RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:07 am

Read back through this thread.

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Kate & the M.O.U.S.
If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph the event ... what kind of film would you use?
~ Anonymous

Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:59 am

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_4/602-3505285-3370259?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B0002DJ29A

I'm probably getting this cage. It doesn't say how wide the bars are but do they look small enough to contain rats that are around 2 months old?

Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:01 am

Actually, I have the cage one step up from that, and the bars aren't okay for that age. They are 1". Also, where are you getting it? It's on Amazon for 53.00.

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Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:21 am

I didn't see it on Amazon, but I was going to go to my local Target and see if they had it there so I wouldn't have to pay shipping. I'm also traveling to another pet store tomorrow to look for cages.

So, when you say you have the cage one step up from that, are they the same size spacing or what?

Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:24 am

Yeah, they are all the same spacing. Here's the cage on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001RTV3E/qid=1128730659/sr=8-6/ref=pd_bbs_6/002-9638945-3700832?v=glance&s=kitchen&n=507846

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Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:38 am

Thanks. So I'll see if the place I'm going to tomorrow has cages with spacing less than 1 inch. If not, my mom just said to find out if we could attach chicken wire to the outside until they grow bigger. Rat Cookie

Sat Oct 08, 2005 4:51 am

Yes, you can put wire outside, but you probably want to look around for hardware cloth (pvc or powder coated) rather than thin chicken wire. Check the cage modification sticky for more help with that, and a search should bring up other threads on the subject too.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sat Oct 08, 2005 9:35 am

i'm looking into a new cage and it's huge! it was originally advertised as a cat cage so the bar spaceing has me a bit worried and though the price is a dream i don't want to pay it only to find out that i'll have escapo rats, (as it is the boys are already playing houdini to the point i have to wire their doors shut). the bars are 1 and a quater inch wide by 6 inches long. if i remember right 1 inch is the general rule for adultish sized rats and half inch for babies. so would the extra quater inch make any real difference? (the five females are all adult and the teenage boys are already bigger them they are.)

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mommy to:

1 human son: Corvis
1 feline son: Sesshoumaru
1 lost feline daughter: Snowball

Sat Oct 08, 2005 10:28 am

It probaby would. Half an inch is quite a lot, but also - even if they can't squeeze out completely, they might be able to squeeze partially out and get stuck.

It could still be a good deal, if you're up for modifying it to prevent escape attempts.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:26 am

it's not a half inch extra it's only a quarter inch extra. would i still have to modify it or does the quarter inch really matter? it doesn't seem like a lot to me but i've never had my rats in anything over an inch spacing before.

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mommy to:

1 human son: Corvis
1 feline son: Sesshoumaru
1 lost feline daughter: Snowball

Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:40 am

Oh my bad... doh

I'd say yes, but that depends on your rats. If they're Houdini wannabes, if they're slim/small then I'd say yes. If you have squishy/lazy rats, then you may be able to get away with it. But I'd say yes that quarter of an inch could make a difference.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Tue Nov 08, 2005 3:28 am

Long story short, I had to get my rats a new cage because they're still small and they had been chewing the screening I put up over their 1 inch cage bars. So their new cage has wire floors (it's a tank topper) and I put towels down so they wouldn't get hurt feet but they pull the towels away and seem to be happy walking on wire. Should I keep putting the towels in? They're just small car-waxing type towels.

Tue Nov 08, 2005 5:33 am

They will tend to keep pulling them up unless you fix them down. How wide is the spacing with the wire on the floors?

You might want to consider other alternatives (like plastic needlepoint canvas, velcro to fasten down the towels, lino, etc) if you wish to cover the shelves more effectively.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Tue Nov 08, 2005 6:51 am

	LittleWillow wrote:
	How wide is the spacing with the wire on the floors?

1/2 inch squares.

Tue Nov 08, 2005 7:21 am

In that case, yes you do want to cover it - it would be too easy for a leg to get caught in that spacing, so it's a safety issue as much as a comfort one.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Mon Jan 09, 2006 10:26 pm

any1 ever tried S.A.M 's rat cages? that is what i have.

Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:07 am

Hello everyone,

Im a newbie here, and I was just wondering which martins cage would be best for a pair of female ratties. I would like for there to be enough room for a hammock or two, I would also like for there to be enough room for a hideout or two. Ive never shopped at martins cages before and thought that I should give it a try. Ive owned ratties for awhile now and will be getting another pair of females soon, and I think they deserve better than what the dufus petstores have to offer. Rolling Eyes

I asked this question on petshub.com but ive decided that im tired of all the rude people on petshub so I came here. Everyones replies will be greatly appreciated!!!!

Oh and is it a neccesity to have powdercoated bars?

Hannah

Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:13 am

I would say an R- 680 would be good for two girls, though a R-670 is okay too. Yes, it needs to be powdercoated, galvanised wire absorbs urine and retains the smell no matter what you do.

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Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:17 am

Welcome to Rat Palace!

An R-685 would be great for two girls, but I'm sure they would appreciate a 695 (more room to frolic and as an aded bonus to you - room for more rats!).

Powdercoated is the way to go - much easier to remove pee from. Galzanized can also become VERY stinky quickly. Think of powdercoating as a way to protect your investment.

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mother to:
rats: scooter, kermit, lestat + tsume
mouse: bingo [rip sweety. you're with peanut + wizard at the bridge]
horse: phoenix

Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:18 am

Thankyou very much!!!!!!!!! I will most deffinetly go with the powder coated!

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Ratties:
Micah(male)
Tinkerbell(female)
Shadow(male)
Abendago(male)

Doggies:
Gypsy(female)(Golden Retriever)
Savannah(female)(Labrador Retriever)

Guinea Piggies:
Tanner(male)
Bubba(male)

Hammie:
Toby(male)

Tue Jan 17, 2006 1:47 am

If you're only getting a cage for the two girls, a 670 would probably be just fine, but a 680 or 685 would be much more comfortable. If you're going to add the two new girls into the same cage, get a 695. It's so much bigger, and rats love them.

By comparison, I've got three girls in a Martin's FNE-480. Massive overkill? Yes, but because I found it for $75 on Craigslist (instead of the $275 it would have cost inc. shipping from Martin's), I couldn't resist. The rule of thumb is to go as big as you can afford, and if you look on eBay and Craigslist, you'd be surprised at just how big you can afford.

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-Ben
My rats: Squishy, Squee, and Nibbler
My dogs (at my mother's house): Lucy and Ricky
My cats (at my dad's house--in Florida!): Cleo (RIP) and Zima

Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:58 am

I have an R-695 for my two girls and they love all the room.

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EMILY-------------------------------------------------

Rest in peace, Violet and Isadora. <3

Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:35 pm

Thanks to everyone who replied!!! I think I have talked my mom into getting the R-695. They will be two very spoiled ratties!!!!

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Ratties:
Micah(male)
Tinkerbell(female)
Shadow(male)
Abendago(male)

Doggies:
Gypsy(female)(Golden Retriever)
Savannah(female)(Labrador Retriever)

Guinea Piggies:
Tanner(male)
Bubba(male)

Hammie:
Toby(male)

Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:39 am

I prefer S.A.M. cages . that si what i got now. It is awsome! I think the one i have is awsome. it has an escape proff door solid floor , wide but not to wide of cage bars.and it was good buy.

Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:48 am

Aren't those hamster cages, or do they make them for larger animals as well? And why do you prefer them to Martins, just curious...

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EMILY-------------------------------------------------

Rest in peace, Violet and Isadora. <3