Cages for rats: characteristics, selection, equipment, care

Before you buy any pet, you need to carefully choose a house for him, are no exception and rats. Since these animals will spend all their time in a cage (eat, play, sleep), it should be spacious and equipped with various accessories. Such designs can be purchased as a finished product, and make yourself, most importantly, that they meet all safety standards and facilitate the care of animals.

The cage for the rat is the main housing of the pet, so it must be comfortable and allow it to move freely. As a rule, for the maintenance of an ornamental rat, they acquire structures consisting of several floors, each of which has a height of not less than 20 cm.

Do not buy too high houses, the best option is considered a 3-storey cell. It will be enough for the rodent to be able to arrange a place for sleep and active entertainment. Since rats like to climb a height, it is desirable that hammocks, which act as safety elements, are provided in the cage.

Important in the design of the cage is the distance between the rods, it is selected depending on the size of the animal. The minimum figure for babies is no more than 1 cm, for adults - 2.5 cm. In order to make the rodent's house comfortable to clean, it is recommended to choose a cage with a sliding tray. Aquariums are poorly suitable for keeping rats, they do not provide good ventilation and the animal will not live in such a dwelling for long.

An important detail in the cages for rats is the presence of shelves. They are wooden, trellised and plastic.

Keep mobile rodents is best in spacious houses. It should be borne in mind that at least 0.04 m3 of space should be allocated to each individual. If you plan to place a couple of animals in a cage, then this figure is 0.06 m3.

For babies and teenagers, you can purchase two or three-storey structures, a large cage measuring 60 by 40 cm is ideal for adult animals. There are also houses with sizes of 430 * 280 * 540 mm, 385 * 275 * 435 mm, for keeping a couple of rodents they will be small, but for a single rat will be the ideal shelter.

Cells with a minimum volume are allowed to buy only if it is planned to walk the animals from time to time. For permanent maintenance of a pet in a cage, experts recommend purchasing designs twice as large as standard sizes.

For breeding decorative rats in the home, well-designed designs of square and rectangular shapes, while they should not be too long and high. Many pet owners acquire unusual shapes (oval, triangular) for decorating the interior of the cage, but it will be inconvenient for rats to live in similar constructions.

Today, rat cages are presented on the market in a chic assortment, and each model of them differs not only in size and design, but also in its material of manufacture. As a rule, designs of such cells consist of rods and a plastic pallet. In that case, if when choosing a product an unpleasant smell of paint is noticed, then such a purchase should be abandoned. This suggests that the cell is made of poor quality material and toxic.

Lattice instructions are usually represented by galvanized or painted rods. They do not pose a danger to the life of the animal, but experts recommend to give preference to cells with rods painted black. They are almost invisible and allow you to comfortably watch the pets.

Now you can also find in the sale and cells in which the rods are replaced by plastic. Such models for keeping rats are not suitable, as pets run on plastic is difficult.

For many, the choice of cage for domestic rats may seem difficult, especially if you need to buy a comfortable cottage for two pets at the same time. In fact, it is not. The most important thing - to take into account the size of pets and design features. A simple cage with lattice walls is perfect for keeping a pair of rodents; animals in it will be able to move freely and gain access to the air.

It is also necessary to pay special attention to the size of the structure. For boys, it is recommended to buy more spacious cages, and for the maintenance of the female and the male the minimum space is calculated separately for each individual.

A common option for housing rats is a terrarium (aquarium). Such a house is easy to clean, the smell from animals does not spread around the room, the animal is reliably protected from drafts and the filler is not scattered on the floor.

But in such housing the animal will not receive the necessary level of ventilation and the rat behind the glass will completely lose contact with the owner, and it is a very social animal. Therefore, these models can only be used temporarily and try to replace them with permanent cages with rods. Ideal for keeping rodents suitable and showcase.

An important role when choosing a cell is played by the format of the structure (the ratio of width, height and length). Regardless of the sex of the animal, the cage should choose standard forms, it should not be too “flat” (have a small height and a large base), too narrow with a large length and height. It is also not allowed to use the construction of the "tower", they have a small base and high altitude. This design is unstable and inconvenient to live animals. Therefore, with a construction height of 80 cm, the size of its base should be at least 50 * 70 cm.

In addition, when going shopping for a cell, other parameters should be taken into account.

