RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:21 am

The spacing on the bars of my cage are 1 in x 1/2 inch. Had they been 1 x 1, the babies could've slipped right through. I'd say you're looking for close to 1/2 inch spacing.

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Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:33 am

i got the 685 which has the fliptop already and i love it to pieces. the 695 is a little tall for a fliptop but it really depends on where you intend to put it (ground vs on a table). the 685 is a bit tight for four but my girls really do fine in it with regular out time, and the most i ever have is four. it is easier to handle than the 695 and i also have these interlocking mats covering the full level which makes it much easier to clean and keep clean. (i got the mats because one of my girls has no fingers and it makes it much easier for her to stand on). when a grid gets too dirty i just pop it out and wash it off in the sink.

plus i also have a pressure steamer for cleaning and this makes short work of getting the gunk off the bars. i empty the pan, put it back in the pan, and steam away letting the yucky water drip into the pan, then i just clean the pan out and wipe down the cage.

one final word on the flip top. i have had some rats who would escape from that no problem if i didn't latch it down, but my current rats remain blissfully unaware that they just have to push up to open it, so i can leave it unlatched. now whenever i want a quick snuggle i just pop the top and scoop them up.

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Visit ACE, MELANIE, BONBON, and the rest of my crew in Rat Tails

Sat May 07, 2005 4:47 pm

But I have alot of hanging nestboxes, and hammocks, and stuff, which I dont know how big or long it is. How can cage calculators calculate stuff like that?

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Rosie

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I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Sat May 07, 2005 7:25 pm

Cage calculators work on the surface area and volume of the cage, while empty. So unless you're using hammocks and nest boxes instead of shelves, then it's probably nothing to be concerned about.

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Thu May 12, 2005 11:16 pm

angelratgirl has made a wonderful chart to show sizes of Martin's Cages. The lines are set at one-foot intervals and the rat is a full-grown female for reference. Cage dimensions and recommended number of rats per cage are noted under each diagram.

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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

Mon May 30, 2005 6:19 am

	Sparrow wrote:
	Well I'm thinking of bidding on a cage that's on ebay (it's HUGE). The measurements of the bars are 7/8" by 4 7/8" . The cage I have now for my 3 girls is 7/8" by 3 7/8". Will the extra inch horizontally matter? I wouldn't think so, but I just wanted to check before I start bidding.

What ever happened with this cage, our family is adopting 2 males they will be about 5 weeks old when they come home to us, we currently have a cage that has bars 3/4" apart that we had a guinea in. Can my boys do a dissapearing act with that spacing as teen/adults... Confused

I know when they first come home they will have large (I know not the best) hampster house for a few weeks.

Mon May 30, 2005 6:25 am

5 week old boys will be quite small. I would guess that they could definitely get out of 7/8" spacing, and could probably get out of 3/4". However, even a "large" hamster cage isn't appropriate for ratties, in my opinion. You would be better off wrapping the cage with larger bar spacing with coated wire until the boys are too big to get through the bars.

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Mon May 30, 2005 6:29 am

Hi Trin, I agree with Jill. I got my boys a ferret cage with similar measurements and they can definitely get out. I went to Lowes, got some 19-gauge hardware cloth and used twist ties to cover the bars. All safe and easy to undo when they're squishy enough. LOL

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"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your f------g khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world." ~ Tyler Durden

Last edited by SillyRat on Mon May 30, 2005 6:52 am; edited 1 time in total

Mon May 30, 2005 6:46 am

So a guinea cage with modifications will work well for this new Mom. Wrap bars, add ladders with long inclines, place in some cotton ropes add lots of love and were good?

Mon May 30, 2005 8:09 am

Re: twist ties... at any large hardware store you can get cable ties (also called zip ties) that are far easier to use than twist ties, and contain no inner wire.

Trin, what you just said sounds good, yes.

You may want to read through the building/remodeling sticky topic here when you get time, tons of great ideas for all sorts of cage mods. But then you risk becoming addicted to cage mods... Mr. Green

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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

Fri Jun 03, 2005 7:37 pm

What about the (R-690)? is that any good? does anyone have any of those? and if some1 does can u show me a pic of theirs in real life.

