Goosemoose Pet Portal

well, i just took in four older (two are at LEAST 21 months old, the others are 9 months)male rats from someone who couldn't keep them. not sure if this is a temporary or long term placement, though i have no probs w/ long term. the four boys came w/ TWO martin's skyscrapers, a rat retreat, and the collapsible cage.  the boys all share one, meaning i have a whole cage for my own use. all this for $30!!! (lucky for me cuz i wanted more boys; lucky for the previous owner who was getting desperate as she was moving to europe today and had 6 hours to place her rats; lucky for the rats, who will be spoiled for the rest of thier lives!). while all this is great, i've had a few problems. hopefully someone can help:

1) both cages came preassembled. right now, i have an unused 695, at least until i combine my girls (which may or may not happen as Merry is a tyrant around all other rats besides her sis). i was hoping to collapse the extra 695 until Jan, when it looks like i MAY move ( again   :P ). i've tried to take it apart, but it's been put together w/ c-rings. i've used round-nosed pliers, flat nosed, and a heavy duty wire cutter, all to no avail. the wire cutters could work, but my hands ached after trying to remove one; plus i'm afraid of slipping and cutting a cage wire. any advice on how to remove them, short of buying a c-ring remover (hope this is my last resort). at the moment, i may just donate both the collapible and retreat.

2) what's the best way to clean these cages? there was so much gunk on the wires, and i couldn't get most of it off. i hope to soak the pieces in something once they are apart. i keep hearing about the vinegar/peroxide mixture. is this mixed into the same bottle? if not, which do you use first?

3)i noticed that the ramp to the middle full floor is right below the top door. meaning it would be very hard for the rats to get to that door w/o falling onto the ramp. can i reverse the floors so the mid. floor opening is at the back? anyone try this?

4) both cages came w/ built in connectors (white and round w/ a covering). are these removable? (they're filthy).do i need to get a special tube to connct them? (not sure if i have it-the rats came w/ a lot of pvc pipes). also, how likely is it for a rat to push out the covering-has it happened before?

5)neither cages have flip tops, and after looking through martins site, i didn't notice if you could buy them separately. should i bother? especially if i do number 6?

6) i just put the empty 695 on top of the occupied one, and liked the way it looked. i was thinking of making a "ruud" but would keep females in one half and males in another. should i keep the pan of the top cage? just cover it w/ cardboard? i'm worried the top cage may be too heavy and the bottom one will collapse :shocked2: as any one done this? are flip tops helpful at all in this situation?

7) once i get the zip ties, how should i distribute them? one for every square seems like a waste, so should i do 1 every 5 or 10 squares? use more where 3 or 4 panels meet?

whew :P that's it for now. any help would be great!

wow!  that IS a lot of questions.  I can't help with most of them, but with #7--I did zip ties every 3-6 inches, and used more where more than 2 pieces came together.  One every square would be overkill, and your hands would DIE!  (Zip ties are easy to use, but can get to your fingers after a while.)

And question #3--I actually like the opening by the door.  The rats will run up from the bottom and climb on the door frame while they beg me to come out, ask for treats, whatever.  They don't really have much difficulty not falling in the hole.  If they were hamsters, though, it'd be another story.   ;)

#6--I think you'll have an easier time cleaning if you keep the 695s separate.  It's quite bulky to carry one, and while not too heavy, I really think 2 stacked would require a nearly herculean effort. 

#5 -- I like my flip top lid.  Makes it so easy to hang hammocks and install other toys/houses.  Makes cleaning easier, too.  As my 695 is in a case (shelf-like enclosure) I never use it to access the rats, but I do like that it makes it easier for cleaning and stuff-hanging. 

That's as much help as I can be!
 Good luck!