Using A "New" Cage

[Jay_Bunny]

I procrastinate way too much. I have not gotten the rat rack done yet and we have some females that have been in with males. One is pregnant for sure as she is getting huge. (this is a much anticipated litter since Monk, our darling boy, is the father)

We recently switched our ferret, Twitch up to a very large cage and we now have her smaller cage up for use. The bars are about an inch apart and the sides are 5-6 inches tall (the bottom portion that is not bars)

I was wondering if it would be ok to move some rats into this cage. I would estimate 3-5 rats could live in this cage. We just need to make more space available until we can get the rat rack built. I was hoping to move Monk, Roo, and Kermit into the cage. They are all males. Roo and Monk get along great, but Kermit has never met them before.

So, is the cage ok to use for rats? And do you think it would be ok putting Kermit in with Roo and Monk?

[Argentra]

Hmm... an inch of space, but housing males. Personally I would cover those bars with 1/4" hardware cloth just to be on the safe side, even though males are less inclined to squeeze out than females.

As for putting the three together, after cleaning that 'new' cage thoroughly, I would introduce the three males in a totally neutral area, such as the bathtub. Put a towel down so they don't slip and watch them closely. They'll probably scuffle, so that's ok. Basically, use your own instincts to make the call on whether they'll be alright together based on how they interact in the tub. I've done this with females and it works great, but I'm not sure with adult males... Hope things go well!

[Gloryhound]

1/2" hardware cloth is what we use for our rats. I would tie squares of it to all the sides using steel wire if I was going to use that cage. On a side note I can generally pound out a 6 tub rack similar to the one listed in one of sticky's in about 8 hours time and that is all by myself. The more you put it off the further behind you will find yourself. By the time I got around to it I had to build 2 just to house what we had.

[Argentra]

Sigh. 1/2" is what I meant. I'm a little too focused on mousy things these days.

And I hear what you're saying about putting things off. I've been putting off building my BP 5 tub rack, AND my stackable corn cages, but that's mainly because I had finals to focus on (just finished Wed.), and we're changing apartments next Friday! Procrastination is an annoying condition.

[Jay_Bunny]

Procrastination sucks. All we need to do is attach the last 3 frames, add the runners, and put in the tubs. So, not too much to do. My fiance is out tonight with his mother, so I'm stuck at home, alone for the next 3-4 hours. Maybe I can use this time to complete the rack.

[littleindiangirl]

Got a pic? 1" sounds ok for adults... that's about how far apart our bars are...

[Jay_Bunny]

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2753290

This is the same exact cage, down the the very color. Tonight is rat cage cleaning night so I've moved one female I know to be pregnant (she's getting plump) into her own cage. I will be getting Aspen for her tomorrow evening as I don't expect her to be popping this weekend. The other two that I have hopes are pregnant are not showing it. I checked their bellies, and neither of them are beginning to bulge. The male has stopped breeding them though, so I'm separating them from him anyway, just in case they are both that kind of female that doesn't show.

[littleindiangirl]

Oh yea, we use that for our adult rats. Any younger though will get out in a heartbeat. Even if you think they can't, lol, I've had 1 male rat turn houdini on us. He could barely get his head through, but he managed to get the rest of himself through no problem.

[Argentra]

Hehe... that's why I would put the wire on, as a precaution against those slippery individuals that always crop up.

However, if you're just keeping adult males in that cage there should be no problem.