# My Cage Setup (Updated Often)



## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

I hope no one minds, but I wanted to start a thread where I can post my cage setup. It seems that I have gotten into the habit of rearranging and redecorating it practically every week. 

December 20th









December 24th









December 28th









January 2nd









January 10th









January 15th









January 23rd


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## steffiez (Nov 24, 2009)

That looks awesome.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

nice


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## Alexc844 (Sep 8, 2008)

Thats awesome. I have contemplated making my own cage just so I could make sure I have enough space for LOTS of toys. I always stop on the small animal isle and browse the toys, but I never end up getting much because their cage would get VERY crowded.


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

Feb 2 Setup. Not much changed at all. One of my more timid girls started exploring both levels, so I decided not to change too much on her yet.


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## psycho_ash (Sep 27, 2009)

I am completely in awe - that looks fantastic! I wish I were a rat so I could live there...!!


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

I like the shoe, LOL


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

jaguar said:


> I like the shoe, LOL


Surprisingly, it's my girls favorite hiding spot. They've almost demolished it so far. It's almost time for them to get the right foot. At least now I know what to do with my old grass cutting shoes.


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## RachelxYu (Jan 31, 2010)

Is it just me, or are the pictures not loading?!? On ANY posts!! :'(


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

They're working fine for me, try clearing your cache, Rachel


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## AvaAdoreSmashing (Dec 31, 2009)

Oh snap! I didn't notice the shoe  That's a really good idea!


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## Hulda (Feb 5, 2010)

If I was a rat, I would love that cage!


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

February 7 Cage Update

Since one of my girls is still quite shy, I decided to block off the bottom level of the cage until further notice. It does make for a handy storage area for their free range toys and some extras.

This is the cage gutted after a cleaning









This is the cage after the cleaning and washing with a couple of new hammocks


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## rach913 (Jan 11, 2008)

I must say, you do an EXCELLENT job with cheap rat toys that are still safe. They must be EXCELLENT pets, too, for not needing so much bedding! I saw things about litter training, but I don't know for certain if it works lol. As for your whole cage, is it a shelf unit? If so, did you make the door with a window pane? And your SHELVES! ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! I'm taking a guess that it saved A LOT on cage costs! Looks like you're a great handyperson, too. I wouldn't've thought about using the fancy hooks with chain technique like that. I do, however, have one question: With having 14 rats and a couple curios made like that for them, IN ONE WEEK prior to a cleaning day, does the urine ruin it faster than with barred cages? Hmm, maybe I should wait until nxt year, when I actually can afford to start the litter training? Still worth learning more about, though! ^_^ Have a good one! ^_^


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

I had looked at pictures on the internet for a couple of months and I just had this idea in my head of what I wanted to do and this was the result. I can give you the specifics on what I did.

I have 4 girls in there. This time had been 2 weeks since I had done a thorough cleaning (gutting and wiping everything down.) I spot clean often and definitely clean litter pans once a week. While 2 weeks this time was probably a bit too long, it still did not smell of urine. 

They are either placing their urine in the the litter boxes, or on the fleece somewheres. It is not often that I find a little rat puddle. I do keep one litter box with aspen in there, so maybe that's where they were going. 

"CHEAP RAT TOYS" Yes I'm all about that. I got a ton of fleece on sale and make the hammocks myself and look at everything now as 'can that go in the cage?' (I have also spent a small fortune on toys as well. but tend to lean toward the cheaper/homemade stuff.

The whole unit was made from scratch. Below are more details on that. and the materials that I used. 

It really did not save much money. It cost about $175 to make but can hold up to 13 rats (more if the fourth section was used for housing area as well. (according to the cage calculators)

2 planks - 6' x 1.5'
5 planks - 4' x 1.5'
1 sheet - Hardboard
1 Roll - 1/2 inch hardware cloth
8 lengths of molding 1.5" x .5"
Wood Screws
Double point tacks (to secure the hardware cloth to the door frames)
Corner brackets to make the door frames
very small hinges
door latches
2 rolls of contact paper
1 box of vinyl tile
1 sheet of 1/4 Aspen plywood (for ramps and wooden houses and such)
TONS of fleece

*When I cut the holes to move from level to level, I angled the cut so that the triangle piece that comes out can be placed back in the hole to block off a level. This helps in redecorating and cleaning and such.

Approximate cost: $175

Total cage space 6' x 4' x 1.5' = 36 cubic feet
I decided to keep the bottom section for storage.

Total living area: 4.5' x 4' x 1.5' = 27 cubic feet. Large enough for 13 rats according to the cage calculators. (although I can't imagine having that many in there)

My new best friends are eye hooks and shower curtain hooks.


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## collisiontheory89 (Apr 16, 2008)

What a cool cage! I'm thinking of making one like that for my girls...


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

Here's an update from today. I added another shelf and I have 3 waiting. I'm hanging the shelves so that I can move them around and remove them if needed. I also added some Industrial Strength Velcro to the litter boxes to keep them stationary.


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## AMJ087 (Aug 27, 2008)

It looks great!


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

Well, I spent most of the morning making some improvements to the cage. It seems that one of my girls has decided that contact paper would make the most excellent bedding. She started to pull the contact paper off on some spots and I didn't know how to deter her, so I decided to not use contact paper anymore. I bought some more tile to put on the walls.

Here's how it looks now.









And with toys and playthings.


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

Cage update with new hammocks and lots of pvc tubes.


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## vivianelizabeth (Feb 24, 2010)

loooovveee the vintge-y tile!


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

Not many changes this week. The girls were apparently mindful of where they peed. After floor was wiped down all furniture still had a fresh smell to it.

I have added coconut shells and hanging carrots for them though.


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## CheshireLili (Mar 12, 2010)

I love your setup! I was thinking about building one, as I have made reptile cages like this before and enjoyed it. The only thing I worry about is that it's really an edible cage if you use wood, so how have you prevented that from happening with your awesome grotto?


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

CheshireLili said:


> The only thing I worry about is that it's really an edible cage if you use wood, so how have you prevented that from happening with your awesome grotto?


...crossed my fingers. I think the tile helps but I really just took a chance and I make sure that they have MANY things to chew on so they don't get bored and turn to the cage.


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

Big Update this week. The tile I had put on the walls started coming off as I suspected it might. It barely had any glue on the back. (Guess that's what I get for getting the cheapest pack of tile) So, I went to Lowe's and got another pack of tile exactly like what I had used on the flooring of the cage. They are bigger and had lots of glue on the back. They WON'T come off I'm sure of it.

I spent the afternoon rewalling the cage and rearranging it. I also decided to let my girls have access to the 3rd lower level this week. We'll see how the dog does with that. (although I keep that level blocked off by chairs for now)


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## sawyerashton (Dec 14, 2009)

New Setup today








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