Best Rat Cages Buying Guide for 2020

Hello everyone this is shun to the rat and now that I’ve finished with my medium introduction cage because the rats have moved on to the large cage I thought it would be interesting to use it to show you guys how I set up a rat cage so here we have my medium cage as I said and I’m just going to show you guys exactly how I go about doing this so to start I always put in some bedding I know some people use fleece but I personally use yesterday’s news as my bedding so I’m just going to go ahead and put that in the couch right now okay so after I have the bending of the cage I consider what I call my rat essentials and these are basically the items that I think are the minimal stuff that you should have in a rat cage this would include some sort of high that the rats can sleep in that will go on your ground level so something like this here the next thing I would include would be something like a or something that pains so for example here I have two spider hammocks and I can just put some fleece in them after that you have your customary food so here you see I am a food hopper dish thing this is actually for birds it’s really cool and then after that it would have to be water bottles like these and then I would include some sort of toy it can be a foraging toy or just some sort of play toy so for example I would consider a PCV pipe to cover this or some sort of foraging thing like a bird toy or a hanging kabob or whatever this is just the minimum of course I’m going to be putting more but I just thought I would cover exactly what I mean by the rat essentials before going on so to get started I am going to be putting stuff on the bottom of my cage you can see the way that this cage is made I kind of have to take off the top in order to put and so I’m going to put this in there first this has a cold cut out in it and it’s perfect for the lats to sleep I know my rec room really likes to sleep in underground stuff like that so I’m definitely going to keep that in there the next thing I have is some sort of house again this is the house just going to put that right on top this house here is just for them to sleep inside I can put some maybe tissues in there to make it softer and easier to sleep on the next thing I want to do is put some other toys in there I’m not going to get to the hammock stat because like I said I don’t really have a bad catch them until I put the cage top one so I’m going to put my space pod in the cage and I’m actually going to put some belts inside this first so here you see I have a piece of felt I’m just going to fold it up put it inside the space pod so they have something nice to you sleep on just right inside like that and I think I’m going to put the space pod all right next thing I want to put in there is this PCB pipe I think these are really fun for the rats oh I definitely want to have one in there maybe Ali will just do something like that so the next thing I’m going to put in there is this tube thing when you put that right there so now I’ve kind of covered the basic level area however I need to leave some space for our food and water of course so now I’m going to put the hammocks in the cage so the first I have to put on the top of my cage here you can see it’s very well just like that and now I’m going to go ahead I put stuff in the cage so the first thing I’m going to put in there is this pink thing it’s just going to act as the second level of sorts I’m also kind of like a hammock and I’m going to put some fleece over it launched and it’s this belt in order to make it more comfy for the rats to stand on okay so the next thing I’m going to put on will be this wire shelf okay so now I’m going to put in the rats water and food so I’m going to be using a large hammock for this each this time just want to put that in okay so here’s an overview of the cage and as you can see I was able to fit in some more stuff including this a bird hammock Hut thing over here and this chewing kebab so as you can see I’ve covered my rat essentials I have the house actually I have several of them I also have some hammocks I have the water I have food and I have many different things as enrichment too but down here I have this kabob I have some levels altogether it’s a pretty good cage so as you notice this is a very stuffed cage I pretty much taken up every single open spot in this cage and the reason for that is because well rats are prey animals they really enjoy having lots of hidey holes and lots of places to hide and they actually feel a lot safer in a cluttered area that’s why I always recommend cluttering your cages as much as possible I know it doesn’t look maybe that pretty but it does a really good job in terms of keeping the rats happy and active so yeah I’m going to put my rats in here and then I’ll show you what they look like as they explore I’m just going to close it so they bumped it out on me so yeah you can see they’re exploring they’re going to enjoy themselves and that is really all that matters so this isn’t actually their permanent cage however it is a decent sized cage I was using it for introductions and as I was saying it’s much easier for me to show you how I decorate a smaller cage which is why I’m using this one so yeah hopefully this gives you guys some ideas on how to decorate your own rat cages after this I think I’m going to show you some clips of my completed cages and how they’re decorated so yeah I hope you guys enjoyed this video and I hope it gave you some ideas on how to decorate your cage if you guys would like more rat care tips or rap trick training tips feel free to visit my website.

