BUILDING/REMODELING/CONNECTING/CABINET-STYLE/GERIATRIC

Wed Aug 28, 2002 8:59 am

I was wondering if a sweater box (25 L minimum) is good for 2 rats? i would cut off the flat part of the top and replace it with wire and also drill holes for ventilation and a hole for the water bottle. Thanks, Brandon

Wed Aug 28, 2002 12:17 pm

I've heard the absolute minimum size for a pair of rats is two foot by one foot floor space - will your cage provide that?

Another thing to consider is rats love to climb .. will this cage let them?

toyah

Wed Aug 28, 2002 6:03 pm

I can't really picture it in my head, but I do know that if you drill holes in somthing, they will chew it and make it bigger, and then escape through it, it may be ok for temporary (providing it's big enough) but doesn't sound very good for a permanent home.

Wed Aug 28, 2002 7:43 pm

I'd cut holes for them to climb and i'd put chicken wire or something like that over the holes so they wouldn't do too much damage

Thu Aug 29, 2002 3:31 am

The easiest way I've found to make a nice size cage is to take one of those under-the-bed storage bins (about 3 feet by 1 and a half feet, and 4 inches deep) and use that as a drop pan, and then bend hardware cloth (1/2inch by 1inch or 1/2inch by 1/2 inch) to make the walls. Top it off with the plastic top of the bin, and you're done. The hardware cloth is about ten bucks for a nice size amount, even enough to make a level and ramp, then the storage bin is ten as well. Throw in about 3 bucks for latches here and there, and it's awesome. I was lucky enough to find a storage bin that had a flip top, and was on wheels too. I hope that made sense.

~Vande,
Lisa Rainbow Smiley

Thu Aug 29, 2002 3:56 am

I think MilkyMaiden has a great idea. You can also find a real goos cage on http://www.martinscages.com They are well priced and very well worth your money. I have a R-695 and my ratties have so much room to play, eat, sleep, and climb. A cage like theirs will last you a long time!

Sun May 25, 2003 11:35 pm

Well, after looking around, I couldn't find any reasonabley priced rat cages.
*Sigh*
They are all too small, and I want my rats to be as happy as can be. Suddenly, I stumbled upon the Grotto. My answer is finally here! I'm going to build my rats a beautiful mansion.
Grotto:
http://www.dapper.com.au/grotto.htm
Of course... It will be smaller than the Grotto, because of cost issues, and the fact that it will only house two lazy rats. But its size will be much larger than that of a 50.00 Martin cage.
Plus, it will be customized, original, creative, fun for the rats, as well as functional. Now, I'm hoping that we can turn this into a collabrotive "Rat Palace Project..." I'll be scanning the images that will soon be plans for the design. I will be hopeful in your return of prompt answers if I come accross a problem. I thank you in advance for your answers, comments, and/or questions.
For my first obstacle... I see that the Grotto is made out of a special, water-proof type of wood. Unfortunately, I have found that this type of material can be quite costly. Sad

So, that kind of sucks. But I find that I can make the cage larger if I use cheaper wood, which will most likely be particle board. My dilemma is:
I need the wood to be water proof, so should I use:
A) Sticky sheets m,uch like that of counter grips... Cheap, and easy.
-Down side? It may be some what trouble some to replace when my ratties chew on it.
B) Water based, non-toxic paint. Water Proof, easily cleaned, durable, and smart.
-Down side? I'm not so sure about its price. If any one wouldn't mind... Can some one aid me in my quest of finding the price on such paint. Probably, two gallons worth, maybe more.
Well, there are my options. Any ideas?
-Stanza
BTW: This topic will be added to GREATLY in the future, so keep checking it for new information!

Last edited by Last_Stanza on Sat May 31, 2003 2:04 am; edited 2 times in total

Mon May 26, 2003 1:03 am

omg! i did the same thing as you. i built my cage like the grotto! (weird eh?!) well the waterproof board stuff is called melamite. me and my dad built it in about 2 days. the cage was about 100 dollars all together. i also used wood for the panels for the door and used carpenter staples to staple this aluminum mesh. you can get the mesh at a hardware store for about 2 bucks. (and i mean money not male rats) if you have any other questions i can go into more detail if you want to e-mail me at britt_dogluvr@hotmail.com

_________________
Brittany

~the~girls~
Cocoa~Baby~Daisy~Oreo
"People who dont like rats......limit their happiness"

Mon May 26, 2003 1:05 am

britt_ratluvr wrote:

omg! i did the same thing as you. i built my cage like the grotto! (weird eh?!) well the waterproof board stuff is called melamite. me and my dad built it in about 2 days. the cage was about 100 dollars all together. i also used wood for the panels for the door and used carpenter staples to staple this aluminum mesh. you can get the mesh at a hardware store for about 2 bucks. (and i mean money not male rats) if you have any other questions i can go into more detail if you want to e-mail me at britt_dogluvr@hotmail.com

That's awesome! My Mother is not to keen on the idea of me harboring rats. So, I'm pretty much on my own with cage building...
It shouldn't be too hard. I'll post my plans when I finish drafting them.
Check back later for details!

Mon May 26, 2003 1:08 am

Oops I forgot to ask:
How many rats are harbored in your cage?(I only plan to keep two together in one cage.)
And, could you post the dimensions by chance?

_________________
-=Stanza=- [Riding shoulder is:]
Sugar [Magnolias], Peanut, Willow, and Scarlet [Begonias].
This stanza is my lament. This world is my imprisonment. I know I can never be...
I know I'll never be free.
The cut that never heals...

Mon May 26, 2003 2:14 am

i have 4 rats in my cage now. i can have upto 6 rats in my cage. (and mine is still like 2 feet smaller that the real grotto! lol) the cage is 48 inhes high (four ft) 23 1/2 wide and 16 1/2 depth. hope this helps!

_________________
Brittany

~the~girls~
Cocoa~Baby~Daisy~Oreo
"People who dont like rats......limit their happiness"

Mon May 26, 2003 2:45 am

You may like to look at my cage and how it's built:
http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~padlam/cage.html
http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~padlam/cagebuilding.html

(well actually that was a couble of rebuilds ago - it's kind of addictive)

Pete A.

Mon May 26, 2003 3:06 am

For something that's 4 ft by 2 ft with about 4-5 levels, I would think you can hold more than 6 rats, depending on gender. Are you going by the cage calculator? The cage calculator gives you a decent-okay idea of how many rats for a cage, but it cannot take into consideration the levels, if it's long or tall, etc. So even though it's a good idea to check the calculator out, I think you could hold more than 6 rats. That's just my opinion though

And in reply to Stanza : Why couldn't you do a martins cage for 2 rats if you know that's all you're doing to get?

_________________
Sara & Daisy

Gone, but never ever forgotten~
~ John-Paul & Earl; Benjamin, Russell, Chester, Dexter, George Harrison, and Leeroy. :*(

Mon May 26, 2003 3:41 am

Well, I know that I may get more in the very distint future, and I want something that I can upgrade.
Plus, if for some reason you need to seperate your rats, you can use the trap door feature.
Plus, it's cheaper.

_________________
-=Stanza=- [Riding shoulder is:]
Sugar [Magnolias], Peanut, Willow, and Scarlet [Begonias].
This stanza is my lament. This world is my imprisonment. I know I can never be...
I know I'll never be free.
The cut that never heals...

Mon May 26, 2003 12:40 pm

I also built my cage "grotto style". The wood that Robyn used it melamine and it's not expensive nor is is waterproof. You have to put down contact paper and seal the cracks with caulking. You can buy a book shelf and convert it to a rat cage. Have you looked at Robyn's cage page? My cage is pictured there. I believe it says, Teri's Rat Mansion. If my boyfriend wasn't a cabinet maker I would have opted to buy a cabinet and convert it. That may be the cheaper route for you if cost is a problem Look for a bookshelf second hand. Go to Robyn's cage page for more ideas if you haven't already.

_________________
Teri and the 4 nakies

Mon May 26, 2003 10:09 pm

http://www.backyardaviary.com/do_it_yourself.htm
http://www.ceshepherd.com/aviaries_cages.html

(Personally I'm not a fan of semi-enclosed cages like the grotto, although I think that just one back wall of solid material would be a good idea,to protect walls. Transparent solid material, though, IMO.)

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Tue May 27, 2003 7:01 pm

I finally put my girls together. Sage(blue) is four months old and Smudge (blue dumbo) just turned six weeks. I took them up to my loft, where they'd never been before, dabbed them with some vanilla... and it went so well! They looked like they were going to box at one point, but no full body slams! They've been neighbors for two weeks now. I just wanted to wait until Smudge was old enough so she had a fighting chance. :rat:

I've been thinking of linking their cages together so they can still maintain a separate space but can come & visit. What's the best way to do that? Are there ferret tubes which are secure and do I do that from the door or cut a hole in the cage? I'm brainstorming and could use some help.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can figure this out. Is the yahoo free photo album not sufficient for pics? Do I need to subscribe to something?

Anyway, thanks for the help! :cool:
Ginny B
Sage & Smudge wink

Tue May 27, 2003 8:38 pm

I'm the wrong person to be giving advice here since cage remodelling is like a drug I can't get enough of. I even do it for other people (once without being asked Embarassed

).

Um, yeah, do it, do it. I personally would cut a hole and use a ferret tube. But save the cutout pieces in case you want to replace them later (using cable ties) and have two separate cages again.

As for pix, I've never used Yahoo, but it seems it's unviewable to others half the time. I'm sure a Yahoo user could give you a better answer on that. You could try http://www.ImageMagician.com if you don't mind spending $10 a year; it's really easy to use.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Tue May 27, 2003 9:15 pm

I've actually thought about that, and one way I would do it would be to:

1. Decide on what is going to be used for tubes (let's assume ferret tubes--as I recall, they're about 4 inches in diameter. . .I think).
2. Obtain four square pieces of plexiglass, about eight inches by eight inches. Round off the corners.
3. Cut out 4 inch diameter circles in the middle of all of the plexiglass.
4. Cut out 5 inch diameter holes in each of the cages (the holes are a little bit larger than the tubes so that you won't have to worry about matching the holes up *exactly* right after a cage cleaning). Also, match up the plexiglass in pairs. Stack them, and drill holes in each of the corners of the plexiglass.
5. This part might get difficult to describe, but you'll sandwich the cage between two pieces of plexiglass, so that little rat fingers are protected by the plexiglass. Insert bolts from the *inside* of the cage thru the holes you've drilled in the plexiglass (two bolts, opposite-corners from each other, should ensure you'll be able to match up two holes between the cage mesh--if you want to do all four, don't let me stop you) and loosely secure the bolts with wing nuts.
6. Line up the cages, and insert ferret tubes. I confess I haven't really thought of a good way to secure the ferret tubes (I have visions of the rats pushing them out in the middle of the night and logging onto Rat Palace and telling everyone how we mistreat them with baths).
7. Tighten up wing nuts after everything is lined up properly. Add rats.

_________________
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.

Wed May 28, 2003 6:10 pm

I just want to say I haven't *tried* my bridge yet. Just thought about it. . .

_________________
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.

Wed May 28, 2003 9:06 pm

If I remember right (all the tubes are in the attic at the mo), ferret tubes have those removable round brackets on the ends, and the brackets have two tabs with a hole in each. The brackets are somewhat more flexible than the tubes themselves, so couldn't the brackets be inserted very snugly in cut-to-fit cage holes, and secured with clips or something through the tab holes?

Like Victor, this is only something I've thought about a lot, never actually tried.

MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Thu May 29, 2003 6:23 am

Someone on RFC posted this and I thought it would be helpful for those of you attempting to build your own cages. The site is in German, but the pics are fantastic!

http://www.rattenwelt.de/kaefig0.html

_________________
Christy
RP Admin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Sat May 31, 2003 1:55 am

Well, I was at my sister's house for the week, so I worked on it there.
I ended up using 3/4 particle board. It looks quite nice. I picked out my two babies from a breeder while I was there, also. The cage ended us being 4'x2'x1' with four shelves. So, my two rats have 8 sq. ft. feet to live their little rattie lives in.
Chances are... They'll be out 70% of their lives anyway.
Oh, for sealing, I used a water-based primer called "Kills". It is used to prevent moiture from entering wood. I also used caulk on all of the cracks. I'll have some pictures soon, not to mention a step-by-step guide.

_________________
-=Stanza=- [Riding shoulder is:]
Sugar [Magnolias], Peanut, Willow, and Scarlet [Begonias].
This stanza is my lament. This world is my imprisonment. I know I can never be...
I know I'll never be free.
The cut that never heals...

Thu Jun 05, 2003 4:05 pm

I am going to be attaching two cages together - one on top of the other - in order to create a 'loft extension' to my original wire cage. Has anybody got any experience of doing this or have any tips or advice you could pass on?

_________________
A-M and the 3 roan lads - Neo, Pip(squeak) & Wes

Gone but never forgotten: Riz & Shearer

Fri Jun 06, 2003 1:51 pm

I use that really thick green garden wire - I've attached a canova to a michalangelo and it works very well. I also use it to hold down any removable wire shelves or ladders - you'll also need a pair of wire cutters and pliers.

