Pet Rat Cages: What to Look For, What to Avoid

Rats need lots of room to spread out, scamper, climb, and just be their ratty selves. In general, you should allow 2 cubic feet per rat. Bigger is always better. Although rats can survive in more cramped quarters, they won't be as happy. It will feel more like a prison than a home.

So, how do you figure out if a cage is big enough for your rats? Here's the formula:

Multiply the cage's dimensions (length x width x height). Divide the result by 3456. The answer will tell you how many rats can comfortably live in the cage.

For example, let's take the dimensions of my single level Critter Nation: 36" L times 24" W times 24" H gives us 20736 cubic inches. Dividing that by 3456 gives us the number 6, which is the number of rats that can safely live inside.

If you don't want to fool with the calculations yourself, you can always use the Ratty Corner's Rat Cage Calculator.

Always go for coated metal cages. Powder-coated is best, since rats can more easily gnaw through PVC.

Although galvanized metal cages are often cheaper, it's not the best option if you want your cage to last a long time. Rat urine will make these cages rust fast. After about a year, maybe a little longer if you're lucky, a galvanized metal cage is impossible to clean and looks nasty. There's not much you can do at that point except throw it out and get another cage.

Another problem with galvanized metal cages, according to some sources, is that they could give zinc poisoning to rats. I'm not 100% sure if this is correct, but it's a risk I wouldn't take.

Photo by fifikins of Flickr

Imagine the only way to stick your hand inside a rat cage is through a little door. Now imagine trying to grab one of your rats, rearrange the rat furniture, do some cleaning... yeah, that sucks, doesn't it? If you're not a masochist, you should look for a cage that's easy to access.

Let's say you're thinking about getting a Martin cage. Adding a flip-top lid costs an extra $10, but most rat owners who have experience with these cages will tell you that it's worth it.

One of the reasons I chose the Critter Nation was because of the doors: Since they span the full width and height of the cage, all I have to do is swing them open to have full access to the cage. Cleaning is super easy.

Photo by leunix of Flickr.

You may have heard that hamsters are escape artists. Well, rats can be good at escaping too. Young rats and agile females can squirm their way out of a cage if there's a big enough gap between the bars. 1/2" bar spacing is your best bet.

1" spacing is OK for most fully grown male rats. Personally, I'd go with 1/2" spacing so that I wouldn't have to worry either way.

Some people buy cages with wide bar spacing and cover it with wire mesh to foil the escape artists.

Photo by beatsleepless of Flickr

Rats have a way of kicking up litter when they dart around and wrestle with each other. If the cage doesn't come with a drop-in pan that's at least 2" tall, much of this litter will end up on the floor.

I have to admit this is where my Critter Nation cage falls short. It's my one gripe. The pan isn't deep at all, so I have to sweep up litter from time to time. I plan to put a stop to this by strapping on lengths of plexiglass.

Photo by adria.richards of Flickr

Wire floors are bad for little rat feet. They're known to cause (or at lease aggravate) a condition called bumblefoot. This condition causes the bottoms of the rat's feet to develop large red swellings, which often bleed. Bumblefoot typically develops from infected wounds on the rat's feet. That's why you want to avoid wire floors: They're hard to keep clean, and they can cut into the rat's feet over time.

There are many perfectly good cages that have ramps and levels made from wire mesh. The best thing to do in this case is to cover the levels with towels, fleece, plexiglass, or plastic needlepoint canvas that you can buy from craft stores.