Once you have made your mind up to purchase a rat as a pet, then you need to find a good rat cage. When you go looking for rat cages, you will find that most of those on the market are labelled chinchilla, ferret, rodent, small animal or even bird.

Some pet shops will try to offer you a starter kit cage which are very rarely big enough for a pet rat so it advisable to get some measurements in mind before shopping. To get a rough idea of a suitable minimum requirement for a rat cage I would suggest you start off with approx. 2 square feet per rat.

Rats love comopany and they will be happier if you keep them in either pairs or small groups of up to around 4-6. Any more than this, and you can have problems within the group from alpha rats to the “runt”.

The perfect rat cage depends upon how many rats you choose to keep but points to consider are:-

Baby rats (kittens) can be skittish in their new home so if you give them a rat cage that is too big, they may hide and prove difficult to catch and tame. Providing them with a smaller cage initially helps them to bond with you as access is easier and they cannot find corners to hide in. If the baby rats are particularly skittish, give them more open style hammocks to lie in but I suggest that you don’t give them little boxes they can hide in. It is good that they can see what is going on around them and that they get used to different surrounds, sounds and human contact.

It is best to purchase a rat cage that is easy to clean out and remember to consider whether or not the cage can be easily moved. Some of the bigger rat cages come apart so that cleaning is relatively easy but cleaning a larger cage can also be time consuming so think carefully before you buy. A flat-pack cage is a good ideas as they are easily transported if you have to move your rats, when going on holiday for instance.

Generally speaking, male rats like plenty of floor space and female rats prefer to climb, so bear these points in mind before purchasing. Young rats of either sex love climbing but for babies and old rats there can be a risk of falling so be careful about having large drops.

It is important to purchase a rat cage with the correct bar spacing as some of the ferret cages can have large spacing between the bars and young rats can escape very quickly. However, these cages are fine if you have larger adult rats.

It is advisable to look for powder coated metal rat cages as these will last longer and are easier to clean, thus keeping the odour down. Some rats tend to chew on plastic bases, so it may be as well to try and find a cage with a metal base to avoid them escaping.

rat cages can vary in price dependant on the size and type you require, but ideas-4-pets have a good range to suit most pockets for you to choose from.