# Liberta Explorer/Xtrail Rodent Cage/Critter Nation



## rattystuart

Hi Guys does anyone know where to get any of these cages for a good price (cheaper than £169?) which is really all i can find, i have heard of people getting the explorer for £120/£140 but cant find anything close?
or are there any other similar cages around?
Thanks,I cant wait to get my rats just need a good cage for them


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## Acid

if you cant find any cheap enough you could always pick up a large parrot cage off ebay for under 50 quid and add a shelf and ladder in the middle etc

thats what my friends done and theyve got quite a bit more space lol

or maybe get one of these? VERY LARGE CHINCHILLA FERRET MAMMMAL RAT CAGE F23 | eBay

NEW LARGE LIBERTA RAT CHINCHILLA FERRET BIRD CAGE A424 | eBay

3 tier ferret rat chinchilla cage cages hutches + stand | eBay - although with this one youd need to buy a cover to put on the floor of each level as theyre mesh only

TRIXIE TRIPLE HEIGHT RABBIT GUINEA PIG HUTCH BRAND NEW NO RESERVE AUCTION | eBay

Xtrail Pet Rodent Cage 1 weeks managers special offer | eBay

someone else can probs find better ones but thats just off the top of my head lol and im sure theres a special type of paint or coating you give the wood to stop rat pee soaking into it


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## rattystuart

aaw thanks yeah had a look at some they all look pretty good  i like the white liberta tall cage and you have found the xtrail cheaper for me so thanks! has anyone heard anything about the liberta abode, because i was thinking about getting that but saw many people said it was 'escapable'?


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## LostGirl

Acid- the first cage if I'm right the bar spacing is only suitable for adult bucks as it's 2cm

I have the White one here's a pic of it when I first had it-







it's full now lol it's a lovely cage IMO

I've also got the abodes again it's only really suitable for adults I wouldn't put my does in it as they are quite small and the gaps are large. I made a double cage from two abode cages on top of each other so it's massive!

Id still love an explorer just for the access


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## rattystuart

wow that is a very nice cage! really nice size and with big opening doors yeah im not sure about the abodes, they look really nice but if your saying only really suitable for boys then im not sure ....as im not sure whether it was just me or the pet shop , as when i went to the pet shop to get some accesories for the awaiting rats, they had a tank with some male rats in, and it just seemed like the testicles were really big (is that normal?) and it grossed me out a bit. i would prefer boys though as i like the cuddly 'lap rat' side to them and the way they are a bit bigger than the lively girls..is that wise? and would i ever get over the large testicles? what do you think? :S hehe i would like an explorer too


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## blade100

i used to have the abode cage and the bar spacing is wide too wide for young babies.

this is the cage i have and i have 4 males soon to be 5.
rat cage caluclator says it can hold upto 6 but 5 max to be honest.

BLACK Flight Small Animal Chinchilla & Bird Pet Cage | eBay

mine is silver though not black.


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## LostGirl

My boys do have big balls but i don't take much notice of them lol but they are cleaner then my girls they are much more litter trained I think you get used to them after a while 

The White cage holds 9 rats I have 9 does in it o ky o my have that many because all my does are small I wouldn't put 9 bucks in it 

Abode defo for adults my does would escape without a doubt I do have a few cuddly girls but the boys are much more affectionate and love squeezes


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## Argent

I'm selling my Explorer, wanting roughly £100 for it? I can deliver locally because I've taken it down now, where abouts are you?


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## rattystuart

Argent said:


> I'm selling my Explorer, wanting roughly £100 for it? I can deliver locally because I've taken it down now, where abouts are you?


PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! yes that would be soo good! im in London, Surrey area...around epsom and ewell  have you got any pictures of it and what condition is it in? i would LOVE it!


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## Argent

rattystuart said:


> PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! yes that would be soo good! im in London, Surrey area...around epsom and ewell  have you got any pictures of it and what condition is it in? i would LOVE it!


Good god that's a bit too far unless you want to pay a courier >.< I'm in Liverpool!


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## rattystuart

Argent said:


> Good god that's a bit too far unless you want to pay a courier >.< I'm in Liverpool!


Oh...that is far:l how much would a courier be?


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## Acid

try interparcel.com 

hermes courier is usually the cheapest but theyre not the best for time etc 

could probably get it sent for 30 quid


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## Argent

I'll get a quote tomorrow when I can get the dimensions...no idea on weight though!


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## rattystuart

Argent said:


> I'll get a quote tomorrow when I can get the dimensions...no idea on weight though!


ok then ..ok then yeah we shall see the courier prices , but for the cage and postage i wouldnt really want to pay more than £110-£120 ...seeing as i can get a brand new cage with free delivery for £160 ...


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## rattystuart

but lets just say im very interested in buying your cage! :001_tt1:


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## Argent

If the courier isn't too crazy, I'd be happy to let it go for £110 in total (inc courier)


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## LostGirl

I had an abode sent for £9 by courier you could split it in to two so rather then having one massively heavy parcel you could have two 10kg parcels (much cheaper then sending one 20kg parcel)


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## rattystuart

good idea daynaa thanksss YEAH that sounds good argent , may i just ask ..why are you selling it? and what condition is it in? im expecting a few nibbles and marks but nothing major right? also will the explorer be ok for 3-4 male rats?


