# Sharing a Double Critter Nation with males & females?



## akihba (Apr 26, 2014)

Hi there! I'm looking into buying a double Critter Nation for when we get rats. I was wondering if it would be okay to section it off to boys on the top and girls on the bottom or is that too risky? I have never seen the cage in person before so I don't know how secure the sections are or if there are ways for the rats to get into both sections by themselves. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. ^^ Thanks!


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## alida (Dec 14, 2013)

I have boys on the top two sections of my triple stacked critter nation and girls in the bottom section  works our really well here


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## tpab23 (Apr 6, 2014)

It's perfectly fine. And then if you want to get another DCN you can just open it up. Also you could neuter them and they can be together


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## akihba (Apr 26, 2014)

alida said:


> I have boys on the top two sections of my triple stacked critter nation and girls in the bottom section  works our really well here


Triple?? I thought only double was the max. I suppose you could buy an extension and add it to the double, but is that safe?


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

It's absolutely feasible, but keep in mind the hardships of multi-sex rat households. One wrong move, and you have a LOT of potential pups (and pregnancy complications) on your hands.

It can happen in the literal blink of an eye, and something as simple as one slipping out the door, or a rat being placed in the wrong section in a hurry, can ruin everything. 

I don't have enough hands to count the number of times someone has claimed that someone that wasn't them was playing with the rats and placed on in the wrong cage, or they were pet sitting and everyone got to play together, etc. Just too much can go wrong.


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## akihba (Apr 26, 2014)

cagedbirdsinging said:


> It's absolutely feasible, but keep in mind the hardships of multi-sex rat households. One wrong move, and you have a LOT of potential pups (and pregnancy complications) on your hands.
> 
> It can happen in the literal blink of an eye, and something as simple as one slipping out the door, or a rat being placed in the wrong section in a hurry, can ruin everything.
> 
> I don't have enough hands to count the number of times someone has claimed that someone that wasn't them was playing with the rats and placed on in the wrong cage, or they were pet sitting and everyone got to play together, etc. Just too much can go wrong.


That's true. I've heard stories of how quick rats are. xD I'll keep that in mind. Maybe get everyone neutered & spayed so we don't have to worry about pups.


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## portkeytonowhere (Dec 24, 2007)

I have my boys in the top of my DCN and my girls in the bottom. 2 of my boys are neutered and I have a vet appointment for my 2 hairless. Once my youngest gets neutered it will be one big cage but for now Ive had no issues with having males on the top and females on the bottom

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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I would get the girls spayed (helps to almost eliminate the risk of getting mammary tumors and uterine/ovary cancers and diseases!) and then they can all live together in the big double critter nation without any worries!

I have only 2 boys so I got my boys neutered instead, but I plan on getting my girls spayed if/when they start getting tumors. They all live together and are very very happy! I think I will definitely have a co-ed cage again in the future and will have my future girls spayed. It's so cute to see giant boys cuddling with tiny girls. My boys are gentle with my girls, but rough with each other. It's hilarious to see a tiny girl doing her best to beat up a giant lump of a boy by trying to maul him and flip him over, and the boy acts like he doesn't even notice he's being attacked. xD haha! Even better when that girl finally can flip the larger behemoth boy and beat him up! 

But next time I'll probably get a girl from a rescue who is already spayed. Save a rat AND save loads of surgery money!


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

Don't own a critter nation, but did want to say something about housing boys / girls in the same house. I have both, in two separate cages. It is fairly easy not to "have an accident". Simply have a rule that you only have one cage open at a time and that the opposite sex is always in their cage (and it's closed) when you are doing anything in the other rats' cage. I have had them like this since Christmas and it has been zero trouble... It can be done, you just have to be intelligent about it. The same goes for free range time... Only ever have one gender out and have the others secured in their cage. 

That said, I like having both because they have completely different personalities. The boys are more cuddly and lazy while the girls are more fun to watch. But be warned, what people say about females is true. Mine are much more inclined to chew through things and attempt to "escape" because they are so much more active than males. Males are easier in that respect.

One other thing to consider, each section of a critter nation should house up to 4 (correct me if I'm wrong, I remember reading this several times). If you think that 4 of either gender is your max, then that would work (to split the cage). If you think you might end up with more of one gender, (i.e. 6 boys) it would be easier to have one gender and use the whole cage. 

Good luck setting up your cage and shopping for your ratties!

p.s. Want to note that my comment about housing both genders is not meant to "step on anyone's toes", I just want to note that it can be done and isn't impossible if you take simple precautions. You do, however, have to be prepared to handle pups if you screw up.


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## LittleSparrow (Apr 14, 2014)

We have both sexes living here and I have never had an "accident", it's fairly easy to avoid. I love having mixed genders because the girls are so outgoing they hardly ever stop moving around a little for a cuddle. While most of the boys are a lot more lazy and do happen to like cuddling! It's fun to see the personalities of each different group.


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## kjgannon09 (Oct 16, 2013)

I have a Double Ferret Nation, so I don't think the risks would be the same because the bar spacing is bigger than a DCN. But keeping girls on top and the boys on the bottom is how I ended up with an accidental litter. I had hardware cloth around the outside, but I hadn't thought about putting it under the top tray. Sure enough, my girls chewed through the top tray and one of my more petite girls went through the middle. Like I said though, that was a Double Ferret Nation. I would be careful keeping boys and girls that close, but with enough precautions I'm sure it would be fine.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

As I said, it's not impossible. Accidents are called accidents for a reason. You can have all the "rules" in the world, but that won't stop the ONE time it happens, accidentally.


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## Juliah456 (Mar 12, 2014)

I have the boys in the top and girls in the bottom and I've never had a problem, I find it no problem at all to keep them in their correct cages etc. of course I only ever have one open at a time. I would love to spay my girls but that's not possible as it would cost an astronomical amount of money here in ontario. 300 just to neuter one boy! Either way, it works fine to keep them seperate


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

I think you can get metal trays for them... Don't remember what site I saw them on.. I think a chinchilla site. I would say you would want a metal tray. My females are way more prone to chewing, they even chew the plastic clips I use to hang some hammocks, so that might be a good investment for you.


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## LilCritter (Feb 25, 2014)

Here is the link to the metal pans: http://www.bassequipment.com/Cage+Pans/Ferret+Nation+Pans/default.aspx


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## Juliah456 (Mar 12, 2014)

Are you Canadian? There's a different site for metal pans that is Canada based and is much cheaper for Canadians, which I can link if you'd like. If you're american then the bass pans would be the way to go, I imagine.


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