage. It's basically a cheaper version of the Ferret Nation. You can buy it off amazon for $175 dollars but I TOTALLY reccommend getting it here http://www.wayfair.com/Prevue-Hendr...20x55-485-PVP1026.html?prkit=0&clearance=true That price is a STEAL! ;D It's cheaper because it's a returned item, but it's not even used and of course not damaged. I received mine today and it looks brand new! I don't have it put together yet, but I've heard wonderful things about it. I've only come across a few people that didn't like it, and of course you can't please everyone. You will need to use fleece liners or something for the bottom and the second level because they are wire and you don't want any broken rat feet! But you'll have to do that with any wire bottom cage.
This cage can hold up to 7 rats so 2 would have a great time!
Oh, and I do want to add that the newer models have metal platforms instead of plastic. Which that's better because you can hang stuff from the bottom of the platforms and they can't ruin it with their chewing.

Like I said, I'd LOVE to have the critter nation double unit, but it's just way above my budget and it's pretty big. The Feisty Ferret is perfect for me because it's still spacious but not gigantic.


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

The problem is the 1 inch bar spacing. I agree with the critter nation I have two dcn's and I LOVE THEM


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## aripatsim (Jul 26, 2012)

It hasn't been for me. I don't know if it's changed, but mine is 7/8 of an inch (which is still pretty close lol) I guess it depends how young/little your rats are. Mine are 5 month old males.


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## never-sleep (Mar 3, 2012)

I have a modified bird cage. The bottom pan is a pull out so cleaning is so easy. The only changes I've had to make to it is adding shelves. I'll be adding plexiglass paneling around the bottom soon. but finding a used bird cage is pretty easy. Just look on craigs list. I've also heard critter and ferret natios are good.


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## Egween (Jul 9, 2012)

Hey everyone, quit knocking my Ferret Nation! lol. I love my Double Ferret nation. My boys have no problem climbing up to the levels even when I put them up pretty high. And there's always the ladders for the lazy ones. If you have males or hefty females, the 1" bar spacing is not a problem at all. And I love being able to walk by and give scritches through the bars. I wouldn't be able to do that with smaller bar spacing. But if your ratties are very young, you would need to modify it until they grew into the cage.


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