Aquarium Toppers

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ryderjb

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2008
Messages
10
Location
Guelph
Hey everyone!

I've recently acquired a 20 gallon tank that would be a good option for my ratties... as long as I can find an aquarium topper! These are the cages that go on top of the aquarium so they get multiple levels and better air circulation. Does anyone, in Canada, know where I can find one? I called all the big and small pet stores around me and no one seems to carry them. One store did but only in the 10 gallon size.

Perhaps I could make my own... But I would feel more comfortable buying something well made for the little guys. I've found a couple online stores but I'm not sure which ones to trust. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Have a great day.

Ryder
 
If it's a nice, large topper and the cage is cleaned thoroughly every day, I really don't think it's a big deal.. It would, according to calculators, allow room for three rats and he's getting 2, so I don't think room would be a problem.

Ventilation becoming a problem depends on your own cleaning habits- if you can't commit to cleaning it every day (completely, as it's the urine that's the problem in tanks) then you should get something else. Also, cleaning them thoroughly can be a huge pain as they're so awkward and heavy and it's hard to clean the edges. But there are other issues to consider- Tanks get hotter than cages so you should have AC. Rats also love to climb which is another downside to tanks.
 
The measurements entered were for a 20g + smallest Martin's topper, which should allow for two rats at 2.5 cubic feet per rat. And it's not taking into account levels/hammocks either. I'm sure it's fine... and he can always get a larger topper if he feels it's needed, an extra level for 10 bucks more. But frankly, it should be large enough. I get the feeling from listening to him that he'll be spending lots of time with the boys as well. http://www.martinscages.com/images/thumbs/RT-625.jpg should be large enough for two unless my eyes are deceiving me. Maybe not ideal but for two baby boys it should be fine.
 
Don't use an aquarium, rast need tons of space, I have 2 in this cage http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2753263, which is unessicary, but my rats love it, and I can always add more. An aquarium would need to be cleaned daily, which is really a commitment. The rat can't climb the side, and it's hard to hang toys or add extra platforms. I disagree with the calculators, I think it's only 2.5 cubic feet if you have 4 or more rats. Please don't keep your rats in an aquarium. They'll be much happier in a big, wire cage. Here's a good choice.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2753352
But take out the wire wheel, and replace it with a solid bottom one. Sorry for me being whiny, but pay the extra dollars and get a good home. Remember to decorate the cage with tubes, hammocks, paper towels, boxes, juice bottles, and whatever you can find.
 
Hmmm --- Thanks for all the input, everyone. I didn't realize that having an aquarium would be such a bad thing. I thought it would be very suitable with a topper on it. I will have to look at some other cages which are wire, I suppose. I definitely want what is best for the ratties. I will make the trip into Kitchener tomorrow to check out the Petsmart there... I just find all the cages at those pet stores so incredibly overpriced! However, money isn't an issue if it means it will give the boys a good home.

Thanks again for all the info!
Ryder
 
"I disagree with the calculators, I think it's only 2.5 cubic feet if you have 4 or more rats."

Sorry I don't get what you're saying here. What do you think it is otherwise? Normally it's 2, but some people prefer to offer even more room so I chose 2.5 for two baby boys. In cubic feet there's not much difference between a 20g + two extra level Martin's topper vs. a single FN, which I have seen others on here use for two rats with no problem. The FN has more floor area which is admittedly preferable.

I wouldn't suggest those styles of cages of cages though... they look nice but everything's plastic and rats love to chew. Super Pet also designed the shelving in these cages really idiotically: they're full of little ridges and if you were worried about ammonia from urine in an aquarium- well these ones will stink up just as fast and are a complete pain to clean. Pain in the butt as in Habitrail pain in the butt. :p

I totally agree that regular cages are better than aquariums, but all I was saying was that that cage would have offered two babies more than enough room. There were other concerns though that I mentioned and I too wouldn't want to use an aquarium for a number of reasons. However it wouldn't have been the end of the world if they were in one with a nice, large topper for a couple months and well-cared for, that's all I was getting at.

For me the biggest things in searching for a cage are:

-material. Plain old "untreated/uncoated" metal will erode in no time from urine. PVC-coated is useless and dangerous if you have a chewer.