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My rAts: BoYs- SqUeCkY, oReO! mY gIrLs- SaDiE, cUtIe PiE!
Angel rat

Buddy, Penut, Pinky, and Flower We will miss you! Angel rat

Michelle and the little ratties

Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:33 pm

I had the 690 for my two rescue girls last year and it was a nice cage. My only complaint is that the ramps are steeper than they are on the 695, and I think oldies may struggle with it. Otherwise, it was very easy to clean and the girls enjoyed it.

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Brittany
Bear, November, Citadel, Stella, Amor, and Bella

Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:37 pm

Did your girls struggle when you first put them in there?and how old are they?

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My rAts: BoYs- SqUeCkY, oReO! mY gIrLs- SaDiE, cUtIe PiE!
Angel rat

Buddy, Penut, Pinky, and Flower We will miss you! Angel rat

Michelle and the little ratties

Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:47 pm

No, they didn't struggle at all. The girls were put to sleep earlier this year.

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Brittany
Bear, November, Citadel, Stella, Amor, and Bella

Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:48 pm

Oh thanks!

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My rAts: BoYs- SqUeCkY, oReO! mY gIrLs- SaDiE, cUtIe PiE!
Angel rat

Buddy, Penut, Pinky, and Flower We will miss you! Angel rat

Michelle and the little ratties

Thu Jun 16, 2005 7:38 am

I was planning on building a cage but now I'm leaning towards a martin's cage. I have two girl ratties and I wanted to get an R-695. Do you think this would be overpowering for my two rattie girls?

*Edit* I just noticed I asked the same question that someone already had answered earlier in this Sticky. Embarassed

Last edited by littlerattie on Sat Aug 06, 2005 10:46 pm; edited 2 times in total

Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:41 pm

No, If you're talking about how big it is, that doesn't really matter. The more space the better! If you talking about the ramps, their ramps are very easy to climb for oldies, and for the youth. That cage fits all rats! And you could get more rats than jst 2.

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My rAts: BoYs- SqUeCkY, oReO! mY gIrLs- SaDiE, cUtIe PiE!
Angel rat

Buddy, Penut, Pinky, and Flower We will miss you! Angel rat

Michelle and the little ratties

Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:33 am

Just wondering, those who own or have owned a Martin's Cage, which is your favorite cage made by them?

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

Rest in peace, Violet and Isadora. <3

Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:01 am

I've only had the R695 and the R699 and I adore them both.

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Christy
RP Admin
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Frodo, Zorro, Erzulie, Maeve, Clara, Molly & Emily

Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:19 am

Yes, the R695 is great, and holds alot of ratties! Also the R685 is great too! There are alot to choose from, and they are all high quality! Those cage calculators really help. Look for something big enough for 2 rattties or more!

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My rAts: BoYs- SqUeCkY, oReO! mY gIrLs- SaDiE, cUtIe PiE!
Angel rat

Buddy, Penut, Pinky, and Flower We will miss you! Angel rat

Michelle and the little ratties

Fri Jul 01, 2005 3:29 am

Cool! I was just wondering because last week I ordered a R-695 for my 2 female ratties and it hasn't come yet.

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

Rest in peace, Violet and Isadora. <3

Sat Jul 02, 2005 8:41 pm

So I had originally posted this in the wrong sticky, but it's right now

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I was wondering if wire floor spacing can be too big? I know the general floor spacing is 1" by 1/2" but since I'm building a cube cage the wire is 7/8" by 1.5". I've set my girls on the wire to see how they walk on it and only the first time did one miss a step but since then they seem to be okay on it. I don't want to cover the floors but I could add another grid underneath. Is it necessary? Thanks.

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--;[Dannie/]
Ratties: Kina, Cessi, Nerissa and Dare

Sat Jul 02, 2005 8:57 pm

How about covering it with something like plastic needlepoint canvas? That would let urine drain away, be easy to wipe clean and prevent any risks of trapped tootsies?

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Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:21 pm

I don't think they could get a foot caught as it's wide but I'll look into the needlepoint canvas, Andy.

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--;[Dannie/]
Ratties: Kina, Cessi, Nerissa and Dare

Sat Jul 23, 2005 6:27 am

I have a question about cage topper... would you recomed it? tell me the pros and cons of cage toppers... i think im leaning toward them, but i have heard mixed reviews

*MiSsY*

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Momma to...

4 rats~ Hoodsie, Lucy, Acadecki, and Linyaari
2 cats~ Tubby Todd and Na'Bisco
2 leopard geckos~ Luka and Jaffa
1 hammy~ Bijou