Rat housing/cages. Can I see yours?

[DeltaSunrise]

We've been thinking about getting a couple of rats for a while and having had a few chats with the local rat rescue, we're off shopping this weekend for cages & accesories.

I would be interested in seeing what kind of set up everyone has for their rats before we go shopping.

I was looking at this

Rats will come out of cage often but we still want them to have decent room inside too.

[RattieOfCatan]

That's a nice sized cage by the looks of it. Are you in nz of its that just a page that accurately shows the cage you're getting?

I've had a few set ups as we've gone through a lot of cages! When I get home tonight I'll try drag of some photos :)

[PinPon]

Our cage had no built in items - just the wire walls and a solid floor.

Remember that you can always get accessories to customise the cage in the future. We had a Sputnik rat house which I'd recommend, a rope swing (neutral) and a hamster wheel which they never used.

Make sure the opening / closing mechanism of the cage is easy to use. Ours was annoying after a while.

[DeltaSunrise]

Yes we are in NZ.

I chose that one in the link because the next size down is a really big step down. It's much smaller and I don't think I'd feel comfortable with that size.

I'm planning on getting a few hammocks and see how they go. I'll have a look at the other accesories.

Would still love to see some set ups though. Who knew one could be so excited about getting rats

[RattieOfCatan]

Any smaller would be too small. Be aware that the shelves will get binned after a few uses as wood does not get a long life in rat cages! We have no shelves in any of our cages, mainly hammocks.

[achillesratty]

Second the "no wood in the cage", they will chew it and it retains odours and stains, plastic is a better option for shelves. Definitely get a Sputnik and several hammocks and ropes. Will see if I can find a pic of our setup, we have two boys in the top and 4 girls in the bottom (100% separate), they are brilliant pets, I am sure you will love them. It may also be worth hanging on to any cardboard boxes, tubes etc for when they free range, ours love to climb and run in and out of the boxes while they are out.

[achillesratty]

The mound of toilet paper in the corner is the girl's nest ! They are in there somewhere.

[DeltaSunrise]

That looks like a fun set up achilles

I've got a feeling the cage comes with wire platforms too so you can swap and change but I agree, taking them off altogether might be a good idea.

The next size down is this one which seems a bit too small to me.

My 6yr old ds1 has been watching videos on YouTube of rats being clicker trained and wants to try it. He's been very active in clicker training the dog and has all these tricks in mind that he wants to teach the rats. Him and his brother have decided the rats will be called Leia and Oola (spot the Star Wars fans)

Have to keep reminding them that they will be my rats. I will let them take part in their care though.

[RattieOfCatan]

I'd recommend thinking about getting three to start. Rats like company, three is a nice jumper and with two you run the risk of needing to aquire a new companion asap if something happens.

The smaller cage would be a bitch to set up after cleaning, those ones collapse in on themselves on the sides for easier storage but they to make some effort to actually get up. One of our holiday cages has that kind of side. Pita I tell you!

Get a spare cage too. Preferably a single level and slightly smaller in case one has an accident and needs to be prevented from climbing. We have a collection of spare cages for holidays and when the inevitable accidents happen! One of our girls spent 6 weeks in the hospital cage as she sprained/broke her ankle and hip on one side and then her bloody arm. She's a clumsy one!

[DeltaSunrise]

Thank you Rattie some great tips there.

I am making a list ready for the weekend.

Will probably update with photos once rats are here. Will definitely look at getting 3. The cage I want will be big enough.

[RattieOfCatan]

achilles I'm jealous of your SRS! I have a fiesty ferret, it's an acceptable alternative to the SRS (especially when you don't have space for an SRS!) but it's still not an SRS, I would love to upgrade to one of those! I love the nest

OP It's worth looking at aviaries as well, as long as the bar spacing is small aviaries make very good rat cages. We had ours in aviaries at one point.

I'm not sure how it works in NZ but have a look and see if there are breeders rather than getting pet shop rats, with breeders you're mor elikely to get rats who are comfortable being held and sociable. They're also going to be bred in better circumstances than ones from rodent farms.

This looks like a decent source of info for rat owners based in NZ so you may be able to find out about things that are usually country specific, like cages, diet, breeders, etc:
ratclub.org/

[WonderingAspie]

I can't take a photo at the moment as I am on the PC but I will at some point.

I have tried soooo many toys and stuff, mine are just not interested in anything except paper and cardboard tubes! I have bought many varieties of wooden chew toys, they are still hanging up, they never ever went on their wheel, I couldn't get them to go in the toilet, they chewed the first hammock down within 20 minutes, I have a better one now with proper metal rings so they can't chew through it. I have bought them a rope ball thing, I'm not sure they have even looked at it. We have tried 3 different types of bedding, they hate it all. Bloody pests they are! They have a plastic house which usually gets tipped upside down then ignored but they are actually sleeping in it upside down at the moment as their stinky hammock has been washed and the big plastic tube is on the floor of the cage as opposed to suspended and they don't seem to like it as much on the floor of that cage, the chains are a nuisance though and I hate faffing with them when we clean it.