-deep pan- although if you're going with fleece this isn't really a concern, but my girls seem to like having it rather than resting up against the bars, and if you have boys that mark it will help reduce spray.

-shelving/ladders without a ton of little ridges and stuff for gunk to build up in

-Small wire-spacing
 
If you can drill small holes in the aquarium to allow more air flow, then it would be ok.
Also, what type of 20g tank are we talking about the tall or long?
 
With the cost of an aquarium topper plus shipping you could get a much better cage for your rats. I had an aquarium topper for some foster rats that I stopped using after one day because when I got up in the morning the smell from the aquarium was awful. There is no way to keep it ventilated well enough so that its not a health problem for your rats.
You can look for second hand cages as well as new cages.
 
Jherek said:
"I disagree with the calculators, I think it's only 2.5 cubic feet if you have 4 or more rats."

Sorry I don't get what you're saying here. What do you think it is otherwise? Normally it's 2, but some people prefer to offer even more room so I chose 2.5 for two baby boys. In cubic feet there's not much difference between a 20g + two extra level Martin's topper vs. a single FN, which I have seen others on here use for two rats with no problem. The FN has more floor area which is admittedly preferable.

I wouldn't suggest those styles of cages of cages though... they look nice but everything's plastic and rats love to chew. Super Pet also designed the shelving in these cages really idiotically: they're full of little ridges and if you were worried about ammonia from urine in an aquarium- well these ones will stink up just as fast and are a complete pain to clean. Pain in the butt as in Habitrail pain in the butt. :p

I think that 2 rats should get at least 7 cubic feet of space, but you can add another rat to that cage. 4 rats should be fine in 10 cubic feet of space, and 5 should get 12 cubic feet of space, and you can add maybe 1.5 for about up to 10 rats, and unless you have a dream cage, get another for the next rats.

I personally haven't had problem with Superpet, I put terrycloth liners down, but even with out the liners cleaning isn't completley terrible. It doesn't stink too bad, and it wouldn't stink at all if I cleaned it more often. The pee groves may make it harder to clean, but it's still the same amount of pee, why should it stink more?

I have a 20g tank, that gerbils (worst rodent ever) and hermit crabs have lived in, and it is much to small for 2 rats. It seems more cage like too. I got my first 3 rats on vacation, and because we couldn't drive home with a big cage, we kept them in this one for a week when they were babies, http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=3057121. And even though my aquarium is bigger, it seems like a nastier home than that one.

My rats haven't destroyed their cage, the males would occasionally chew on the shelves, but it's hardy noticable. I guess if you got an aquarium topper, it migt be okay, but I just don't like the thought of rats in an aquarium.
 
Hey everyone. I took all of your advice and got a new cage today. The one I settled on is this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=3057119
It is powder-coated wire and has 3 different levels.

I will put in some hammocks, alongside some wooden planks, to utilize all the availible vertical space for the little guys. I hope they like it! I will post some pictures once I find my two little guys to put inside of it :)

Thanks again for all the help, it really is appreciated.

Hopefully you will think this cage is alright...! It was a hard choice b/w two different cages... but one of them was designed for a chinchilla and the bar spacing was too big (I think)... So I think this is my best choice. It was the biggest one in the store.

Now I've got to find out how to get some cool homemade hammocks!!
 
I think she meant your cage Nezumi. His is the same length as the one you suggested and only 2 inches less in depth and height. 30"L x 18" W x 30"H vs. 30.5"W x 15.75"D x 28"H - It's fine.

Your cage (32"L x 20"W x 58"H) is huge for two rats and although it would be nice if we could all do that, it's not absolutely necessary for them to have good, healthy, happy lives.
 
Yes, but I'm whiny. And the cage calculator said it was too short. (er.. one of them.) But mostly, I just think about living in a cage my entire life. I blame my mom, she can't even look at caged birds.
 
Well there are people who keep them and pay no attention to them and give them nothing to play with and in that case it's a cage. But for the people here who feed their rats better than they feed themselves (lol yeah we can all say that eh :p) and jazz them all up and give them plenty of time outside their cages to play, they're more houses/homes than cages... :)
 
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