• Spacing between the bars. The maximum value of this indicator is no more than 1.7 cm. If a female and a male live in the house at the same time, the distance can be increased to 2 cm. When the couple have babies, they can “leak” through the metal barrier. Therefore, it is important for them to foresee another cell.
• Processing metal rods. Recently on sale there are designs with galvanized and painted rods. At the same time, the latter have a number of drawbacks - they quickly oxidize, absorb smells and look unaesthetic, since their surface eventually becomes covered with white spots.
• The presence of false. The best cell models are equipped with a special compartment that allows you to avoid problems with cleaning and scattering filler from the house. At the same time, this structural element can be traumatic for pets. To protect the rodent paws from fracture, the middle part of the cells with a false one should be covered with PVC mats, cardboard or linoleum.

The health and behavior of rats kept at home depends largely on the conditions in which they are kept. Therefore, the arrangement of the cell is considered one of the important tasks before the acquisition of a rodent. First of all, you need to pay attention to the choice of filler. As a litter, wood chips, pressed corn filler and pieces of paper are commonly used.

The list of important accessories that you need to equip a rat's housing will be complemented by the following items.

• Drinking bowl For animals of this type are ideal drinkers with a metal tip. They are easily attached to the walls of the structure (on the reverse side) and their nose is conveniently pushed through the mesh inside.
• Feeding trough. Rodents love to drag, nibble and turn over their bowls, so it is advisable to fill the food in hanging metal or ceramic products.
• Hammock. It will be used by rats as a bed, therefore it must be made of soft material.
• House It is a secluded place for animals where they can relax and hide. Despite the fact that many rodents prefer not to sleep in the house, it is still necessary to put it, it will give the animals a sense of security.
• Restroom. For its arrangement, as a rule, they use ceramic or plastic containers that would be conveniently placed in one of the corners of the pallet.
• Shelves. They are indispensable components of any cell and are installed on different tiers. The distance between the shelves should not be less than 20 cm. In order to diversify the life of rats, experts recommend fixing several plastic or trellised shelves on each floor.

When equipping the cages, attention should also be paid to the selection of toys. Since this type of rodent is considered the most mobile and loves to constantly jump and climb, housing for them should turn into a real "gym" and allow the animals to fill the lack of movement. For an active lifestyle pets should additionally purchase such accessories.

• Suspended ladder. This element will not only engage in sports, but also make life easier for older individuals, acting as a means of movement. Small rats suspended suspension will insure against falling from a height.
• Plastic and wooden pieces of pipes. Will serve as an original transition between zones.
• Swing. They can be both rope and wooden.
• Metal springs. They are hung instead of the stairs on the floors.
• Kanatiki. It is advisable to buy products woven from a thick rope with a huge knot at the end.

We should not forget about toys made of wood, which are designed for gnawing. In their holes you need to put your favorite pet treats, pre-wrapped in paper. As for the running wheel, it is not necessary for the rats, as the animals run along it uncomfortable because of the long tail. Not suitable for rats and walking balls, because rodents are very curious, love to sniff and inspect everything.

The housing of the rats must be kept in a constant order and cleanliness, this will allow to avoid frequent diseases of the animal and the appearance of an unpleasant smell in the room. Therefore, every day you need to wash the cage with soap and change the filler. In this case, only part of the sawdust that has been contaminated can be removed. Feeders and drinkers should also be thoroughly cleaned and fresh water should be poured.

At least once a week a spring-cleaning should be carried out in the house, which provides for a complete replacement of the filler and wiping all the toys, simulators and washing the pallet.

Recently, various rat cages can be found on sale, so giving preference to one or another model, it is important to consider not only personal preferences, but also how comfortable the animal will feel in the new house. At the same time, the cell should harmoniously fit into the general interior of the room. The following interesting cell options are very popular with pet owners.

• Aviary cage in black with retractable tray and vertical rods. It has a standard rectangular shape, its design consists of plastic and metal parts. The original look of this house will give bright shelves of colored plastic.

• Tiered lock cage. This fabulous design is well fit into any style of the room and will serve as a comfortable shelter for rodents. The design can contain both 3 and 4 floors, each of which must be decorated with interesting and useful elements for the life of the rat. If desired, the outer side of the "castle" can be decorated with LED tape, which will help create an unusual atmosphere indoors.

You will learn more about rat cages in the following video.