Source
r/RATS•
witchdoctorpixie

Minimum holiday cage size?

I'm taking my 2 boys away for Christmas with me, I'll be gone for aprox. 1 week, maybe less. Their usual cage size is 120cm x 55 x 40 and it's too bulky to take with me in my mums small car so I bought a spare cage but I'm a little worried it's a bit small. They'll be getting lots of out of cage time as their going to be housed at my older brother's and his partners children own rats so their comfortable with them free-ranging.

The dimensions are 59cm high x 40 wide x 30 deep. Rat cage calculators say it's not big enough for 2 rats, but it's only very short term so I'm not sure what would be suitable?

http://i.imgur.com/T3W8B.jpg

(Sitting next to it is the cage I take them to the vet in.)

Posted Dec 17, 2012, 6:49 AM UTC

15
mcg037Captain, Jack (RIP), Sparrow, Ziggy, Steve, Leroy, Wilson, Max•

It should be fine as long as you aren't there for more than a week. You could make a platform to add another level to give them more floor space if you are worried.

2
gigglesmcbugMaggy, Froot Loop, Coco Puff•

My 5 girls are squished into a cage big enough for 3 rats whenever I go home to my moms. I have a double unit ferret nation at home and a rat manor at my moms, if anyone is curious

Honestly, they deal just fine and yours will to. Give them as much out of cage time as you can. They aren't super thrilled about it, but it's a short term thing and they know it as well as I do.

2
theratking•

It's a bit too small even temporarily, honestly. If they were female I'd say just go ahead and make them deal with it. Males are a lot more territorial, though not to mention often 2-3x larger, so they may fight over lack of space and hurt each other.

We have a pair of 2.5 year old brothers that have never been separated a day in their lives, and when we take them to the vet in a cat carrier (which is a lot bigger even then the temp cage you want to use) they have wicked fights due to lack of space (they live in half a double FN.) Once, the vet even had to glue one of their ears due to an injury from a fight they had on the trip. They get along great in their normal cage, but in small enclosures, forget it.

I'd recommend going to the pet store and picking up one of those single level cages marketed at guinea pigs (which is a joke in itself, but that's off-topic) that is enough space for a week away from their cage. Or, if you're in the Bay Area, CA we probably have 10 of those cages in our cage graveyard if you want one.

2
witchdoctorpixieOPJojen, Jaqen & Hamlet•

Yeah indeed, males can get a bit territorial, I had my reservations about it too, but luckily I woke up this morning with a solution :)! The cage doors on both my vet one and the other one line up so I'm going to attach them together with zip-ties so they have their own little ensuite which should make things more spacious.

1
theratking•

Great! I'm glad you figured out a solution!

2