# Which cage?



## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

Hi all....I am still trying to make up my mind about a cage. I almost have my mind made up, I'm down to two...

Anybody had either of these/have any opinions?

They are both made by Prevue/Hendryx, and the prices are totally reasonable. This one is $185. The dimensions are 35"L x 35"W x 56".











This one is $193 and holds one more rat (20 instead of 19), but as I only have 12 and don't plan on getting more, either should be sufficient as far as space goes. Its dimensions are 42"L x 31"D x 55"H. Both have 1" bar spacing, so hardware cloth will probably be needed for a while.











I am leaning towards the corner cage. Both have a lot of potential for adding fun stuff, but I think the corner cage is more interesting. Let me know what you think!


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## calories (Dec 7, 2007)

corner cage. i absolutely LOVE it but i was never able to get it.


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## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

Oh wow, a corner cage! I could do with one of those.


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## daisy184 (Oct 29, 2007)

loving the corner cage..gonna look for that in the uk!. brill idea that.


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

I was awed by the corner cage awhile back, but finally found someone who has it (with rats). They said it's horrible to clean, the space isn't all that usable, and the ramps are majorly steep. :\ You'd have to add more shelving as well.. 'course that's easy. 

No clue about the other.

Personally? I think for the cost, you could find something better. Maybe not that holds so many rats (though you can always combine cages!), but...


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## Phobie (Jun 3, 2007)

$185 does seem an awful lot for it, and I agree with the usable space issue, looking at it I don't think it would be as easy as a normal square cage.


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## reachthestars (Feb 27, 2007)

I worked in the local petstore when we brought in that corner cage. I personally think the bars are wider than 1", as I was able to get my (relatively small) hand almost all the way through. I briefly concidered it, but I wasn't impressed with the tiny shelves, steep ladders or the doors.


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## madeittothemoon (Nov 1, 2007)

I think the first one seems better... but if you're looking in that price range, you might as well do a FN.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

Haven't really been able to find an FN for the price that would house even close to that many rats. The ones I found in the $185 range could really only comfortably fit about 8-10 rats. As far as getting a cage that holds less rats, not really an option for me, because of the number of rats that I have.  The whole purpose is to "consolidate" all the rats together in one cage, instead of having to clean 3-4 cages. So downsizing the cage would defeat the purpose for me, since I already have a cage larger than any of the FN's I could find within the $185 range.

Confused...why would the corner shape make it harder to clean? This could be an issue...

Planning on actually adding a whole other level, not just a ramp. A lady who currently owns the corner cage said she did that easily and it really helped utilize the space.


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

~240 (shipping included) gets you a three story FN, jorats had pics of a three story set up I think


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

That's a little out of my range, but possible...but what are the dimensions?


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

36L 25W 24H for each of three individual cages that get stacked, so without the stand with the rollers it would be about 6ft tall. Stand is ~ 14 in with a shelf


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

Hmmm....I'll consider that one. But it still has less square footage than the corner cage (barely...2 feet, I think? This according to the cage calculator, lol, I'm a fool with math). I have seen the stackable FN cages and I like the idea. But...lol, still leaning towards the corner cage. What's the bar spacing on that FN, Glindella?


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

The three story is 6ft tall by 2 feet beep by three feet wide, so its a giant cage. (72inx24inx36in) with just the cage excluding the stand. 

I believe its an inch bar spacing, I only have boys and I've never had an issue, but if you have girls or young'ins you'll need to cover the bars. 

The doors open completely and you can take them off the cage so its a dream to clean.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

Ok, those are the dimensions I used to figure it up...lol, good to know I can still do _basic_ math. :lol: 

That stinks about the 1 inch bar spacing (I have a few young ones and would have to cover it, at least for the time being). You almost had me sold. :wink: I'm really getting frustrated with the fact that after you spend a pretty substantial amount on a cage, you have to spend $20 to cover it with hardware cloth. But usually if you look specifically for rat cages, they are too small. :x


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Check around for Sugar Glider cages. I know I found a bunch on ebay that even factoring in shipping were quite reasonable, though I'm not sure they got big enough for 8 rats... but typically they're much larger than the average cage marketed for rats, and the bar spacing is always 1/2 inch since suggies are tiny.


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

You could cover just the top or bottom section and leave the "trapdoor" closed until they get big enough to stay in then allow them free range of the whole cage


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## AlexzRose (Aug 15, 2007)

Eh those cages seem pretty sucky.

I'd say go with an FN 142 or something.

I got my FN from ferret.com for only $154.00 plus $6.99 for shipping. I thought that was a steal.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

I looked up the FN 142 already.  Not big enough. If anything, I'd go the route Glindella suggested and do the stackables. Glindella, do you happen to know where to find the stackables for a decent price? I looked around a bit and they were ranging about $100 each, and that would add up to...well, lol, $300. I'm sure they can be found for a better price than that, right?

BTW Alex, define "sucky." :wink: I'm really looking for more specific input than that, like those who posted things like "I knew somebody who has that cage," or "I think the bar spacing is more than 1"," etc...you get the idea. Something that actually helps me make an educated decision.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

CaptainFlow said:


> Check around for Sugar Glider cages. I know I found a bunch on ebay that even factoring in shipping were quite reasonable, though I'm not sure they got big enough for 8 rats... but typically they're much larger than the average cage marketed for rats, and the bar spacing is always 1/2 inch since suggies are tiny.


