Best rat cage for 2 boys

[sarabean]

Hi everyone, hoping for some help in choosing a cage for me 2 baby rats that will be ready in 6 weeks to come home (possibly 3). I have been looking at the Liberta Explorer 2nd edition so would love to hear thoughts on this. Sort have planned to use half when they are babies and then open up the bottom. I know bigger is better but is this a ridiculous size for 2 rats? i want the best for them so I am open to suggestions but my budget is £200.

I was also looking at the Little Zoo Trekker, which is a bit smaller - any experience with this cage or this brand?

Any advice would be great

[HereticPr1me]

Hi, and welcome The size is a perfect choice
Ive used an explorer 1st edition for years (like 10 years !) and I still love it today. I believe the 2nd edition fixed some of the issues with the 1st, so Id think in terms of investment you cant go wrong. They are a little prone to rust over the years, but plenty of people have repainted them, including me, so it is maintainable.
Ive just googled the Little Zoo Trekker, and from a first look what stands out is that the doors are smaller than the front of the cage, meaning you would lose one of the big appeals of the explorer / SRS, which is the unobstructed access for cleaning, and inserting/removing the substrate base.

I have a third suggestion, the Savic Royal Suite (SRS)
Used to be the more expensive cousin of the Explorer, but it seems theyre now more or less on par cost wise, and has the benefit of having horizontal bars on the front and back panels making more options for climbing rats and hanging toys/hammocks (the all vertical bars of the Explorer are one of the drawbacks that persist in the 2nd edition, imo).
If I was starting with a new cage now and its in the same budget range, Id be going for an SRS over the other two.

One thing you will need to question though, is whether the Explorer or SRS are ok for such young uns. Im not certain either way as to bar spacing or potential hazards, but someone should come along with more experience of babies.
Also, you will likely need to make a substrate base at some point to keep bedding from flying everywhere, but theres tons of options there from bespoke metal trays to quick and easy correx designs.

[Onthewires]

I've recently got a second hand cozy pet cage which is of a similar style but a bit cheaper, only 2 doors open on the right hand side and overall not as good quality as the SRS/explorer.

They definitely appreciate the extra space, and I can see this one lasting me a while (the top can also be placed on the bottom section so I can make it a single level if I ever feel the need to downsize) and the access is fab even through the 2 doors.

My budget solution to the shallow base was to attach short cardboard panels wrapped in sticky back plastic to the outside, they've yet to chew at it and works well keeping all the substrate in. Worth getting the SRS if you can afford it though, had one before and wish I'd kept it!

[[cub]]

I have an SRS 95 (there's another, even bigger model, the SRS XL) and I think it's great. I can never go back to a cage without fully opening front doors now.

There is disagreement on this topic but I personally don't think it's too much space for 2: I've had 2 in mine and they just bombed around like they owned the place. (Well, they weren't wrong. ) I've had 7 week old does in as well and the bar spacing is fine at that age.

The shallow base is a PITA though so I got a custom metal tray made. I think the person who made mine has now retired though; a cheaper alternative is to get Perspex panels cut to size and then tape them together to make a tray. There are threads around here on the subject if you search for SRS tray or something like that.

There's a new cage out called the Little Zoo Venturer: same footprint as the SRS 95, but taller, and with much deeper, all metal trays. Sadly it's also more expensive, but probably in the same ballpark as an SRS 95 plus materials for a Perspex tray. It's an intriguing prospect and if I were cage shopping right now I think it's the one I would go for: http://www.cagesworld.co.uk/p/Little_Zo ... _id=838673

[cyber ratty]

One thing you will need to question though, is whether the Explorer or SRS are ok for such young uns. Im not certain either way as to bar spacing or potential hazards, but someone should come along with more experience of babies.

I often move a litter into half an explorer at about 4 weeks, so babies of homing age should be fine.