Cage Setup

Cage Options

When choosing a cage, you need to consider the following:

- Floor space (enough to run around in, so most bird cages are unsuitable, ideally at least 80cm x 50cm)

- Height (enough for climbing opportunities and enrichment)

- Bar spacing (maximum of 15mm spacing works well for rats of all ages and both sexes)

- Depth of trays (deep enough for a good layer of substrate)

- Good access for cleaning and rat cuddling (I like double-opening doors)

Below are some cage suggestions provided by @realratresources. These are not the only suitable cages out there, but they are really good options. When searching for other options, bear in mind the above and use this calculator to gauge how many rats the cage is suitable for. Note that tanks are not suitable for rats due to the lack of ventilation.

Substrate

Substrate is what will cover most of the cage floor. You want to aim for a substrate that is unscented, as dust-free as possible, absorbant and good for digging around in.

Some good examples:

- Kiln-dried and dust-extracted shavings, such as bedmax, littlemax, pureflake extra, snowflake supreme and aubiose.

- Dust-extracted shredded cardboard, such as green mile, ecobale and shredbed.

- "Bioactive" soil, made up of coco fibre soil and/or top soil and Clean Up Crew like springtails. Should not be mixed with more traditional substrates.

Some bad examples:

- Carefresh, as it is dusty and sometimes scented. It is also very expensive.

- Fleece, as it doesn't provide digging opportunities, isn't very absorbant, doesn't always stay in place, and often needs to be replaced due to chewing.

- Litter, as it doesn't provide digging opportunities and can be a bit hard underfoot.

Litter

Litter should only be used in litter trays. You want litter that is highly absorbant without disintegrating.

Some good examples:

- Paper-based cat litter, such as breeder celect and back 2 nature.

Some bad examples:

- Any wood-based cat litter (disintegrates).

- Biocatolet (contains insect repellent).

Bedding

Bedding offers nesting opportunities and keeps them warmer in winter. It needs to be changed more frequently than substrate.

Some good examples:

- Kitchen/toilet roll - hang in the cage with some natural string for extra enrichment!)

- Dust-extracted hay

- Newspaper strips

- Teabag bedding

- Fabric strips. I prefer to only use these in carriers.

Active Layout

Producing an active layout with running, climbing, jumping and balancing opportunities is incredibly important for keeping your rats happy and healthy. If an individual cannot navigate the cage without more support, consider switching to options like thicker ropes, more fall breakers, and plastic tunnels cable tied to the cage (these tunnels are a pain to clean though). If they don’t use it, they lose it, and keeping them active keeps them mobile and with us for longer. The final photo at the bottom of this page is a set-up for a 2yr8mo doe with mobility issues and her friends - she uses the whole thing and it's not far to fall/she has other things to hang onto if she loses her balance.

When you first buy a cage, filling it is a daunting task. Below are a few ‘rules’ for filling up your cage:

Your ultimate aim is to take out all levels bar litter trays to free up more space and encourage an ‘active’ layout where the rats can move around more and have to be more athletic.
Fill up the space you have with the levels in first, then take out the levels once you have enough enrichment to fill the space. Use half of a larger cage if you need to (a good idea with kittens anyway to build your confidence together).
Pick different points in your cage. If your rat was to fall, how far would they fall before reaching something? Would they safely land on it or bounce off of it? If the latter, at what point will they be caught by something? If it’s a landing point, how soft is that landing point after how big of a fall?
You will want to fill space so that your rats won’t have far to fall without a fall breaker.

You can fill space in a variety of ways. My favourite ways to fill space is to use different size ropes, tie holders, bolt-on ledges, big hanging toys, foldable wine racks cable tied to the sides, and with a larger hammock. I like to use shower hooks to attach things to the cage. If you decide to use pear clips, have the large part at the bottom so that the rat's head won't get caught. Hanging the sleeping space next to/above the litter tray helps to encourage them to use it.

You can obtain these items through places like rat rations, small businesses (Rat Care UK on facebook has a thread of small businesses), IKEA and amazon. Toys and fixtures don’t have to be expensive; you can make toys from toilet/kitchen roll tubes or use old clothes or tea towels for hammocks. Below are some ideas for homemade toys and a photo of my set up (2021). The trays are large litter trays filled with breeder select litter. The substrate is bioactive soil and cork bark pieces. The ropes are from B&M, amazon, Rat Rations and B&Q. The tie holder is from IKEA. The hammocks are from Cosy Beds and Burrows, Hayley's Hammocks and old tea towels. The foldable wine rack on the door and foraging toy at the top are from Amazon. The black box was a shower storage container from Sainsburys that I used as a mini pool.