Good idea, I hadn't tried this yet.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

CaptainFlow said:


> Check around for Sugar Glider cages. I know I found a bunch on ebay that even factoring in shipping were quite reasonable, though I'm not sure they got big enough for 8 rats... but typically they're much larger than the average cage marketed for rats, and the bar spacing is always 1/2 inch since suggies are tiny.


Good idea, I hadn't tried this yet. Still going to need a pretty big one, though.


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## glindella (Sep 9, 2007)

try ferret.com the 2 story is ~150 and the add on is ~75 with flat rate shipping of 6.99


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

> I'm really looking for more specific input than that, like those who posted things like "I knew somebody who has that cage," or "I think the bar spacing is more than 1"," etc...you get the idea. Something that actually helps me make an educated decision.


I think the problem, ledzepgirl16, is that nobody around here HAS those cages and in fact, from my travels around the online rat world, hardly any rat owner does. I've only known of 1 person that has had either. As I said, I was set to get the corner cage, and after a Google search and talking to the person who had one, decided not to.

There's a reason they're not popular cages for rats, I'm guessing. 

Besides the awkward design (making it hard to decorate and most likely, clean), you have the fact that it's a tall cage with hardly any shelving, so you need to make sure there's something soft for a falling rat to land on, if one were to fall from anywhere. So you'd need to add a lot of shelving (which, given the shape of the cage, might not be so easy) and lots of hammocks. There may be spots that you just *can't* cover, which would be a safety risk.

The general thought (on that cage, again, I know nothing about the other) is if you're going to shell out about $200, there are better cages, with more space (usuable) to spend the money on.  Sure, a lot of rats may be able to fit, given the dimensions of the cage, but unless you really pimp it out (if possible in the corners, even), the rats don't really have the space NEEDED (shelving, hammocks, etc). Usable space accounts for a LOT... Cage calculators are assuming you're taking that into account. A huge open space that can hold 18 rats means nothing if there's nowhere for them to sleep, lay, play, etc.

You can get a 3-story Ferret Nation for $237.47, shipped, from ferret.com. You'd get the 142 and the add-on. That would make a 3-story cage that will hold 18 rats, with a LOT more usable space than the corner cage.

Oops, here is the url.


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

Ahh, Kimmie, when I re-read what I posted, I realized how awkwardly it was worded...

LoL, what I meant was that I _wanted_ more replies like you and others had given me, i.e "I knew somebody who has that cage," or "I think the bar spacing is more than 1". But I think it looks like I am saying quite the opposite. I hope you all didn't think that I was being crappy about those posts, I didn't mean for it to come across that way (but I think it did). 

Of course if you haven't had the cage, you can't tell me how you liked it...and if the next best thing is if you _know_ somebody who has the cage. I just didn't think that "sucky" gave me much info to work with.  But you all (Kimmie, Captain, Glindella, etc.) who have given me some good solid info about prices, dimensions, and all of that, I really appreciate it. It's saved me hours of time looking online. Still not sure which cage I will get, but I will keep you posted and get some pictures up as soon as I get it.


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## Kimmiekins (Apr 14, 2007)

It's okay - happens.  I realize what you're saying, now!

Yes, please do let us know no matter which you choose.  I'll tell you... I've gone through so many cage brands and I STILL don't know which I like best. It just feeds my GGMC (Gotta Get More Cages!).


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## ledzepgirl16 (Oct 29, 2007)

LoL, GGMC? Oh no....I knew I had GGMR (just ask my b/f), but now this...

Maybe we should start a support group. :wink:


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

Haha, here, I went searching. I can't get these huge cages myself, but I like looking around anyway. Not sure where you live, but all shipping is calculated for North Dakota. 

This one's for a big bird, so it has a lovely huge door. Nine rats. No levels, though, so I'm sure once you added some it would be very comfortable. ebay parrot $5.99 plus $134 shipping (but still, the cage is cheap enough!). 

Chins/ferrets/suggies. I couldn't find a bar spacing spec, but if it's for sugar gliders, it'll probably be fine for rats. Calculator says 8 rats! And this has levels, though you'd definitely want to supplement with hammocks to prevent long falls. Also I don't like the doors as well, it would be harder to clean that a big door. Suger Glider Cage $48.95 plus $44.90 shipping, so it's actually under $100!



Something else I just thought of, is that you could get some kind of a cat cage or dog crate and cover it with hardwire cloth. That way you could get a huge door, too, which would make cleaning a lot easier. 

This crate calculates out for 14 RATS (holy cow!) for $21.99 plus $65.56 shipping. You'd have to cover it with hardwire cloths, I'm sure, but those doors would make it much easier to deal with! The same manufacturer also has smaller crates, for less, that's just their biggest.


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## AlexzRose (Aug 15, 2007)

I meant "sucky" as in they look awkward and seem to have alot of wasted space. but those were things someone else had already pointed out so i figured that I didn't need to go any farther than say that. I still stand behind that they look sucky... even shitty. 

A 3 story FN is probably your best bet or maybe modify a large cat cage. It's going to hard to find a quality cage to hold that many rats with a lower budget.


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