Cages & Enclosures
Midwest Critter Nation (one level) and the Midwest Critter Nation Double Unit (two levels) are some of the top of the line cages for rodents. With their half inch bar spacing even the smallest of rats can be housed in them with no problem. They are on casters and easy to clean. Search for the best price online. This is what our rats all live in, with a plethora of toys, hideaways and hammocks that are ever-changing to stimulate their minds and bodies. Should you have need, you can even purchase an add-on unit to make your Midwest Critter Nation Double into a Triple! You can sometimes find used CN's secondhand, on websites like Craigslist or OfferUp, for a good price.
We use Breeder Bins (that we made custom ourselves) for Maternity Wards, but these are not suitable for long-term housing.
The only downside of the Critter Nation are the shallow pans that come standard with it. For whatever reason, since we purchased our first in the early 2000's, the pan has never been upgraded by Midwest.
You can purchase replacement pans here at Bass Equipment. The Ferret Nation pans are an exact match for the Critter Nation, but *make sure* to purchase the (pricier) stainless steel (vs galvanized) unless you intend to seal it yourself. It is worth the investment! We have all of our Critter Nations outfitted with the 3" stainless steel pans. Not only does it minimize the mess they make; it also halts chewers from damaging their home.
We use Breeder Bins (that we made custom ourselves) for Maternity Wards, but these are not suitable for long-term housing.
The only downside of the Critter Nation are the shallow pans that come standard with it. For whatever reason, since we purchased our first in the early 2000's, the pan has never been upgraded by Midwest.
You can purchase replacement pans here at Bass Equipment. The Ferret Nation pans are an exact match for the Critter Nation, but *make sure* to purchase the (pricier) stainless steel (vs galvanized) unless you intend to seal it yourself. It is worth the investment! We have all of our Critter Nations outfitted with the 3" stainless steel pans. Not only does it minimize the mess they make; it also halts chewers from damaging their home.
Should you be unable to obtain a Critter Nation, there are unfortunately few cages that are sold mainstream which are suitable for rats. The most commonly purchased cage (carried & recommended by many of the chain pet stores), would be the Rat Manor or Kaytee My First Home. The Rat Manor is around the same price as a single Critter Nation, but the levels all consist of metal grates. Any cage with grate flooring is unsuitable for rats; as walking on these will frequently cause injury or infection for rats. Rats require solid flooring. Kaytee My First Home is, like the Manor, around the same cost as a single CN. While this cage does have solid floors, it is still a relatively small footprint. Only up to 2 adult female rats (not males) can be housed in this; and since the base is plastic -- the likelihood of your rats chewing their way out is very high.
Overall, our best advice for housing is the Midwest Critter Nation. Some highlights to take away:
* NO metal bar/grate flooring or levels (can cause injury/infection). Solid floors only.
* NO bar spacing larger than 1/2". The Midwest Critter Nation can be confused with the slightly-less-expensive Midwest Ferret Nation. Please note: the bar spacing differs on these 2 cages. The Ferret Nation has 1" bar spacing; which is too large for rats. If a rat can fit their head through a hole; their entire body can fit.
* A plastic base is better to avoid: (rats are likely to chew out).
* Cage must have multiple levels (rats cannot be house on one-story, such as guinea pigs).
* Rats CANNOT be housed in aquariums (plastic or glass). They require 3-way ventilation (this means ventilation on at least 3 sides of their enclosure).
* Rats CANNOT be kept in cages with wood bases. Wood is impossible to thoroughly clean and ammonia will build up very fast. Additionally, rats can easily chew through wood.
Lastly, buying a better cage once is better (and less expensive), than buying a poor cage twice.
Overall, our best advice for housing is the Midwest Critter Nation. Some highlights to take away:
* NO metal bar/grate flooring or levels (can cause injury/infection). Solid floors only.
* NO bar spacing larger than 1/2". The Midwest Critter Nation can be confused with the slightly-less-expensive Midwest Ferret Nation. Please note: the bar spacing differs on these 2 cages. The Ferret Nation has 1" bar spacing; which is too large for rats. If a rat can fit their head through a hole; their entire body can fit.
* A plastic base is better to avoid: (rats are likely to chew out).
* Cage must have multiple levels (rats cannot be house on one-story, such as guinea pigs).
* Rats CANNOT be housed in aquariums (plastic or glass). They require 3-way ventilation (this means ventilation on at least 3 sides of their enclosure).
* Rats CANNOT be kept in cages with wood bases. Wood is impossible to thoroughly clean and ammonia will build up very fast. Additionally, rats can easily chew through wood.
Lastly, buying a better cage once is better (and less expensive), than buying a poor cage twice.
Bedding & Substrate
We use kiln dried Pine Pellets for all of our rats (purchase at Tractor Supply).
