The Best cages for Rats!

1/12/2021

There are many suitable cages for rats on the market but there are a few very important things to consider when deciding on which cage to get for your current or future rats.

Size
Bar Spacing
Accessibility
Ease of Cleaning
Cage Material
Price

-Glass tanks and Crittertrail/Hamster cages are NEVER appropriate for rats for any length of time-

Cage Size

Let's talk first about size. Each rat needs roughly 2-2.5 cubic feet of space and remember it's important to always have 2 or more rats!

There's a great cage calculator on the "Rat Central" website that you can use to calculate how many rats can comfortably fit in a cage your considering by using the cage's dimensions. I'll link the website below for you!

Rat Cage Calculator

Bar Spacing

The next important thing to consider is bar spacing. This is simple. Here at Bleu Jay Exotics we always recommend buying a cage with bars that are 1/2inch apart and no larger. Young rats and female rats can usually squeeze themselves through anything larger than 1/2". Older large males may be okay with cages that have a 1" bar spacing but we always say, "better safe than sorry".

If you have a cage that has 1" bar spacing you can use 1/2" hardware cloth to keep any rats escaping. Never use chicken wire as the holes aren't even and the wire is much thinner. Hardware cloth can be secured using zip ties or nuts, bolts and washers. Hardware cloth can be purchased at most hardware stores including HomeDepot or Lowes in the garden center. The best cheap tool to cut hardware cloth are tin snips which you can usually buy for under $20.

Accessibility and Ease of cleaning

This is a big one that might come back to haunt you if you don't choose wisely Cages with small doors might make getting to your rats and cleaning the cage every week difficult. Finding a cage with wide doors may be beneficial.

Another thing to consider is pan size for bedding. Pans that detach from the cage and are deep enough to hold a good amount of loose bedding are the best. Cages with plastic bases can be used but should be watched closely to make sure there is no chewing going on.

The Critter Nation cage is one of the most popular cages among rat owners but the pans are HORRIBLE. They are no deep enough to hold any bedding. Luckily over the years people have come up with ways to change that. The more expensive but longer lasting option are the Bass Equipment metal pans for the critter/ferret nation. These pans are chew proof and definitely will last a long time but they are pretty pricey. A cheaper option would be using the cement mixing tubs from Home Depot that can be trimmed to fit perfectly into the bottom of the Critter Nation cage! This is a cheaper option but can be chewed through.

Bass Equipment Pans

Cement Mixing Tub

Price

Price really depends on your personal budget. I would suggest saving your money to purchase a quality cage rather than rushing to buy something cheap.

If you're on a tight budget, don't forget to check craigslist or facebook marketplace!

personal favorite cages:

Midwest Deluxe Critter Nation
(can hold up to 6 rats)

Pros:
-Easy access doors
-Easy to clean
-Can add on in future

Cons:
-Pricey
-Heavy
-Pans not deep enough for bedding

Critter Nation

Kaytee Multilevel Exotics Cage
(can hold 2 rats)

Pros:
-Deep base for bedding
-Good price

Cons:
-Small doors
-Plastic base

Kaytee Exotics

Living World Ferret Habitat
(can hold up to 4 rats)

Pros:
-Deep base for bedding
-Large Doors

Cons:
-Pricey
-Plastic base

Living World

Ferplast Ferret Tower
(can hold up to 14 rats)

Pros:
-Deep Bases for bedding
-Large Doors
-Tons of Room

Cons:
-Very pricey
-Large footprint
-Plastic base