Pet rats are quickly becoming a very popular pet and buying a brand new cage large enough can be expensive. Large cages can be very costly, but if you already have two smaller ones you can connect them together to make a bigger, better home for your pet. Rats thrive in larger spaces and love to explore all the little hard to get to areas in their surroundings. Rats are loving, social and easy to care for animals.
What you will need
2 small to medium sized wire cages
Pliers
Bird ladders
Zip ties
Metal File
Gloves
Scissors
Wire Cutters
Baby blanket or towels
How to Make a Larger Cage
Whether you are using two smaller cages you have left over or have gone out and bought two small to medium sized cages and want to attach them together, they need to be sturdy. You want them to be stable, so the larger of the two should go on the bottom.
Put on your gloves before you start cutting any wire, this can get very sharp. Using Wire cutters and pliers cut two holes in the bottom of the cage that will be on top. Then place cage on top of the bottom cage and cut holes in the top of the bottom cage so the holes line up from one cage to another. The holes should be spaced out along the length of the cage and big enough for a full size rat to get through comfortably. Trim any excess wire and use metal file to file down anything that remains. You want the wire that you cut to be smooth after you are done so your rats don’t cut themselves on it.
Connect the two cages with the zip ties. Attach zip ties at every third bar between the two cages. Make sure the ties are very tight. Trim any excess because rats will chew on anything sticking out that they find in their cages.
Attach a bird ladder with zip ties to the holes. The ladder should be long enough to reach into the bottom of the cage and into the top cage. Using zip ties will make sure it doesn’t move and your rats won’t get hurt if it drops or falls over.
Wire is very hard on rat’s feet, so make sure to line the bottom of any wire cages with a cloth or towels and then spread out bedding over the cloth or towels. When you go to clean the cage every week, just use a new towel or cloth and throw the used ones into the washing machine. A baby blanket works really well for this purpose. Double check for lose zip wires and make sure the new cage is stable. Anywhere the cage seems unstable or rocky, use another zip tie.
Using a wire cage makes it exceptionally easy to decorate the cage with hammocks and bird toys. Your rat will appreciate the hammocks to sleep in and the toys to play with. Watch your rats when they first check out their new cage, they will definitely find any holes, loose zip ties or anything you may have overlooked.
Sources:
http://www.fancypetrats.com/build-diy-pet-rat-cage.php
http://www.ratfanclub.org/cages.html
