Critter Nation Rat Cage Review

[Wanna Hamster]

Hey guys!
I thought that it would be helpful if I wrote up a review on the Critter Nation, for anyone considering to get this cage for their pets. So, here we go!

To start off, there are two commercially made sizes:

Single Unit (Model 161)
36"L x 24"W x 39"H
$127 (on amazon.com)
One Story
Can house up to 6 rats (according to the rat cage calculator)


Double Unit (Model 162)
36"L x 24"W x 63"H
$225 (on amazon.com)
Two Stories
Can house up to 12 rats (according to the rat cage calculator)


I absolutely love this cage! There are many amazing features about this cage that make it so awesome, but my favorite is the fact that you can buy an add on unit ($136 on amazon.com) to add to the single (or double, if you wanted!) unit. I currently just have the single unit for my two boys, but I have the add on unit coming in the mail. I also really love that the doors are basically the whole front part of the cage. This makes it very easy to access your rats and makes cleaning so much easier. If you've owned rats (or even hamsters) you'll know that cage cleaning is a long and time consuming process. But, the worst thing that can happen is if your cage has small, dinky doors. That can make it really difficult to get to some spots in the cage. I used to have a smaller cage and one of the main reasons why I upgraded to an SCN was because the tiny doors on my cage made cleaning a complete nightmare. But now that I have the SCN, cleaning is much more enjoyable and fun. Now that I've given some of my opinions, I'll go through the pros and cons of this cage.

Cons:
- Since it does weigh a lot (the single unit and the add on unit are each about 50 pounds and the double is about 100) so the pans sometimes come damaged. The pan for the second level on my cage came slightly chipped, but there are no sharp parts.
- The pans are very shallow (they have about a 1/2" lip) so you cannot use loose bedding. But, Home Depot sells 5" deep cement mixing tubs that fit in the CN almost perfectly!
- Because the doors are so big, it can be a challenge to attach things like plastic baskets to the cage, as the doors tend to be in the way.

Pros:
- For it's massive size, the CN is relatively cheap. I've seen some cages in pet stores that are have the size of a DCN, but twice as much!
- Since the pans are so shallow, it makes using fleece liners super easy. All you have to do is cut the fleece to size and clip it onto the pan (I find small binder clips work the best).
- This thing is HUGE! As I mentioned above, the SCN can house up to 6 rats and the DCN can house up to 12! Not only does it have so much great floorspace for running around and playing with toys, but it also has absolutely amazing height for hanging hammocks, baskets, and other toys.
- It has powder coated bars, so your rats can pee all over the bars and you won't have to worry about the bars rusting over.
- Like I said above, it has huge doors that make cleaning a breeze!
- It comes on wheels, so you don't have to worry about trying to drag or carry it all around your house.
- It has 1/2" bar spacing, so it is great for female and baby rats too, not just males.
- It has horizontal bars that make it super easy to hang hammocks and makes it a lot easier for your rats to climb.
- It has places to attach hammocks and hanging toys below the small shelf, making it possible for you to have a bunch of hammocks a different heights.
- You can move the smaller shelf around; it's not locked in place. You can put it on either side of the cage and on both sides there are three different height adjustments.

I could go on and on about how amazing this cage is, but I think I've covered the main things. After reading all of this, you might be interested to see what my cage looks like. Well, here you go:



It's pretty jam packed with stuff this week. I somehow managed to cram in 6 hammocks. I usually only use 2-3, not 6! Well, overall I would give this cage a 5/5 stars, as it is truly "The World's Best Small Animal Habitat"! If anyone is looking for an amazing rat cage, look no further than the Critter Nation! If you have any questions, feel free to post them below or PM me!

[jessjunipan]

I had these for my ratties, they are amazing. Will last forever too.

[Pebbles82]

Great review. I was just thinking - the single story one could be adapted for hamsters maybe if it has half inch bar spacing. It would mean putting wood or cardboard or plexiglass on the inside of the bars and doors about 6" high all round to make a kind of interior base for substrate (or even higher for deeper substrate) and you could still use the front opening doors as the plexi or whatever would hold the substrate in - you'd just have shorter doors above it. I'm bookmarking that!

[Wanna Hamster]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Great review. I was just thinking - the single story one could be adapted for hamsters maybe if it has half inch bar spacing. It would mean putting wood or cardboard or plexiglass on the inside of the bars and doors about 6" high all round to make a kind of interior base for substrate (or even higher for deeper substrate) and you could still use the front opening doors as the plexi or whatever would hold the substrate in - you'd just have shorter doors above it. I'm bookmarking that!

Oh, yeah I forgot to mention they both have 1/2" bar spacing. I've that about that too, but another problem would be the height. You would have to make sure your hamster couldn't fall from the top to the bottom, as it is very tall. But, I gues if you put a good 4" of bedding or so, it would probably be fine. Home Depot actually sells some big cement mixing tubs that fit pretty perfectly, you just have to trim one side a bit. But, those are only like 4" deep, so it would probably be better to put plexiglass all around. I've seen a lot of people do that and it seems to work pretty well!

[AmityvilleHams]

I think it would be cheaper to just build a cage,considering they can cost up to 200 dollars plus shipping and then you still have to modify them and that costs more money!

[Wanna Hamster]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

I think it would be cheaper to just build a cage,considering they can cost up to 200 dollars plus shipping and then you still have to modify them and that costs more money!

Yes, it probably would be cheaper, but if you're talking about it for rats, it's really hard to build a cage for them that is large enough AND has enough ventilation. Some people make bookshelf cages for their ratties (if you don't know what they are, you can just look up DIY bookshelf rat cage on Google to get a good idea), but I personally don't like them because they don't have bars all around (which, in my opinion, rats really should have). But, if you're talking about it for hamsters, yes it probably would be a lot cheaper to make your own cage. It might actually be better to do that, because a CN could be potentially dangerous for hamsters. The main reason I wrote this review is for rattie owners, not necessarily for hamsters. But, if you had rats and used a CN, that is when it might be handy for hamsters.

[AmityvilleHams]

Originally Posted by Wanna Hamster

Yes, it probably would be cheaper, but if you're talking about it for rats, it's really hard to build a cage for them that is large enough AND has enough ventilation. Some people make bookshelf cages for their ratties (if you don't know what they are, you can just look up DIY bookshelf rat cage on Google to get a good idea), but I personally don't like them because they don't have bars all around (which, in my opinion, rats really should have). But, if you're talking about it for hamsters, yes it probably would be a lot cheaper to make your own cage. It might actually be better to do that, because a CN could be potentially dangerous for hamsters. The main reason I wrote this review is for rattie owners, not necessarily for hamsters. But, if you had rats and used a CN, that is when it might be handy for hamsters.

It is a great rat cage,that I will agree with Lots of height which rats do prefer in general,and a pretty good amount of space before height is considered as well.