Housing & Bedding
One thing to keep in mind when looking for a cage for your rat is they get bigger than a hamster and therefore a hamster cage is not suitable for a rat. Guinea Pig and Rabbit cages are normally one story and they also have wider bar spacing which your rat may escape especially the smaller females. Ferret cages are also great housing options as well. Only thing to watch for again is bar spacing. Also something everyone may not know is if a rat can get its head through the body will sure follow. You can modify a cage with larger bar spacing using 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch wire mesh.
Another mistake is aquariums. I see this very often. They are not suitable enclosures due to their poor ventilation. Even with a proper screen cover they have no place to climb as it's a one story. A tank would only be suitable for a pregnant mother and her nursing young and the minimum tank size for that would be a 20 gallon. There are also cage toppers which fit onto of the aquarium. They do give more ventilation and climbing room, it's just not ideal.
Make sure the cage you buy has more than one floor because rats love to climb. Also make sure the cage doesn't have a wire bottom. It can cause bumble foot which is very painful. If you do have a wire bottom cage you can always modify it such as putting purchasing a pan to fit in the cage, tiles, etc.. There are many options. Make sure you purchase a powder coated or sealed cage. Galvanized cages rust much faster and then begin to smell really bad. And you do not want your rats trying to eat the rust.
Another mistake is aquariums. I see this very often. They are not suitable enclosures due to their poor ventilation. Even with a proper screen cover they have no place to climb as it's a one story. A tank would only be suitable for a pregnant mother and her nursing young and the minimum tank size for that would be a 20 gallon. There are also cage toppers which fit onto of the aquarium. They do give more ventilation and climbing room, it's just not ideal.
Make sure the cage you buy has more than one floor because rats love to climb. Also make sure the cage doesn't have a wire bottom. It can cause bumble foot which is very painful. If you do have a wire bottom cage you can always modify it such as putting purchasing a pan to fit in the cage, tiles, etc.. There are many options. Make sure you purchase a powder coated or sealed cage. Galvanized cages rust much faster and then begin to smell really bad. And you do not want your rats trying to eat the rust.
Here at Crescenity Rattery we use a cage called a Ferret Kingdom.
You can find these cages on Ebay.com.au under the username puppypower_77.
For bedding we use Hysorb Wood Shavings.
Some other good beddings are:
You can find these cages on Ebay.com.au under the username puppypower_77.
For bedding we use Hysorb Wood Shavings.
Some other good beddings are:
- Breeder's Choice kitty litter
- Wood Shavings (NO pine or Cedar!)
- Newspaper! (although needs regular changing)