whats best?

[~*RAT*~]

HI.I'm looking for a cage that can fit two 2 month old rattie girls.So far everything I've seen is either to small or to big.thanks!

[Lise]

By too big, do you mean the bar spacing or the cage itself?

Rats grow up quickly, so get the biggest cage you can afford for them.   Rats need loooots of space, the more space they have the happier they are.

If they can escape through the bar spacing you can cover the cage in hardware cloth material for a few months until they are full grown.   They grow up quickly!

[Dearpie]

Yep, you don't want to get one cage for while they're babies and then another for when they're grown.  Do it right once, the first time.  Get the absolute largest cage you have space for and can afford.  Squeak out another $25 or so to get the larger cage than you think is 'good enough'.  Think about having them in a whole 'apartment' and not just stuck in a 'small closet' to live in.  If you get like a 690, then it will be more than sufficient through their entire lives.    Consider this the biggest investment for your girls, besides a possible spay and vet care down the road. 

[Ligeia]

Unless you're talking about bar spacing, there's no such thing as too big when it comes to rattie homes.  Once upon a time, I bought a Ferret Kingdom (30x30x60 inches) for two boys.  Let me tell you, you've never seen happier kids!  Three years later, the cage now holds seven boys with possibly two more moving in when they're big enough.  I'm glad I had a big cage, otherwise I would have had to leave behind some of the sweetest babies ever to come into my life due to lack of space.

[~*RAT*~]

oh,ok.i see what your saying but, even though im getting two girls and i should get a cage that holds more,i dont want it to be able to fit a lot more just maybe the maximum of say... 4 rats??(sorry i cant really explain things well)oh, and do you guys have any websites i can got to look at these cages???

[daratter]

You definately want to plan big even if they are babies now and you only have 2. I have seen it way too oftenthat people have their rats in cages that are way too small and there are too many of them for the cage even though it may not have started like that. Martin's Cages (www.martinscages.com) is the best online cage source you can find. THey reall yhave some of the best made cages for the money. Be prepared though to spend a bit now on a good large quality cage. It will be well worth it int he long run. I would plan on getting a cage that would hold up to 4 females. I believe there is a sticky on here about what Martin's cage is best for what number of rats, etc. I would suggest The Rat Lodge (R-680), The Rat Retreat (R-685) or The Rat Skyscraper (R-695).
Amy

[~*RAT*~]

well i was thinking about getting a 680.from what people have said im betting two girls could fit in it and not grow out of it right?

[Dearpie]

A 680 would be awesome for two girls!    Be SURE to get powdercoated. 

[~*RAT*~]

ok well i said that i was going to get a 680 and i probably will,but has anyone seen this cage??http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441777050&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302047888&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023695&bmUID=1158332069815&itemNo=17&Nao=12&In=Small+Pet&N=2047888&Ne=2

or is anything else they have good??(they dont show the demensions so thats why i am asking!)

[Poisonetta]

That would be gerat, spacewise (I know someone who had that). The only problem is the bar spacing may be a little too wide. If you cover it with wire mesh, though, it would be perfect.

You'll just have to make sure that you wipe down the plastic shelves really well, almost every day. Rats are little pee machines, and those shelves will start to stink pretty quick if you do not stay on top of cleaning them. 


Yeah, but that would be a great cage as well.^_^

[OrlandoBloomnut]

my mom just ordered me a Martins R-695 for my 2 girls and it will be a mansion ,one thing about the superpet cages A:imo the shelves are a pain to clean and move,and B: my girls have just chewed through the corner of the pan bottom
just my opinion mind you i know of several pepole on the forum that love their super pet cages
Devon

[~*RAT*~]

exactly how big is the bar spacing,like what age rats would fit in it??

[susschen22]

I have this cage, it's a superpet cage with the 1/2 inch bar spacing and is big enough for 2 rats.  I've found with the superpet shelves the pee and poop does get stuck in the grooves and on the ramps but a quick wipe down with an unscented baby wipe every day does wonders.  If you have the room for a larger cage it certainly wouldn't hurt, but this cage without the wheel would definitely even look big with 2 2 month old girls, they'd just grow into it.  I know my 2 month old boys still look small in it!

