File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
so I really want a pair of rats, but I would want to give them the best cage ever because I think leaving them in those little boxes the pet store sells is fucked up.

the problem comes from me having to clean the cages. I will be living in an apartment, most likely not on the ground floor. and I have a bad back, so no carrying heavy things.

if they are huge cages with mazes of awesomeness then they will be really difficult to clean, but if they are tiny and boring my new rats will be sad when I have to leave them for school and work.

have been researching rats for about a year now, I think I am ready for taking care of them food wise and health wise but I really don't know what cage would be the best for me and my rats.

I can build things so thats not a problem, I just would like to know what experiences people have had with cage cleaning.
>> Anonymous
Bird cages with the appropriate size spaced bars are the best I've seen so far, not too heavy and spacious for easy cleaning, you can build mazes and such inside at your leisure, but the best thing for rats is their own room they can roam safely in, if yoou search around thrugh google lots of breeders have tips
>> Anonymous
>>228745
me again
Also, the cage floor should be flat and and smooth as possible without being like linolium, if the rats walk on cross bars they are likely to develop bumble foot
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Or you could go cageless..
>> Anonymous
>>228748

I would love to have a "rat room" but I will be living in an apartment, and I don't know how my landlord would feel about that... or my roommates..
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>228750
http://www.dapper.com.au/grotto.htm

This is my favorite cage setup I've seen, pretty elaborate but I'm sure you could size it down some to make it a little more manageable for an apartment. Seems like cleaning would be as easy as wiping down the surfaces and throwing the fabric stuff into the washer now and then.
>> Anonymous
>>228752
that pretty rad. it even has a little trap door to separate the two rats in case they start fighting. neat!
>> Anonymous
>>228752

We used a cage similar to that when we had rats, but it was only 2 or 3 levels, since it was a lot wider.
Basically just an altered book-shelf with ladders and stuff added in. Ours was a little less cluttered, and fairly easy to clean. Just make sure you do it regularly enough, or it'll have a lingering smell. Might want to put fabric down on each level or something to cop most of the mess, so you can just chuck them into the wash when they need cleaning, so nothing gets absorbed into the wood - which you should still give a quick wipe down every now and then anyway.
Pretty neat and practical cage. We tried quite a few different things, and this one ended up being the best.

And about having a pair of rats, I'd strongly advise getting 2 females. Dunno if it'd be the same with rats, but we had 2 male mice once and they nearly killed each other within like half an hour of being in a cage together. The girls have always gotten along fine though.
>> Anonymous
>>228775

Two male rats will get along fine, especially if they're around the same age. They're way more socially adept than mice.

>>228752

My response to fancy ass shelf cage alternatives - you're going to be cleaning piss and shit off of these things regularly, and have to constantly replace cloth items. Not to mention that the wood from a shelf will absorb odors and dirt like there's no tomorrow (it doesn't matter if there's plastic coating over the wood, it will still seep) - I built one of these once, it was great for about three months and then it was done. The corners were disgusting no matter how often I cleaned.

I prefer just a large cage with a sliding tray (obviously take them out of the cage before you slide it out to clean), necessities like food/water, a hanging hammock, and something to chew. As they quickly get older, too many toys will just get ignored anyway. Quality time is way better than a two hundred dollar cage.