I was recently lucky enough to spot a good deal on a triple critter nation on Craigslist- while the cage I have for my girls now is good, this will be absolutely fantastic for them! My one big thing that I want to try with this new cage is 'bioactive soil'. Has anybody here ever tried this with their own rats? It's commonly used for reptiles, but I have heard of a few other people using it for their rats.
The cage I'm getting doesn't have the plastic shelves or the wheely base, so I'm thinking I might line the bottom section with plastic and just fill half of it up. It should be almost like a permanent dig box, with bugs and things keeping it all fresh and odor-free. Should be good to tunnel in as well! Ideally, I shouldn't have to change out the soil very often, only add in new stuff or bugs. Maybe even keep a few plants in there growing for them.
Anyway, does this sound doable? I've only got the two girls, so they shouldn't produce enough waste to completely overwhelm the system once I get it set up since it'll have a lot of room compared to the amount of rat that will be using it. Anything I should add in or consider?
The cage I'm getting doesn't have the plastic shelves or the wheely base, so I'm thinking I might line the bottom section with plastic and just fill half of it up. It should be almost like a permanent dig box, with bugs and things keeping it all fresh and odor-free. Should be good to tunnel in as well! Ideally, I shouldn't have to change out the soil very often, only add in new stuff or bugs. Maybe even keep a few plants in there growing for them.
Anyway, does this sound doable? I've only got the two girls, so they shouldn't produce enough waste to completely overwhelm the system once I get it set up since it'll have a lot of room compared to the amount of rat that will be using it. Anything I should add in or consider?