Fri Jun 06, 2003 8:11 pm

I attached my Grotto style cage to a ferret cage. I used PVC though. It was pretty complicted, but turned out nice. Now, my cage is a mansion.

_________________
-=Stanza=- [Riding shoulder is:]
Sugar [Magnolias], Peanut, Willow, and Scarlet [Begonias].
This stanza is my lament. This world is my imprisonment. I know I can never be...
I know I'll never be free.
The cut that never heals...

Sat Jun 07, 2003 8:09 am

Cable ties are great!! Get them in Home Depot or someplace like that. They come in assorted colors, or black, or white. And get the small, thinones, not the large, stiff ones. The large ones are too hard to manipulate. Cable ties will hold a cage permanently, and all you need are small nipping pliers to cut them off for fast remodeling.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Sat Jun 28, 2003 4:39 am

For those of you who have older rats in a one-story cage...do you have any specific cage recommendations?

I am afraid it's about time for Bob to move from his three-story cage to the seniors condo...he is really dragging his back legs, and a couple of times he has lost his balance (or just missed the ramp) and tumbled from the balcony to the floor. Sad

I hope that as long as he has his hat he'll be happy in any cage, and I don't think he'll miss having Curly to steal his food.

Curly is the second part of the puzzle...he is still fit and active and I hate to restrict him to a boring flat cage. I may try to move him in with the girls...they get along great during free range time, and I think Curly would love it.

A few weeks ago Curly even tried it...he was on my shoulder when I opened the girls' cage door to fix something, and he jumped right on in, uninvited. The girls commenced to kick his butt then, but I'm hoping that with a clean, neutral cage it might go smoother.

I knoew when I got Bob and Curly in March that they weren't youngsters, and I expected signs of aging, but now that Bob is really acting old it is breaking my heart...

_________________
~Abita and the Rat in a Box rats

In loving memory of Krycek, Rizzo, Curly, Bob, Witter, Kono, Rat, Pinky, Olie, Metro, Calle, Cinnamon Schwartz, Mr. Ratburn, Arwen, Leather, Ohana, Zoe, and Mr. Mistoffelees

Sat Jun 28, 2003 7:04 am

Abita, I'm sorry Bob is starting to slow down Sad

What if you got one of the small SuperPet cages? That would be comfortably big enough, and you could put a couple of shelves very, very low so that Bob couldn't hurt himself but could still have an interesting place to live. Curly might even enjoy it, if you put nifty things up there. I hope you and Victor come up with a great solution for that wonderful little old man.

rq

_________________

Sat Jun 28, 2003 11:49 pm

Thanks!
We made the cage switch--a SuperPet cage--and put in Bob's hat, the igloo, and Curly's wheel. Tight fit, and the boys were following each other around hissing.
So, I took the "extra" Martins 695 (purchased originally for Victor's boys, but they never moved in since Witter still isn't quite socialized), filled it with all the new stuff we had, put Curly in with the girls and held my breath.
Whew. All four ran around exploring for several minutes (the girls checking out the cage, Curly sniffing the girls), then they calmed down, had a snack and now everybody is asleep...Curly and Leather curled up together, even.

Somehow Bob doesn't look like a rat who minds having his own space:

And here is the new highrise:

_________________
~Abita and the Rat in a Box rats

In loving memory of Krycek, Rizzo, Curly, Bob, Witter, Kono, Rat, Pinky, Olie, Metro, Calle, Cinnamon Schwartz, Mr. Ratburn, Arwen, Leather, Ohana, Zoe, and Mr. Mistoffelees

Mon Jun 30, 2003 9:30 pm

If Bob is dragging his back legs, you might also switch to using towels or fleece for bedding. I had to stop using Carefresh because it was too hard for Toby to move around on it using just his front legs. They seem to flounder like it's quicksand. Also, small cardboard boxes make great caves for vertically challenged elderly guys and are sometimes preferred to the igloos (smaller, darker,lined with tasty kleenex!).
Scritches to Bob, and happy retirement in the senior condo!

And, err, Curly is neutered, right? Or he'll be having a bit too much fun with his harem.....

_________________
Amy G., Random, Tully, Flint, Robin, Basil, Finnegan, and Strawberry

...and the rattie angels...Blue Bear, Justin, Fletcher, Duncan, Toby, and Bela

Tue Jul 01, 2003 5:23 am

	Quote:
	And, err, Curly is neutered, right? Or he'll be having a bit too much fun with his harem.....

Actually, Curly is intact...but not to worry, the girls are all spayed.

And thanks for the bedding ideas, too.

Bob is getting around so much more in the new cage...at first, Saturday evening, he kept going back and forth between his hat and igloo, and sometimes to the door to see me...I was concerned that he missed Curly and was looking for him or something.

So, I brought Curly back for a visit. Bob's reaction: a big hiss and he chased Curly til Curly jumped on top of the igloo for refuge.

Now we think he's just more active because he can be. He is certainly eating and drinking, and we think he comes to the door so much because he's hoping we have Toasties.

Still, it's hard to know for sure what is going on in those heads of theirs...

_________________
~Abita and the Rat in a Box rats

In loving memory of Krycek, Rizzo, Curly, Bob, Witter, Kono, Rat, Pinky, Olie, Metro, Calle, Cinnamon Schwartz, Mr. Ratburn, Arwen, Leather, Ohana, Zoe, and Mr. Mistoffelees

Thu Jul 10, 2003 12:53 pm

http://www.ratfanclub.org/cagepln2.html
I'm just wondering if anyone has tried this.
It looks interesting to me, and I'm wondering how easy it is to manage.

_________________
-=Stanza=- [Riding shoulder is:]
Sugar [Magnolias], Peanut, Willow, and Scarlet [Begonias].
This stanza is my lament. This world is my imprisonment. I know I can never be...
I know I'll never be free.
The cut that never heals...

Thu Jul 10, 2003 3:57 pm

Thats a good idea but looks a bit awkward to clean out. I've got 2 seperate cages, one long rectangle and a large 2 story cage. They are side by side with a hole cut out the middle and a piece of underground piping connecting them both, allowing for free access into either cage. I suppose with a bit of imagination and the space to put it in, you can build whatever you like. Unfortunately I can't seem to find rat tubing here in Liverpool so I have to get mine from the plumbing and garden store instead.

Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:21 pm

Ick the piping has "vents" that catch ratties toes. No thanks, I'm happy with PVC pipes. I already have two cages (grotto styles), a few play pins, but I though this may be a good addition to my already expanding rat room.

_________________
-=Stanza=- [Riding shoulder is:]
Sugar [Magnolias], Peanut, Willow, and Scarlet [Begonias].
This stanza is my lament. This world is my imprisonment. I know I can never be...
I know I'll never be free.
The cut that never heals...

Fri Jul 11, 2003 5:46 pm

Well, I'd make mine smaller than the one pictured, as it is far too large to tote outside for cleaning. I am using a plant plate-thingy that I found at Walmart. It's still pretty big, but I can just take it outside and hose it down.

_________________
-=Stanza=- [Riding shoulder is:]
Sugar [Magnolias], Peanut, Willow, and Scarlet [Begonias].
This stanza is my lament. This world is my imprisonment. I know I can never be...
I know I'll never be free.
The cut that never heals...

Tue Nov 11, 2003 8:28 pm

If you'd like, I've got directions on my site for building cages (there are also links to other homemade cages people have made). All of mine have been large, but the directions can be easily converted to a smaller cage by changing the dimensions listed. The Rat Mansion has the most detailed directions, and is identical to the Martin's Ruud cage.

My only suggestions with building a cage are... Make sure you get coated wire. I found mine at Home Depot in 3'x5' and 2'x5' rolls, with 1/2"x1/2" spacing. Use zip ties first, to make sure every piece is where you want it (if you planned on using c rings after - I just keep it with zip ties since the boys don't chew them). AND, have LOTS of patience! Also, if you wind up actually having enough money to purchase a 'real' cage, I'd definetly say go for it! I've got a Martin's R-695, as well as my homemade Ruud, and although the 'Ruud' stands up well enough (so far anyway), the Martin's has thicker, sturdier wire, and the coating is more chip/wear resistant.

_________________

We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature.
~Rachel Carson

Tue Nov 11, 2003 8:53 pm

The cement-mixing tub cage plan at Rat Fan Club is excellent. It's very big, it could house up to 4 rats. I think it's worth building your cage rather than buying it. I built a cage from these plans for about $40 and it probably would have cost me over twice that much.

_________________
"Hello, friends. I am a perfectly normal human worm-baby." - ZIM

Wed Nov 12, 2003 8:43 pm

Here:

http://www.ratfanclub.org/cagepln.html

_________________
"Hello, friends. I am a perfectly normal human worm-baby." - ZIM

Wed Nov 12, 2003 10:54 pm

Just a quick note, the cement tray cage can actually hold more than 4 rats comfortably. The overall dimensions (I think) are 24"x30"x30", which could easily hold 6 rats, more depending on activity level, size, etc.

_________________

We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature.
~Rachel Carson

Tue Nov 25, 2003 6:46 am

That's what I did years ago. I connected a large cage on a lower level of the shelf to another cage at the top using some wire type fencing from homedepot. It was excellent exercize for them and they could zip up and down it at sprinting speed. Just make sure after you roll it up that there's no sharp edges exposed where you clip it.

Tue Nov 25, 2003 7:13 am

I just came across this and it seems like a better idea...

Quote:

Now, if you look at some more hardware stores (not Orchard, or at least not the local one) you can find a wonderful invention -- VINYL COATED WIRE MESH! No zinc poisoning, no corrosion, cleans up real easy like, and my rats have never shown any urge to gnaw upon it. I found two sizes, 3/4" square and 2" by 3". The 3/4" square stuff does not have the structural integrity to stand on its own (except maybe as small tubes) so I joined it to the thicker 2" by 3" stuff, and made a roughly 22" x 22" x 24" cage. This, along with a 10 gal. aquarium, supplies plenty of room for my two rats. (If you want to make something bigger, you'll have to use some sort of frame, which I might recommend anyway unless you can find sturdier wire mesh than I did -- this cage dented easily.) The floor is a 22" square pan from the first cage, covered with plexiglass, with no wire mesh over it. (The plexiglass had a problem of trapping stuff underneath, so I eventually painted the pan with a waterproof, non-toxic paint designed for children's toys. It wasn't very sturdy paint, though.)

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bclee/ratcage.html

Wed Nov 26, 2003 9:30 pm

I have two bird cages joined together. Mine have those sliding doors on the side, I think designed for putting food into the cage. Anyway, all I do is clip the doors open and then clip the cages together. My furries can pass from one to the other without problem. It makes it easier to clean out as you can shift all your ratties into one side and take the other cage for cleaning.

Thought it might help.

_________________
Kirsty

(Angel, Harmony, Druscilla, Buffy & Willlow at the Bridge. Now it's me, Rich, Dooob & Bebe)

Mon Dec 22, 2003 3:45 am

My pensioners, Spook, Dart, Gambit and Dandy, are starting to find the ramps and ladders in their big cage a bit much. None of them have actually lost the use of their back legs or anything, but even though the ramps aren't steep I've seen the oldies start to make their way up and then slide back down. Yesterday I watched Dart make her way slowly up a ramp, using the bars of the cage to cling on to, like an unsteady elderly person clinging on to a stair bannister. So I think the time has come for them to move into single level accommodation. I could just take all the levels out of the big cage, but that might confuse them and it seems a bit of a waste, since the younger rats could move into it and have more room to play. On the other hand, the pensioners are all 27 months old, and I wonder if a move to a new cage would really unsettle them - I don't want to do that. Does anyone have any experience or advice to offer?

Labrat, I think you moved Casper to a big rabbit cage, didn't you? I thought something like that would be ideal. But I wonder if anyone makes one that I could fold up for storage at a later (hopefully much later) date.

_________________
Linda and the RMDs

Many have forgotten this truth but you must not forget it. We remain responsible forever, for what we have tamed.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Mon Dec 22, 2003 4:43 am

Linda, when I moved my sr citizens into a new, one level cage, they immediately took to it! I think they really enjoyed not having to climb up and down. I have a plastic pan that's 2 ft x 3 ft. I used hardware cloth for the sides, and since the boys weren't climbing any more, I hardly needed a top. But just in case, I just put a piece of plexiglass on top that I had laying around. I think the boys would like a new place.

_________________
Scout of Manitou Mischief Rattery

Mon Dec 22, 2003 7:05 am

Linda, I've heard of some folks making temporary cages with large storage bins--the plastic under-the-bed types. Might that work?

For ventilation, they cut most of the lid out and put in screening or something similar. These 'cages' require an inside the cage water bottle, too.

You might also consider a smaller cube and coroplast cage. In the UK, coroplast has a different name. You've probably seen it: It looks like corrugated cardboard only it's made from plastic. You can find more information at www.cavycages.com .

