RATing Cages

Touring round the local Pet Shops and other stores I failed to see any Cages that were really at all suitable for keeping Rats in , either in the short or long term.

Most had Plastic bottom sections, while easy to clean - I have a Doe who proved she was more then capable of gnawing a clear 3 inch diameter hole through the side of one of these Plastic cage sides - in 1 night !!

Many are too tall without reason.  Think what happens if a  2 lb Buck falls from the very cage top(some of my bucks are over 2lbs) and lands on some hard object below.  Is the risk worth it ?.

Not one cage offered a suitable LARGE access door at the front where we need one. !!.  Little 'bird' doors dotted around are no practical use to a Rat owner.    SO I SET ABOUT DESIGNING AND MAKING CAGES for myself.!!

I will try to set out why & how they are made.Also what you need to equip yourself with if you contemplate making your own.   You just could see me at one of the Bi - monthly YRC Shows held at Leeds.  See www.yorkshireratclub.com for more show details, contacts and dates.

Materials, Tools, Paint types etc  that you need if you wish to ' have a go ' at making your own Cage(s) for your Pet rats. 
My present standard cage is : 24 inch long x 18 wide x 18 high. Each cage can have a ' balcony' level for sleeping.
Also you can hang a piece of carpet roll across the cage rear so your Rats can run from one balcony to the other via the tube .     I made 36" long cages for my own Rattery, these are perhaps too large to use in most homes. Remember !   Never use a wire mesh floor.  Use a solid wood or metal footing. 
A roll of galvanised  ž x ž  inch  16 gauge square mesh.  Can be had in 6 metre length rolls , short but easy to move !.  Or for making many Cages you can splash out Ł100 or so for a big 30 Metre roll . Next you need some suitable wire cutters that snip the mesh strands neat and flush so as to lessen the filing smooth needed after cutting.
Paul Spooner of Glossop sells Cutter snips for about Ł 15 and sells metal trays.He now has Rat cages along side his Chinchilla cages for sale .

Then you need go along to Argos Stores and if they still have one ,buy an Ł8 Hilka Staple gun. Then straightway send off to Hilka and buy a supply of Staples.
When fired into firm wood these staples hold the steel mesh very firmly.
From Paul you also buy ( in 1000's pack / Ł13  ) " C " Clips to join mesh panels to panel.  He sells special " C " clip Pliers.  Oh ! and select what size Galv tray you will need to buy from him too.
Then you might make ' sacrificial ' wood frames for the cage bottom edges.  Your rats will grind at the steel mesh ( harsh to our ears ) but when they gnaw at the wood it is less annoying and gives them a natural vent for their activity- they can only find in time , that the steel mesh goes ALL the way down to the metal tray floor !!. So no harm done.
 I find ' the little seconds timber-man ' has off-cuts that measure up to what I need.
You need to work out ' how many squares ' long and high your cage panels need be( remember the finished cage must fit INSIDE the open tray when the cage is completed.
You will soon notice that as you cut mesh panels from the roll, that you can get gradual mis - matching of mesh grid so you need to either 'cut across the roll' or 'cut down the roll' to achieve the best match of the mesh 'squares'. It is useful to have one assembled cage stood as a pattern piece so you can refer to it constantly when working on the next cage.
I usually cut out about 6 sets at a time and bundle them ready to pick up to make up yet another cage.   Anymore than this and your fingers will blister with pressing the wire cutters.  Before assembling the cage you must grind or file all raw mesh ends smooth so as not to leave sharp edges that a young rats can cut it's self on. They will slide down at times and their fingers could be injured.  Same when you do assemble the panels ; again you must file any sharp edges off the 'C' Clips that you used.  A small flat rifler file is useful.You could buy a cage from me , then decide if you wish to make one yourself.......!  See me at  a Yorkshire Rat Club , at St Agnes Church Hall, Shakespeare Close off Stoney Rock Lane, Leeds LS9 7UQ - A Show every second month, see www.yorkshireratclub.com