What is the max bar spacing for a rat cage?

Question

I was at petsmart today and there were 3 rabbit cages on clearance. These things had to be 3 feet long, 2 foot wide and 2 foot tall!

They were on clearance for $26! The only problem is that the bar spacing is sort of large. I really wouldnt like to mod the cage at all by adding more mesh wire or whatever so i need to know what the max spacing is.

I will have male rats so that should help them not get out.

Answer 1

Adult males have a hard time slipping out of anything 1" or smaller.  I wouldn't go over that.  Ferret nations have 1" bar spacing, and I've never had one get out.

For babies, though, you'll need to use hardware cloth or some other kind of mesh and attach it to the cage (I use zip ties) to prevent them getting out.  I've done this several times - even with a one level rabbit cage- and it's been fine.  

Petsmart right now is having a ton of cages discontinued for new models, so keep an eye on the rat cages, too.  :)  They may end up having an actual rat cage for sale at some point.

Answer 2

1/2 inch spacing is recommended. Most rabbit cages have 1 inch spacing. Perhaps full grown males can be housed in there with little to no risk of escaping, but be prepared!

P.S. You may want to ask WHY those cages are on clearance.

Answer 3

I would have to agree with paintedrain2. While I'm not exactly sure the inches, I would say get the SMALLEST spaced bars on a cage possible. You also may want to look online. There are a few sites that have cages designed specially for rats.

Remember that rats need HUGE cages. One site I would recommend is http://martinscages.com/ , as they have an entire section devoted to rat cages.

Good luck!