We moved Bob into a store-bought guinea pig cage when he started having trouble with the ramps. Abita asked me to point out when he was in the big cage with Curly, he didn't seem to take to the igloo, nor to boxes (just his hat

). Now that he's by himself, he does most of his sleeping in the igloo (and he continues to lounge about in his hat).

_________________
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 Dec 22, 2003 12:24 pm

What I had done with Abby & Xena was to close off the top two levels. I removed the ladder and blocked the stairway opening, and then had a single level cage. They looked a bit puzzled at first but quickly got used to it. If you can do something like that, you could also move (some of?) the youngsters into the upper level(s) if you could find a tray to fit the inside dimensions.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Mon Dec 22, 2003 1:18 pm

	Victor wrote:
	Linda, I've heard of some folks making temporary cages with large storage bins--the plastic under-the-bed types. Might that work? For ventilation, they cut most of the lid out and put in screening or something similar. These 'cages' require an inside the cage water bottle, too.

I've made a couple of cages using the plastic storage boxes - they make great carriers and hospital cages temporarily, but i've found that the plastic is too soft for leaving healthy rats in as they chew their way out pretty quickly!

My older rats are in hutch type cages with tubes and nothing they can fall off. I can't think of any cages offhand that are single level and collapsable for storage.

_________________
Estelle
Alpha Centauri Stud, Somerset, UK
http://www.alphacentauri-rats.co.uk
http://www.ratz.co.uk

Mon Dec 22, 2003 4:05 pm

Thanks the advice, folks. I'm going to start looking for something I can buy or build for them - I have really started to worry about the possibility of them falling.
Collapsing for storage isn't an essential requirement, it would just have been handy.
Kate, I like your suggestion, but my big aviary cage isn't really designed so that I could add a tray to the upper levels. Or rather, I could probably find a way to add a tray, but not so that it could be removed/accessed for cleaning. I will just block off the upper levels if I can't find anything suitable as a single level cage, though, because it really is getting too much for the oldies, even though they insist on climbing to the top.

_________________
Linda and the RMDs

Many have forgotten this truth but you must not forget it. We remain responsible forever, for what we have tamed.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Mon Dec 22, 2003 8:11 pm

I use an indoor rabbit/guinea pig cage made by Ferplast. Pets At Home sell them, they cost around £40-£50 and the base of the cage sort of sits in the wire top, so it's semi-collapsible for storage.

This is the one I have:

http://www.petcentreonline.co.uk/ecommerce/productdisplays/shop.asp?cat=Rabbit%2FGuinea+Pig+Cages

It's the Ferplast Rabbit 100 coloured I use. But they have other similar ones. I think you may be able to get it cheaper, but can't find other sites that do it at the moment.
I've even cut vetbed up to line the base for when Casper had bumblefoot and that worked really well, he was getting much better.
I've got the one with the blue base, it's prettier.

The shelf bit is removeable. I keep it in there until, like Merlin is doing at the moment, the old ones go to sleep under there and don't come out no matter how much nosie you make and shake yogies at them. So, to save me taking the cage apart every morning to check on her, I now have swapped this for an igloo. It's a fab cage, it's very easy to clean in the shower, and my old ones love it.

Thu Jan 01, 2004 9:27 pm

Hi,

My husband and I have been making a new cage for my Haggis, We're almost done, and its going to be a mansion compare to what she's been in.

I was just wondering, do I need to "introduce" her to her new home gradually, or is it ok just to put her in it when its all set up?

She's still a little timid & insecure and after play time scrambles to get back into her present cage. Her favorite nesting box will go into the new cage, and some of her old toys and food dish. Should I take some of the old bedding and put it in there too for familiar smells?

Should I put her in it for a little while each day and let her go back to her old cage at night until she gets adjusted or just put her in the new cage and leave it at that?

Also, I plan to get her a cage mate as soon as I fine a suitable one for her.
What does any one suggest about it - should I let Haggis get use to the new cage at first and THEN introduce a new friend, or give them a new cage at the same time?

I don't have a new rattie yet. The pet stores here have either male or way older rats, and I really would prefer a young socialized rat from a reputable breeder to help Haggy with her timidness, but I plan on getting one as soon as possible.

Thu Jan 01, 2004 10:58 pm

Noooo... don't put her in it until she has her new cagemate. Rats are/can be VERY territorial, and if you put your current rat in first, and then the new one a few days later, she could be very seriously attacked by your current rat.

Wait until you have your new rat, and then introduce them somewhere neither rat has been before, like the empty bathtub. As long as there's no fighting, they should be ok together.

Don't put ANY of her old stuff in the new cage with the new rat. If you have to, make sure you clean it very very well, so Haggis can't identify it as hers.

Seriously rats mark their territory all the time, and if a new rat comes along, their first response is to fight this rat and drive them away from their own territory. BUT, if they are in neutral ground, then they have the chance to make and become friends.

Good luck. There should be a link on the left on rat introductions. Read this. But I do find as long as I'm putting both rats into a brand new cage, they get on ok, apart from the odd few scuffles once they realise they're stuck with each other.

Also, have you considered getting two new baby girls, instead of just one? I'm worried if Haggis has been on her own for a long time, she may pick on one baby unduely. If there's two then she can pick on each one alternately.

Plus when Haggis goes, you're not back to one timid rat again. If I remember, you said Haggis was about 6 months old? A six week old rat is going to want to jump about and play rough and tumble, and this may wind up Haggis after a while, and she may take it out on the newbie. If the newbie has a friend her own age, it'll be better for all of them.

Fri Jan 02, 2004 6:00 am

Thanks for the sound advice (especially about the 2nd baby)- its pretty much what I thought (I just really wanted to put her in the new cage sooooo bad LOL

)

I got her when she was about 5-6 weeks and the present cage was a good size for her then but now....

I guess thats just about the best reason to get my husband to agree to 2 more ratties, especially after all that hard work (& blood) he put into making the cage Mr. Green

The cage we're making is 12"Dx21"Wx28"H, 4 stories high, with the top one being a full floor and 2 half shelves. Is this enough room for 3 ratties?
Even 'tho Haggis is 6 mos. old, she's still pretty small (not verry squishy at all Sad

I think she was the runt)

Fri Jan 02, 2004 3:54 pm

Sorry, according to this cage calculator, you can only fit two rats in it:

http://www.fancy-rats.co.uk/information/habitat/cagecalculator/

I'm trying to work out your measurements. Is each floor only 7 inches apart then? As it states on the cage calculator page, each rat should have two cubic foot of space per rat. So would that give them more floor space, and stretch the limit of the cage a bit more? Ideas anyone?

Fri Jan 02, 2004 11:28 pm

I don't think my measurements were totally accurate, Labrat.
As I'm without a digital camera at the moment, I drew a sketch with measurements at the various levels. Hopefully this will be more helpful.

We should be able to build additions to the cage, too, in the future.
Right now, the base is one of those RubberMaid tubs thats 20" long, 12"wide and 5" deep. I can always get a bigger one and add on from there.

Fri Jan 02, 2004 11:49 pm

Oh cool. It'd be so great if you could get two baby rats. But they do need to have space to be able to run and play. But as long as you're prepared to extend the cage if necessary, then that's fab. You have the cage calculator now, so that's the main thing. At least you know what to aim for now!

How big is Haggis? Do you know her weight? My smallest rat is 250g (female) and my big females have gone up to over 500g, with my boys going over 700g, so that gives you a bit of an idea of size. Also never believe petshops. The average cage sold as a rat cage is suitable for a hamster, rats do well in indoor rabbit cages and ferret cages, etc. Makes you wonder what to keep a ferret or rabbit in really... Anyway just to say, don't necessarily expect your two new potential additions to be as small as Haggis.

Sat Jan 03, 2004 6:46 am

I don't have anything to weigh her with, but she let me use a measuring tape on her. She's 6 inches long from nose to base of tail. Her tail is 7 1/2 inches long, and around the biggest part of her tummy she's 6-7 inches wide.

I guess I'm going to try to get 2 babies to keep her company. When Haggis goes to the Rainbow Bridge Sad

I'll at least have the other 2 girls to keep each other company and not have to go through the reintroduction thing again.

When they start to really grow, then we can add to the cage. I've already got some ideas, but haven't quite mentioned to my husband yet as he thinks I'm only getting one more rattie Mr. Green

(He hasn't heard of GMR syndrome) Plus, they'll get as much of outside time as I'm able to.

My only problem now is finding some babies to adopt! The area I live in does't have a great pet selection.

Thanks for the calculator-I've been trying to find one!

Sat Jan 03, 2004 9:43 am

My concern is with the ramps and tubes as drawn. A geriatric rat may well have trouble with what looks like very steep inclines there. The tube looks to be well over a foot long and almost vertical but for a slight curve, and the ramps/ladders look rather steep as well. Also, the ramps would do better nestled to the sides of the cage, so a geriatric rat can lean on the cage sides and possibly use the bar wires to pull herself up as she goes, or just to steady herself as she climbs.

Not meaning to put down all your hard work, as it could well be built somewhat differently than drawn.

Here's some advice, though, from years of having remodeled and built from scratch many cages for my rats and others people's (some of which I see you've done already):

Always make sure that a cage is expandable AND retractable for future geriatrics. You may at some point end up with a very old rat or two and have to close off top levels to prevent them from climbing too much.

Always try to make sure your cage has a fairly large floor base in measurements. Personally, the smallest base I would go is either (approx) 18 X 30 or 24 X 24, perferably larger. Reason for this is if/when you have to close off top levels, there is still plenty of base floor space left for even the most tottery rat to loll about in.

For ramps, ladders, tubes, and other climbing accessories, try to build them round the inside perimeter, preferably with landings, and make sure they are at least 5 or more inches wide and securely attached to the cage sides. If you build them with low inclines and go round and round the perimeter, sort of like a square or rectangular open "spiral" staircase, that will keep them from being too steep.

With multi-level cages (which IMO all should be!

), try to set it up so that the levels are either staggered or full. This is so that when a rat falls from the top level, she will land on the next level rather than falling all the way to the bottom.

Try to make cage doors big enough to fit a rat igloo through (one door per level, of course), and while we're at it, big enough to fit your head and one shoulder and arm through as well ... the easier for them to pee on your head while you're trying to give them meds. wink

If you build a flip-top lid, I've just discovered (by happy accident while building the mouse cage) it's best to use a 3 - 5 inch single strip of cage wire across the entire back wall, then hinge from there. This keeps the cage much more stable while opening the hinged top. And if you do build a hinged top, it will be tons easier to clean the cage.

Always use a plastic bottom tray, never metal (which can corrode). Those cheap black boot trays, if you can get them in the right size, make excellent bottom trays in a pinch, if a bit shallow on the edges. It's not neccessary, but is fun for the critters to line the tray with a brown paper grocer's bag before putting in litter/bedding; they get to shred it when they dig in the litter.

ALWAYS, oh always have on hand many, many small black cable ties (zip ties). The smallest size, in BLACK. I'd thought it was my imagination that the black ones work better than white or any other color, but I've just found out it's true! I'd mentioned this to the hardware store guy the other day, and he said, "Oh, you're right. The black are UV-protected" (he showed me so on the label, if I'd ever cared to look, duh) "and that makes them much more flexible. But, usually only mechanics use the black ones. What are you using them for?" Forgiving him immediately for assuming I couldn't be a mechanic (esp since I'd no idea bout the UV!

), I told him my purpose, and his face lit up! "My boys have got rats! They're ---" and he went on to extoll the virtues of rats, until he saw me trying to hold in laughter, and I had to give him an abridged version of How I Got the TBM, and how I usually -- and will again -- have rats.

****************************
Oh, the above reminds me: Always have these cage-working tools on hand:
* Mud Gloves
* Two pair of wire cutters, one small, one larger
*Various sizes of needlenose pliers
* A pair of regular pliers
* Scissors
* Those cheap silvery lariat clip thingies you can get in a craft store
*** CABLE TIES (black, small) ***
* A metal file (for smoothing cut cage wire edges)
* Cage edging (can be had from Martin's cheaply, probably elsewhere as well) to cover the vertical sides and BOTTOM ONLY horizontal cut edges (bottom only cos if you cover the top edges, water and gunk will collect in there, eew)
* Twist ties (for temorarily holding/marking the spot you're trying to decide to put that shelf or ladder)
***** BEER! *****
****************************

Measure twice, cut once? Nah! With cage building, as you no doubt know by now, it's measure 50 times, mumble to oneself, consult an oracle, have a drink, make the first cut, and cry and bleed a lot. Mr. Green

ALWAYS have a water bottle on every level of the cage. That's not so much cage building per se, but it is a RULE, and you may have to take that into account when installing levels and such.

***Always build a cage with geriatric, disabled, and baby rats in mind, and try to accomodate every issue for each that you can possibly imagine while building. The needs of all three can be quite similar most times, and if you build/remodel with that in mind, you'll have the perfect cage for every rat that ever was.

