Thursday, October 9, 2014

A Tour of Gus and Jack's Home

Since adopting Jack and Gus, I sometimes get questions or comments regarding their cage. I did feature our pet rat cage back when I first purchased it for Nibblet, but I thought it might be a good time to share it again.


Jack and Gus have a two story ferret cage that includes several ramps and platforms. It's a WARE Living Room Series Ferret Home to be exact. Sometimes they hang out on separate levels, and sometimes they like to hang out together. Jack likes to take food to the lower level and store it away for later. Gus enjoys his alone time the most I think and hangs out in his box or igloo often.

The reason for me revisiting our pet rat cage is due to the concern I think some people might have about their living space. When they were fighting with each other more often, some readers suggested getting a bigger cage. This could be a good option, but I don't have much more space for a bigger cage. They are getting along much better lately too. Also, I wanted to update readers on how the cage was holding up since I purchased it.

Full shot of the pet rat cage.

I believe that a cage almost as tall as me is probably a good size. It's almost 5 feet tall. Besides, I don't think pet rat cages really come very much bigger than the one we have now.

I realize that when I take photos of the boys while they are in the cage, it doesn't look big. But when I have to get up close to a rat's little face, it obviously wouldn't look very big. I have to stand back a few feet just to get the whole cage in the photo, and at that point you wouldn't even be able to see Jack or Gus.

This photo prompted some concern on social media.
Any further back and you wouldn't be able to see that cute face! 

In my first post about the cage, I mentioned my only concerns were the slippery ramps and plastic bottom. Well, several months later they have not caused any issues. The boys are able to walk the ramps just fine despite their surface texture.

There was also some concern about the plastic material the bottom of the cage was made of being easy to chew up. Both Jack and Gus are big chewers, but have not chewed any part of the bottom floor.


So I'm happy to say that our pet rat cage is holding up very well at this point! Both Jack and Gus seem to enjoy it also. They are able to enjoy alone time when they want to and always have plenty of boxes to hide inside of. I'm very pleased with their cage and would recommend it to other small pet owners.

31 comments:

  1. Wow Jack and Gus must think they are kings living in that ginormous house! I never thought about the size of their cages, but I wouldn't have imagined it would be THAT big!

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    1. Yes, I called it Miss Nibblet's mansion :) Now I guess I will have to call it the boy's castle!

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  2. It's a cool cage, it's a crib and a play ground for your boys and I bet they love it. I like the small hammocks for pets, it's too cute when they relax there :o)

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    1. I need to find a new one for them because the zebra striped one broke in the wash last time :( I have seen some really cool handmade ones. I may have to go shopping on Etsy soon.

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  3. You two handsome boys sure have a nice place!!!

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  4. I really wonder if the people who suggested you get a larger cage had any idea how big it actually was lol. That really is a mansion for them - Miss Nibblet's mansion was the perfect name. Now you'll have to come up with a name for the boys - J&G Penthouse or something - you're way better at naming things than I am :)

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    1. Haha! I like that! I agree that most people probably didn't realize it's true size. Like I said, when you get up close you can't possibly see the whole thing.

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  5. That is one very palatial dwelling for the boys!

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  6. When I first read you hate Rats I was a little taken aback but even I have to admit they are pretty cute. The cage looks awesome. They got it better than some people. That looks awesome! Look forward to learning more about them.

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    1. I know they may not be a good pet for everyone, but I am glad that you are starting to like them a little more Kim :) I am not so much a fan of rats that invade your home, the wild ones, myself. These guys are much different though. You should visit YouTube and look up "Rats doing amazing tricks". You will be shocked at what they can do - I promise! They are very much like little dogs.

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  7. Wow, we love your palace!! Can't wait to learn more about them!

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  8. wow! You guys have a mansion! Lucky!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  9. doodz...yur condo iz rockin !! and BIG...it bee taller than de window perches we uze !! now if ya could get mom ta installz an elly vator for thoz days when ya feel lazee......well !!! ♥♥♥

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  10. wow, it's like a castle! i never knew they made that type of "cage" for rats. that's great.
    wags, bailey unleashed

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  11. Looks like they are comfortable and happy thanks for the update! Love Dolly

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  12. That's a great place to live for two lucky rats ! Purrs

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  13. That is actually the cage I would have really wanted Alxandra! But, I couldn't find it in any local stores and all the places online that had it were charging an arm and a leg for shipping. So this was my second option.

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  14. It looks like a pretty swish rat condo!

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  15. I watched a fascinating show on Animal Planet years ago that helped a family whose rats were biting the kids. The expert said that the rats weren't getting enough stimulation. So he helped them create a habitat with all kinds of levels (like your cage). They also included a place for rats to dig.

    Until I saw that, I didn't know that digging was a rat skill.

    From what I saw, it's not size of the home that matters as much as giving the rats lots of ways to use their intelligence. Looks like you have lots of fun things for Jack and Gus to do.

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    1. That sounds like a cool show! Mine do not have a biting problem fortunately. One of them did bite my 2 year old but I suspect that was her fault. I think you have a good point about giving them ways to use their intelligence. I'm always trying to come up with creative little toys for them. I have seen a DIY digging box before and did try to make one for Nibblet. Of course, that didn't work out quite like I had planned. Wish I could see what kind of box they created on the show you mentioned.

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  16. WOW, that is a very nice cage. My human sisfur has 2 gerbils and they chew too. We save cardboard toilet paper rolls for them. Apparently they need at least 2 a day. Jello boxes work well too. Do you do that with rats?

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    1. Oh yes, they love their boxes! They are a bit too plump for toilet paper rolls, but those do work well for hamsters and gerbils. I save my boxes and give them fresh ones about once a week. They like to chew on those a little bit.

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  17. love that cage Ann,its a lot bigger than most for rats so i doubt the size was an issue,more likely it was settling in squabbles for who is boss,xx Rachel

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    1. I've got them both figured out pretty well now. Jack likes to steal all the food, because he is such a fatty lol... Gus likes to boss Jack around actually. In the beginning, we thought it was the other way around. If Jack tries to invade Gus's space, that is usually when a squabble will occur. I guess it's just siblings getting on each other's nerves.

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  18. Just found your blog through your twitter profile... am looking forward to following it!

    I don't think there are that many of us blogging about pet rats. :)
    Love your large cage -- I don't think most people realize how much space rats need. My girls currently live in a large bird cage and love it.


    cheers,

    Mary

    P.S. I'm also in north Texas!

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    1. Hi Mary - that's awesome thanks for stopping by! It is definitely hard to find other rat bloggers. Are you blogging about them too? I'm a little south of you near Austin area.

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  19. Thanks for sharing the home of Gus and Jack! It always seems strange to me that we call their homes "cages". Makes it sound like a prison when, in reality, they enjoy being inside their homes just as much as a lot of us humans do.

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    1. I agree Jasmine and I always feel so weird when I use the term cage... they definitely enjoy being outside of their home sometimes, but I know they enjoy resting and being able to have room to play in their as well.

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