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Past and Present Cages of the Rattery
Throughout the years of running a rattery, we have had many cages to house our spoiled boys and girls. We will be posting pictures of as many of our cages that are in our photo archives along with a general review of each cage, how it was made or who the manufacturer was and the general descriptions of each. We hope this will give new and old rat owners some idea of what we have tried in the past and found to work or not work for us. All measurements are in inches. Each cage is rated on a 5 paw system where 5 paws is excellent and one is poor.
The Hagan Cage
Description: Wire top cage with solid plastic white pan.
Dimensions: 27" high x 24" long x 20" deep
Wire Spacing: 1" x 1/2"
Make: Modified cage
Max.# Residents: 2 adults
Costs: Free - made from old cage parts
Cleanable: Hard
Pros: Small and convenient, relatively cheap, versatile, high pan walls that keep bedding in.
Cons: placement of door, hard to clean overall and the bedding below.
Comments: This was actually two cages made into one. The bottom pan is from an Hagan cage. The wire top is made from homemade wire mesh material.
Rating:
The Petsmart Cage
Description: Wire top cage with solid metal pan.
Dimensions: 30" high x 30" long x 12" deep
Wire Spacing: 1" x 2"
Make: All Living Things
Max.# Residents: 3-4 adults
Costs: $120 each new
Cleanable: Easy
Pros: Nice size & dimensions, full upper floor, metal pan, available in Petsmart
Cons: Pan walls not high enough, the orientation of the wire does not accommodate large water bottles, the powder coating chips off very easily, some tarnish issues with metal wire
Comments: These cages are descent cages but a little costly for what you get.
Rating:
The Dog Create Cage
Description: Wire top cage with plastic pan.
Dimensions: " high x " long x " deep
Wire Spacing: 1" x 1"
Make: Modified
Max.# Residents: 6-7 adults
Costs: Crate costs $50
Cleanable: Hard
Pros: Big doors, large open floors
Cons: Severe rusting, very thick wire makes modifications difficult, hard to clean and move.
Comments: This was another piecing together of 2 cages. The bottom black cage was a discounted dog crate from Petsmart. It was modified to make the door on the front and a pan was ordered for it. The top part was made with wire cloth.
Rating:
The Tower Cage
Description: Wire top cage with plastic pan.
Dimensions: 60" high x 30" long x 24" deep
Wire Spacing: 1" x 1"
Max.# Residents: 12 adults
Costs: $190 plus shipping
Cleanable: Moderate
Pros: 3-4 full floor levels, nice overall design, able to deal with moving & cleaning it, chewing on the inside bottom plastic pan.
Cons: The galvanized metal wire tarnished and had build up only after 2 years of use.
Comments: This was a special order cage from Martins- the Ferret Condo with modified wire spacing and drop in pan. We added a 4th level to the top with hard wire cloth material. Unfortunately, we got this cage without the powder coating. This cage is current being refinished and will probably be brought back to use soon.
Rating:
The Grotto Cage
Description: Cabinet Style cage
Dimensions: " high x " long x " deep
Wire Spacing: Doors were 1/2" x 1/2"
Make: Homemade
Max.# Residents: 6 adults
Costs: $200 for cabinet & supplies
Cleanable: Hard
Pros: It looked nice and elegant, wipe clean the floors
Cons: Chewing of the wood, staining, seepage of fluids into wood and corners, held smell, poor ventilation, poor lighting, hard to make or add modifications.
Comments: This was my first and last attempt at a "grotto" style cage. I purchased a cabinet made of heavily wood and melanite boards for the shelves. I made the front doors out of closet doors with wire mesh. The entire cage was taped and painted to seal the wood from 'ratty use'. Within about 3 months I threw the whole thing away.
Rating:
The RUUD Cage
Description: Wire top with plastic drop in pan
Dimensions: 60" high x 30" long x 18" deep
Wire Spacing: 1/2" x 1" Powder coated
Max.# Residents: 10 adults
Costs: $195 plus shipping
Cleanable: Moderate
Comments: I had been looking to get the RUUD for quite sometime and finally went ahead with it. This cage is exactly like the cage I had before where I had stacked a R-695 onto a R-685 before the RUUD had even come out. I have always enjoyed this cage. Its roomy and nice looking. I am able to pick it up by myself and clean it easy enough.
Rating:
The Hardwire Cage
Description: Wire top cage with wood top & bottom
Dimensions: " high x " long x " deep
Wire Spacing: 1/2" x 1/2"
Make: Homemade
Max.# Residents: 8-10 adults
Costs: About $25 for the wire mesh, the top & bottom donated
Cleanable: Very Hard
Pros: Big cage size, open area, lots of room, cheap to make
Cons: Wood trim on top and bottom base, flemsey wire mesh
Comments: This was a wonderful cage and my first attempt as a homemade style cage. Its biggest flaw was the wood trim that soaked up urine/water that became very nasty very quick.
Rating:
The Marshall Cage
Description: Wire top with plastic slide in pan
Dimensions: 56" high x 37" long x 24.25" deep
Wire Spacing: Approx. 1" x 5" Powder coated
Make: Marshall Ferret Mansion
Max.# Residents: 10 adults
Costs: $174.59 New
Cleanable: Moderate
Pros: Thick well coated wire, on a built in stand with wheels, nice large size, nice cage for the money, looks nice and expensive
Cons: Wire spacing only allows for large rats, modifications had to be done to make it rat usable, shallow pan walls
Comments: I had been given the chance to try out the new Marshall cages everyone was raving about. I like a lot of things about this cage so far but had to add some levels.
Rating:
The Temp Cage
Description: Wire top with plastic drop in pan
Dimensions: 36" high x 24" long x 14" deep
Wire Spacing: 1" x 1/2" Powder coated
Max.# Residents: 2 adults
Costs: $88.00 new powder-coated plus shipping
Cleanable: Easy
Pros: Small convenient size, easily to clean, okay design overall
Cons: Very steep ladders, poor placement of middle ladder, too small to fit many rats in it at all.
Comments: This was a complete surprise to be given this cage for while. Overall, its a nice Martin's cage and it works well for babies and young rats in small numbers.
Rating:
More Cage Reviews to Come!
We will be reviewing some more cages soon:
Martins Cages
Aquarium Toppers
20 gal Tank Topper
Super Pets Cages
All Living Things/Ware cages
The Retirement Cage
Description: Powder coated wire top with plastic drop in pan
Dimensions: 36" high x 24" long x 14" deep
Wire Spacing: 1" x 1/2" Powder coated
Max.# Residents: 2 adults
Costs: $86.00 new powder-coated plus shipping
Cleanable: Easy
Pros: Convenient size, easily to clean
Cons: Not enough full levels, short half levels
Comments: This is actually the top half of the RUUD cage but is the same demensions and plan as the Rat Lodge. This is a good sized cage suitable for older rats.
Rating:
The Litters Cage
Description: Powder coated wire top with plastic drop in pan
Dimensions: 24" high x 24" long x 14" deep
Wire Spacing: 1" x 1/2" Powder coated
Max.# Residents: Babies only
Costs: $64.00 new powder-coated plus shipping
Cleanable: Easy
Pros: Convenient size, easily to clean, good size for babies
Cons: Not enough full levels, short half levels
Comments: This cage has a descent overall design and has nice demensions. It is too small for adult rats to live in but works very well for pre-weaned babies.
Rating:
