# Is a single CN really big enough for 2 rats?



## Elise-R-R (Mar 12, 2017)

Idk I've seen loads of people keep their rats in a single CN but it just seems so small! I'm looking at new cages to get so I was gonna get the liberta explorer (which is the same dimensions as a CN) and use the top half for my boys and the bottom for my girls. The problem is it just seems so small. Is it really adequate spacing for 2 rats?


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

I have the double (which is taller than I am!) and I can tell you that the single is definitely big enough for more than 2 rats. It's a lot bigger in person than it appears in pictures. The amount of floor space is unparalleled and there is so much room inside to create tons of levels and bridges. It's very open, and isn't narrow and crowded-looking like a lot of conventional cages are. I do think saving up a little more for the double is very much worth it, though.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

They're bigger than they look.

Each unit of a Critter Nation Cage is a little over 11 cubic feet. A single unit CN (or Explorer) would provide a pair of rats over 5.5 cubic feet a piece. This is higher than any standard I've ever heard about.

With a good layout, utilizing ever square inch of the cage, I felt very comfortable housing up to four rats (that all got along wonderfully) in a single unit Critter Nation.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

CorbinDallasMyMan said:


> They're bigger than they look.
> 
> Each unit of a Critter Nation Cage is a little over 11 cubic feet. A single unit CN (or Explorer) would provide a pair of rats over 5.5 cubic feet a piece. This is higher than any standard I've ever heard about.
> 
> ...


That is a good looking cage, you used every bit of space perfectly.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

Thank you! My 4 boy at the time lived in it with that arrangement for about a month while their Bass pan was curing for the DCN. I probably would've liked my DCN a lot more if I had used four add-on shelves instead of just the two.

Elise-R-R, just a note about the Liberta Explorer 2; The solid bottomed, 2nd-story floor metal pan is the only thing that separates the bottom and top levels of an Explorer. It has a cut-out opening to allow passage between the levels. It should be pretty easy to figure out how to block that opening (perhaps with a floor tile?). A bigger issue is hanging hammocks in the lower unit. Because the mid-level pan has a solid bottom, there's nothing to attach hammocks to on the "ceiling" of the lower level. The vertical bars also somewhat limits how hammocks are hung. Just a few things to be aware of when deciding which cage to get.

...and here's a picture of the Explorer next to a little person (for scale). You can see that it's quite huge.


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## Elise-R-R (Mar 12, 2017)

Ah thankyou all! You've put my mind at ease! I feel bad cause I'm downsizing the boys cage but my room isn't big enough for 2 rat cages (the boys cage and the girls) so I need to get one big one and split it off! 

I didn't realise there was no way to hang hammocks at on the bottom level in the LE. Thankyou for informing me! It makes sense though as I remember reading one of the good things about the CN is that it has the metal grate thing at the top so hammocks can be hung on both levels. 

I think I'll go for the savic suite XL then as it has ways to hang hammocks on both levels and the trays are also super deep so loads of substrate can go in. It's just so expensive  I don't mind saving though. It's worth it for my rattys!!!


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## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

Its bigger than its looks. The dog is a 40kg Mastiff. And theres still some room beside him. Infact I'm 5'8 and I can fit in there


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

Elise-R-R said:


> I didn't realise there was no way to hang hammocks at on the bottom level in the LE.


Well, I'm not saying that there's no way to hang hammocks, ...options are just much more limited. In this cage review video, an owner outlines how she hangs hammocks in her Explorer 2. This is actually a really good video showing some of the detail of how the cage functions irl.



Elise-R-R said:


> I think I'll go for the savic suite XL then as it has ways to hang hammocks on both levels and the trays are also super deep so loads of substrate can go in. It's just so expensive


Zooplus has the best pricing on the Royal Suite that I've seen (if you're in the UK). I'm not from the UK so I don't necessarily know the best suppliers and resources. 

While I think the Savic Royal Suite looks like a little bit of a better cage, if it's a ton more expensive, it might not be worth it. The SRS does not actually have deep trays. The Savic pans are shallow plastic pans just like Critter Nation pans but the cage is built with a metal scatter guard around the base of the levels. While this will help keep bedding in a little bit, a loose substrate will still slip through the cracks around the plastic pan and fall to the level below. If that doesn't make any sense, you can watch this video of an adorable Swedish girl putting an SRS together.


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## Basiltheplant (Jan 2, 2017)

CorbinDallasMyMan said:


> The solid bottomed, 2nd-story floor metal pan is the only thing that separates the bottom and top levels of an Explorer. It has a cut-out opening to allow passage between the levels. It should be pretty easy to figure out how to block that opening (perhaps with a floor tile?).


Same thing for DCN although you can easily find websites to buy another fully solid floor. If the Explorer and CN are about the same size you could probably purchase one of the solid plastic bottom floors to put in for an easy fix, or even buying a hardware bin with about the same dimensions (if you use bedding and not liners) and cut the edges a bit down to size!


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## writingonwalls (Oct 1, 2016)

The only reason I opted for a DCN over a SCN for my pair of ratties is that one of them LOVES to climb and would feel cramped in height. I wish the single was a little bit taller for her, but other than that they are quite big.


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