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Pet-Deluxe-Critter-critter/dp/B0001RTV1G/sr=1-21/qid=1158382571/ref=sr_1_21/002-4690420-3297606?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden

[Dearpie]

Actually, susschen, if you really look at that cage, you'll find that there really isn't much "floor space" at all for the rats.  I have learned to be a lot pickier about having more than just 'a shelf' for the rats to play on, and the bottom pan.  I highly recommend a cage with at least one full floor in the cage, in addition to a shelf and the bottom.  Attached wheels are also HUGE space fillers, that when you can't move them, they make things a bit more crowded.  I will always recommend the Martin's cages over most anything else.  I love Martins cages.  They're laid out VERY well, and are sturdy enough to last years and years.  To me, it's totally worth the investment, so I won't have to replace them later, with a more appropriate or suitable cage.  Buy it right the first time. 

[susschen22]

I appreciate the input on my cage, but I also did a lot of research on what would work best for me.  The wheel is not a part of the cage it is detachable and given that my boys have never had any interest in it I don't have it in there the thing that I disliked about the Coast cages was that the wheel wasn't detachable.  Between the shelves, the bottom, and the hammocks I have in the cage my boys are quite happy and definitely have a lot of space.  I had seen that she had mentioned another similar superpet cage that had three shelves and wider bar spacing so I was just offerring a superpet alternative that had better bar spacing.  I'm not trying to say she shouldn't get the martin's, if that's what she decides on I'm all for it, I don't dislike martin's cages it just wasn't for me.  If she has the space for the 680 or 695 that's great...I'd love to end up with something like that, or at least something that size with my own alterations.  I fully understand and respect your opinion, and I'm sorry if I sound defensive but I certainly didn't make my decision completely uneducated, though I am a first time rattie mommy.

[~*RAT*~]

well thanks guys! now i think i have all the info i need now...........what to buy, what to buy,hmmmmmmm. (if i get everything i need,then that means that i can get my very own furkids tommorrow!!!)

[Dearpie]

susschan, I posted based on my years of experience of owning rats and many cages.  You stated your personal opinion about your cage, as did I.  We'll have to agree to disagree.

[DolciLady]

About the extra large Coast cage, that's what I used for my two baby boys, before I could do intros.  If intros failed, they could have lived in the Coast Rat Mansion  (I think that's the name of it) just fine.  They didn't use the wheel so I just hacksawed it right off.  Now one of my hamsters lives in it.  Talk about posh living quarters for a hamster!!  LOL 

The SuperPet cages with the 1in bar spacing may never keep girls contained, the wires have quite a lot of "give".  Two of my boys could squeeze through even at six months of age.   I just don't see the point in buying a cage you may have to cover with hardware cloth.

Susschen22, please don't feel picked on here, but I gotta side with Dearpie.  Your cage is a great temporary cage or hospital cage.  It's going to run out of adequate space pretty quickly as a full-time home for two boys.  It rings in at holding one adult when floor space is taken into account, not just volume, according to, what I think, is a more "real life" practical calculator  like this one http://health.ratzrus.co.uk/cagecalc/index.htm.  I strongly considered that cage for my two baby boys, but I knew they would end up very cramped if they had to live in that forever.  Please keep an open mind as your experiences in being owned by rats progresses.  That's all we ask.   

BTW, my vote is for a Martin's 695, if you choose that manufacturer.

Edited to clarify which calculator I was using.

[trubandloki]

I always look at cage buying this way.....

I prefer to buy a cage once and not have to buy a bigger cage when the furkids get bigger.
I am paranoid about escapes so I will not buy any cage that has bars that are even something I might have to worry about (my cage has 1/2" squares, no escapes there).
I want my furkids to have as much room as I can afford to provide them.  The more full surfaces the better.  If you watch them play inside their cage they like to drag things around and tumble and just have fun.  The more surfaces they can do that on, the better if you ask me.
I figure since they spend more time inside their cage and outside best to provide them with the most space inside it as I can.

[Poisonetta]

Hey RAT! Let us know what you get, so we can bug you about decorating it for the ratties, and you can take pictures of them and we can ooh and awww all over them. C'mon! I live for it!