Rat cage cost and accessories?

Question

i plan on getting a rat i know i need a cage, my sister wonders if we could get those like wheel things and what else should i get

Answer 1

About $30 for mouse stuff but no idea for rat. I disagree with getting two rats as my bro did that twice. Two dead mice. Also mice use the wheel at night so rats probably do to.

Answer 2

Well, first off, you shouldn't get /a/ rat. Rats are too social to be kept alone. Get a same s*x pair.

Here are some basic things you will need:

- A high quality food, which is harder than you might imagine to find. I have a page on good rat diets here: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratfe...

- A large, multi-level cage.

- Safe bedding. This means something like aspen or Carefresh and NOT pine or cedar which can damage your pet's respiratory system and liver.

- A solid wheel (Silent Spinners are great). Wire wheels are dangerous.

- A hideaway. Super Pet Igloos in regular size work great.

- A food bowl and water bottle.

I have a website on rat care here that might be helpful: http://www.petinfopackets.com/rats/ratin...

Answer 3

Rats are actually quite high maintenance pets and they require quite a lot of things to be happy and healthy.

1. You need a cage and rats can grow big, so you're going to need a fairly big cage. I bought a big square birdcage really cheap and modified into a rat cage. My rats love it and it's cheap and easy to buy and change.

2. You said you are planning on a rat, but I would seriously get two. Rats are pack animals and thrive on being social with both their own kind and their owner (you!) A decent sized cage will easily fit two and your rat will be happier and healthier for it.

3. Making your cage rat friendly:

Make levels! rats love climbing up and down and jumping and having fun so you need lots of interesting levels in your cage.

Hammocks! Rats love snuggling up in hammocks as they are warm and secure. I make mine out of old sweatshirt sleeves (polar fleece) or jacket sleeves. Just cut the sleeve off, run a shoelace/piece of rope through it and tie it up in the cage

Shelter! An igloo or hideaway is good as it somewhere your rats can go when frightened or in need of some shut eye! You can either buy one of these or you can cut out a doorway in an ice cream container and turn it upside down for a cheap and just as good alternative

Toys! Rats need toys to keep them amused. You can hang up ropes,  put in wooden chew blocks, old toilet roll tubes and ladders

4. The food you buy your rat can be straight from a pet shop (ready mixed) or you can make your own buy getting an airtight container and putting in dry pasta, low sugar cereals, little bits of cracker, some seeds and anything else which is safe, low fat and is in your pantry

5. Setting up should cost you a little bit but afterwards general care is quite cheap (refilling food, changing bedding etc) Overall you should pay anywhere between $30 - $100 for a cage, $5 - $20 for a rat (each), ready mixed food $2-$5 and $5 - $15 on toys

Thats about it! Hope you enjoy your new friend(s), trust me, they are the best pets in the world. Good luck and I hope this helps :)

P.s don't buy a wheel! Rats are extremely lazy and smart and don't see the point of running around in circles...so don't even bother with that one, the rat will just give you a sarcastic look!!! =)

Answer 4

Here is a cheap idea that my mice loved.  Get some toilet rolls (without the toilet paper!) and make a paste out of flour and water. Make a toy by sticking them on top of one another with the flour paste, put three side by side on the bottom, (so it looks like this from the front    ooo)  then two on top of those (oo) & finish by putting one on top. (o) They love it and its practically free.  Unless you don't normally buy toilet paper....

Answer 5

you will need a cage, bedding, food and water, and lots of toys.

firstly dont just get one rat, get at least two because they are very social creatures and will need a friend. keeping one by itself is plain cruel.

your cage will need to be wire, and it should be fairly large. at least 2feet high with mulitple levels.

you can buy bedding from your pet store, but dont get pine or cedar because both can damage your rats lungs.

yes, you can get a wheel for your rat but it should be solid bottomed and not wire because they can break your rattie's legs and get their tails caught.

they should also have lots of other toys, like tubes, ropes, ladders, hammocks, cardboard boxes, hiding places, tree branches, and lots more! rats are incredibly intelligent and need something to do.

here are some examples of rat cages:

http://www.dapper.com.au/grotto.htm

http://a212.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima...

http://www.furryfeet.co.uk/pics/rats/new...

also check on google for rat care sheets.

good luck and enjoy your new pets!

=)

Answer 6

I wouldn't suggest a wheel. Most rats don't use them. They sleep in them. At least the boys do. Also http://www.martinscages.com/ this are really good cages! I would suggest the powder coat because it makes it easier to clean. Cages you get at pet stores are not to reliable. They are not well built. Also they can cause your rat to become sick because of the aroma from the urine. And theres not much of a difference cleaning wise if you get one or two. Only getting one can cause unwanted behavior changes. They really like one another's company!! hope this helps =]

and the kid underneath me has no idea what hes talking about. Mice are completely different from rats.