***

Always build several levels that are detachable, for 2 reasons:
1. It will be MUCH easier to clean in pieces than dragging a 5-foot-tall cage into the tub (which I've done, *groan*)!
2. Detachable levels can be exchanged with one another and taken off and put back on according to the current needs.

That's all I can think of at the mo, though there's tons more I'm sure.

And rethinking, perhaps you could use that tube you've drawn to horizontally connect a smaller version of your cage to the one you have now, sort of an annex.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Sat Jan 03, 2004 12:05 pm

Go to www.guineapigcages.com for good ideas on how to make a pan, and you can get it in several colors too! www.coroplast.com is the company who makes coroplast and you can call them toll free to find a distributer near you, so you can get it really cheap.

Sat Jan 03, 2004 7:21 pm

Oooh! Thanks for that link pumpkin queen. I've been trying to figure out how to build a large pan to put 2 R695's side by side and I think that's the ticket! Thanks!

_________________
Christy
RP Admin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Sat Jan 03, 2004 11:58 pm

Glad you liked the link! I made our three piggie cages from designs on that site. Each one is 21 sq ft, so calling the company to get a distributer was a must. The sign shop guy here wanted $25 a sheet for it but by getting in contact with the manufacturer I met a distributer at one of his drop off sites (a sign shop) and got it for $11 a sheet. Each sheet is 8ftx4ft. If you wind up using some of it for a cage, post some pix!

Btw, your avatar rattie is adorable!

Sun Jan 04, 2004 2:02 am

	Quote:
	My concern is with the ramps and tubes as drawn. A geriatric rat may well have trouble with what looks like very steep inclines there. The tube looks to be well over a foot long and almost vertical but for a slight curve, and the ramps/ladders look rather steep as well.

Its the drawing LOL

the ramps aren't really that steep. The PVC pipe is a little over a foot long and while the drawing does make it seem almost vertical, its not. I'm still not happy with the angle yet and probably will tilt it more to angle the bottom upwards and add another shelf to sit it on and to add even more multilevels. Even by adding that 1 extra level it should help with the problem of a falling rat not going to the bottom of the cage but landing on the next shelf.

	Quote:
	Always make sure that a cage is expandable AND retractable for future geriatrics. You may at some point end up with a very old rat or two and have to close off top levels to prevent them from climbing too much.

Thanks for pointing that out, Kate. It was something I never even took into consideration and will difinately have alternative caging ready for Haggis when the time comes. By the way, about what age would a rat be considered geriatric?

TheRubberMaid bin base I have now isn't as large as I would like, but its as large as I have space for at the present. I, my husband & 12 year old share a dinky 4 room apartment with a cat, a dwarf bunny, 2 degus, 2 -10 gal. fish tanks, 12- 1 gal betta tanks and a 2-gal. goldfish in addition to my rat and way to much accumalated STUFF! We're house hunting, but are stuck her for the time being and I'm running out of room for large cages.

However, we've been discussing and sketching plans for adding to this cage we're making for when we have the room to. My husband thought of using the tube as a connector tube to annex another cage, too LOL

The doors are fairly large. Can't say as I will be able to stick arm, shoulder and head in at once Mr. Green

but I'll be able to get both hands in up to my elbows, at least

I thought about a totaly hinged top, but for the upright endpieces we used the ends of a rolling kitchen caddy and they're curved at the top. The hardware cloth wasn't being to cooperative in rolling with the barrell shaped top. The door at the top turned out to be about 1/3 of the whole top instead. Still big enough to get hands in and out of, as well as the PVC tube for cleaning or removal.

The best (and easiest!) thing we did in this process was to use zip ties. It is SUCH a help holding that hardware cloth in place while measuring and bending and folding..... Its like having about a hundred extra helping hands Mr. Green

	Quote:
	Measure twice, cut once? Nah! With cage building, as you no doubt know by now, it's measure 50 times, mumble to oneself, consult an oracle, have a drink, make the first cut, and cry and bleed a lot.

How true, how true!!!! ROTFLMAO My hands look like I've been climbing through 5 miles of barbwire fence! And the ends of my fingers have been filed down to stubs. My husband's mumbling got quite loud on several ocassions, I was worried that the neighbors were going to pound on the wall.

I planned on adding a couple more water bottles, one on each level.
The detachable shelves will be added in later as I ran out of money. We made shelves out of the hardware cloth, clipped them into place with J clips and then I put adhesive backed tile over the hardware cloth. The pattern looks like a stoned paved path. I thought the irregular raised shapes and kind of stone like feel would make it easier for little rattie feet to grip.

Thanks for all the info, Kate, I appreciate it. I'm going to keep a copy of it for future reference.

Sun Jan 04, 2004 3:02 am

"By the way, about what age would a rat be considered geriatric?"

Oh, maybe 2 1/2, but I'm probably the wrong person to ask since my first rats lived to be 3 1/2 and didn't really act very geriatric til a little over 2 1/2; so I think it depends on the rat, as some age faster than others. Signs to watch for are the rat pulling itself along by the sides of the cage while going up ramps, a general slowing down in most activities, sleeping lots more, back leg degeneration, that sort of thing.

"I, my husband & 12 year old share a dinky 4 room apartment with a cat, a dwarf bunny, 2 degus, 2 -10 gal. fish tanks, 12- 1 gal betta tanks and a 2-gal. goldfish in addition to my rat and way to much accumalated STUFF! We're house hunting, but are stuck her for the time being and I'm running out of room for large cages."

Yikes! Mr. Green

Jeeze, I know what you mean about house hunting, too, we've been looking for 2 years now and no luck so far. Rolling Eyes

"We made shelves out of the hardware cloth, clipped them into place with J clips and then I put adhesive backed tile over the hardware cloth. The pattern looks like a stoned paved path. I thought the irregular raised shapes and kind of stone like feel would make it easier for little rattie feet to grip."

Great idea!

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Tue Feb 03, 2004 2:35 am

Hey all,

I put my inventive mind to work and came up with a really cool adaptor to connect 2 wire cages together safely and effectively!

I was going to buy the RUUD Martin's cage but I decided since I already have a really nice Martin's Knockoff, I would get the next model down and connect the 2.

1. Aquire wire cutters, and cut a 3 inch x 3 inch opening in the side of cage A and do the same to the side of cage B. Then get 4 Aluminum Docking plates for Aluminum flex pipe of the same measurements and the sandwhich each cage opening between 2 of the docking plates so the cut wires are safely hidden. Before sandwhiching the plates make sure there are 4 holes drilled in each plate for bolts so you can bolt them together for a sandwhich effect. After each cage has its docking plates installed, aquire a piece of aluminum flex pipe........3 inch diameter.......length dependant upon distance of cages. Just lock the pipe in place on each docking plate and PRESTO......cages connected!

Now obviously this will not work for all rats based on sizes and whatnot, but I will get some pics of this up once it is complete and assembled.

My folks think I should market it as a cage connector kit....

_________________
Matt & the Rats~~Rikku, Ayla, Miki, Yuffie, Teta, & Calamity!

Always~~ Luci & Elly Bear

Tue Feb 03, 2004 3:48 am

A-HA! I was just doing a similar thing for my mouse cages! Mr. Green

Only I can't find pipe small enough for mouses, so I bought some mouse pipe from one company and pre-made cage opening cover thingies from another, neither of which are supposed to be compatible, but heh, they don't know me and my perseverance!

Right now I have the Hagen cage and small wire cage connected by cutting a (mouse-sized) hole in the wire cage, edging the cut parts with door edging, butting one open end of the Hagen tube up against it, and securing that (cable ties!) with a collar made from the flexible plastic lid to a small butter tub in which I punched holes. *whew*

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Wed Feb 11, 2004 6:53 am

I"ve been pondering this for my two R695's forever now. I think I'm just going to cut squares in each side and connect them with a fat piece of PVC pipe (neighbor is a plumber so I have a huge supply at my fingertips). And then that way I still have 2 easily washable cages. It was that or combine them by stacking them, and I really prefer to keep them on the table so...the pondering continues.

_________________
Christy
RP Admin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Wed Feb 11, 2004 6:55 am

But how would you keep the pvc stable? I'd be afraid it would fall out after a while... I can't really picture it working Confused

*ponders along with Christy*

_________________

In memory of Riley, the bestest, most squishiest ratty anyone could ever hope for

Wed Feb 11, 2004 6:57 am

	Sparrow wrote:
	But how would you keep the pvc stable? I'd be afraid it would fall out after a while... I can't really picture it working ponders along with Christy

Well, that's what I'm still kinda trying to work out....

_________________
Christy
RP Admin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Wed Feb 11, 2004 7:23 am

	Quote:
	Sparrow wrote: But how would you keep the pvc stable? I'd be afraid it would fall out after a while... I can't really picture it working ponders along with Christy Well, that's what I'm still kinda trying to work out....

Which is why I think it would be better to cut a hole and just wire it together... make it one big cage with a doorway. I figure, I won't wire it so much that it'll be impossible to clean. Just a few twists here and there... but I'm too scared of it not working... the 2 cages would have been a waste of money... *sigh* I think I'll just wait it out until I can get my bookcase/dresser. I'm checking garbages constantly Mr. Green

_________________

In memory of Riley, the bestest, most squishiest ratty anyone could ever hope for

Wed Feb 11, 2004 7:27 am

Sparrow wrote:

Which is why I think it would be better to cut a hole and just wire it together... make it one big cage with a doorway. I figure, I won't wire it so much that it'll be impossible to clean. Just a few twists here and there... but I'm too scared of it not working... the 2 cages would have been a waste of money... *sigh* I think I'll just wait it out until I can get my bookcase/dresser. I'm checking garbages constantly Mr. Green

Well, I thought about doing that too, but due to the combined width of the cages if I put them directly together I don't have a litter pan long enough without having one specially made. I have been thinking about having one made of plexiglass and was quoted $100 for one. But then I have to figure out how to support the middle floor because it will sag in the middle! Boy would I love to have them both side by side, still removable from each other and with plenty of support! *ponders ponders ponders*

_________________
Christy
RP Admin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Wed Feb 11, 2004 7:31 am

Wait... I don't really understand... LoL- Why would you have to have a long litter pan? Why would the middle sag? I'm sorry... I can get a little dense sometimes, but could you explain? LOL

_________________

In memory of Riley, the bestest, most squishiest ratty anyone could ever hope for

Wed Feb 11, 2004 7:37 am

Hehehe...ok I will try to explain. This is my cage setup now (minus the stockings, it was Christmas):

My plan was to remove the right side of the left cage and remove the left side of the right cage and push them together to make one giant cage that can still sit on the table. However, the litter pans keep the cages from being able to push together because they are two seperate 2" high pans. In the photo the cages are already pushed flush together, and the litter pans are edge to edge but that still leaves a 3" gap between the actual cages since the cages sit inside the litter pans..see my problem? So I'd have to have one large pan that both cages can sit in together. And I don't think that middle level will be sturdy enough just connected to each other...and I need to find a way to connect them sturdily while still being able to take them apart as two seperate cages for cleaning. There is no way I could drag that whole thing around!

My other option is to stack them which would be very easy, but I really don't want to do that...I have to be difficult.

_________________
Christy
RP Admin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Wed Feb 11, 2004 7:52 pm

I LOVE the stockings!! That's SO cute!!

I'm still not sure you need a longer litter pan - could you not just create a tunnel bridge between the two cages?

If not, cut the adjoining sides off the litter pans and nail them both down onto a larger sheet of wood?

Wed Feb 11, 2004 11:04 pm

How about this...cut a hole in both cages at the same level, and get a tube and a square face plate to fit inside the cage, that will cover the cut wires. Make a similar square and tube for the other cage, with the tube for the second cage having a larger diameter than the first. The larger tube will fit over the smaller tube, and will help support the inner tube. You could have a sheet metal shop make this, or go here:

http://www.tapplastics.com/

And get one made of plastic. Use some bungee cords to hold the cages together.

_________________
Bob Ostrow, the maestro of delicatessenland!

Thu Feb 12, 2004 12:13 am

My friend connected three huge wire cages for her prairie dogs. Only she stacked them on top of each other. Hers had those little clips holding the wire together. She took all those off to remove the top of the bottom cage,a real pain, you'll need pliers for this. Then she used her wire cutters to cut a big square off to the side of the cage in the bottom of the next layer cage. Anything that was sharp she filed down smooth. Then she put the cage on top of the bottom one and put those thick plastic ties (can't think of what they are called) they are long and you put one end into a hole and pull and then you can't take it apart. Sorry. Any way she cut it off so the tie wasn't sticking out. Then she did the same thing to the top cage. She put ladders in for them climb up to the different levels. Then she duct taped a blanket on the ladder to make it easier for them to climb.

_________________
Rat lover forever!
Dianne

http://www.vlademier.net/Welcome
To all the rats who have touched my heart... I will love you forever.

Thu Feb 12, 2004 3:45 am

	RachelW wrote:
	I LOVE the stockings!! That's SO cute!! I'm still not sure you need a longer litter pan - could you not just create a tunnel bridge between the two cages? If not, cut the adjoining sides off the litter pans and nail them both down onto a larger sheet of wood?

