What Cage Should You Get For Your Rats?
Cage requirements
Purchasing a cage is your first step towards keeping rats and will likely be your biggest investment. Fortunately, if you select the right cage this will be a one time investment that will last you many many years! There are some important things to keep in mind when selecting a setup:
1. Cage Dimensions: The first thing to consider is space requirements for your rats. Rats are fossorial animals that spend most of their time living under ground so horizontal floor space is more important than vertical climbing space. A minimum of 32" length by 22" width is required for up to 6 rats. Although height isn't as important, rats do enjoy climbing for enrichment. So a minimum of 24" height is needed. Of course the bigger the cage the better so if it is in your budget go with a larger sized cage!
2. Bar Spacing: Rats can easily squeeze through very small spaces so a maximum of 1/2" spacing between bars is required.
3. Metal: Rats are experts at chewing and will eventually chew out of plastic or wood cages. Wood also is impossible to keep clean and will absorb ammonia risking the rats developing respiratory infections. Therefore, metal is the only expectable cage material.
4. Solid Floors: Rats can be injured or develop sores from standing on wire bottom cages. So a solid cage bottom is needed. A solid floor also accommodates the use of bedding/substrate which will keep odor down, control ammonia, and provide digging enrichment for the rats.
6. Large Doors: Although not required, large doors will provide easy access to the cage for cleaning and arranging. You will greatly appreciate having a cage that you can fully open easily!
Midwest Critter Nation
36"L x 24"W x 39" W
This cage is the most highly recommended cage for housing rats and is the cage we house all of our rats in! It is very well made with high quality materials and will last many years! It provides the proper amount of floor space for up to 6 rats, is chew proof and escape proof for even smaller young rats. It has large front doors for easy access as well! My favorite part is that this cage can be combined with other critter nations to add space (our rats live in two double critter nations that are connected together for a full quadruple cage! The bottom can also be easily renovated to add a dig box.
This cage is priced at $188 new for a single unit.
Vevor Small Animal Cage
36" x 22" x 39"
his cage is a great slightly lower budget cage that still offers decent floor space for up to 4 or 5 rats. The downside to this cage is that it doesn't offer the ability to add on units to upgrade the size.
This cage is $136.
Exotic Nutrition Borneo Cage
46" L x 23" W x 62" H
This is a very high quality, well made cage for anyone that has a large mischief of rats and wants to maximize space. This is a cage we may switch to in the future for our rats. This cage also has the ability to add on more units. The downside to this cage is that the bottom tray must be rennovated to be a solid floor instead of a wire grate. This can easily be done with plexiglass.
This cage is priced at $200
Exotic Nutrition Mansion Cage
32" L x 22" W x 38.5" H
This cage is the absolute smallest cage that is acceptable for rats and would house 2 to 4 rats. It is very well made and has appropriate bar spacing. Add on units are available to upgrade the size as well. I really like that this cage comes with scatter guards allowing you to have a deep bedding without having to do any DIY projects. Downside is that only 1 door opens so access to the cage isn't as easy as some other options.
This cage is $200
Exotic Nutrition Casablanca Cage
32" L x 20"W x 23" H
This cage is NOT large enough for young adult rats but is an excellent cage for senior rats that may be having some mobility issues and need a small cage to prevent falls. It's also a great cage to have on hand for quarantine, travel, ect.
This cage is $110
Prevue Pet 528
32.5"L x 19"W x 17.5"H
Another cage that is NOT large enough for young adult rats but is an excellent travel and quarantine cage. This is the cage we use for our does to raise their litters the first couple weeks as it's 3/8" bar spacing is perfect for tiny babies.
This cage is $115