So i said i would...

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.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...hernewcage.jpg

the cage
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...17/ratcage.jpg

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.

That is one awesome cage:D

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.

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

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.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

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....:D

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.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 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.

---

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.

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).

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!

Yep! barley is ok, I use it a good bit. You can also use dry wild rice, and other fun things.

Oh and if you have some spare cloth or some old jeans, cut a leg off those jeans and hang it from the bars on top. They will have a BLAST! :)

Hm.. I think that those plastic hoppers were designed with bunnies in mind.. they usually hang on the outside of the cage and hold alfalfa hay; the animal grabs the hay through the bars as needed; kinda works like a hayrack for a horse..
I would be extremely concerned with the rats' possible ability to squeeze through the bars; how far apart are they? My friend uses similar cages for bunnies, and I would definately not put a rat in the ones she uses, because the bars are almost an inch apart, and most rats can just slither right through that.
I feed differently than most people; I do not provide free-choice food, per se. I feed once in the AM and once at night; I put three lab-blocks per rat into the cage, and they eat them pretty much right away. Heh, you would be astounded with the amount of wasted blocks I used to see when I fed free-choice; they would get peed on and I was throwing money away; now, each night before bed, I just feed them the pre-mentioned amount, along with some of the mix I make (contains things similar to Becky's mix.) Then again in the morning, and I have watched them; they eat about the equivelant of one block, and curl up for a good day's sleep. Of course, water is always provided.

They tend not to waste the food. the only food that they take out is sunflower seeds, but those are in the mix, and im not going to sit here and pick them out. lol. The bars are definatley not big enough for them to fit through. they can stick their noses out, but thats about it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Amy05

The bars are definatley not big enough for them to fit through. they can stick their noses out, but thats about it.

---

That's good! I was just worried; glad it is not an issue.

Neat cage!

And another kudos to Becky's mix...my mommy mouse is pounding it...her 11 babies are now nearly 7 days old and starting to look quite cubby, hehe. =D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ginevive

That's good! I was just worried; glad it is not an issue.

---

i was at first, then i realized that i have these fat things that couldnt even get their head through them. lol. they are kinda fat, but, i think rats are supposed to be chubby. oh well. they're happy and healthy. :D

Most rats look a bit chubby in their natural position. Stretch them out a bit though and make sure they are well fleshed but not fat hon. Fat rats will get sick, get cancer, have strokes, etc. and die way earlier than they should. We made that mistake years ago with our pet rats. Now with our experience with the breeder/feeder colony we are seeing rats living well past their second birthday and they are still fit, healthy and in great condition even after a life of breeding and raising young.

most of my rats look plump till they stretch out . fred (2 lbs) looks fat till he stretches out , but he is longer than my fore arm .