How Many In This Cage?

Mon Jan 23, 2006 12:54 am

I currently have 4 males and a serious case of GGMR. How many do you think can be comfortable in my cage? Its dimensions are:
55 inches tall
30 inches wide
17 inches deep.
I'm asking because I previously had a bad experience with cage calculators. I used them for my very first cage and it proved to be too small.

Whole Cage:

Top Level:

Middle Level:

Bottom Level:

_________________
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and a man"
-Mark Twain

Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:02 am

I'd feel comfortable with 6-8 rats in that cage, but I'm very conservative in that regard. I have a Martin's cage roughly that size that holds 3 girls total, and won't be getting any new additions anytime soon.

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-Ben
My rats: Squishy, Squee, and Nibbler
My dogs (at my mother's house): Lucy and Ricky
My cats (at my dad's house--in Florida!): Cleo (RIP) and Zima

Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:43 am

How many are you thinking of getting? I think you could get a good number of rats in that cage--maybe even as many as ten.

Are your boys neutered? In my experience, boys tend to be more terretorial than girls (all that testosterone), and it's possible any more rats you get might not be welcomed into the current cage....next thing you know, you've got four cages like me and Abita

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Victor, Bandit, and Sparrow's Sweeties: Neiko & Roo. Sparrow's Boys: Oliver, Arthur, and Rabskuttle. The fRAT Boys: Jim, Jack, and George.
Good night, Witter, Kono, Rat, Olie, Metro, Calle, Mr. Ratburn, Arwen, Leather, Ohana, Zoe, Misto, and Kanga.

Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:53 am

I believe those dimensions are similar to the Martin's RUUD. I believe that calculates out to 8-9 ratties. I currently have 5 girls in mine and probably wouldn't go more than 7.

I have another cage that calculates for 12, but has 9 in it right now. I personally wouldn't put any more in there. I think if you do, then you can set yourself up for a bit of squabbling (IMHO).

I bet you could add 2 more comfortably in your cage. Since they are boys, who get bigger than girls....and as Victor said, could be more territorial...I personally wouldn't push more than that. Of course, it could be a total love fest and you'll know soon enough if you could get a couple more wink

.

I would also agree with Victor about keeping in mind that your current boys may not take to new pals.....and that you might end up with two cage groups.

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Debbie and the gang of spoiled furries

Mon Jan 23, 2006 12:38 pm

it's a decent sized cage for sure, volume calculators say it could hold 8-10 rats.
BUT there's only two levels, and I know you have things to climb on and stuff, but there's alot of wasted space, so going by floor space I'd only put in 4-5...

FD

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Thu Jan 26, 2006 8:12 pm

Thanks for all the input! I think I will try two more. Yes, it does have some wasted space, but I think they like it that way. Ever since I gave them a spacious climbing room they spend a lot more time down there. Also, my cage is a never ending work in progress; there is no telling what they will have next.

_________________
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and a man"
-Mark Twain

Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:29 am

Out of curiosity....
how did you get the red chinchilla bath house secured to the outside of the upper level? I have a cage just like that, but my house is inside. I might just steal your idea if it is simple and can be quickly removed and replaced for cleaning.

Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:46 pm

Melanie

	Quote:
	Out of curiosity.... how did you get the red chinchilla bath house secured to the outside of the upper level? I have a cage just like that, but my house is inside. I might just steal your idea if it is simple and can be quickly removed and replaced for cleaning.

It's not very difficult but it is a little time consuming; and it can not be removed. That's not much of a problem because the top of the cage opens and you just stick your hand into the bathhouse to clean it. It will take several pictures to explain what I did...probably more than Christy would appreciate due to space and bandwidth issues. If you are interested I can email them to you.

_________________
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and a man"
-Mark Twain

Tue Jan 31, 2006 7:48 am

That would be great. I'll pm you my email.
Thanks!