I can’t believe I forgot to write about this! About three weeks ago we decided to bite the bullet and bought the fancypants cage for the rats from Petsmart. Winston immediately took to chewing on the plastic trays in the cage so I bought fleece to line them with. I got cheap baby blankets from the dollar store for the small shelves and remnants from Jo Ann Fabrics for the full-size shelves. I also bought them a litter box which they use occasionally, but I do have to pick up poop from the shelves three times a day. I also put newspaper underneath the fleece to help absorb their urine. I have two sets of fleece so I can swap them out and then throw the soiled ones in the washing machine. It saves on the litter, plus it keeps the rug around the cage from getting dirty since the trays aren’t deep and don’t hold the litter in the cage very well.
I initially put the big Wodent Wheel in the cage but it got really dirty with poop fast so I decided Hershey will just have to wait to use it when I let him out of his cage (Winston doesn’t touch it). I did get them a cute little thing called a space pod which they enjoy sleeping in together, but Winston is chewing up the sides of it because he has a taste for plastic. God forbid he chew the wood toys in there, right?
In any case, I’m really happy with the cage. It gives them plenty of room to run around and I feel less guilty on those days where I can’t let them out at all (although I try to keep those at a minimum).