Yes, I could do the tunnel bridge and probably will...I was just wanting to combine the two into one huge cage.

And I didn't really want to do too much cutting and stuff, especially not cut the litter pan, because I'd like to have 2 cages again if I ever happened to need them. Like I said, I'm being difficult and very picky.

_________________
Christy
RP Admin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Sun Feb 15, 2004 3:59 am

Ok, so just got done connecting the two cages together and decided to show these pics for anyone interested. There is also (of course) pics of the babies here too! Hope you like!

Here is the cages connected.

Here is the 2" Cold water PVC pipe (being specific for those who wanted to connect cages) that connects these two cages together!

Here is ALL three of them trying to drink out of ONE water bottle (there is more than one bottle in their cages). They were in a fish tank while I was connecting these cages and no water bottle for about 1/2 an hour, well OBVIOUSLY they think they were in the desert for a year, lol! Crazy ratties!

Here's silly Rizzo checking out the cage that he has never been in.

Here is the three of them in the fish tank awaiting the transport to the new cage!

Here's Talulah seeing what this thing is, they still haven't gone to the other side!

Here's Talulah, giving herself a bath after such a event happening, lol! Aint they CUTE!?!?!??!

_________________
Kalie, Rizzo, Talulah and Sierra

Sun Feb 15, 2004 5:05 am

Maybe you could try putting a few tasty treats on the other side of the PVC pipe on the side they haven't gone to. (Something that smells goood), or don't put it in the pipe, just put it in the new cage, and if it smells good enough to them, they may go on over.

BTW, your girls are gorgeous!! I'm a sucker for siamese ratties!

_________________
-Cori-

Sun Feb 15, 2004 5:08 am

Lol, I know its sooooooooo scary. I dont know what they are thinking, dont they want to run a lot more. Whatever they want to do is fine with me tho i guess.

Yeah wait till they get FATTER!!!! Then do it! Don't want any lose rats and have a rat epidemic as my co-worker says. Can you tell she doesn't like rats?!?!!??!??! Rolling Eyes

_________________
Kalie, Rizzo, Talulah and Sierra

Sun Feb 15, 2004 12:28 pm

Okay, Kalie, you MUST post very specific instructions about exactly how you managed that connection! It looks wonderful. What adorable babies.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Sun Feb 15, 2004 7:51 pm

Wait....Rizzo is a boy?!? And the others are girls? lol I'm missing something here.

I love those rat loaves you've got there!! lurve

_________________
Laura (aka RATLOVER47)
My boys: Pokey and Pepper

Rest in peace little Pipster. I miss you more than anything.

Sun Feb 15, 2004 8:19 pm

RatLover, no Rizzo is a girl, did i post that she was a boy? No all my babies are girls so I dont have to go to the vet EVER again, unless one of them gets sick.

Kate-Very simple thing that I did, I PROMISE! All you do is go get 2" PVC pipe (I got cold water, but there is DWV which is a bit more expensive, I have no idea what the differences are but they look the same, lol) and take some heavy duty wire cutters. Put the PVC pipe up to one cage and mark on the cage right up next to the pipe. Cut where you marked it, best if done by a permanent marker, with the wire cutters then see if the PVC pipe fits in there, if it doesn't fit, look at which wire is keeping it from going in. Then, from inside the cage push the pipe through the hole after all measured out and put it up against the other cage to where you want it to connect to. Mark this other cage with the marker and cut the other cage. Once again put the pipe through the hole, making maybe some adjustments to the wire. Then at each end of the pipe put couplers/unions on (your hardware store will know what they are, if you dont) so the pipe doesn't slide in and out and then your rats would have FULL reign of the house, lol. At one end I just put a coupler that looks like this.

At the other end I put one that is a 90 degree angle one, so it touches the groud, for the to slide out of if they want to. This is what this looks like.

And this is what it looks like in between the cages.

And this is what i looks like from inside the cage looking into the pipe. OMG theres a rat in there, lol. By the way that is Sierra playing in there, they LOVE it, they were actually all playing in it last night when I went up there to play with them.

Sorry for all the pics, but just wanted to make sure that you understood and all you other people that want to do this. If you have any ?'s just PM me!

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Kalie, Rizzo, Talulah and Sierra

Sun Feb 15, 2004 11:44 pm

love that last pic! I just couldn't see how you got the wider ends in without mangling everything, I didn't know about the couplers. Excellent since that protects them from getting to the cut edges of the wire.

I'm off to Home Depot.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Sun Feb 15, 2004 11:49 pm

That face peeking through in that last pic! Thud

Great job with cage joining - very effective!

_________________
Linda and the RMDs

Many have forgotten this truth but you must not forget it. We remain responsible forever, for what we have tamed.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Mon Feb 16, 2004 12:10 am

Kate, the couplers aren't on their so there is no wider part of the pipe, you put the fitted couplers on there after you have the pipe connecting it. IF you need any more help, just PM me or email me, I think thats in my profile!!

I know, i was surprised that Sierra just sat there, linda, most of the time she would run right to mommy, but i am sure that she was trying to sleep and thinking "get outta here mom, I am tired"

_________________
Kalie, Rizzo, Talulah and Sierra

Thu Mar 04, 2004 7:01 am

Well now that it's yard sale season, I'm going to be seriously looking for book cases and dressers to transform into cages. My only concern is with the wood. Will they chew it? If they do, will it be enough for them to get out? And if they do start chewing, is there something I can do to stop it?
Also, I'll be getting those sticky tiles to lay down on the floors, walls, and ceiling (just in case wink

), but will urine be able to soak in?

If this will end up being too much, I'm just going to splurge and buy the martin's R-699 cage. I mean, what's 200 dollars for a life of easy cleaning and spacious living for my ratties?

Although, if I don't have to pay 200 dollars, I won't wink

So what do you think?

_________________

In memory of Riley, the bestest, most squishiest ratty anyone could ever hope for

Thu Mar 04, 2004 9:12 am

My rats have never chewed their Grotto style cage. They chew the ladders, and the little ledges they have in it, but not the cage itself.

I love the fact that I can just get a bucket of soapy water and wipe the cage out. I use towels on the floors, and they soak up most of the rat pee. (If you have towels, you'll need at least two sets, obviously).

The only flaw I find in my cage, is the lack of places to hang hammocks etc. It's not too hard to drill a few more holes chuck in a couple of hooks and hang more stuff though.

The trap door is VERY handy too.

Best of luck.

_________________
Ree (#2) and her Rodents....
Brac, Quinn and Fagan <(^_^)>

Thu Mar 04, 2004 11:29 pm

my old timers are in one of those one level indoor rabbit cages. They were about thirty pounds from a wyevale garden center. they have a plastic bottom, a door at the front and a large door inj the top. or you could buy a tank? if they are not really climbing they don't need bars right??? My young girlies are in a tall terenzianni cage which I have converted for one of my oldies. The cage came with a removable wire bottom which I placed in the shelf slot so that only that bootom section is available. This also came in really handy when they were really little as they were a bit dense and kept falling down as they slept by the slope!!!

Tue Mar 16, 2004 7:52 am

I use an aquarium under the two cages as my "connector".

I've also heard of people using ferret tubes/tunnels to connect a couple doors, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

Tue Mar 16, 2004 8:17 am

I have not connected my Martins cage, but I have connected my two superpet cages. Maybe this can help give you some ideas.

Here are the two cages stacked one on top of the other. This way only uses one base tray.

Here is the current set up. The two cages are connected with a ferret tunnel.

Better view of the tunnel.

The tunnel can cause some problems. I had a similar set up in the past with two homemade cages connected by a tunnel. The rats I had in those cages constantly had dominance issues and control of the tunnel (only way to and from each side) became a constant battle. I have more rats in this set up than I had in the home made one and they all get along great. No problems with who controls access to each side of the cage. How well this works depends a lot on the personality of the rats involved.

_________________
paisley

Spike, Diamond, Elphaba, Rose, Octavia, A Cappella, & Nocturne

the cats: Trip & Phlox

the rabbit: Ripley

Tue Mar 16, 2004 9:53 am

Paisley, where did you get the white square panels?? I want some!

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Tue Mar 16, 2004 6:44 pm

Oh my gosh you all! What great cages!!
Paisley, did you use existing doors or cut them yourself? If you cut them how did you make the edges safe and secure the tunnel?

_________________
SweetPea, Fiona, Daisy, Ari, Buddy, Jake (and whichever babies don't get adopted soon!) Henry- we miss u.

Tue Mar 16, 2004 8:47 pm

	sylviaszoo wrote:
	Oh my gosh you all! What great cages!! Paisley, did you use existing doors or cut them yourself? If you cut them how did you make the edges safe and secure the tunnel?

I had both of the Superpet cages left from previous rats who could not live togther. One of the cages is an older style with small "doors" near the top on the short sides of the cage. Look closely at the second picture, just under the pink house. You can see some extra white wire. that is the open door. The other cage also came with pre-cut holes, but no doors. It came with a million feet of ferret tubbing that was supposed to wrap around the outside of the cage. Fun but too much work to take apart, clean, and put back together.

Superpet makes connectors that snap onto their cages (fit opening for open holes and small doors) and fit their tunnels. I know a lot of folks think this brand is hard to clean, but I find it easier than my Martins. Superpet makes all of their stuff modular, so redesign is easy. I could easily have 2 seperate cages again if needed and all the tunnels, shelves, etc. are interchangable.

When I did a homemade version of this, I was not as happy with the results. The tunnel was always a little loose on one end, and it was very hard to take apart and put back together. I always had to wait to clean cages until Nivek was home, because I could not do it myself.. I don't know if the Superpet connector would work on your cage (it does not fit my Martins), or if you could find something similar in the plumbing department.

Kate-

The pannels came with the cages I bought. I know that Superpet does sell replacement parts, so you might be able to order just the pannels. A quick tip: Their service people can not do anything without a cage style #. They have no idea what their cages look like. I once tried to order extra lid latch clips, and finally gave up (notice one cage lid is held on with office clips?) At that time, they only used one type of wire, so all clips would have fit all cages. I could not convince the service person to order them without the exact style number of the cage. Check out the ferret store, they have a bunch of their style cages with dementions listed. They do make a "rat sized" wire, but only in smaller dimensions.

_________________
paisley

Spike, Diamond, Elphaba, Rose, Octavia, A Cappella, & Nocturne

the cats: Trip & Phlox

the rabbit: Ripley

Wed Mar 17, 2004 11:10 pm

Here is an email I recieved from Martin's regarding connecting the two cages.. I think I will get some of those tunnels as mentioned above then also buy a few new doors from martins to have on the cages where the tunnels will be that way I can close them when not using them.. but.. I do like those end tunnel things too.. wow.. what CREATIVE members you all are!!

Quote:

Dear Kimberly,

Thank you for writing and inquiring about connecting your 2 existing cages.

We've helped quite a few customers with connecting cages. We have an many ferret owners who use tubes to connect two existing cages. We cannot supply the tube but we can certainly help you with the doors. Doors with door latches installed are $ 5.00 each.
A door liner would cost $ 1.00. It's best to purchase your tube first and know how large of an opening you need and we can match the doors up to what you need. We need to know the exact door opening size. We make the doors alittle larger to overlap.

The hard plastic tubes work nice. Rats may be able to chew their way out of a dryer vent tube.

We've also had customers change the top panel of their existing large cage and install the smaller cage on top of the larger cage. We suppy a 1/2" x 1/2" floor wire with ramp. The top panel of your larger cage is removed and replaced with the floor wire. The ramp will lead down into your cage. Your smaller cage is permanently installed on top of your larger cage. You will have an offset since the cages are not the same size.

A floor wire is $ 10.00. A ramp is $ 3.00.

Please let me know if I can answer any more questions for you or if we can be of any help.

Thank you!

Diana Martin
Martin's Cages, Inc.
Manufacturer of Quality Pet Cages
http://www.martinscages.com

_________________
Kimberly, rattie mommy to:
Tuff Rat, Baby Bruce , Leo, Junior, Frank and FLASH
Ratties in Heaven: Dreidel and Dippy
I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy. ~ Dory (Finding Nemo)

Thu Mar 18, 2004 10:41 am

I use 3" dryer ducting. It isn't pretty, and you can't really see them inside (so there's lots of possibilities for hiding), but it's cheap and it works really well. One 90 degree elbow costs $1.97 at Home Depot and the accordion flexible tubing is $6 for 8 feet. They can chew the accordion tubing, but it takes forever. I either cut a hole the size of the ducting or put the ducting through the feeding door of the birdcage. To secure it, I use a cable tie to tie the sliding door down as hard as it needs to be. To cover the holes (if needs be), I have bought a few cheap cages at thrift stores (that are generally too small for them anyway) and take them apart for their doors. Then, I can cobble those doors on as needed. I'm all about the cheap

Sarah

_________________
Sarah
Gus, Electra and Lillie (cats)
Artemisia Serendipity Timoune Paikea Eowyn (RIP) Nimue Chrysanthemum Mozart, Elizabeth
Ruby Sunrise, Angelina, Madeleine, Claudia, and the Angels

Thu Mar 18, 2004 3:49 pm

On an old rat cage I used to have some pvc pipe running from inside out the side at the top and down and back in at the bottom. I found that either drilling a hole in the pipe and putting a bolt on each side of the cage wire can hold it in place. Or you can drill a couple of small holes and thread plastic coated wire through then and twist it to secure it to the cage. Also some pipes have sockets or joints at one end that are wider than the pipe itself. If you thread that through from the inside of one cage if your hole is the right size it won't push through then you only need to secure one end.

