How to Plan a Rat Cage

If you want to plan out your rat cage, you should know that it is a relatively straightforward process. Rats are easy to keep happy, provided you can give them a few basic requirements. What follows should give you enough information to successfully plan out everything you need to have a great cage for your rats.

Picking a Cage

Before you can plan out your new rat cage, you need to pick one. There are a few important features to look for in rat cages. The first is size. For every rat you plan to keep in your cage, you should have an absolute bare minimum of 15 by 15 inches of floor space. For a second rat, increase the floor space to 15 by 30 inches. Keep increasing the floor space until you have an appropriately sized cage. Remember, platforms and multiple stories are a great way to give your rats extra space, so be sure to take into account the size of the platforms when calculating the floor space you have available.

Additionally, you should make sure that the cage you select has a floor and platforms that are made out of solid materials. It is possible for rats walking on a wire frame surface to slip through and injure their feet, which is easily avoidable using solid floors.

Choosing Bedding

You should plan to line the bottom of the rat cage with 2 inches of easily replaceable bedding. There are many types of bedding that are appropriate for rats. However, making your own from waste materials such as cloth or newspaper is not a good idea, as there are many materials that can cause health problems. Select a material from your local pet store instead.

Selecting Furniture

To keep your rats happy and healthy, you will need to furnish their cage with several things. First, a food bowl is important. You should select one that is hard to knock over, but easy to clean. Second, a water bottle that attaches to the outside of the cage is the best way to give your rats water, as water bowls are easy to get dirty or knock over.

Rats like to make nests by taking available materials into an enclosed space. You should give them a piece of furniture that makes this as easy as possible. Your local pet store probably has many small structures for this very purpose. If you need a quick solution, your rats will be perfectly happy living in half of an empty cereal box. However, you will have to replace this box as you clean the cage.

While you should clean the cage weekly, it is a good idea to scoop out any loose waste products on a daily basis. Your rats should make this fairly easy for you by selecting one particular spot to use as a litter box, but if they do not do this, it is possible to litter train rats with a litter box by moving their waste to it. Because of this, a litter box may be necessary later, but it is not automatically required. Wait to see how your rats behave before you purchase one.