# rat cage dilema



## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

argh! i'm Soo upset- its a bit ridiculous ! 
i had my heart set on getting the ratties a duetto, but including delivery it's about £550. i just cannot justify that atm- there is still So much i need to do to sort my house (well, flat) and on top of that i'm planning a litter within the year from poppet, and that's the same amount as i need saved for emergencies!
sooooo...
i have 7 girls and 4 boys (says the girl who only ever wanted a wee group of boys  ) and atm they are in a jenny and furet plus respectively.
strangely, the girls seem to fit their cage perfectly (even though there is one more than there should be in it- but 3 are still babies, and Emily is Tiny anyway (the 13 week olds are bigger than her :001_wub: ) but the boys look so cramped in their cage i feel bad having them in it  so want to upgrade asap!
space is a bit of an issue because i want them in the living room where i spend most of my time... so ideally if i could have a group at the bottom and the other on top it would be great!
i'm a firm believer in the bigger the better as well, so as much as i love the explorer/SRS, i would prefer bigger  but then again, as it will be a 'feature' in my living room, i'd like something pretty (like the duetto :incazzato: which is still on the table for future, just not now  )

thoughts? i'm thinking maybe a furet tower? they seem pretty awesome- big n roomy, plenty of space for extra platforms and hammocks, and stackable... whats the downsides to it though? would Em be able to escape (if she ever became smart enough to try)?


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## halfeatenapple (Jan 2, 2013)

why not get an SRS/explorer for girls and put the boys in the jenny? OK so they aren't quite as bit but affordable and miles better than what your current set up is.

The tower seems so much hassle to clean....


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

halfeatenapple said:


> why not get an SRS/explorer for girls and put the boys in the jenny? OK so they aren't quite as bit but affordable and miles better than what your current set up is.
> 
> _The tower seems so much hassle to clean_....


it seems Soo much easier to clean than the jenny though!!!

i might end up doing something like that, but if possile would rather their cage take up a bit less room than sitting on two different tables! 

does anyone know really what the difference is between the explorer and SRS? apart from the price that is!


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## kat04kt (Sep 11, 2011)

There's no difference size wise between the srs and explorer, I think the difference is all within the quality of the build. The srs being much sturdier and less rattly and it has the kick guards to help prevent substrate fall out. Although it still falls out....lol.

Zooplus are doing SRS's for £200 so not much difference in price at the moment. 

Not sure if I understood though, are you looking for a cage that you can split? So you can have girls in one part and boys in the other? Or are you just looking for a bigger cage for the girls?

There's the Aurora 600 which is a pretty cage or the Liberta happy house - these would look nice in a living room but are also great size dimension cages for rats - but they can't be split. 

Alternatively you could look at making your furet plus into a furet plus tower - attaching one on top of the other. I think I may have posted here on how to do that but if not feel free to PM me. 

I had 5 boys in one of them and it was perfect. When I went up to 8 I felt it was a bit cramped. I've upgraded to an SRS. 

Or you could look at getting two tall but narrow cages - like the voltrega Calisto (cagesworld.co.uk) - although my reluctance for this cage is when your rats start to age, they may struggle and then there wouldn't be much space at the bottom for them to potter about. 

There's always the ferplast xl tower which you can make into two separate cages, but access is poorer. 

The duetto is a really huge cage though - so I guess an SRS would be your next best thing and the access is of course amazeballs


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

kat04kt said:


> There's no difference size wise between the srs and explorer, I think the difference is all within the quality of the build. The srs being much sturdier and less rattly and it has the kick guards to help prevent substrate fall out. Although it still falls out....lol.
> 
> Zooplus are doing SRS's for £200 so not much difference in price at the moment.
> 
> ...


ideally yes, a huge cage to split would be ideal- taking up minimal room for me, yet giving them a fair amount of floor space.
thants my worry you see! i'd always wanted a big group of boys, but peoples magnificent sexing talents lead to me having a huge group of girls and a few boys 

i think i am going to go for the furet tower- and just seal with the lack of access... in theory, after blocking off the tunnel in the floor each section will be big enough for 9... so my 7 girls will have ample space, and there would still be enough room for another boy or two should i find some in need of homes (i haven't looked in the adoptions of [email protected] in months in case i saw a lone boy- because i haven't had room for him :crying: )

do you think the hole in the floor between the two levels would be easy enough to block off? or can you get a wee plug for it?!


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## kat04kt (Sep 11, 2011)

I agree I think the XL would be a good cage 

I think people use something like Perspex - plastic sheets do Perspex cut to size - so you could a piece that is the exact size you want to fit the base. It's not too expensive either - I costed up Perspex trays for the explorer, with sides etc and it was like £30 so I guess a 50x50 sheet of Perspex would be even less.

Alternatively littlepetwarehouse sell the bases. At the moment though they only seem to have the one with the hole - but email them because they are fab at coming back to you about things.

I'd probably switch the bases round - but the one with the hole at the bottom - with the Perspex on top


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

well, i've ordered me a new cage!!! :001_tt1:
yay!
nothing like the purchase of new rattie stuff to keep your morale up!
now to start stocking up on more toys and hammocks to fill it!!! :O


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## kat04kt (Sep 11, 2011)

Sorry I gave you the wrong link before this is the place for the Perspex.

sheet plastic | acrylic sheets | plastic sheet suppliers

I've not had much sleep so I'm only make semi-sense to everyone at the moment, lol.


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

kat04kt said:


> Sorry I gave you the wrong link before this is the place for the Perspex.
> 
> sheet plastic | acrylic sheets | plastic sheet suppliers
> 
> I've not had much sleep so I'm only make semi-sense to everyone at the moment, lol.


thanks 

i'll probably have to find somewhere local though- shipping to here is normally a pain!


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