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## simplysardonic

rattystuart said:


> good idea daynaa thanksss YEAH that sounds good argent , may i just ask ..why are you selling it? and what condition is it in? im expecting a few nibbles and marks but nothing major right? also will the explorer be ok for 3-4 male rats?


The Explorer will be a veritable palace for 3-4 male rats, trust me I have my 7 in a Royal Suite which is the same dimensions & they love it & there's so much space to fill with goodies


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## rattystuart

simplysardonic said:


> The Explorer will be a veritable palace for 3-4 male rats, trust me I have my 7 in a Royal Suite which is the same dimensions & they love it & there's so much space to fill with goodies


'veritable palace' was just what i was looking for and i can kit it out with tons of toys and hammocks! think im going to use fleece as bedding?


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## simplysardonic

rattystuart said:


> 'veritable palace' was just what i was looking for and i can kit it out with tons of toys and hammocks! think im going to use fleece as bedding?


Yeah fleece is good, I give them an assortment of things so they can pick & choose- hammocks & other soft hanging furnishings, offcuts of fleece, shredded paper & a box of Asda Smartprice tissues left in the box so they can pull them out to do what they want with them although boys tend to expect you to do it for them


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## rattystuart

sounds great! hehe i cant wait to get my ratties


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## Argent

Hehe you don't need to worry, after two good years of use, I've decided to downsize and let my ratties dwindle out. This is going to sound horrible, but as much as I love them, and they've been great company while I've been at Uni, they're keeping me rather stuck in one place and I need to begin to get on with my life and take a few years with no worries or responsibilities to focus on basically becoming a real working adult!

The cage has been scrubbed down but would probably benefit from another scrub before it gets built up again, nothing but superficial wear and tear - there's a small crack in the corner of the top tray, and there's actually a bolt missing, but the thing is so solid, it doesn't seem to matter!

Sending it in two lots sounds like a good idea - it seems even in halves, much heavier than the abode (I now have my younger boys in a brand spanking new one!) but I'll try and somehow weigh it tomorrow!


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## rattystuart

Thankyou Argent, appreciate it
That is so sweet, and i can understand ..... haha will do ..and with me building it, it might not even go up!
on average ..how long would you say most of your ratties live? and did any of them die of illness...or get any ilness' in there little lives? :crying::huh:
Thanks Stuart


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## Argent

rattystuart said:


> Thankyou Argent, appreciate it
> That is so sweet, and i can understand ..... haha will do ..and with me building it, it might not even go up!
> on average ..how long would you say most of your ratties live? and did any of them die of illness...or get any ilness' in there little lives? :crying::huh:
> Thanks Stuart


My oldest at the moment are 2 years 8 months old. I reckon Seamus at least, might push 3, but I lost their brother Marsh at 19 months old very suddenly, just found him in the cage. My first two, Axel and Joey didn't quite reach 2 years of age, but Hugo and Mako made it over the 2 year mark (my husbandry must've improved )

They are prone to respiratory infections or myco flare-ups (all rats have mycoplasma, lying dormant in their systems), they like dust free bedding, cooler rather than warmer room temps and no strong smells or vapours like perfume, air freshener, hairspray etc.

Most of the time, if a rat has persistent sniffles/squeaks/sneezes/pigeon noises and porphyrin (red staining around eyes and nose), the vet will prescribe Baytril, a foul tasting all-rounder antibiotic. Make sure it's for a minimum 3-4 weeks to well and truly get rid of the resp infection, otherwise it'll just come straight back. And don't take 'put it in their water' for an answer, it never works!

They are also prone to tumours and abcesses. Abcesses are rather easy to deal with, it's where a cut has healed over, sealing some dirt inside, causing an infection and a pocket of pus and other lovely stuff like that, it can be lanced and drained, and again, antibiotics and cleaning sorts that out.

Tumours are a little different, there are some that are just fatty masses, that grow slowly, cause very little harm to the rat and can often be easily removed when or if it starts to get in the way of the rat's daily life. Internal tumours are often hard to spot, apart from pituitary tumuors which press on the brain, causing neurological symptoms, such as tilting, spinning and being unable to hold food properly. These can be controlled, if caught early, with steroids and the rat can have a decent quality of life again.

External tumours can be cancerous, can be attached to organs or lie just under the skin and can also be removed by an experienced vet, make sure you find someone who is confident in small animal anaesthetics 

Those seem to be the most common problems with rats, but if anything else crops up, no doubt at least one of us here will have seen it before so don't hesitate to ask


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## rattystuart

thanks once again arge its perfect as theres a vets just down my road yeah ill be sure to contact you about EVERYTHING as you seem to be an expert! was just wondering.. whats happening on the cage front? thankss


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## Argent

rattystuart said:


> thanks once again arge its perfect as theres a vets just down my road yeah ill be sure to contact you about EVERYTHING as you seem to be an expert! was just wondering.. whats happening on the cage front? thankss


Awwh thanks, but there's probably other people on here who know way more! 

I've not managed to get around to it yet, had a pretty rough day  I promise I'll try my hardest to get the measurements and approximate weight over the weekend though >.<


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## rattystuart

aaawwhhh doesnt matter ..didnt have the best day either ..thats fine


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## meganmagicx

Hi,

Sorry to bump this after so long, but I joined literally just to ask Argent this question; where did you buy the plastic platforms in your cage from? I want to buy this cage for my ratties but am not keen on the metal platforms that are supplied with it. 

Thanks 

Megan


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