Wanted rat cage

wendy222 · 05-08-2011, 20:55

wanting a rat cage anyone got one for sale for 2 to 4 rats or bigger thanks

terminator · 05-08-2011, 20:58

Got this http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...cagenewpic.jpg
Chopping this up maybe monday so after then its gone lol

wendy222 · 05-08-2011, 21:00

thanks didnt want that kind thanks

terminator · 05-08-2011, 21:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by wendy222

thanks didnt want that kind thanks

No probs lol.

jimmy62alan · 08-08-2011, 13:46

Hi Wendy,
I used a four foot fishtank for when I used to breed Gerds many moons ago, it gives them loads of play area and I made them a log cabin to sleep/nest in. You can make a partition so you can clean half of the tank at a time, and being a tank and not a cage the bedding does not fall out either.
ALAN

sarahjane · 08-08-2011, 13:57

Hi
My sister has a jenny rat cage available (they sell them in pets at home).
It is used and is pretty chewed from the previous rats but still safe etc. She would take £10 for it - they are £85 new.
Thanks
Sarah

Lotti · 08-08-2011, 18:07

Please don't keep rats in a tank, they really need to be able to climb otherwise their back legs will deteriorate. It's just not fair keeping them in a tank.

Wendy, exactly what sort of cage ARE you looking for? Haven't you been looking for ages now? I remember you posting yonks ago that your boy's rats needed a bigger cage?

jimmy62alan · 08-08-2011, 18:21

There's all kinds of climbing frames you can buy and make and if you make them out of clean pine wood that gives them something knaw on,then you can also give them a log cabin again to knaw and to live in. Just a thought, of cause some people may like the open plan look of a fishtank but a bit of common sense is needed sometimes eh Lotti lol
ALAN

Lotti · 08-08-2011, 18:24

It's still not really suitable Alan. Rats get so much out of climbing that it's really unfair to keep them in a tank. They get a lot out of climbing the entire height of the cage, across the top, along the sides etc. a climbing frame isn't enough.

Besides which, talking from the common sense side of things, if you give them wooden climbing frames you're either going to stink your house out or have to replace it very regularly because it absorbs any urine and stinks very quickly. Common sense, eh Alan

Edit: for the record, my roborovski hamster is in a fish tank - but that's because a) they love to burrow and b) they are teeny tiny and squeeze through the bars of a hamster cage. I'm not averse to keeping rodents in fish tanks - as long as they are the right ones

Elizabeth13 · 08-08-2011, 18:28

I can't really imagine being able to get a climbing frame for a fish tank as a rat-toy/accessory.. For one my rats break bars of the cage when i popped those chinchilla ledges in - i imagine a climbing frame would easily break/fall over with rats playing and messing about as they do! I imagine it would be quite difficult to secure any sort of frame to a fish tank..

Not to mention, unless it is totally HUGE fish tank (which would probably take up too much room for most people), most fish tanks would be far too small for 2-4 rats. Rats need a fair bit of space to run and climb, even more so if they are not going to get much space free ranging.

jimmy62alan · 08-08-2011, 18:39

I mentioned using a four foot tank that was 4ft long 20" wide and 18" deep and as for making things for the tank that is part of the fun of keeping pets, if someone leaves things in a tank rotting for days smelling of urine then yes it will leave a stench. I thought a big part of keeping pets is hygiene, so a person would keep a check on a CAGE or TANK and remove any soiled bits and bobs. on a daily bases or am I just being daft or what like lol
ALAN

hels1977 · 08-08-2011, 18:49

Alan, keeping rats in tanks is a very unsuitable environment for them. The ammonia builds up not after several days, but after hours / a couple of days. A rat's respiratory system is VERY delicate (more so than some other small furries), tanks just trap all the nasties, lack ventilation and ultimately the rat will suffer. The lack of suitable climbing is also an issue certainly. Rats like to climb, a branch or two isn't good enough. Cages are much more versatile and healthier for rats. It really is that simple, not a case of more imagination or someone not cleaning them out often enough, nothing of the sort.

