{"product":{"product_id":"B001NJ0DAY","title":"MidWest Homes for Pets Deluxe Critter Nation Double Unit Small Animal Cage (Model 162)","price":"319.99","image_url":"https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Ni5J14u-L._SL500_.jpg","url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NJ0DAY"},"comments":[{"body":"This is the cage I got for mine. It's a little pricey but it's great quality, metal and solid. Also very easy to assemble and clean with the way both doors on each level open up. https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=bmx_i2814f1n_1/138-9088593-0936157?pd_rd_w=ZikYz\u0026amp;pf_rd_p=1f75fbb3-7d95-464f-8182-952155c0316b\u0026amp;pf_rd_r=VXJZYWA78JHW8B6CVGBD\u0026amp;pd_rd_r=fa9b4324-5134-4fec-96c8-466662c28098\u0026amp;pd_rd_wg=8X9xF\u0026amp;pd_rd_i=B001NJ0DAY\u0026amp;psc=1","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"mightyneonfraa"},{"body":"We have this cage or one very similar: Midwest Deluxe Critter Nation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_1RNV3Y1703XVM2TSN8EF?_encoding=UTF8\u0026amp;psc=1\r\n\r\nThe pans avoid the issues of bumblefoot but we still pad it out with fleece. Our rats chew through the fleece so we end up buying more pretty regularly but it’s plenty of space for our 4 rattos :)","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"rmjon3s"},{"body":"A 2 story critter nation should be plenty. You can officially add a 3rd story no problem if 2 isn't enough. Or connect 2 or more side by side.\r\n\r\nA 2 story CN Cage is ~$250.\r\n\r\nEdit: Apparently they've gone up a bit ($300) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_6GMW5HA8MRT2V5G6NR41\r\n\r\nHopefully your local shippers aren't trash and kick yours off the back of the truck....","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"DylanCO"},{"body":"Critter Nation. Sturdy, large (especially if you get the double), easy to clean. Got mine second hand for around $80. \r\n\r\nHere's a link so you know what it looks like: https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=sr\\_1\\_2?dchild=1\u0026amp;keywords=critter+nation\u0026amp;qid=1626655904\u0026amp;sr=8-2","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"SprinklesTheRat"},{"body":"No worries and I appreciate your concern and input! We’re keeping the pets separate, because honestly I’m not emotionally ready for a new dog yet since I had to put my Great Pyrenees (Prince) down in February. This dog is mostly my dads and he’s retired so he’s here most of the day.\r\n\r\nThe cats and the rats are mine, but the cats pretty much just stay in my room on the opposite side of the house to my dad’s room (where the dog stays.) I have a gate separating the small hallway into my part of the house (two bedrooms and a bathroom,) but I’m going to get one with a cat door soon. We’re also going to crate train the dog so he won’t just be loose when no one is here. My rats are in a [Critter Nation](https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY) in the living room so I’m not worried about them since I would never just put them near the dog outside of the cage.","subreddit_name":"rescuedogs","author":"lenerdel"},{"body":"The cage is a two level critter nation, sometimes branded as a ferret nation. The bars are coated and chew resistant and the doors come off to make it easier to work on the insides. Overall we are very happy with it. We got ours from amazon on sale with free shipping.\r\n\r\nThis is the one we purchased, but paid closer to $180 at the time. They are somewhat modular as far as adding levels and laying out the insides. \r\n\r\n Midwest Critter Nation Animal Habitat with Stand, Double Unit, 36 Inches by 24 Inches by 63 Inches https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Dthsub0KHMHXE","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"blackrabt"},{"body":"The [double unit Critter Nation](https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref) is about 22 cubic feet. That's half the size of what you and you're cute little article suggest as the \\**smallest possible\\** cage. The bar spacing is 1/2 inch (1.27 cm).","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"CorbinDallasMyMan"},{"body":"It's always good to have backups of things!  If you ever need to wash a bowl/bottle, you can just put up the spare in the meantime.  I put one bottle on each level of my DCN - so two total in the cage at all times.  I have probably 8 bottles total, one for traveling, one to keep at my SO's house, one really big one for when I had five boys.  \r\n\r\n\r\nThat cage looks like it would be an adequate size for two rats, but it does look like it will be a huge pain in the ass to clean and set up/tear down.  It looks like you only have a couple little doors to reach through.  I find that it's much easier to clean when you have access to the entire cage.  I always recommend the DCN.  It is major bang for the buck, easy to break down/put up, piece of cake to clean, lots of room for activities, and the platforms are plastic - not bars - so fleece is super easy to put around them and bumble foot is like not even something to worry about at all.  http://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-Nation-Animal-Habitat/dp/B001NJ0DAY","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"herogurl01"},{"body":"Seconding what u/Scrap51 says about wood flooring.  If you want something solid instead of fleece, try linoleum tiles.  You can take them out and clean them really easily.  \r\n\r\nThat being said, a couple points about that cage.  It looks like it's going to be a pain in the butt to put up/tear down and CLEAN.  It looks like it only has the one small door down on the bottom level, which means a couple things - you can't reach into the top to get your ratties if you need to, and when you clean things out you will have to snake your arm through the levels to get to the top.  \r\n\r\nEasily, the best cage on the market is the critter nation u/Scrap51 mentioned.  You have total access to every inch of the cage because the doors open completely, which makes it A+ easy to clean.  Additionally, the levels have plastic floors so there's no real concern about bumblefoot.  If you can't dish out the price for the Double Critter Nation, they also sell single units for approximately half the price, which would be sufficient space for two rats.  I can guarantee that you will love a critter nation cage.  Here's a link!  http://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-Nation-Animal-Habitat/dp/B001NJ0DAY","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"herogurl01"},{"body":"Got it. The Critter Nation comes with very shallow plastic pans. They're definitely not 2.36\" deep. I'm not sure what cage you were looking at but I wouldn't recommend it without seeing a link. \r\n\r\nThe actual [Critter Nation](https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY/) is a fantastic cage, though. In order to use a loose substrate (for digging and such), you'd have to get a deeper pan for the base. There are lots of options, though. Modding a CN is pretty common and you can find lots of info online about it. \r\n\r\nAs for your main question, a pan that is 2 to 3 inches deep is fine but it isn't going to hold much bedding and it will get kicked out a little bit. Providing an additional dig box would be beneficial.","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"CorbinDallasMyMan"},{"body":"I highly recommend looking at the critter nation cage, it isn’t sold as a bird cage. But has 3/4 inch bar spacing, horizontal bars to hang things, doors that open all the way at the front, wheels, storage under, super sturdy, the tray slides out to be easily cleaned, great size as it’s wide, and WAY cheaper than cages advertised for birds. Also you can buy an add on part and make the cage double tall if you want it bigger. I can’t stop recommending it to everyone because it’s a great great option for bang for your buck. [Critter Nation Cage Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=KOGNK8PQBWTN\u0026amp;keywords=critter+nation+cage\u0026amp;qid=1669174418\u0026amp;sprefix=critter+n%2Caps%2C111\u0026amp;sr=8-1-spons\u0026amp;ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.08f69ac3-fd3d-4b88-bca2-8997e41410bb\u0026amp;sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm\u0026amp;psc=1)","subreddit_name":"budgies","author":"Aromatic_Survey9170"},{"body":"As a temporary cage it'll be fine. Following the 2.5 cubic feet per rat rule, you could accommodate two rats, but for them to truly thrive I would highly recommend a bigger cage. Sometimes you can find gently used cages on craigslist or facebook marketplace, you would just need to disinfect it before setting up for your rats. Although expensive, [this](https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2D1DXKALXL4HD\u0026amp;keywords=critter%2Bnation\u0026amp;qid=1665564823\u0026amp;qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjA4IiwicXNhIjoiMy41MSIsInFzcCI6IjIuNDcifQ%3D%3D\u0026amp;sprefix=critter%2Bnation%2Caps%2C100\u0026amp;sr=8-1-spons\u0026amp;ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0\u0026amp;spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMFVKU1JXNlNJVThCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzcwNTQ4M0owRTVNR1c3OFRCNSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDU3NTQ1MTVVRExSMlBWV1lHUiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU\u0026amp;th=1) cage is considered to be the best and is currently on sale for $120 off.","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"haaliien"},{"body":"We were in the exact same scenario, then we found the CritterNation Midwest Double on sale today :) I think it's on both [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=midwest+critter+nation+deluxe+small+animal+cage\u0026amp;qid=1665513579\u0026amp;qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjY5IiwicXNhIjoiMS44MiIsInFzcCI6IjAuMzQifQ%3D%3D\u0026amp;sprefix=critter+nation+mid%2Caps%2C123\u0026amp;sr=8-1-spons\u0026amp;ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0\u0026amp;psc=1) and Chewy (if you wanted any more points in favor of the upgrade","subreddit_name":"sugargliders","author":"phiremi"},{"body":"what’s your budget? If you’ve got the money to spend, I’d recommend the double critter nation cage. https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY/ref=sxts_rp_s_a_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.9cb06d61-cbae-4109-9d1e-14578fae3d41%3Aamzn1.sym.9cb06d61-cbae-4109-9d1e-14578fae3d41\u0026amp;crid=27MORHKGG0US3\u0026amp;cv_ct_cx=double+critter+nation+cage\u0026amp;keywords=double+critter+nation+cage\u0026amp;pd_rd_i=B001NJ0DAY\u0026amp;pd_rd_r=f9907a7b-63cb-4d5f-ac3a-1907216a36d4\u0026amp;pd_rd_w=amKG6\u0026amp;pd_rd_wg=poA8Q\u0026amp;pf_rd_p=9cb06d61-cbae-4109-9d1e-14578fae3d41\u0026amp;pf_rd_r=V6AAHCH1S0YNENEAESYT\u0026amp;psc=1\u0026amp;qid=1658257722\u0026amp;sprefix=double+critter%2Caps%2C645\u0026amp;sr=1-1-ea136695-3596-4534-80e7-1570345d02b9\r\n\r\nI bought this exact cage last week for my IRN and it’s genuinely great for any small sized birds. It’s huge and good quality; nearly as tall as me (i’m 5’11) and quite wide as well. It’s completely worth the money in my opinion. (make sure you don’t get ferret nation and critter nation mixed up! the bar spacing on the ferret nation is far too large for any small bird)","subreddit_name":"parrots","author":"ulnessity"},{"body":"Yeah this is made for rabbits, could be used for guinea pigs too but really [this type of cage](https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-162-leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAY) is best- good amount of space and the bar spacing won't allow for escapes :)","subreddit_name":"RATS","author":"Brownjila"}]}