So i said i would...

[Amy05]

So i said i would get a bigger place for my ratties because 3 rats in a 20 L wasnt going to work. Well....i did .

It was really expensive, like 70 bucks, BUT its really big and they are enjoying it. I'm going to get some more stuff to deck it out, but for now they're fine.

And what would be a post without pix........


he he. this is tidbit. she is the smart one in the bunch.


the cage


it looks kinda small in that pix to me, but its pretty big. like, that igloo is the biggest size they had. the cage is longer than 40", not sure by how much, but longer.

[ZEKESMOM]

That is one awesome cage

[Nate]

nice...i've got to get something like that...i'm using some rubbermaids right now and tonight (for the second time) i found out rats are escape artists too....i thought the tub was high enough..but no. where'd you get the cage from? and who is the manufacturer? i may look online for one.

[markface]

very nice cage . your ratties should be very comfortable in that

[SatanicIntention]

Good job! They'll be much happier in there with all of that air flow.

Just a small thing, that food hopper is probably going to get chewed to ribbons(hope it has good food mix in it, not pet store junk), so I'd want to recommend a ceramic bowl, like you'd use for a dog. You can find some really cute ones at the dollar store. My girls have 2 in their cage, one for food mix that I make and one for lab blocks(which is empty alot as they hoard them and eat at their leisure... turds).

good luck with 'em.

[PipeDADDY]

My girls have 2 in their cage, one for food mix that I make and one for lab blocks(which is empty alot as they hoard them and eat at their leisure... turds).

Not to highjack the thread....but mice do the same thing. I will put food in the hopper and before you know it ...(like in two hours) then hopper is empty and spread all over the cage. In another two hours...the food is buried...and never to be seen again. I didn't know they were smart enough to find it again...so I just refill the hopper....

[Amy05]

They seam to be okay with the food container for now. I tried bowls...they just get the food all over the place and replace the food with bedding in the bowl. Drives me insane, i have to clean it twice a day. lol. If they chew it up i can always get a new one. They havn't chewed at it at all though.

I got the cage at PetCo. I got a gift certificate for my birthday, so i figured i might as well use it now before i go out and get another animal. lol. The tank was 75$, Marchioro Rabbit/Guinea pig cage.
http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Prod...yID_13394.aspx

That looks like that is it, possibly a little smaller. I'm not too sure.

This is my ideal one though;

http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Prod...yID_13727.aspx

I really wanted to get it, but i didnt have an extra 200$ to spend. lol. 75 was expensive enough i believe.

[Amy05]

Good job! They'll be much happier in there with all of that air flow.

Just a small thing, that food hopper is probably going to get chewed to ribbons(hope it has good food mix in it, not pet store junk), so I'd want to recommend a ceramic bowl, like you'd use for a dog. You can find some really cute ones at the dollar store. My girls have 2 in their cage, one for food mix that I make and one for lab blocks(which is empty alot as they hoard them and eat at their leisure... turds).

good luck with 'em.

oh, and about the food, yeah i have some good stuff in there. I make big batches at a time of food, i take one of the small pet store rat food things, mix it with cheerios, kashi, dried fruit, some good dog food. a whole bunch of good stuff.

[SatanicIntention]

Bleh, you want to stay away from the pet store mess. It has corn(cancer causing because of the mold) and alfalfa(not digestible), and tons of little seeds that are just fattening.

It's really easy to bulk up a mix by using 2-3 boxes of kashi Go Lean and Crunch, Oatmeal Crisp, cheerios, blueberry morning, other granola cereals, dry brown rice, dry lentils, dry split peas, dried pumpkin seeds, 2-3 bags of tri colored pasta(I use wacky mac), wheat pasta twirls or whatever, black oil sunflower seeds(small amounts), dry old fashioned oatmeal(the whole big container), dry-roasted NO SALT in-shell peanuts, etcetc.

I make my mix up in 50-60lb batches and it might cost me $50? each time. Lasts a good solid 3.5-4 months for 25 rats, with lab blocks every 3-4 days(make sure they're not missing any nutrients). I also use Wellness Senior dog food(only has 17% protein and low fat).

[Amy05]

yeah. i use one of the small bags from the pet store, but i dont need it, i wont use 'em anymore. i have a big tub of food, and i put one of the tiny things in there, and i've used and refilled it twice...needless to say its mostly kashi and such. other such. Would barley be okay for them? we have a lot of it becuase i use it when i make soup, it would br easy to put some into the rat's food.

thanks all!