Hey guys, It’s the rat guru you may have already seen the giant double flight cage that I just made for my girls and while bigger cages are great I do also have a few older girls over the age of 2 who have more trouble getting around than the younger girls so I decided to set up a little retirement cage for them so they don’t have to struggle with climbing or being stuck sleeping at the bottom of the cage all day since this cage is relatively small compared to my other cages I thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to make a video tutorial on how to initially set up a rat cage if you need to know what kinds of things you’ll want to put in your rad cage please watch my video on rad cage accessories and then come back to this one this is my custom Martens rat skyscraper cage and as you can see I pulled out all the wire shelves and ramps because I just can’t leave anything alone and I have to give all of my cages their own little guru Flair before you start setting up your cage get a general picture of how you would like your cage to look I have a little rule that I made up which is the fun vs. cozy ratio rats enjoy sleeping very high up in their cage it makes them feel like they’re safely out of reach from predators therefore it’s best to have more places to hide and sleep towards the top of the cage and more fun things like toys ladders and food and water towards the bottom of their cage so higher is more cozy and lower is more fun and remember rats love stuff the more crowded and cluttered your cages the more your rats will love it first if you have any wire levels they will need to be covered you’ll want to do this first so that nothing is in your way place the material down strategically I’m putting the thick cardboard near the middle of the level because this is the area that will see the most foot traffic next I’m adding some newspaper to cover the remainder of the space if you’re placing newspaper down you may run into an area that is just barely too narrow for the newspaper to lay flat if this happens fold the newspaper and then flip it over with the folded side down now you’ll need to secure the material down so the rats don’t wind up throwing it all around the cage you can use mini clamps or binder clips to secure the sides down and make sure to secure the entire perimeter of the level if you’re using multiple layers of newspaper or cardboard you can use standard packing tape to hold it down in the middle packing tape is cheap and it’s safe for rats to chew now you’ll want to start adding your cage accessories it’s important to add larger items first so you know there’s enough room in the cage for them and you won’t have to move things around I personally like to add the hammocks first since they will need to be removed and replaced more often than anything else in the cage that way I know there’s always enough room for the hammocks and the other accessories will not be in their way when hooking your hammock try to align the clips as best as you can so the hammock will not sag or lay crooked once your hammock is in place use your hand to push it down gently to test it out this way you know that it all your rat’s pile into it at once it’s not going to collapse when adding more hammocks try to place them close enough together that the rats could easily climb between them also having hammocks that lay higher or lower than each other is great because it lets the rats choose how high up they would like to be if you want to hang your hammock using plastic shower rings open the ring with one hand while holding the loop of the hammock open with the other hand slip the ring through the hoop and then slip the ring around the bars of the cage gently close the ring by squeezing it together with your hand now you can start adding levels such as shallow baskets try to place your levels in convenient places for the rats for example this one is being placed just under a hammock so the rats can easily access the hammock from the basket secure the basket using zip ties fish your zip tie through the bars of the cage and an opening of the basket then bend the zip tie and fish it through the other side make sure to pull tightly to keep it securely in place now do the same thing with the opposite side making sure the basket is level and not lopsided or tilted after that you can begin placing more zip ties through the middle or the sides of the basket to ensure it won’t fall and it’s less likely to be chewed down if your basket is a little flimsy you can make a chain out of plastic shower rings to hold it up this will help keep the basket level as well as adding weight distribution to ensure that it won’t be damaged as the wraps jump on it and sit on it push the basket down with your hand to see how much give it has if it seems secure you’re good to go to check if your basket is at a good height you can use your hand to see how much room there is between the basket and the floor enough room for the rats to comfortably walk under the basket is best that way it doubles as a sort of