_________________
Iain- mobile rat carrier and bed
Whendi- Delicious
JJ- Minxlet
Lister- Monkey
Stevie- The Wonder Rat
Zaphod- Wannabe Boss
Bart- Humungous - Angel rat

Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:07 am

There are three good plans here: http://www.ratfanclub.org/helpinfo.html

I used the cement tub plan, it's very big, it can house up to 5-6 rats and the materials cost about $50. A pre-made cage this size would probably cost at least twice that much.

_________________
"Hello, friends. I am a perfectly normal human worm-baby." - ZIM

Tue Apr 13, 2004 3:27 am

I'm currently building a home made cage of my own that's rather big (it's at least as high as the Martin's R-695) out of wire shelving unit. It's not yet finished, but here's what it sort of looks like

I'm using the instructions on the following website http://www.geocities.com/jmorneweck/camelot.html to build it. So far, it's only cost me about $30, but I still have to put the top on and add shelves inside so it might be a little more than that.

_________________
-----------------Oo~<>~oO-----------------
Leiana
The boys: Skunk and Ferdinand (Piggies)
Currently Ratless Sad

-----------------Oo~<>~oO-----------------

Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:04 am

I have a Martin R-695 (martins is well worth the price considering there quality and construction - http://www.martinscages.com/ ) I have also made 2 home-made cages. I made them out of wire fencing that you can find at like lowes, home depot, or a home inprovment store. Make sure it is metal, and if it is a different color besides silver, it will be a lot better protected against "the elements" of rats. Those rolls will cost under 10$ each for like a 5 foot by 3 foot roll. You will have to flatten the roll. Then you just cut those sheet in to 4 equal sides, and then once you have them put together like a square you can cut the peices off of the top to make a top. then you can put it in a plastic tub, or something else. ( It doesnt make sence, but you have to have some construction skills it should be easy esspecially if you are creative. If you are seriously interested you can e-mail me.)

~I hope I helped and remember to be creative!

_________________
~Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stella Yum

Rhiann

Aryanna

Liberty

Wed Apr 28, 2004 9:55 pm

This saturday I will be going to home depot to buy the materials I need to construct a rat cage of sorts. the entire cabinet will measure 3' wide by 6' tall by 2' deep. now, on the bottom will be a 2' tall x 3' wide x 2' deep storage area for food and bedding ect... like a mini cabinet. the top portion will be 4' tall x 3' wide x 2' deep (roughly 24 cubic feet of space) is that sufficient for 2 adult rats? mine are still babies.. but Im planning ahead. Thats my first question.

My next question is about in cage materials, The cage will be made of a nice stained wood, wana make it look like a nice antique cabinet or something. The inside of the cage like the walls I was thinking... some sort of linolium (do rats chew this?) (will the chew the wood walls?) Like can I just seal the wood? (Oak BTW) or should I put some sort of rat-proof lining in there? and what kind of walking surfaces do you suggest? I was thinking a mixed.. bedding on one level, powder coated wire floors for most maybe a tile level as well? Suggestions please!!! TIA!!!

-Jaysin

Thu Apr 29, 2004 12:20 am

According to the cage calculator, if the space is used correctly, that size cage can house 12 rats. I'd say it'd be PALATIAL for two

About the wood, my 10 girls live in four connected cages, one of which has a hutch as part of it and though they do chew it a little, it's not a real problem since I give them other things to chew (toys, Greenies, hammocks, etc). Be sure to post pictures once you're done so that we can all be green with envy.
Sarah

_________________
Sarah
Gus, Electra and Lillie (cats)
Artemisia Serendipity Timoune Paikea Eowyn (RIP) Nimue Chrysanthemum Mozart, Elizabeth
Ruby Sunrise, Angelina, Madeleine, Claudia, and the Angels

Thu Apr 29, 2004 12:06 pm

I believe melamite works well for cabinet cage shelves. Be sure to put a little "lip" on the edges tho, or the pee will run out

Wire is fine if it's the right size, 1/2 or smaller is fine (like martin's cages). If you're worried about their feet, put plastic canvas (for needlepoint) over the wire. That way pee will still go through, but it works just the same as a solid floor. I would suggest linolium on the walls and such. Get the sheet kind (not the tiles) and make sure it's attached well around the edges. Get lots of igloos, huts, hammocks and boxes for them to hide in

And mlescully's right, that cage will hold approx. 12 ratties

_________________
Rats~Janine, Madeleine, Cooper, Basil, Dolly, Kitty, Ilori, Theo, Elliot, Vladimir, Freya, Devi, Yoshimi, Nigel, Rosshalde, Faust, Tolkien, Caleb, Mira, Ivy, Nemo, Willow, Nikolas, Lucian & Linus
Mice~Molly, James & Will
Beardie~Cleo

Tue May 04, 2004 7:00 pm

Although I've built a large cage for our ickle rodents, I'm not happy with it, and am going to redo large parts of it...

I'm not sure about some of the materials I'm intending to use, and their suitability for this type of enclosure... These include:

- Glazing Acrylic - lifespan and toxicity if they can eat it...
- Aluminium - not good for humans - for rodents??
- MDF - being eaten
- brass - lifespan?

As this enclosure is going to be in our lounge, I'd like to have something aestheically pleasing, but far more importantly, fun for the rats!

Suggestions and comments on the above?

Many thanks

OJ

Tue May 04, 2004 11:17 pm

By your post I take it you're in the UK, so glazing acrylic would be something like polyurethane? Aluminium is aluminum? MDF = ?? ... some sort of wood like the compressed plywood we have here? Maybe with a coating?

For what purposes would you be using the metals, and in what form? That's an important consideration. Where would you be using the glaze? The can eat even dried glaze, of course, but you'd have to got to a manufacturer's website and research the properties of the dried compound vs the wet. I would hesitate to use the metals in any form, however. Even uncoated galvanized steel, which is a too-common cage material, is susceptible to corrosion and can be dangerous to animal health. I'd use only a powder-coated or vinyl-coated wire for cage purposes.

If you will post more details about your cage and its construction, perhaps we could be of more help. Also, somewhere in this cage forum is a long, merged post on cage contruction that will probably be helpful to you, I'm sure you can find it in a minute doing a forum search.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Wed May 05, 2004 3:55 pm

Acrylic is different to polyurethane, and is used in lab rat enclosures as it's so easy to keep clean. I know the rat health in those places isn't paramount, but if they use it, it seemed reasonable..

The MDF is used to build the base, sides and structure, and to be covered with metal 'pet mesh' (my mistake, not aluminium - yup same as aluminium!)

The basic structure is simple enough - would anyone be able to host an 80kb image showing the details of the cage??

I'm not sure what to make the shelves out of to ensure they don't get eaten...

Wed May 05, 2004 7:31 pm

I am partial to the storage cube cages. I built a cage big enough for 6 rats for about $40.00. I used the underbed storage container with wheels for the bottom and the flip top lid for the top. Unfortunatly all I can find in my town is the storage cubes with large holes so only my big boys and my one trained little boy can stay in that cage. I have 13 other little boys that will need a much much bigger cage soon so I am despiratly looking for the kids storage cubes with the smaller holes. Right now I have 7 five week old boys in a cage made for two adults and the same situation for 7 girls...well, theirs is big enough for 3 adults, and the 6 boys and 6 girls are only two weeks and with their momma so I have a little time to get them a cage done. I wonder how much it would cost to have one of you ship me a few boxes of those kids storage cubes? hmmm.

_________________
www.freewebs.com/perfect_pets_rat_rescue

Sun May 30, 2004 10:26 am

Victor..fabulous idea! I hope you don't mind that I'm basically borrowing it, plexiglass and all. I'd been looking for a way to connect my old cage to one or more new cages, and when I got two brand new prevue cages for $10 the other day..well, it was time. =)

I did make one small change. Since I had a considerable amount of space to span with the tubes (I have space for one on one side of my computer stand, and space for the other two on the opposite side), and three cages to connect, I bought a Super Thru-way ferret tunnel. It's -much- cheaper than it would be to buy five or six sections of the tunnel, and a few elbows, etc, it's flexible, you can cut it to fit, etc. It looks like clear dryer duct, and stretches out to be 20' long. Since the tunnel is fairly thin, I'm going to drill holes in the outside pieces of plexiglass and attach the tube to it with pieces of thin wire poked through that, then through the plexiglass, and twisted to keep it secure. Then, the outside pieces plexiglass will just be permanently attached to ends of the tunnels. You loosen the wing nuts and remove the tunnel, plexiglass and all, to clean it, clean the cage, etc. I'm also going to have extra plexiglass squares without holes for the tunnel, in case I need to cover up the opening again fairly quickly.

Hope that made sense. I know what I'm picturing, but I don't know if I wrote it out correctly! Anyway, another huge thank you for the idea, and I'll be sure to post pictures if it works out.

Oh, one last thing. Since the tunnel I bought is so flexible, I'm going to have to make a little shelf on the wall between the cages and behind my computer stand for the tunnel to sit on. This shouldn't be too bad, though. Just a few brackets and some wood, painted the same color as the wall!

Sun Jun 27, 2004 10:01 pm

Don't know if this will help you any, but I converted a bookcase into a rat cage. Have a look on my webpage, might help a little.

http://www.geocities.com/nanaki_xvii

_________________
Nanaki and the gang,
Pepper, Bailey, Willow and Truffles
Satan and Squeak
Ruby, Patience and Honey

My Angels
Monkey, Cookie, Nibbler, Mocha, Tia, Candy, Monty

http://www.geocities.com/nanaki_xvii

Thu Jul 01, 2004 6:52 am

Ps..i made my huge cage for approx $30 (cdn)

http://www.cavycages.com/

Thu Jul 01, 2004 7:34 am

Cool!

Wouldn't rats chew the coroform though and the links between the squares of wire?

Thu Jul 01, 2004 7:54 am

i don't know what it's called but u can buy it in stores like Staples Business supplies. It's a hard plastic edging that u would use if u made a book. Darn, i can't describe it well. Whatever it's called tho..it slips right over the edge of the coroform. I think they're relatively cheap so if the rat chews them, u can replace them. Maybe someone else will understand what i mean. It's just a long looking stick that u would slip the pages of a book in to hold them all together

Lisa

Sat Jul 03, 2004 7:55 am

I bought a bookcase made of mellamine (not sure of the spelling but it is white and waterproof) and added hardware cloth on wood frames as doors. Got the bookcase at Walmart for about $30. One suggestion is to brace each shelf and top and bottom with wood 1x1's cut to the width of the bookcase. Make sure you screw through the mellamine into the wood. The first one I tried collapsed before I finished. I was able to use it later to build a second add on cage. I used the grotto as an example too.

Tue Aug 31, 2004 1:28 pm

I used the grotto design as well to base mine on. the flooring on each level is linoleum. My kiddos don't chew, so it's worked well. In the boys' section, i put aspen or carefresh shavings on the very bottom level and they've trained themselves to use only that area to eliminate in. The top three levels is for the boys and the bottom two are for the girls, though only Isis is in there now until Orla is out of quarantine
Boys section:

girls section:

entire cage

_________________

Sat Sep 11, 2004 10:25 pm

Hi gang - newbie here.

I'm in the process of converting a cabinet. It's got a laminate-type coating and is particleboard underneath. I've been told that I need to be concerned about the potential toxicity of this material. I was thinking of lining the entire inside and all the shelves with mac-tack, which is your basic stick-on cabinet liner. I doubt they'll be able to chew any of the original cabinetry and they'll have lots of other wood to chew.

What do you all think? Do I need to be even more careful and sand that puppy down?

All your ideas have been super inspiring. Mr. Green

Fri Oct 29, 2004 9:49 pm

Hi. I'm new here. I appreciate all the info I've gotten from this forum. Thanks everyone.

I registered so I could post about making a cage. I made one, and it is a really good cage, so I thought I'd share how. I don't know how to post pictures though.

I made it out of the wire shelving you can get at Home Improvement stores, and zip-ties. It is 20" x 32" x 72". Then I used the shelving cut to 32" as the shelves inside the cage. They are either 16 or 18" deep, and there are 5 shelves and the bottom floor. Anyway this cage is very sturdy, so sturdy I was able to make the front panels competely open (I cut them in half, so I can open the top half, the bottom half, or both), which makes cleaning so easy.

