Things I recommend...
♡ Large metal cage with 1/2 inch spacing between bars.
Critter Nations are my favorite. (Not to be confused with Ferret Nation) They are so easy to clean and the cage opens right up. 3 tier rat cages also do the trick. Make sure to get 1/2 inch spacing because rats are very good at fitting through small areas. Bars are perfect exercise for rats to climb. Check craiglist for use rat/ferret cages. Do NOT use aquariums as a permanent home! Even large aquariums will cause rats to get upper respiratory infections! Pictures below!
♡ Litter Training
Yes your rats can be litter trained! With some time and patience. It makes cleaning the cage so much easier!! Also cuts down on cost of bedding! I personally use newspaper cat litter (Fragrance Free, fragrances ones will hurt their noses) You can buy Yesterdays News or ExquisiCat Naturals Paper Litter. They also sell a Ferret Brand but I find that its just the same but much more economical to buy in bulk for a few dollars more. *Check out the How To Litter Train Your Rats Youtube Video below :)
♡ Lab Block Rat Food
Not only is it so much less of a mess to clean up, it is so much better for a rats health. Lab blocks with a mix of fruits, veggies, etc. Rats like children will eat their favorite parts of a mix food and leave the parts they don't like as much. Most of the time that is the vital part of their nutrition.
Rat Kibble VS Block Food article
♡ Hammocks
Rats love to sleep in hammocks! They are comfortable and easy to throw in the washer. (Always use fragrance free laundry detergent) They also can come in very cute designs to help jazz up your rat cage. Many people make and sell them on www.Etsy.com but my favorite shop would have to be WorldTrade89. They sell sets of hammocks. They even have a Giant Set which is better for rats when they are full grown. Its easy to make your own. They have no sew videos on youtube. Scroll down for pictures of Etsy hammocks.
♡ Fleece Cage Liners
Fleece is soft, washable, and it doesn't fray. It's much more economical to reuse the same bedding rather then buying CareFresh or Pine bedding over and over. The pine shaving isn't good for long term use because its not good for their little noses. Just go to JoAnne fabric or Hobby Lobby (when they have 50% off sale) and get a few yards of fleece then when you get home cut it to the size of your cage. Use large binder clips to keep the fabric in place. Its good to put a few layers because rats like to tunnel. So they will tunnel under the first layer. Plus it keeps them warm when they are a little colder. Its also a really fun way to jazz up your cage because there are so many different designs to choose from. Its normal for the rats to chew it up over time. I usually layer the new fleece blanket under an old fleece one. Changing the fleece once to twice a week depending how many rats you have. I usually shake it off outside and throw it in the washer on HOT. (Always use fragrance free laundry detergent)
♡ Bedding for Travel Cage
I prefer CareFresh Bedding if I need something to use for a quick trip to the doctor or if I need to put them in the travel cage to clean the big cage. It's exorbitant and comes in lots of cute colors.
More to come...
Critter Nations are my favorite. (Not to be confused with Ferret Nation) They are so easy to clean and the cage opens right up. 3 tier rat cages also do the trick. Make sure to get 1/2 inch spacing because rats are very good at fitting through small areas. Bars are perfect exercise for rats to climb. Check craiglist for use rat/ferret cages. Do NOT use aquariums as a permanent home! Even large aquariums will cause rats to get upper respiratory infections! Pictures below!
♡ Litter Training
Yes your rats can be litter trained! With some time and patience. It makes cleaning the cage so much easier!! Also cuts down on cost of bedding! I personally use newspaper cat litter (Fragrance Free, fragrances ones will hurt their noses) You can buy Yesterdays News or ExquisiCat Naturals Paper Litter. They also sell a Ferret Brand but I find that its just the same but much more economical to buy in bulk for a few dollars more. *Check out the How To Litter Train Your Rats Youtube Video below :)
♡ Lab Block Rat Food
Not only is it so much less of a mess to clean up, it is so much better for a rats health. Lab blocks with a mix of fruits, veggies, etc. Rats like children will eat their favorite parts of a mix food and leave the parts they don't like as much. Most of the time that is the vital part of their nutrition.
Rat Kibble VS Block Food article
♡ Hammocks
Rats love to sleep in hammocks! They are comfortable and easy to throw in the washer. (Always use fragrance free laundry detergent) They also can come in very cute designs to help jazz up your rat cage. Many people make and sell them on www.Etsy.com but my favorite shop would have to be WorldTrade89. They sell sets of hammocks. They even have a Giant Set which is better for rats when they are full grown. Its easy to make your own. They have no sew videos on youtube. Scroll down for pictures of Etsy hammocks.
♡ Fleece Cage Liners
Fleece is soft, washable, and it doesn't fray. It's much more economical to reuse the same bedding rather then buying CareFresh or Pine bedding over and over. The pine shaving isn't good for long term use because its not good for their little noses. Just go to JoAnne fabric or Hobby Lobby (when they have 50% off sale) and get a few yards of fleece then when you get home cut it to the size of your cage. Use large binder clips to keep the fabric in place. Its good to put a few layers because rats like to tunnel. So they will tunnel under the first layer. Plus it keeps them warm when they are a little colder. Its also a really fun way to jazz up your cage because there are so many different designs to choose from. Its normal for the rats to chew it up over time. I usually layer the new fleece blanket under an old fleece one. Changing the fleece once to twice a week depending how many rats you have. I usually shake it off outside and throw it in the washer on HOT. (Always use fragrance free laundry detergent)
♡ Bedding for Travel Cage
I prefer CareFresh Bedding if I need something to use for a quick trip to the doctor or if I need to put them in the travel cage to clean the big cage. It's exorbitant and comes in lots of cute colors.
More to come...
How to Litter Train Your Rats
Rat Cages
Doesn't hurt to check Craigslist!
Doesn't hurt to check Craigslist!
Single Unit Critter Nation
Critter Nation is my favorite brand of cages for rats!!
This is a great cage for 2-5 rats! Depending on which gender you own. Very easy to open up and clean! Trays come out and you can even buy metal trays to use instead. There are also scatter guards they make to fit the cage. Youtube review! |
Double Unit CritterNation
Great cage if you have more then 4 or 5 rats! You can buy a Double Unit Critter Nation or you can simply buy the add on to a single you already own.
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Tier Rat Cage
Simple Tier Rat cage. You have the squeeze the cage to pull it out of the the bottom pan. Its nice because the bottom is metal but I want replace the cage and buy an add on for my Single Unit Critter Nation soon. No more then 2 rats. |
Hammocks from the Etsy Shop!