When choosing a cage, factor in ease of cleaning, safety features, health of your rats, how many rats you wish to own, cost, and space available in your living area. These recommendations are based on the most commonly bought rat cages in the United States. I tried to do a little research on popular UK brands too, but please read the reviews on any cage before you buy it! At the bare minimum, make sure to use a wire cage, not an aquarium or cage made of wood, and avoid wire floors.
Ease of Cleaning
Cages need to be deep cleaned at least once a week and spot cleaned daily, so you do not want it to be difficult to access. Smaller doors, difficulty assembling/dissembling, and weight are factors you want to consider. A hard to clean cage may lead to putting off cleaning until the cage is dangerously smelly and can lead to respiratory issues to your rats. Cages with multiple doors such as the Prevue 528 and Prevue 5524 with 2 doors or wide opening doors such as the Critter Nation are popular choices for easy access within the cage. The 2 mentioned Prevue cages' bases completely detach in seconds so that the bedding can be dumped into a trash can and then wiped clean. Consider the depth of bedding. Critter Nations do not come with a deep pan to accommodate bedding so you will need to get a separate pan such as a Home Depot large black cement mixing tub, or bassequipment .com Stainless Steel pans so that you do not have to vaccuum/sweep bedding off the ground around the cage daily. Some people opt for scatter guards instead or in addition to the base.
Weights:
Prevue 528- 15 lbs. Prevue Ranch- 18 lbs. Single Critter Nation- 55lbs. Double Critter Nation- 95lbs.
Critter Nations and similar large metal cages need to be completely disassembled every couple months in order to remove the urine that finds its' way through the cracks and the weight of the cage may be difficult for a single person to do alone. This task is necessary to ensure the longevity of the cage as urine left for a long period of time will lead to rust. Cages with a plastic bottom that come up a few inches prevent urine settling and rusting, however, not all plastic bottom cages are as sturdy as the Prevue cages. Cheaper plastic base cages can be chewed and escaped, read the reviews on any cage before buying to ensure that rat owners have not reporting their rats escaping in this manner.
If you have large items that you like to fix to cages, it can be difficult to add them to Prevue cages as the doors are smaller, you have to remove the metal part of the cage from the plastic bottom and attach those items through the bottom before putting it back together. This can be difficult with this type of cage, but the wide opening of a Critter Nation is perfect for these larger items.
You can get other cages that are not Prevue or Critter Nation, especially if you're not in the USA, as there are different brands in every country. Just make sure you aim for bigger floor space and not the tall skinny cages. If you have climbers and are looking to get big cages that are both wide and tall, the Critter Nation can be doubled or tripled. PetPlanet Rat and Ferret cage or the Little Friends Metal Aventura HUGE Metal Rat Ferret Chinchilla Cage, and Savic Suite Royal are similar cages in the UK.
Safety Features
Bar width needs to be .5" (1/2 inch) or smaller if you plan to own baby rats. Baby rats can escape through anything greater than this, and even a single broken wire on a Critter Nation with 1/2 inch bar spacing can aid in a rats' escape so consider that when buying cages secondhand. I like cages such as the Prevue because their wires have gaps measuring 3/8". People often mistake the Ferret Nation Cage as the Critter Nation cage as they look identical, but Ferret Nation cages have 1" bar spacing. If you opt for a Ferret Nation cage, get a second temporary grow out cage with smaller bar spacing until your rats are big enough. You can also wrap these cages with 1/2" by 1/2" hardwire cloth or chicken wire to make the gaps inescapable.
Since rats need horizontal space more than vertical space when they age, do not opt for taller cages since older rats can fall and injure themselves. However, you can add a lot of fall breakers and shelves to accommodate older rats if you do get a tall cage. Even with a Critter Nation or similar metal cage, it's a good idea to add these to the cage to prevent injuries.
Do not get a bird cage as the wire flooring is not suitable for rats. Ramps and floors made of metal need to be covered with fleece or cardboard, as rats can injure their feet within the wires. Sprained ankles and bumblefoot are caused by these metal floors.
Glass tanks are NOT suitable to rats because of their sensitive respiratory systems. Ammonia in tanks reach dangerous levels since there is a lack of air flow. This can cause respiratory infections and distress, and rats prone to Mycoplasma will have frequent flare ups. Mycoplasma is very common in rats, particularly from bad sources, so consider this when choosing a cage and planning out cage cleaning intervals to prevent respiratory issues and vet visits.
Floor space and mischief size
It is believed by some that rats are climbers and need tall cages. Looking at their wild counterparts, Norway Rats live in tunnels and prefer to dig, so floor space with at least an inch of bedding is important to consider. While female rats tend to enjoy climbing and will climb later into their life than males do, senior rats with mobility issues often cannot climb at all and will need to be moved to a horizontal cage eventually anyways. So if you only want to buy a cage once in the lifetime or your rats, opt for a cage with greater floor space. Prevue Ranch and Critter Nation have great floor space, Prevue Ranch- 873 sq in. Critter Nation- 864 sq in. When deciding how many rats you can fit based on your cage size, you do not use floor space to calculate this, but you'll also factor in the height of the cage to find the sq ft. Rats should have a minimum of 2 sq ft per rat, you can find the square footage of your cage by typing in "rat cage calculator" on google and input the dimensions of your cage. Most people go off the calculations on these websites of 2.5 sq ft. per rat, and rats will thrive with greater space and less rats. It is up to you and the quality of life you want to give your rats, and opting for 2.5 sq ft per rat, (or greater), will reduce the frequency of cleaning required as there are more areas for your rat to eliminate.
The great thing about Critter Nations is they can be double, tripled, and even attached side by side if you ever wish to grow your rat group (called a mischief). I have not seen a way to expand a Prevue, so you will be limited in your mischief size when opting for a Prevue or similar wire cage with plastic bottom.
Cost
Critter Nations are by far the most expensive cages brand new, thankfully they are ALWAYS on Facebook Marketplace secondhand when I look. I got a single Critter Nation for $60 and I've seen Doubles sell for $100. Rarely I will see a Prevue on Facebook, but I did get a Prevue 528 for about $30. Check different websites for sales, I've seen the Prevue 528 on sale for $80 and the ranch for $110 on Chewy. com. You may have to check marketplace everyday for a couple weeks to snag a deal.
For a cheap but labor intensive option, build your own bin cage, make sure it is at least 110 quarts. I have gotten the 110 qt bin from target for about $15. Using rat cage calculator and choosing 2 sq ft per rat this would hold 2 male rats, or 3 female rats. Using 2.5 sq ft per rat would not accommodate 2 male rats in this size but would hold 2 female rats. You also need 1/2"x 1/2" hardwire cloth and tools to make this, there are youtube tutorials on youtube for "how to build a rat bin cage." For bigger cages and mischiefs, a 50 gallon bin is recommended. I get mine from Home Depot for about $30. Using 2 cubic ft per rat would hold 4 male or 5 female in this cage. Using 2.5/rat would be 3 male or 4 female. Remember that air flow is essential to rat health so a minimum of 3 sides need to be cut out.
Conclusion
While initial setup for a rat can be expensive, monthly costs for rats are smaller than average pets. Like any pet, unexpected vet bills may happen and rats are considered exotic animals so find an exotic vet before adopting and have an emergency fund.
To sum it up, ensure your cage is the right size, bar spacing, proper air flow, and you stay on top of cleaning to prevent respiratory infections! Preparing for a rat is more than just acquiring a cage, food, and a water bottle. Fill all the empty spaces in the cage with enrichment (see my enrichment blog), acquire rat safe bedding (see my bedding blog) and potty train your rats for ease of cleanup (see my potty training blog).
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