For nursing mothers and pups, we like to use a paper bedding (typically unbleached white in color; this way we can easily monitor their health during and immediately after birth).
We only recommend using unscented materials for their homes. Other acceptable beddings include Exquisicat Paper Pellets, Yesterday's News, CareFresh, Aspen wood shavings or Hemp.
If you choose to use fleece liners, make sure you are changing then out (minimally) every 2-3 days.
For nursing mothers and pups, we like to use a paper bedding (typically unbleached white in color; this way we can easily monitor their health during and immediately after birth).
We only recommend using unscented materials for their homes. Other acceptable beddings include Exquisicat Paper Pellets, Yesterday's News, CareFresh, Aspen wood shavings or Hemp.
If you choose to use fleece liners, make sure you are changing then out (minimally) every 2-3 days.
Foraging & Chew Things
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Foraging toys (typically marketed for birds) are great. I found the toy pictured above on Etsy, but that seller is no longer offering it - so I have not provided a link. I will link it later, if it resurfaces. You can search for 'bird foraging toys' on Amazon or Etsy to find a variety of options, though.
We also now offer foraging rat toys on our affiliate Etsy site. You can see the current offerings, here.
I also like to keep 1-2 pig femur bones in each enclosure, so they always have variety for chewing options. You can find those, here. Although it is a long-lived rumor that rats need chew-things to ensure their teeth do not grow unchecked; this is been proven false. Given no chewing options, rats are capable of grinding their own teeth down (by gnashing them together). Just the same, a busy rat is a happy rat - and we like to be sure they always have more than one option of chew-things in their enclosures. If your rats teeth are growing misaligned, or seeming to never wear down properly, it is likely your rat has malocclusion. This is not something that can be cured or fixed, and you should discuss next steps with your veterinarian.
I also like keeping a water bowl in each of my cages - I have found that the rats enjoy washing their hands and faces almost as much as I do! We use stainless steel bowls that attach to the side of their cage, so minimize the amount of bedding tracked into it and muddying it up. You can find the ones we use, here. We use the medium size for dwarfs and standard females - and the large for our males. We've even found them fitting their entire bodies in there on hot days!
I found adorable macrame toilet paper roll holders, designed specifically for rats, by the wonderful OhTheMischief. I also like putting grapevine branches in (ziptied to the side of the cage) to offer a more fun and enriching climbing experience. You can find them, here. Grapevine is a safe wood for rats.
We also now offer foraging rat toys on our affiliate Etsy site. You can see the current offerings, here.
I also like to keep 1-2 pig femur bones in each enclosure, so they always have variety for chewing options. You can find those, here. Although it is a long-lived rumor that rats need chew-things to ensure their teeth do not grow unchecked; this is been proven false. Given no chewing options, rats are capable of grinding their own teeth down (by gnashing them together). Just the same, a busy rat is a happy rat - and we like to be sure they always have more than one option of chew-things in their enclosures. If your rats teeth are growing misaligned, or seeming to never wear down properly, it is likely your rat has malocclusion. This is not something that can be cured or fixed, and you should discuss next steps with your veterinarian.
I also like keeping a water bowl in each of my cages - I have found that the rats enjoy washing their hands and faces almost as much as I do! We use stainless steel bowls that attach to the side of their cage, so minimize the amount of bedding tracked into it and muddying it up. You can find the ones we use, here. We use the medium size for dwarfs and standard females - and the large for our males. We've even found them fitting their entire bodies in there on hot days!
I found adorable macrame toilet paper roll holders, designed specifically for rats, by the wonderful OhTheMischief. I also like putting grapevine branches in (ziptied to the side of the cage) to offer a more fun and enriching climbing experience. You can find them, here. Grapevine is a safe wood for rats.
Hammocks, Hidwaways & More
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Little Heroes Rattery is affiliated with White Whale Apothecary (on Etsy, est. May 2016). We make our own line of luxury rat hammocks, houses, tunnels and more! Each of our adoptive families are given a care package that includes one basic hammock.
Bioactive & Naturalistic Rat Cages
There is an ever-increasing interest in going bioactive in the rat community as a whole. While we do not have personal experience in this (yet), we did want to offer you some resources on your journey! Here are a collection of links we have found helpful:
Animallama's website has some great info, that you can check out here on Bioactive setups (the above photo is from their website, that we have linked here).
They also have a page dedicated to Safe Woods (which is useful for ANY rat owner - bioactive or not). You can see that page here.
Animallama's website has some great info, that you can check out here on Bioactive setups (the above photo is from their website, that we have linked here).
They also have a page dedicated to Safe Woods (which is useful for ANY rat owner - bioactive or not). You can see that page here.
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