canopy that they can hide under when adding a cardboard box to your cage it’s a good idea to secure it down so the rats cannot move it all around the cage grab a flap of the box and use a mini clamp to clasp it to the cardboard make sure the mouth of the clamp also goes through one of the bars so that it doesn’t end up slipping into the cage do this again with the back part of the box and try to get the clamp to go as far into the box as you can it should look like this when you’re done now moving on to the bottom of the cage this is where you will want to add majority of your toys your food bowl and your water bottle first add the biggest items to make sure you have enough room for everything add your shallow baskets or levels using the same technique as before zip tie the corners first and then the middle now it’s time to add your ladders and ramps if you have any find a good place to add your first ladder where it won’t be in the way of anything else you want to add or in front of something else that you’ll be cleaning regularly choose where you’d like to place it and then begin securing it to the levels or the bars of the cage the second ladder I’m adding will be going through the opening of the mid section giving the girls some easy access to the higher part of the cage just make sure none of your ladders or ramps are too steep I also added a ramp to the upper level making it easy for my slower girls to access the hammocks now I’m going to add this little mobile toy that I made which has a lot of would choose and other dangly things since this toy is so big I will need to place it in a part of the cage where it won’t be obstructed by any of the other objects but it’s also low enough that the girls can play with it easily to hang this toy I’m just creating a chain out of shower rings and then I’m connecting the chains together with a singular shower ring I also added a lanyard clip to the connecting ring so it will be easy to remove this toy for cleaning if you have smaller hanging toys place them somewhere that’s easy for your rats to reach them like right next to a level or a basket you should also add at least one or two hideaways to the very bottom of your cage as well sometimes rats do enjoy sleeping in the lower parts of the cage or at least hoarding their food there adding some enticing interactive toys to the bottom of the cage will allow them to move the toys around and play with them but they won’t be able to get lost if you have extra room now you can start adding smaller baskets and levels just to add some extra space to the cage and give your rats more places to explore and hang out now you’ll want to grab a pair of scissors or wire cutters and start cutting the tail ends of the zip ties you can do this as you’re adding them but for the sake of this demonstration I’m cutting them all at once once all of your accessories are in place add your nesting material place a handful of flea scraps or newspaper or whatever you want to use in each hideaway hammock and basket finally you’ll want to find a convenient place for food and water find a spot in the cage where the water bottle is not in the way of any other accessories and away from the door you’ll want to place your water bottle just high enough that it will not be disturbed by the bedding or toys but low enough that your rats can still access it place your food dish somewhere that’s easy for you to fill it up for example if you’re right-handed place your food bowl on the left side of the cage that way you can quickly open the door and fill up the bowl before the rats grab your scoop and spill it all over the floor now give your cage a final inspection to make sure everything is exactly the way you want it and imagine your rats running around all over the cage make sure everything is easy for your rats to access for example if you want to see if your rats can easily climb from one thing to another use the length of your hand to judge the distance if you can touch the basket and the hammock at the same time then it will be easy for your rats to climb up to the Hammond now place your rats in the cage sit back and admire all of your hard work make sure to spend time observing your rats explore their cage frequently so you can learn how they like to move around and you’ll be able to change the layout of their cage according to your rats personal preferences if you have any special tips or tricks that you’ve learned about setting up rat cages please share them in the comments I hope this tutorial was helpful for you guys I figured it would be useful for anyone who has a hard time finding the right layout for their cage or has just never had rats before and doesn’t quite understand how this cage setup nonsense works thank you guys so much for watching if you enjoyed this video please give it a big thumbs up if you absolutely loved it you can support me on patreon to make sure that I can continue making educational videos for fellow rat parents I’m the rat guru and please subscribe to learn more about all things pet rats.

