The Bento Box

We spent at least a year talking about getting a rat before actually bringing Sushi and Saké home. Dave and I both had rats previously and knew we loved them, but it never seemed the right time. After I had accidentally picked out Sushi while killing time at Preuss Pets (note: this is why I cannot go to pet stores or animal shelters), we had to come up with a cage of some sort. We had an aquarium on hand and talked about getting a topper for it to provide more room and browsed all sorts of other cage options online. Then I discovered the Dapper Rat's page of custom cages. This greatly expanded the realm of what seemed possible for our own rat cage and then it only remained necessary to convince Dave that making a custom cage was what we (read: he) needed to do.

We converted a disused pre-fabricated shelving unit into our rat cage. This would provide a more aesthetically pleasing cage while also giving us room for TWO rats. After all, rats are social animals and do better in pairs, so if we had the room for two, why wouldn't we get two?

The Bento Box.

Dave used coated shelving units to create two doors, allowing us to open either the top or bottom floors separately. We also have coated wire on the back of the bottom floor, and plexiglass on the top. In retrospect, it would be more useful to have plexiglass on the back of the bottom floor. The rats are finally litter box trained and a solid back of the bottom floor would stop them from shoving litter (and sometimes food) out the back of the cage. Because they are litter trained, we can simply use towels on the floor of the cage and it is easy to replace these every few days when we clean. Even though it took some effort to litter train, it was worth it to not have to deal with an entire pen full of litter every time we need to clean.

Penn and Saké check each other out.

The wire gives the cage a really open feel, while at the same time is narrow enough that cat paws cannot slip inside. The openness also helps with ventilation, and because rats are pretty clean, there isn't an issue with odors, etc.

The lower level.

 The lower level of the rat cage has a hammock, wheel, litter tray, and food. We have a hinged ramp to the second level. Originally the ramp was just roughed up wood, but since it was still too smooth for the rats to run up easily, we added self adhesive felt strips to provide more traction.

The water bottle is attached from the outside.

Dave also rigged things so the water bottle is on the outside of the cage, leaving less opportunity for the rats to chew it to pieces.

The upper level.

The top level is where the rats sleep most of the time. We rigged a PVC pipe to hang from the ceiling, where it swings slightly and provides ample opportunity for rodent acrobatics. There is a nest with all sorts of bedding and a variety of items for the girls to gnaw on.

Almost anything works for bedding. We have bought a variety of natural fiber bedding for them and it is entertaining to watch the girls move it throughout their cage, stuffing it through the wire, into their wheel, etc. Lately however, their favorite bedding item are remnants of an old pair of jeans. These seem to make the perfect nesting place.

Sushi demonstrates that jeans make a perfect bed.

Overall, I think the cage is a success. We have no issues with them chewing on the cage itself, and both Saké and Sushi often just sleep in the open, which I think means they are pretty comfortable and secure in their pen. I love how open it is and friendly it appears. Hopefully Dave will chime in with a "how to build" post in the future.