# Cage Ramp / Ladders / Wooden Toys



## 750XL (Oct 3, 2011)

Hello everyone,

I recently upgraded my rat cage to a taller (and very big) bird cage which offers less floor space than my previous one, but is much taller so allows lots of hanging toys / climbing space etc for my rats and they seem to be enjoying it.

I wanted to build a few shelves into it with ladders for them to climb up, because at the moment they are having to climb up the bars (which are vertical rather than horizontal) which might be a bit difficult for them in later life. I've got absolutely no idea what to use for these shelves as the cage isn't very easy to modify, with just two small doors roughly 6" across. I bought some wooden 'steps' from eBay which are great and attach to the cage perfectly, however the rats have now decided this is their preferred place to relieve themselves, thus making the wood rather smelly.

These ramps are really great and can be changed to all sorts of angles etc but I don't really want them stinking out my room.

If anyone has any ideas on what to use for ramps / shelves within the cage or tips on how to clean the wooden shelves or lessen the smell it'd be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


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## phoebe (Nov 22, 2010)

Yep, nothing wooden is going to last in a rat cage more than a week or 2 before it needs to be discarded. The wood soaks the urine and the smell never leaves! I think it can be a bacterial issue as well.
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As for levels, that's easy! My personal fav is the woven plastic baskets sold at Dollar Tree for $1 each (small ones 2 for $1). These are plastic so they can be wiped down. I zip tie these on the sides of my cages and make "steps" out of baskets... the rats can go from basket to basket!
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Another option that I also have in my cage is a shower caddy.... you know, the corner fit ones or the flat ones? They sell them at walmart in the bathroom section. I pull the suction cups out and zip tie them on.
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Yet another option is hammocks! You can use hammocks of various sizes so that the can jump from one to the next.When I am looking for things I usually go to a dollar store and walmart. check the kitchen and bath areas as that is where most good things will be found. Dollar Tree is fabulous for rat cages... seriously... $10 in that place and you can have TO MUCH stuff for your cage


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

Wow no kidding? I really want a bigger rat cage so I'll have to seriously consider trying to mod a bird cage when I have more money! I really like the bath caddy idea.


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## 750XL (Oct 3, 2011)

Thanks for the replies.

I went for a bird cage as similar sized rat cages were just too expensive for my budget. There's plenty of cheap large bird cages on eBay, which with a few added ladders and toys are perfect, imo. 








is the one I got for my rats. At the moment I've got 3 wooden shelves/ladders in there but as said, they are starting to smell so will have to be thrown away soon. I've got a cargo net hammock thing in there, a couple of old socks tied together and a few other bits to keep them entertained.

Thanks for the ideas


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