Replacement Rat

I made a cage.

To save some space, I made a cage to fit on top of my dresser. Being that my boys spent all of their time on the top level of their old cage, this new layout will hopefully mean that they have more usable space than they did with their DCN. They very rarely spent any time in the lower level. This new cage isn’t as large as the DCN but it’s all top floor so I feel there’s less wasted space.

The dimensions are 63″ wide x 18″ deep x 24″ tall. It’s 15.75 cubic feet. The single unit Critter Nation is about 11.42 cubic feet and the double is about 22.85 cubic feet so this cage falls somewhere between the single and double.

It has about 13.5 square feet of floor space. The single unit Critter Nation has about 8.3 square feet of floor space and the double has around 16.6 square feet of floor space.

It was modeled after the Martin’s cage design. It’s basically two R-680s stitched together side by side.

Some of my accessories from the DCN don’t work in this cage so I’ve got a little bit of shopping to do but so far I’m really happy with the new cage.

I think the boys approve.

Hi  the-cheer-teacher!

That’s exciting you’re getting pet rats and that you’redoing this research ahead of time.

Keep in mind you only need to buy a cage once. I believe you cansave a lot of time and money in the long run by buying a high quality, ready-made cage. You can often find cages with discounted prices online. (More on this later on.) There are other pet rat supplies you can craft yourself. For example, using cardboard boxes forhideouts, and making your own hammocks and toys can all help cut costs. 

PHOTO: Cardboard boxes are a budget-friendly way to furnish your pet rats’ cage.

I’ve looked at a lot of DIY cage photos. Some are made usinginappropriate materials and some are shoddily constructed. The best DIY cagesI’ve come across are the ones made of the wire cubes used for closet storage.You’d need to find the right grid-size, though, so your rats won’t be able tosqueeze through. The other possible problem with using these wire crates forcage-building is, if your rats chew on the wires, it could be toxic for them.When you purchase a cage made specifically for pets, you can rest assuredthey’re completely safe and non-toxic.

PHOTO: Wire closet storage cubes can be used to make cages.

In case you want to look into using wire storage crates, hereare some examples of cages made for rabbits:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/200762095862065009/

http://breyfamily.net/bunnycage.html

https://bunnyblurbs.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/bun-estates/

The wire storage cubes usedin the above cages can be purchased inexpensively from Walmart onlinehere. 

I previously responded on Tumblr to someone who was interested inconverting a bird cage into a pet rat home. 

I love the idea of converting cabinets into pet rat cages.However, since converted cabinets only allow for air flow from the front, any build-up of urine and/or feces would be even more dangerous fora rat’s sensitive respiratory system. To keep rats healthy, It’s important to have adequate ventilation and air flow.

In fact, here are a few things you definitely want to avoid in a cage—whether or not it’s store-bought or hand-made:

Wood - Liquids (including urine) will soak into wood.Wood cannot be properly and thoroughly cleaned. 

Sharp Edges - Rats can easily get puncture wounds which can develop into abscesses.

Aquariums – As mentioned earlier, air flow is important. Aquariums don’t allow for adequate air circulation.

Wire mesh on the floor(s) of the cage unless kept covered. - If routinely allowed to walk directly on the mesh, rats are more prone to develop bumblefoot. Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection and inflammatoryreaction that occurs on the bottom of rat feet, and is not always easy toresolve.

Wire mesh that’s rectangular (instead of square) can potentiallypose a risk.  Injuries can occur when the gauge is just big enough for arat’s hind foot to stick all the way through one of the rectangles. If the ratthen rotates its foot and tries to pull it back out of the rectangle, a sprain or other injurycould result.

For more information on choosing cages with the best specs andmaterials, I have a page on my website dedicated to Pet Rat Housing.

To help cut expenses, you could always look for a used cage ingood condition. As long as the cage hasn’t accumulated years of crud and isstill structurally sound you can sometimes find great deals on craigslist, eBayas well as on local rat group facebook pages.

Finally, the Critter Nation Double Unit is often on sale. Rightnow it’s on sale for $179.99. (It’s normally $239.99.) Many rat owner feel that this cage is the gold standard.

My personal favorites are the Martin’s cages. The F-470, inparticular, looks fantastic. It’s nice and roomy, well-constructed and has square mesh. It is a bit more expensive but, as I said earlier, you only need tobuy a cage once.  

PHOTO: This is the Martin’s cage in which my own rats live.

For babies, you can always get a Rat Manor as long as you canget a larger cage later on when your rats become full-grown. The Rat Manor iscollapsible making it easy to store. This is a great cage to have on hand when you needto temporarily house your rats in another room. It can also be used whenintroducing new rats.

I hope my response is helpful. I know I went beyond justanswering your question about DIY cages. However, since a cage is such animportant part of a rat’s life, I thought I’d give you an overview thatencompasses more than just cages you can build yourself. Rats love building nests and making their living spaces their own. Even if your rats will be out most of the time while you’re home, you’ll still want them to have a lot of space in a well made cage when you’re not home.

For tips on general care, I have a website called About PetRats. I also have a Guide to Essential Pet Rat Supplies you can get for freewhen you sign up for my pet rat care newsletter.

Enjoy your new babies and I’d love to hear what you decide tomake (or buy) for their home!

Best Wishes,

I made some super cute rat treats tonight!