Q&A: design project: survey of pet rat cages?
Posted by James on August 24, 2011 · 4 Comments
Question by *angel of your lesbian fantasies: design project: survey of pet rat cages?
this is for a design project in which i am making a rat cage. if you have any knowledge or experience in keeping rats or similar animals then please complete this survey… please include as much detail as possible
1) how much space would you be willing to dedicate to a home for your pet?
2) what features do you feel are important for a rat cage to include (e.g. health / safety / exercise / food or water related)?
3) are there any common design flaws in existing products that you think could be improved on?
4) what materials do you find are the easiest to clean?
5) if your pet’s home could look like anything(!) then what would you like it to look like and what colours would you choose?
6) anything else? if you feel there’s anything i haven’t covered then please tell me…
Best answer:
Answer by Jeeli
Don’t worry, I’m going to answer your question! 😀
I have a guinea pig ^^
1) My guinea pig’s cage takes 9 tissue boxes to cover up the whole cage floor. The bigger the cage is, the better it is. Oh, and no wire floors please! It can hurt their little feet. You might not need to take it out for exercise (running around your room) that often if you have a big rat cage.
2) I think a rat cage should include a wheel (I’m not sure if rat use wheels too because I don’t own rats), food bowl, hiding house, water bottle, and bedding.
3) I would make him his own big room with lots of his guinea pig friends and of course, his whole entire room walls/floor will be dark blue! That’d be awesome.
Hope I helped, at least a little 🙂
Add your own answer in the comments!
1) for a rat- at least 40cm long and 30 wide if double story or a meter by
45cm for one level
2)* food available 24/7- all natual foods- nixed seeds and nuts, maybe a
whole apple(to keep them busy)
* A full rodent water bottle at all times
*inc-free paper for a base. lots of scent and inc free toilet paper or
paper-shredded for bedding
3)*most designs forget that rats like dark hid-away places. if there is a
part of the cage that is permanantly dark and easy to clean, thats
just cosy enough for a rat, it would be an excellent cage.
*wooden cages perish and are more succeptable to odours.
*a lot of cages today have doors that can shut too quickly- i know
numerous people who have rats with damaged tails due o this
problem.
*all glass/plastic cages
4)metal + wire = best combination in my opinion
5)no idea on colour. rectangular cage is just fine- house shaped could
be an interesting design
6) no wheels- they dont use then. they’d prefer a log or a pot plant to dig though.
1) I’ve already dedicated more space to my fuzzies than I get! They’re in every room but the bathrooms, kitchen, and my bedroom – although they’ve been in my bedroom in the past.
If you’re referring to cage size – only 1 rat lives in a small cage, but it’s suitable for one rat – and that’s because he free ranges. My other rats are all in ferret sized cages with multi floors and levels. The cages are about 3′ tall – except the one that’s 4′ tall. They are about 2 1/2 – 3′ wide and about 18″ deep.
2) Wheels are a personal preference – but there needs to be space for one since some rats do like them and they do need to be large for a grown rat.
I would prefer the cage bottoms not be a wire bottom – although I do line those cages floors, and find that a lot of the droppings fall thru to the pan.
I don’t like plastic ramps since they can be chewed.
I would like to see some cages have doors big enough so you can put a large igloo or box in it.
It also might be handy if some of the larger cages had some way of breaking down, or folding up, for storage when not in use – or for easier cleaning – or even to get it to fit in the bathtub, or shower. I don’t have the option of washing cages outside with a hose.
3) Yes, I would like to see deeper pans so the bedding doesn’t get thrown out of the cage. I would like to see some with improvements to where the doors are and how they latch. I would like someone to realize these cages need to be cleaned and try doing so like the everyday person would do, in a bathtub or shower, with their design before marketing and selling it.
I would like to see a rat cage that’s actually suitable for a few rats, vs. something big enough for a solitary mouse.
4) I like metal that’s powder coated.
5) I actually like the cages I have and wouldn’t want them in tutti frutti colors. I would like them to all have black pans and black bars.
6) Lower prices on cages would be nice, but that’s a dream. Self cleaning cages would be an even better dream!
In reality, there comes a time where rats may need to be separated from one another – to have the option of easily closing off one floor from another, or removing a ramp to do so, would be a nice idea.
1) Rat cages should have at least 2 cubic ft of space per rat, preferably more. In my experience, rats tend to like cages that are tall, rather than wide, as they like to climb and sleep in high spaces.
2) Since I would prefer a taller cage, any way you can design it so the rat doesn’t risk falling far distances is good. The space should allow for a large wheel to be snapped in, or some how secured to the cage. With my Martin’s cage, I have to use zip ties to secure the wheel to keep it from bouncing away.
I also like to use fleece on the floors of my cage, and sometimes certain cages make it difficult to secure it. Many people use binder clips, but those don’t work in my cage. I have to use clothespins to hold the fleece in place, and that even doesn’t always work.
I’d also prefer to have my cage off the ground at this point. Our dog has an unholy obsession with my rats, and I now have to leave them constantly in a closed room to prevent any accidents. At the same time, there should be a ladder or something to allow the rats to easily climb down to the floor.
3) Making it easy to clean. Rat gunk can build up on bars. Also, many good cages are designed for ferrets, etc and have bar spacing that is too large for baby rats. Making sure there are easy ways to hang hammocks and whatnot. I currently take wire cages and put linoleum tile on the floors to prevent injury, but solid plastic floors can get chewed up. Having a taller cage, it would be nice to block off the top part of the cage from the bottom, so sick rats or rats with other issues could be housed in the same cage for a short while if necessary. Also, making sure the cage doors are large enough to be able to easily get into and clean the cage. That’s one of the major reasons people like ferret nation cages. It is also easier to get wheels and igloos and whatnot in cages with big doors. I have to get my wheel in and out via the flip top as it does not fit in the door.
4) I have a powder coated galvanized metal cage. It’s okay to clean, I usually have to blast it with the hose or shower. So making it easy to move is important.
5) I’d keep the cage symmetrical and a neutral color. Anything to mask poop and pee is great.
Hope that helps!
1) as long as I have a bed…all of it!
2) a gravity been feeder and cut a whole in the cage so the mouth part is inside and i just need to pour food in the outside and not disturb my rats, dirt pots to dig in, lots of room, jingly toys, jew toys, a very large water bottle
3) cover any wire floors with a mat made out of woven hay (petco)
4) linoleum, metal, glass
5) it would be an exact scale model of my house just to show my little furris that my house is their house!
6) nothing
good luck and hope this helps!