Hi everyone the raku were here I wanted to make a quick video about small rat cages and why they are unsuitable for pet rats as permanent housing after watching Aaron’s animals video on the same topic regarding hamsters I decided to make my own version for rats I currently have Braley and Aubrey in this cage to demonstrate how a pair of rats would look living in a cage this size the cage I’ll be using in this video is a katie rat home which is marketed as a permanent living space for adult rats the size of this cage is 24 inches long 12 inches wide and 12 inches high remember that the recommended minimum cage size requirement for pet rats is 2 cubic feet so this cage is just barely half of that size unfortunately this is a very common size for a cage marketed towards rats that can be found in countless pet stores so I’m going to demonstrate exactly what’s wrong with cages this size to start off we need to know exactly what kinds of things rats need in their cage to make it suitable in my video on rat cage accessories I break down the most important items you need for your cage the most necessary cage accessories include levels hammocks hideaways boxes chew toys climbing toys nesting material and of course food and water adding a food bowl and a water bottle doesn’t seem to take up much room the girls still seem to have plenty of space to move around however as you can see Braley is already monkey barring which for her is pretty normal but this is usually a sign of boredom or stress rats need to have at least one place to hide so I’m going to add a properly sized hideaway a large 12 inch igloo is the perfect size for rats any size is smaller than this don’t allow for two rats to comfortably snuggle inside you’ll probably notice first that this igloo takes up a large portion of this cage I’ve only added one accessory and now half of the cage space is occupied brats love to sleep in high up places so next I’ll add a hammock this hammock is relatively small but it’s large enough for two rats to sleep in comfortably although this hammock is very small adding it takes up another large portion of the cage space there isn’t much more room left to hang anything else this may seem fine to the untrained eye they have everything they need don’t they food water a hammock and a hideaway should suffice right well yes they do have the bare minimum but what about enrichment rats are the most intelligent species of rodent and they need lots of entertainment to keep them from getting bored or stressed they spend at least 23 hours a day in their cage so it needs to be as much fun as possible this setup is very very boring and there’s not much for them to do in here rats love to climb so it’s important to add at least one climbing toy to enrich your cage a lava ledge is great for climbing as well as keeping your rats nails nice and trim there’s nowhere I can really place the lava ledge where it will be high enough to be fun for the girls to climb the height of this lava ledge is the equivalent of an adult human climbing a six-foot ladder and being able to touch the ceiling not very fun if you ask me now we need to add a few more toys adding a hanging toy proves to be rather difficult as well even the smallest of toys that I have hangs low enough that it sits on top of the igloo after adding a simple knot nibbler there’s hardly any room left for the girls to push it around and play with it notice how much floor space a single toy takes up everything that’s in this cage is the bare minimum of what you should have in your rat cage there are very few things in here yet it’s very cramped and there’s hardly any room for my girls to move around optionally you can add a wheel to your cage to allow your Rabb some exercise while they’re not however the smallest sized wheel that safe for rats is a 12 inch diameter which doesn’t even fit in this cage even without a wheel there’s hardly any room left for the rats to move around some may argue that there’s too much stuff in the cage or perhaps the items in it are too big but just as Aaron said in her video that’s not really the point again the more things we remove the more boring the cage will be on top of that rats are rather large rodents the size of these accessories are just right for rats adult female rats are relatively small so why don’t we try this setup with larger rats instead of girls let’s try it with two of my boys for the sake of argument I’ll place my two largest boys in here beside in and have it there’s barely any floor space and there’s hardly any height for the rats decline to begin with a properly sized cage for two rats should be at least three times this size rats intelligence levels and logical skills are very similar to that of a human rats can problem solve they have complex relationships and emotions they feel compassion and empathy and they can even do very basic mathematical calculations knowing this it’s not difficult to put yourself in a rats perspective imagine yourself in a room that’s this small and cramped when purchasing a suitable size cage for your rats try to imagine yourself being the same size as a rat and what it would feel like to you the main difference being you might like to have less furniture in a room to make it more spacious but rats love to have crowded cluttered cages as long as they have enough room to move around unfortunately this cage is very commonly sold to novice rat parents who don’t know how big their babies are going to get or how much space they will actually need these cages are perfectly fine as a temporary cage for young rats a travel page or a nursery so you don’t actually need to avoid them entirely just remember that they’re not suitable permanent housing for rats of any size or age if you’re interested in learning more about rat cage sizes please watch my playlist entitled all about rat cages by clicking on the card in the top right corner you may be surprised to see just how many options there are for rat cages special thanks to all members of the brewer crew on patreon for making this video possible to join the crew click on the guru crew icon in the corner you can follow me by clicking all of my social media links in the description if you’re new here click on the playlist below to watch my complete guide to rad care and don’t forget to click on subject space or that big red button down below to subscribe and learn more about all things pet rats.