I have a cage thats 16x12x24?

Question

I'm getting two rats in a week and I have this cage. simple calculation shows that it's not quite big enough for two rats, But I thinkt it utilizes it's space quite well, it has two full levels and a loft and plenty of room to climb and add toys (which I of course intend to do).

what do you guys think, it is big enough for two female rats?

Answer 1

Eraser Eraser has given some good advice there but if you do get a second hand cage make sure you scrub it well and use plenty of bleach as bleach will kill Microplasma which can kill your rats. Happy days

Answer 2

If it has 2 levels plus a loft area, like you said it will have enough room.  I like to put the food on the 2nd level to keep it away from the floor of the cage.  

Depending on what the floor lay out are you may be able to tie a thick rope to the loft (or the top of the cage) and let it hang all the way to the floor of the cage.  Rats can have fun climbing that.  You can even put a special treat on top of the cage were the rope is tied for the climber of the rope.

Have fun with your new friends.

Answer 3

I would not. Sure it is alright as a last resort, but do try to find an alternative before using it.

Making your own cage can be ideal. You can even use the current cage, and add on an extention to it. What kind of a cage is your anyway?

Here are some homemade cage sites:

http://www.geocities.com/ratsonthehill/c...

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/build.htm

If you aren't a handy kind of person, you can try to find a used cage at a garage sale, or on a site like craigslist.com

Answer 4

no its too small. thats like hamster cage sized.... rats need alott of room, so please buy a biggger cage, you can get some nice suitabe ones at PetSmart for under 100$    heck, thats cheaper than what i payed for my hammy cage after all the modifications i did!! lol =]

Answer 5

If it's two levels, I think that it would be okay. Just be sure to let your rats out more often then they should be let out.

Answer 6

I'm sorry to tell you that the cage is question, judging by your measurements is barely large enough for one rat, and certainly FAR TOO SMALL for two :(

It sounds like a mouse or hamster cage, so you have two choices:

1) Choose to adopt a hamster or some mice instead (essentially, as rats are highly social animals, its cruel to keep one on its own)

2) If you insist on having two female rats, you must buy a new cage

Rats are very active creatures and can grow surprisingly big. on average, welfare standards encourage that cages have 2 cubic feet per rat, and as most rats are homed in pairs, this puts the minimum cage size up to something far larger than the average mouse or hamster cage. If you would like to have two female rats, you'll definitely have to buy a new cage of a suitable size - I would recommend the Savic Freddy 2 Cage (80 X 50 X 63cm) which is an ideal size for a pair of rats and can be found in most good pet stores for about £70-£80 - though due to it's popularity you can usually find it online or on ebay for very cheap. It's a brilliant cage, good quality, easy to clean and will last for many generations of rat so it's a good investment! Rats need big cages because they move around a lot at night and as well as loving toys, they also need open space to run around in. I hope you will understand that this is not a rat cage and so please don't put your new pets in it!

Answer 7

It'll be a bit cramped. Why not invest in a larger cage, though? A cage will last through many generations of rats. One time purchase that will earn it's cost.

I have the Super Pet My First Home for Exotics ($99, 30"L x 18" W x 30"H), and my 2 females were in there, but now my 2 males are, since they're larger and need the space.

The girls are now in the Super Pet My First Home for Rats (24.5"L x 12.5"W x 14.5"H. $39) and the ONLY reason I find that appropriate, is because they're seniors (over 2 1/2 yrs old) and spend most of their time asleep, so they no longer need the room to run & play.