Turning a one level cage into a multi level cage!

[Aina Kintsu]

I am part of a rat community on livejournal.com and I come across a lot of posts asking about how to make their rats one story cage, into a multilevel cage. Most of the cages in question are these kind of cages, which are made for rabbits, cavies, and ferrets. Depending on the size of the cage, the most rats that can fit in these cage is 3 (this is my opinion). If you are worried about the number of rats that can be house in a cage you can use a cage calculator to estimate how many rats can comfortably fit in your cage. However, this estimate does not include the toys, hammocks, and other accessories inside the cage, so take that into consideration.

anyhow, on to the ideas for creating a multi-level cage from a one level cage!

normal basket- you can probably find these at a dollar store or wal-mart. Just use twist or zip ties through the holes, to attach to the side of the cage.

there are two wire levels that can be bought at Petsmart
-the super pet corner look out - great to fit in the corner of the cage!
-movable platform - can be placed anywhere in the cage!
both these are wire and can be a pain to clean (because as any ratty parent knows, rats like to pee everywhere) so to help keep them clean (and more comfortable on your ratty's feet) you can either construct a cloth cover, or but a towel or fleece on it.

here is a corner level that can only be bought off petco.com
-resting corner- fits in the corner of the cage. I have never used this product, but my guess it that the plastic is a lot easier to clean then the wire.



other things you can buy at either petsmart of petco :

-leap and ledge- because it is wood, the pee soaks in. If you want to clean it, you can soak it in 10%bleach/ 90% water for 15 minute or longer, and then wait for it to COMPLETELY dry and the bleach odor to go away, before placing the ledge back in the cage. Plus, the ratties can chew on the ledge if they want! (the is another version of this item called sleep and ledge, which is also bigger)

-chubes- there is two ways you can arrange this in the cage

1.) on one side of the chube, punch two holes on the top. take either twist ties or zip ties and put them through the holes. Then with the ties, attach to the side of the cage. (this is how I like to attach them to my cage and my girls LOVE to sleep in chubes in the summer time)

2.) the other way is to punch four holes on the top (2 on one side, 2 on the other). run zip or twist ties through the holes and attach to the ceiling or side of the cage.


-corner pan- it is actually a litter pan for rabbits and ferrets (can be used for rats if you want to) but also makes a good solid corner ledge.



-ball- some rats do not like running in a ball (they rather free range) but if you happen to get one and your rat doesn't like it, don't toss it! just take out one of the side doors (or both), take a zip tie and attach to the ceiling of the cage. (I have seen this done before and currently have one in my girls cage. It makes a great sleeping area for ratties!)



-empty box- simply take an empty box that can fit in the cage and there you have a hiding/sleeping place, and the top of the box makes a level. Because rats pee everywhere you'll have to eventually toss it.

-fiddle sticks- I believe you can find a colored version of these at Petsmart. Anyhow, depending on how much space you have between the bars, you can stick this in the corner of the cage, through the bars, and make a corner ledge. Also, these bend and move, so play around with them a bit.



-hammocks- you can either make hammocks or buy them. If you plan on buying hammocks go through a resuce or one of these sites. Don't bother with the ones found in stores. The fabric used doesn't last if your rat is a chewer (and most are).



some online places (fanciers and rescues)
first go to google.com and do a search for a rescue in your area. See if they sell hammocks and if you can come to the rescue and buy some. :3

-http://varicolored.net-
-http://dearpiehammocks.com-
-http://penguinsane.livejournal.com/502462.html-
-http://www.worldofrats.com/ROUSHammocks.html-
-http://www.rattycorner.com/funstuff/hammocks.shtml-
-http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/content/view/38-
-http://www.ratwarehouse.com/shop_view.php?cat=8-]



For ladders, please check out Toys Edition