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Ratties My rat cage

Slap Maxwell

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Just wanted to post a photo of my re-designed rat cage.

Currently houses two boys.

S5032161.jpg
 

Slap Maxwell

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Sorry, here is a bigger version.
 

PiggieMom

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Wow that's really good Slap! I'm looking at adopting a pair of rats. Do you have any advice on building a cage? I need to know how big it should be ect. so I know if I have the space to look into it further. I'm also having a really hard time finding a good list of dietary needs. Any help is appriciated. :)

I really love your cage though. It looks like ratty heaven.
 

Slap Maxwell

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If you want to build your cage out of grids I suggest getting a pair or trio or boys. The females can usually slip through. A good way to determine cage size is to use the (broken link removed).

I feed Mazuri lab block and Nutro Natural Lite dog food (it has much less protien) mixed. 1 part dog food to 5 parts lab block.

The best block is Harlan Teklab. You can buy it at (broken link removed), although shipping to Canada would be quite a bit.

I feed my boys lettuce, jimica, tomatos, carrots, cucumber, etc. for veggies.

They also get whole grain organic oatmeal with soy milk. A little goat cheese, maybe some whole wheat crackers, a little whole grain bread with some olive oil for their coat once a week, couscous, and whole grain rotini pasta (their FAVORITE).

For junk food they get Yogies (friut flavored) a piece of a PB&J sandwich, a little piece of dark chocolate, stuff like that.

The rat forum I like the most (and is the most pro-adoption) is (broken link removed)

PM me if you have any questions. :)
 

PiggieMom

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Thanks Slap! That helped alot. :)
 

suzilovespiggie

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What a great cage. My rat cage looks like that except it is a Martin bought one. I too was going to mention ratsrule. A great site. It gives a recipie for a great food mix that my rats loves. Too bad your not closer PiggieMom, there is a fairly large rat rescue about 2 hours from me. That is where I got my rats.
Whatever I feed my GP's I give also to my rats. They love cheetos, pizza crust,fortune cookies, but only as a treat not an everyday diet.
 

PiggieMom

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There is no shortage of homeless rats in Michigan. *sigh* There are hundreds. So when I am ready I know there will be a pair waiting for me.
 

wierdo4life

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I love your cage! Is it easy to clean? Do you ever have problems with your boys trying to stick their heads out of the holes? I am thinking of building a cage like that for my two boys. Also, what do you use for the shelves?
 
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moonajune

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WoW thats looks so cool..I guess your rats have a lot of fun:cheerful:
 

Lisser

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I love your cage. I am trying to mimic it for my two rats but I am having a lot of trouble getting the hardware cloth to cooperate with me and the edges of it are hurting my fingers so I can imagine how it would be for the rats. Slap, can I bother you to give me any pointers or tips on how to make this work? I've cable tied the grids together but it's just not looking as pretty as yours does. I need help. :) I can PM you or you can email me, which ever you prefer but other members may want your advice on cage building. Thank you so much in advance.
 

dirty hippie

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There is no shortage of homeless rats in Michigan. *sigh* There are hundreds. So when I am ready I know there will be a pair waiting for me.

Aah, I'm actually jealous of you. I sweep up the adoptable rats that I can find in the Kansas City area. There are so few that I've even resorted to "adopting" the returns from Petco.
 

alex_23

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Don't they get out through the cage bars? I have 1 inch spacing on my ferret cages and my girls can get out through that.
 

lynn's Cavies

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Wow that is a gorgeous home! I'm so happy to see how spoiled your rats are. I adore rats. Had a couple as a teenager that came to school with me every day and hid in my jacket or backpack. They would ride on my shoulder at recess and lunch. It's amazing how attached rats get to their owners. They are seriously like little dogs.

Looks like your rats are living the life of luxury, which is what they deserve!
Good job on that cage!
Lynn
 

Ly&Pigs

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Please look at the date on threads before responding. The last response to this thread before the last two posts was in September of 2005. It was well over 2 months.
 

DaisyGP

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I have a cage that looks like that, tall-size. It doesn't have as much store bought stuff in it. I fill my rat's cage with empty small cardboard boxes, old socks, old ropes, a rat wheel, and old kid's beach toys (like colorful plastic buckets with a plastic or rope handles). I use old beach buckets to put his fruits and veges in. I suspend the bucket from the roof of one floor of the cage by the bucket's plastic handle. He climbs right in the bucket and eats the food. I also have two of those plastic feeder bins for his regular pellet food. I tried making a hammock for him but he didn't use it. He chewed the ropes down and draged the whole thing into his shoe box for nesting material. lol That's why I don't buy stuff for them. I just use stuff I have around the house because he'll just rip it all apart and I'll have to throw it away in a cople weeks either way. Besides, he doesn't seem to care whether I buy the stuff from the store or not.
 
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