It cost about $100 for the shelving, and another $30 for the plexiglass I used to line the shelves (since the rats couldn't walk on them) - though using Coroplast that would have only been about $10. Anyway, it's a great cage. I'll post pictures if anyone cares, and if anyone can tell me how.

And to introduce my rat boys, we have 5 - Wally and Templeton, who are about 8 months old, and three little boys still in quarantine I recently got from a feeder bin (I know, but I couldn't leave them to be snake food), named (by my kids - well, I named Scooby) Scooby, Blackie, and Silvery.

Anyway, hi, that's us, and I really enjoy your forum.

Lara

Mon Nov 08, 2004 12:06 am

My boys really need a new cage but we're on a really tight budget right now so I'm hoping to build a cage in a while. I was hoping to make one with the wire shelving (I've seen a few people with this type) So my question is where would I buy the levels for the cage? I want the level to stretch across the whole width of the cage and just have an opening for the ramp so do they sell ones like that? If not, I have some sort of thin sheet of wood laying around (I'm not sure if it's plywood... don't think it is) (it's really hard and smooth on one side and the other is kind of etched looking) Would this be ok? It's cheap and easily cut into the shape I want so it would be great if I could use it. Thanks for your input!

_________________
* Viia *

Bongo & ET: I'll miss you dearly, my precious little men Angel rat

Wed Nov 10, 2004 1:36 am

Mine is wire shelving - I used the 1/2" spacing, 20" wide, 72" long shelves; the sides are 1 shelf, 20" deep; the front and back is made up of 2 shelves, overlapped 8", so they are 32" total width; the height is 72". The shelves are held together with zip ties. The front is the two 20 shelves, each cut in half about halfway up, so the entire front opens up, or only the top or bottom half. (Makes cleaning very easy).

I then made the inner shelves (5 of them, plus the bottom layer) out of more of this same shelving - but only 16 or 18" wide, and the 1" spacing. I cut them to the width of the cage, 32", and zip tied them in (alternating them, so the rats don't have a potential 6' fall). Then I got some plexiglas like material cut to cover them.

The whole thing cost like $120 or $130. It's very sturdy, very roomy, and very easy to clean. I'd post a pic, to make it easier to understand, but I don't have a site to link pics to. I could email you pics if you are interested, just email me at larahaywar@aol.com. Make sure to title your email to me, if you do write, something like "rat cage", so I don't delete it unread. :-)

A big advantage of using the wire shelving is that it has those built in lips, and when they are ziptied together it makes them extremely stable, since they basically reinforce the corners.

Good luck.

_________________
Lara

2 dogs, Sniffy the beagle and Frankie the aussie
1 cat, Elizabeth the Empress
5 rats, Wally, Templeton, Silvery, Blackie, Scooby

Wed Nov 10, 2004 1:57 am

i built my own rat cage. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be and it ended up being very inexspensive and my 2 rats love it. I also used a under the bed storage container. It took me a while to figure out what I should use for the walls and then it dawned on me that I already had what i needed... I had one of those small animal playpens that I used for my bunny to keep her in a small area to teach her to use the litter box. She got big enough that she could jump over, so it pretty much was useless to me. When I got my rats i discovered that they could escape from the smaller cage that i had setup for them. So I took the panels from the playpen and used cable ties to
attach them to the top of my other cage so they couldn't climb out. Then it occured to me that if i spent 12 more dollars on another playpen I could use the panels to build a whole new cage. It is very sturdy w/ no sharp edges and couldnt be easier to build shelves! If you break it down as far as how much I spent ... it was 24 dollars for 2 playpen sets, about 6 dollars on the storage bin and a dollar for 200 cable ties. So for
$31 dollars I got a cage that is 28 in long 14 in wide and 19 in high. and thats w/ enough panel left over for 2 large shelves, a ramp, and one panel left over that i bent into a basket shape and hangs from the top. Big enough to house 2 baby rats! I'm sure I'll be spending another 12 dollars and be building up another level in the very near future!

Mon Nov 29, 2004 10:20 am

hi! i'm brand-new to this forum but DEFINITELY not to ratties. i've had rats nearly steadily for the last 16 years. however, i've never made a diy cage before, and while i'm VERY good at judging cage size in pre-fab cages, i'm no good at deciding on this cage. i've got a little brown hooded girl named madeline who's still pretty young, but will still probably not be too large when she gets bigger, as she's both female, and from a line of generally small females. i can produce pictures on demand. as any rat mama, i've got a billion. Mr. Green

anyhow...

i just realised that i have this POTENTIALLY AWESOME shelf in my garage. it's got 9 individual cubbyholes that are 9'' tall, 7'' wide and 11'' deep.

now, here are my questions in order of importance:
question one:
my plan is to put hardware cloth across the front and back of the top two/top two/bottom three cubbyholes on the right and leave the two on the left open for rat-related items, like food, dry treats, out-of-cage/backup toys, and bedding. then i would take the divider shelves entirely out of the bottom row, leaving a 9''x22.5x11/2227sq.in. space, and take the middle divider shelf out of the middle row, leaving a 9x14.75x11/1460.25sq.in. space, and then leave the middle shelf in in the top to make two little cubbyholes of 693sq.in. each. then, the obvious ramping and whatnot to make all levels accessible. this makes 4306.5 square inches altogether. however, considering how it's divided up, would this be a comfortable amount of space?
according to http://www.kristinewickstrom.homestead.com/files/PanelApplet.html (the cage calculator), if i clear out all three cubbies on the bottom for her to have as one big level on the bottom, it says that that is enough room for 0.65 rats to live in. 2 cubbyholes is 0.42 rats, and one cubbyhole is .2 rats. everything all added up, that's just over one rat worth of space, and she's a female from a line of small females, so she probably will take up a little less room than the average size the cage calculator is working off of.

SO...assuming that i'm still good to go after question one...
question two:
this has been out in my garage, is painted with god only knows what kind of paint, and has been used to store things like insect poison in granule form. i don't entirely trust the paint to be rat-safe, even once all the nastiness has been taken off. so what i think would probably work best is to sand the whole thing down, repaint it whatever colour i want it, and then re-sand the paint out of the areas that madeline will actually be living in. so this is actually a two-part question.
one: do you think that will be good enough? a double sanding ought to get rid of everything questionable, especially once it's been cleaned well.
two: i DO plan to make removable litter pans for the floor, but i know wood soaks up odors like nobody's business. what is something rat-safe that i can seal the wood with?

also, just for information's sake: if it ends up being big enough, i plan on cutting out large "windows" in both sides of the bottom level, the right side of the middle level, and the right side and tops of the top level, and then covering those in hardware cloth so she's got plenty of open air and sunlight getting to her! can't have her in a big gloomy dark cage, no matter how neat it is. plus, i plan on eventually connecting those holes to the most awesome rat run in the universe! yay.

thank you to -everyone- who could help me answer these questions, especially if it leads to miss madeline having the super ratty palace i hope will be big enough for her. wink

Tue Feb 22, 2005 7:22 am

I am keen on building a cage for my rats and have a few ideas but I'm not sure what to use for the wire walls of the cage. I have heard hardware cloth suggested but I worry it is too fine and scratchy for climbing comfortably. Any ideas for an alternative material? Can you get the nice stuff they make commercial cages out of?

Tue Feb 22, 2005 8:52 am

eaker, I found such stuff in a little mom and pop hardware store near where my mom lives. They call it "rabbit fencing," its mesh is 1"x1/2", it's exactly what Martin's uses for their cages. I took it in and had it powder-coated and now the extension I built looks very much like the rest of the cage(a Martin's Chinchilla High-rise). It's also much sturdier than hardware cloth, and I've no worries about it collapsing. I'd suggest you try to find it. I don't think I'd bother much with hardware cloth, especially if you intend it as a stand-alone cage, and whatever you get, I suggest you have it powder-coated, as I've heard that galvanized surfaces start to smell and that if they chew on the galvanized it can lead to zinc poisoning. Good luck

_________________
Sarah
Gus, Electra and Lillie (cats)
Artemisia Serendipity Timoune Paikea Eowyn (RIP) Nimue Chrysanthemum Mozart, Elizabeth
Ruby Sunrise, Angelina, Madeleine, Claudia, and the Angels

Sun Mar 27, 2005 12:49 pm

I'm building a new wire part for the cage. It is quite large measuring 90 cm x 60cm x 45cm. The only wire I can use is a 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch wire mesh. It is plastic coated. The wire does tend to be quite flimsy. It holds itself, but if you lean on it it dents. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for making it more stable. I was thinking of making two wire parts instead, each half of the cage, then cut a couple of holes in the middle section so my rats can run to the other side. Any other ideas?

Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:40 pm

pocket is getting on in years and is starting to stubble a bit around the cage. i could move her into a good sized tank rather easily but she would be alone which she hasn't done since she was ababy and didn't do well then. she started to go through depressoin until i brough home her sister lyiint from a friend that couldn't keep her any longer. so really i'd rather not take her from the others but i don't want her to get hurt either in that tower of theirs. is there a way that i could just make the cage safer for her?

this is what the cage looks like right now:

i'm 5'3 1/2" and i'm the one standing beside it.

and here's a closer look at what i've recently done to help pocket out by not making her jump so high. in the orange bottomed cage there's a little hamster home (came with the first cage) underneath the hole so she doesn't have to jump as far down or up too but it keeps getting pushed around and knocked over.

pocket still has the desire to climb striaght up but perfers to walk if she had the choice. where all the cages are so different in heights and distance to the next hole store bought ramps are rather useless. so if anyone knows how i could make one it would really help me out if you could share. other then ramps and stragically placed houses i don't know what to do. i really would rather not take her out of the cage away from the others until her final couple days as i'd rather her not try to commit suicide again.

after i put in the plastic canvas she seems to be eating better and hopefully gaining some of her weight better. i'm looking into weight building diets right now to try for her and nazumi.

any advice you could give on how to make the cage safer and more user frienmdly for her would be much appricated by the both of us.

_________________
mommy to:

1 human son: Corvis
1 feline son: Sesshoumaru
1 lost feline daughter: Snowball

Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:29 pm

a while ago i made a rat cage that is basically a wood frame with mesh wire stapled on. well, now it is starting to stinky (only 3 1/2 months old) i oviously need to build another rat cage but avoiding wood. but the problem is how do i build a cage without a wood frame? how will the mesh wire hold together with nothing to staple it too... and i doesnt bind and stay like that! maybe put it together with cage clips... but wouldnt i need a cage clip for every half and inch or so?

Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:33 pm

That's the trouble with wood. Sad

My guys have wooden chinchilla platforms and they get icky very fast.

You could used covered wood on a new one perhaps? Maybe with a laminate covering? Maybe there are some rat-friendly varnishes you could use?

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:54 am

I'm making a wooden rat cage (just worked on it for like 5 hours) and I'm putting some plastic board over it, and it's not nailed down so I can take it out to wipe it clean. I'm also going to have newspaper/bedding over that and all of my other levels to avoid the wood getting stinky fast.

_________________

God is like soap...Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?

Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:32 pm

any good ideas for latching and hinging doors on homemade cages?

Thu Apr 14, 2005 10:37 pm

Hmmm... C clips? at a push, strong wire twists? What's the frame made of? If its solid you could probably use proper hinges. Fastening it, I would again say it depends on how the cage is made. My cage has springs attached to hooks that keep it firmly shut, but I don't know if you could get something to do that.... maybe take a look around the hardware section of a store and see what they have, and what looks appropriate for the job!

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:17 am

	Christy wrote:
	Someone on RFC posted this and I thought it would be helpful for those of you attempting to build your own cages. The site is in German, but the pics are fantastic! http://www.rattenwelt.de/kaefig0.html

I went and had the page translated, heres the link

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.rattenwelt.de/kaefig0.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.rattenwelt.de/kaefig0.html%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

If this one doesn't work or load right try this one

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rattenwelt.de%2Fkaefig0.html&btnG=Google+Search

_________________
Loving Arms Rattery (LOVE)

Home of the sweetest rats on earth!!!

http://www.freewebs.com/loving_arms_rattery/

Sun May 22, 2005 9:56 pm

There are small animal playpens currently at my Wal-Mart store for $10 each, and I had the idea of using them to build a cage, by using 2 of them. (Of course if I didn't build the cage and just used my aquarium still, the rats would have a nice large play area with them.) Can that be done? I would think it would be fine.. the panels are a good size.

EDIT: I built it! Seems like a nice size. I was so surprised how high it got to be.. 26"! I'm hoping to possibly make it larger, if I redo it at a later date. For now the boys really love all the climbing space. ^_^

_________________
Happy New Year from Myself, Dumbledore, and Harry!

Wed May 25, 2005 7:47 am

I was wondering if anyone has had any luck combining two Martin's cages of the same size. My girls currently have an R-670, which is getting too cramped for the big girls, so instead of buying a whole new cage, we've decided to buy them ANOTHER R-670 and combine it with our current one. Now, I want them to end up as a single cage, so just cutting room for a tunnel wont' work.