I strongly advise you take a look at www.fancy-rats.co.uk if you want to improve your rat knowledge

Wendy, what cage DO You want?

jimmy62alan · 08-08-2011, 19:08

If the lid of said tank was closed in that would be right what you said but using a large tank 4 and 5 ft long theres plenty of ventilation coming into the tank area and a daily clean is all part of keeping pets. if it were the smaller plastic tanks the petshops sell I would again agree with you, but I thought the posting was for a few rat that live together, not just one rat.
The petshop cages are sometmes rather small that is why I suggested a BIG FISHTANK to give the rats more area to move in, we have also got the fact cages have got paint on them and some with a zinc, galvinizing coating all of which the rodents all chew at so this is why I used the tanks years ago because as you see we have allsorts of problems with what ever we chose to house our pets in but we try and do our best. The paint,zinc or galvinizing can choke or poisen our pets but in a tank they are safer I think, and my setup was check from the local environment being a rescue service so it could not of been that bad.

Lotti · 08-08-2011, 19:18

Not daft, Alan, maybe naive. Have you ever kept rats? (I don't mean that in a funny way at all). Mine have plenty of toys - some of which are wood... I can put their wooden bridge in for a day and they've already managed to wee on it and my little darlings also like to walk their poo into things (they're really lovely...) They get their toys on a rotation basis because I simply don't have time to clean everything every day!

As for making things for the cage - that's lovely if you have time to do that. I work full time and also have other pets - I make sure my rats get the time with me that they need, they get free range time in a morning and an evening but I wouldn't have time to be making things for them on a regular basis as well. Obviously, a bit different for kids but there you go.

Obviously Hels makes the point far more articulate than I do and with more rat keeping experience so hopefully that will help you to understand better than I could

Edit: Oh no clearly, it didn't help as we posted at the same time and I see you have yet another answer.

Alan, ask any decent rat keeper/rescue/breeder and they will tell you that a tank is not a suitable environment for rats. That's why none of the cages designed for rats are tanks.
Personally, I'm afraid housing checks don't mean much to me after all the RSPCA reckon that a dog is fine on it's own for hours at a time in the garden with no company as long as they have food, water and shelter.

hels1977 · 08-08-2011, 19:20

Um, no, lid off i was referring to. A fish tank (no matter how big) is as poor choice of cage for rats as a small pet shop cage. I KNOW how small the cages are that pet shops recommend, and I actively petition against them so please do not make the mistake that I do not know my subject matter. Having been involved in rat rescue for over 7 years, I am VERY familiar with what is a suitable habitat and what isn't. Incidentally, do google plasicote, child safe paint, you will find it enlightening. I strongly suggest you contact rat rescues, the NFRS (national fancy rat society) amd see if ANY of them recommend tanks as a suitable long term environment for a rat. Feel free to report your findings.

lillyland · 08-08-2011, 19:36

Tanks aren't suitable for rats. There isn't enough ventilation - the smell of urine will build up quickly and irritate their respiratory tracts. The lack of climbing would be the least of your worries when you end up running up hundreds of pounds worth of vet bills trying to sort their chests out.

jimmy62alan · 08-08-2011, 19:38

I kept Gerds that are bigger than rats and need more care, just because you can't make things does not make you a lesser person. I had 97 people that fostered all the rescues from Scotland to Bristol, it would be very NIEVE of me to think I could cater for all the rescued animals that came through my hands. this was mainly Parrots but I cater for every thing from hamsters to horses. If i was nieve or not I used to pull my finger out and get things done, all over the country there is rodents in tanks all over the world and here's yous saying all these people are wrong, just becaus you have got details of websites. This might shock you but there is someone that is CRAZY about rats and she said and I quote "wild and pet rats don't carry viruses" now this was another website person thats been contridicted by the RAT SOCIETY
We have zoos, rescue centre's, petshops and loads of pet breeders use tanks so if you want to think everyone of them is nieve you just crack on. I don't need a website to tell me common sense

lillyland · 08-08-2011, 19:43

JIRDS are smaller than rats.

Just FYI

hels1977 · 08-08-2011, 19:46

Gerbs need more care?! Wow, impressive. My mistake, I will bow to your obviously superior (and completely incorrect knowledge regarding rats). I know NOTHING about gerbs, yet I don't feel the need to make sweeping statements, I guess I am secure in my knoweldge. You may not need a website to tell you common sense, but, when it comes to rats, you are actually completely clueless.

hels1977 · 08-08-2011, 19:47

Oh the RAT SOCIETY? Please do post a link, the internet is a terribly big place and I am very stupid.