# looking to upgrade..



## heyxxunloving (Apr 12, 2007)

at the moment i have my new rats in an aquarium, but i'm looking to upgrade to a larger cage.
i did find this birdcage that's nice and tall: petsmart tall square bird cage
although i have heard good things about martin's cages, i haven't had any experience with them. how do you suppose the rat high rise would compare to the birdcage? would it comfortably house two rats and their toys?
unfortunately, my pocket isn't very deep, or i would be going all-out for my furry cuties.
please, share your opinions and experiences. :]

edit: can you also tell me about the difference between galvanized and powder-coated?


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

ha, sorry to be the one who keeps answering your questions, but i have a test to study for tomorrow, so i'm definitely stalling around on ratforum. 

bird cages work great for rats. that's a great size for your two rats (it could hold up to 4 according to the rat calculator), just put some shelves in (i like wire soap holders from wal-mart, ziptied in, and they sell wire platforms for birds at petsmart, etc) and cover them with something so their little footies aren't on uncomfortable wire all the time which can also cause "bumblefoot" in rat feet).

galvanized = plain wire, no coating. bad because it holds urine stains and odor, looks and smells bad very soon, difficult to clean, and can possibly rub zinc off on rat feet/stomachs if they feel like nibbling on cage bars.
powder-coated = best wire coating, looks like speckled/flecked spray paint on bars, looks nicer and stays clean. safer for rats! of course, more expensive. you can substitute with PVC/plastic coated or painted bars.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

What she said XD

Rat cage caculator is here: http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/habitat/cagecalculator/
Type in the dimensions of whatever you are looking at and it will tell you how many rats that cage can hold. Keep in mind this is the minimum so you want to TRY to make it at least 1+ rats larger than what you have but if you can only do the minimum right now and save up for a larger one later that's understandable.

Also for wire floors stick linolium is CHEAP, you can buy it at a dollar store for 3/$1 XD Cut to size, peel and stick it on. Another thing is coroplast, which is sign board (you see these around all over during elections D: ). Also cut to size, put a couple holes on the sides and fasten to the wire with zip ties. You can get it at a reasonable price at some stores that sell matte board and sign shops or you can purchase larger quantiities online. We sell it at Unitednow.com but only in large quantities unfortunately: http://www.unitednow.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=E-970660
But that's the stuff. Still I would recomend finding someplace else that sells a smaller quantity. We sell each 20x30 sheet for $4.75 a piece. It's easily cut and heat welded XD I'm thinking of making some hidey holes with that stuff and nest boxes as well.

Also, I imagine that's a box of 25 >_> It REALLY should say D:


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

the coroplast idea is awesome, i didn't even think about that. and to healt-make some hidey holes, i wish i was your rat.  you spoil me.


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## heyxxunloving (Apr 12, 2007)

thanks guys, awesome ideas. :]


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

I was looking up coroplast, and I ran across this guinea pig website that outlines some of the sources for the material. (Scroll down to the bottom)

http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm

Also, has anyone ever used masonite? It's a really cheap material (~$5 for a huge sheet) and while it is a wood product, one surface is very shiny and impenetrable. It's commonly used to paint on, and the paint doesn't sink in at all. I wonder how it would stand up to rattie pee? And if it's safe for chewers?


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## LizLovesRats5 (Mar 28, 2007)

If you're willing to spend 70$ or a little more, you may want to look into purchasing a cage designed for a ferret. The following website has discount cages w/ Free Shipping (or look on the fabulous ebay for even cheaper prices). Plus, once you get used to your ratties, I can almost guarantee you're going to want more fuzzies, which means you'll need a cage w/ room for more rats. I have five rats and keep them all in this cage http://www.ferretstore.com/sp-60248.html, it's all tricked out with toys and still has plenty of room. I've upgraded to this cage about two months ago, and the only complaint I have is that the shelves sage under a fair amount of weight. But putting new shelves in will be easy enough once the current ones break.

Seriously though, I think bird cages are a bit flimsy for rats, since they will climb a lot. Plus, if they have wired bottoms you're going to have to cover it with something solid. If you're set on getting a cage like that, i hope you're planning on adding lots of shelves, because the square footage on the bottom of that one is definately not enough.

I know cages can get a bit expensive, but if you get a decent one, you won't have to buy another one for a long time.

Good luck in your search.


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## Star (Jun 4, 2006)

Just wanted to add... If you get a bird cage, plan on replacing the wood perches often as they will get gross quick. 
But I also suggest ferret cages. Just keep in mind, super pet cages have shelves with deep grooves that collect pee. Basiclly rats pee alot and your going to need to keep that in mind when finding a cage thats easy to sanitize and spot clean.

Oh, and FS no longer has free shipping .


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## LizLovesRats5 (Mar 28, 2007)

Yeah I forgot to mention that thing with the groove in the shelf. It's only a problem with the top shelf, where they all like to sleep, but I have to clean that shelf daily anyway because they all pee where they sleep even though they're litter trained. 

No more free shipping! Then I would definately do ebay then. Shipping on cages and lab blocks is generally really high, which is why I make my own rat food mix out of Innova Sr. Dog food. I wish I could afford to buy lab blocks online, but I can't, and all the "rat blocks" from local pet stores have either alfalfa or some other stuff in them that isn't suitable for rats.


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