PetSmart Super Pet Deluxe for Exotics
October 14, 2009 by RatsRatsRats
Filed under Rat Cage Reviews
When searching for the perfect home for my pet rats one problem I have come across time and time again is that the bars are too far apart and my little friends could squeeze through if they really wanted to. There are some gorgeous, big homes for ferrets out there that would be perfect for my rats – apart from the bars!
One of the reasons I like this rat cage is that the bars are very close together, so that even baby rats, or mice could not squeeze through. The cage is great value at under $100 and is a great way to start off when you first get your new pets.
The cage comes complete with a comfy hammock and a large exercise wheel. Now, a couple of my rats have really taken to a good run on the wheel, but others are not interested. If yours show no interest you could take the wheel out to allow more space. Other pros of choosing this rat cage include the cure little personalization plate, where you can add your rats’ names and the easy to clean tray. Once you take into account the ramps and shelves there is a lot of space here for your pets.
If you have elderly rats, a single level home may be more appropriate. My older rats prefer not to climb as much as they used to.
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This was my second cage. (The first was a small, two story travel cage when Yossarian was a wee little girl.) And I was/am more or less impressed.
My main issues with it after about a year were:
A) The tray isn’t exactly easy to clean. Ferret cages use a much a better system of a pull out litter tray. One of those in combination with an actual litter pan (and litter trained rats, of course) is ideal. (You can get one of these bases pretty easily in the size of the above cage. Mine was actually designed for a bird cage, but it fit fine.)
B) The levels, while potentially more comfortable for the rats feet, can quickly become nasty. The frequency of cleaning required even seemed to annoy my girls, who had to redo the interior design every two or three days after I mopped out leaked water and urine.
C) The lack of of a complete second level is incredibly lamentable, and really does relegate this to a “growing” cage in my opinion. (An easy fix, however. I just got some 1/8th inch wire shells from other cages and tack welded them together. Right above the exercise wheel went in a second floor. There was still plenty of room for two of the pre-fab shelves, three little wooden chinchilla perches, and a hammock. Not to mention a load more run around and wrestle room!)
D) The feeding dish is absurdly large. However the hole in the tray is an awesome place for a homemade PVC/Fleece tube which allows you to eliminate one of the ramps and add a little variety to the setup.
Other than that, though, I really do think this cage is a good deal.
I’d go so far as to say that this is the smallest I’d recommend to anyone for a permanent rat home. The horizontal bars (one of the first things you should look at as a quality indicator in any rat home purchase) provide ample climbing opportunities, are the correct size for a rat (1/8″ spacing), and are pretty sturdy. (It’s amazing how easily some cages’ bars bend.) I would have to say, regarding the room, that after two or three rats you’ll need to size up. Four rats really pushed this cage to its limit.
Thank you so much for your very useful comment Jason. I agree with you that the larger the cage the better. Even if you let the rats out every day they still need plenty of space to explore and climb in their own house. Pea and Mingles are the first rats I have had that really enjoy destroying their cage. When I adopted them they came with their old cage and they had gnawed a hole in the plastic tray. Now I have a very luxurious 4 level home for them, that is very secure, but of course they still need plenty of free-range time.
i saw this for the first time ad my jaw dropped! i said “oh my! what a perfect cage for a rat! its beautiful!” ill beg my mom (im only ten) to get this! i think my (soon to be) rat terry will love his new owner and home!