These are the three options we have for combining the cage...

1) Stack the second cage on top of the first cage. This will give them a lot of room to climb (which they love to do) but will make it easier to fall (though I'll take precautions, of course), and will also not be as good for them as they age.

2) Attach the cages side by side. This will give them lots of room to spread out sideways, but won't add any height for climbing. On the bright side, they'd have enough room for their igloo to go back in their cage (it sits outside at the moment during the day for hoarding purposes because I decided they didn't have adequate floor space). The ceiling in our room is also short, and doing it this way would keep us from having to find a shorter table to put their cage on.

3) Attach the cages front to back. This gives spread out room like #2, but would make their cage floor a lot roomier instead of just wider. This would also give me a nice open space in the center with the way I would attach it.

I should point out that #2 and #3 would require me to mutilate their plastic trays. Has anyone done that? I'm a little nervous since the plastic is so thick, but we have lots of tools here, and I'm sure it could be done. Though I'm not really sure what we'd reconnect them with (though duct tape comes to mind!).

So, any opinions on which of these would produce the happiest ratties?

_________________

Wed May 25, 2005 5:48 pm

I would like some suggestions on building a corner cage for my girls. I already have a bit of a plan worked up, but it seems to not be big enough for my 7 girls. I will see about getting a picture into the computer of my drawling, but no garuntees.

I also would like to know what the experiances have been with wooden cages. What do you use, or what do have in them to keep the smell factor at bay???

_________________

Wed May 25, 2005 6:07 pm

Well never had a wooden cage myself but I did read somewhere that wood would soak up rat urine and would be contenuasly stink ( spelling?).

Wed May 25, 2005 6:45 pm

well.. I have read that useing killz primer is good to seal it and to also use calk... I'm still reading past posts..... I'm still in the beggining stages and am looking for some pointers!

*EDIT*

Here's the Basement and Level #1....

I do have the shelves and open part mixed up in the picture for level #1. I will have the shelves on the right hand corner.

And here's Level #2....

One more thing... I'm also considering wheather or not I want the cage to be all open, or if I want the back 2 sides to be a solid peice of wood board. I think that the pricing of this total build will depend on what I use. Still.. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

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Sun Jul 24, 2005 9:30 pm

Hi, I'm Savannah, I'm new here. I have two female rats, a Champagne Hooded(Chancey), and a Black Variegiated(Gypsy). I'm getting two more female rats in late August. My current cage is only big enough to house two rats. I'd like to Custom Build a cage. does anyone have any instructions or ideas? My mom thought of a cool idea, she called it a 'Rat Condo'. She said we could buy all kinds of bird cages and line em up and stack them and connect them with pvc pipes. i thought it was a pretty cool idea. any other idea suggestions? Thanks

Sun Jul 24, 2005 11:40 pm

Welcome to RP.

Have you read through this thread and viewed the cage gallery? There's loads of ideas! Custom built cages are nice but can require a lot of work and time. Bird cages would work as long as you add in some type of shelving (baskets, wood, wire, etc). My girls love PVC so I'd definately recommend some of that! wink

_________________
--;[Dannie/]
Ratties: Kina, Cessi, Nerissa and Dare

Sun Jul 24, 2005 11:48 pm

alfeoandbeppe, welcome to RP.

Like Dannie said, there's lots of ideas here in this thread, and also check out this post for the cube cage that she's just built. wink

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Mon Aug 22, 2005 11:28 pm

Hi all I have a 3 shelve cabinet that I want to make into a rat cage. I was wondering, it does have a solid back but would I need to put wire down so they can't chew out? or could I just put it in the front of the "unit" Thanks!

Tue Sep 20, 2005 5:08 am

I make a grotto for my rats and they love it! My only suggestion would be to use waterproof paint and to cover all levels with some of the kitchen-type flooring that comes in the big rolls. The flooring gets chewed eventually but it sure takes hours out of weekly cleaning time because it is removable and easier to clean than painted wood. Make sure to get the 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch wire instead of 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch because it is a lot easier to make it stay in the shape you want since it is a bit thinner. Plus, another good thing, the rats will no longer be able to put thier hand out and pull your favorite sweater in for a chewing session...lol...we've all been there! Accidents happen. Good luck with the cages!

_________________
Loving Arms Rattery (LOVE)

Home of the sweetest rats on earth!!!

http://www.freewebs.com/loving_arms_rattery/

Thu Sep 29, 2005 12:41 am

Yeah so i just finished my cage and its really cool, but the problem is my 2 ratties find that the braces holding in my removable panels are very tasty and like to take little nibbles at them. what could i do to prevent this? thanks

Thu Sep 29, 2005 2:42 am

Prevent them nibbling by finding braces made out of metal...

I've discovered that once a ratty has it in his (or her) head that it wants to chew something into oblivion that it will ALWAYS suceed....

Thu Sep 29, 2005 8:56 am

would nailing sheet metal over it work? cus its all custom made and all, impossible to get metal stuff like that. also since the floors are made of wood, which are shelac'd what would be a good thing to put over that? i heard of those thin kitchen tiles but i was thinking something like a piece of carpet? whats you're thoughts on this?

Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:57 am

For floor covering ideas, see http://www.ratpalace.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3871

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Wed Oct 12, 2005 12:07 am

I bought a cage with 1 inch wire spacing on Saturday (the same one I talked about in the wire spacing sticky.) So I went to Home Depot and got this plastic screening called "Pet Screen" and I attached it to the outside of the cage with plastic ties and wire.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/killinjoke/cagetop.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/killinjoke/cageright.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/killinjoke/cageopen.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/killinjoke/cageleft.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/killinjoke/cagefront.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v346/killinjoke/cageback.jpg

I admit, after 4 hours straight of work, it looks nice (it looks better in person), but I never want to do that again LOL

Making the doors openable was the biggest pain.

Mon Oct 24, 2005 3:33 pm

This weekend, I spent a few hours putting this plan together, based on both the "Grotto" from The Dapper Rat and my girls current cage.

I'm very proud of it Mr. Green

because I never took technical design in school, and I think it looks quite professional (please excuse me being vain Embarassed

but I really am proud of it, lol)

The link to the RASCALS page or the direct link to the .pdf file - last link needs Adobe Acrobat Reader.

_________________
Tails and her RAM byting Rats
Linux & Apple Mac
Angel rat

Maxie & Pepper

Mon Oct 24, 2005 9:15 pm

It does look really nice! And your site is really well organized.

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Tue Oct 25, 2005 12:01 pm

*gets all puffy proud* Thanks Ellie's_girl!!! Mr. Green

_________________
Tails and her RAM byting Rats
Linux & Apple Mac
Angel rat

Maxie & Pepper

Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:28 am

My mom said that if I build a grotto style cage my self, she will pay for it, and if I build it in time, Raoul wont have to live in a 10 gallon aquarium.

Does anyone have any advice for building a small grotto style cage?

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Wed Oct 26, 2005 12:17 pm

Hmm...how about modernising my plans to have only the one door and not both levels? Then you could just add a whole bunch of platforms, tunnels, hammocks, and ladders. And you'd still have the storage space. I havent looked through all the posts in this thread, but I'm sure there's also a small design somewhere around here

Good luck, and when you're done, you better post pics

PS: If you use my designs, and something isnt clear, just ask and I'll be happy to help

Also, there is a pic of my cage in the gallery called The Rookery Nook Mr. Green

_________________
Tails and her RAM byting Rats
Linux & Apple Mac
Angel rat

Maxie & Pepper

Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:40 am

Hi!
I've been looking around at all the home made cages people have, and it's inspired me to design my own. I have a wee case of MGMR hehe and plan on adding a few females to my menagerie next year, and hopefully breed a few good litters.
Anyway, here's a link to my concepts, let me know what you think!
http://www.freewebs.com/ratpatch/cageconcepts.htm

They look a bit funny unless you view them full sized.
Happy viewing!

Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:57 am

I have been put on a very strict budget for the cage, so what I did was move all of the books on my bookshelf to the 2 long shelves above my bed, and instead of going and making the entire cage, I will jsut get the melamite levels. It will wind up having 3 floors (including the base one), but no storage space.
I was wondering if I could attach a 2" high 2.5' long (the book shelf is about 2.5' long), so that I could put littler on the base level.

My major problem is that I jsut can not figure out how the door/hinges would attach.

Also, if you cut out part of the shelf so the rat can get on it, wouldn't it unbalence the shelf if you cut out part of the corner?

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:18 am

Anyone: If you have the money, here's a link to a thread in the mouse forum on having polycarb (plastic) stuff custom-made:

Something from there could always be incorporated into a self-built cage. I've always thought a cage combined of both wire and plastic would be the best of both worlds. If I ever have an extra thousand bucks lying around (LOL) I will build the most awesome wire-&-plastic cage in the universe.

_________________
Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Wed Nov 09, 2005 11:21 am

	Ellie's_girl wrote:
	Also, if you cut out part of the shelf so the rat can get on it, wouldn't it unbalence the shelf if you cut out part of the corner?

Well, what I did was use one of those plastic corner brackets (they hold 4 screws) and I attached that just at the edge where the little access hole was cut...erm...a little hard to explain, does it make sense??

_________________
Tails and her RAM byting Rats
Linux & Apple Mac
Angel rat

Maxie & Pepper

Thu Nov 10, 2005 2:42 am

Sorry about starting something in the middle of your conversation, but I was wondering if I could use this bookshelf that we just cleared.

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Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:32 am

Yeah, I am sure that it would be fine Sarah. The one I used is a little smaller, but it should work the same.

Tails, I know what you mean. I cut it kinda in the center, but not so far back that it colapses.

_________________
Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Thu Nov 10, 2005 11:29 am

Oooh! I just love all this big-cage building!! All the spoiled ratties!! Mr. Green

_________________
Tails and her RAM byting Rats
Linux & Apple Mac
Angel rat

Maxie & Pepper

Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:09 pm

Hi guyz,
I have a really big cage that my past rats have loved however it's a bit of a nightmare to clean as it's so big! I was thinking before I get my new ratties that perhaps it would be better if I had a pull out tray at the bottom to empty and clean. I have added the link to show u which cage I have, if anyone has any ideas of how I could improve it to make cleanin easier then please post- thanks alot!

http://www.animalinstinct.co.uk/item1467.htm

Mon Nov 14, 2005 5:20 am

Hi Cherrie - I bet they love that!

Can you get it out into the garden, or into the shower? With the bigger cages, it's definitely helpful to be able to spray it with water when cleaning it, but scrubbing all those bars always takes some time. I generally leave on the cleaning stuff for a few minutes to help get everything clean, and spray it a LOT. Toothbrushes are good for awkward spots.

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Fri Dec 16, 2005 11:28 pm

So, here's a question for you:

I currently have an R-690 for my three girls. Given the choice, would you:

1. Get a customized R-670 from Martin's to attach to the top and make an "R-694 Mini-Ruud," or...

2. Say "screw it" and get an R-695, giving the 690 to a local rescue organization.

Any thoughts?

_________________
-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

Fri Dec 23, 2005 8:35 am

Are you planning on getting more ratties in the near future? If not, I would go with #2. If you are, it would depend how many. More than 2, I would make a "Mini Ruud". 1 or 2, I would give it to a rescue.

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Rosie

* * *

I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:12 am

I've actually decided on "none of the above," as a local ad showed up with a family that has ferrets but can't keep them anymore for financial reasons, and is willing to part ways with their Martin's FNE-480 New Englander--which will fit rats just fine with its 1"x1" mesh.

I may not be able to donate the current cage after all, however. My sister, after tonight's Petco episode, has decided that she wants rats of her own, and it going to work on our parents. I support her 100% if she wants a couple and will take care of them (and if she doesn't, she knows I will, and she will not get off easy if I end up taking care of them), so the cage may go to her after all.

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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

Sat Jan 14, 2006 1:53 am

I just wanted to mention that if you can't find a reasonable sized cage for your rats and you suck at building things (like me) you might want to check out some bird cages. I recently bought a large birdcage at a used pet store and the rats love it...but I'm still working on it. It doesn't have a second level but right now I have a hammock hanging up there. The rats love climbing all over the cage

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~*Allie*~
Puppy: Pepper (my big suck) Kitty: Kitterz
Birdie:Mehico aka.Cheeky
Ratties: RIP Penny...i miss you pretty girl <333
Peaches n' Cream..2 bRATS
Jibroney!! --new rescue rat

Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:15 am

I was wondering if anybody had any ideas of how to add more shelves to my cabinent . . .

As you can see we already have one shelf with two ramps for the ratties to get from the bottom to the top. But we did that when we first got the cabinent and it was a pure and utter pain.

Soooo. So I was wondering if you guys had any ideas of how to add shelves to the walls without any use of major hardware. (ie power tools and such).

Mon Feb 06, 2006 11:37 am

You could hammer a strip of wood into the inner side of the walls, then nail the shelf to the piece of wood strip...does this make sense? lol

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Tails and her RAM byting Rats
Linux & Apple Mac
Angel rat

Maxie & Pepper