Fluidr / PKMousie's "Rat Heaven" set

Rat Heaven 8587 - Diagram

A Canon EOS 5D — 1/125s ƒ/4 ISO 400 at 25 mm

N 38 B 57.6K C 32 E Aug 26, 2007 F Feb 25, 2008

DESCRIPTION
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Since people have asked, here's a breakdown of Rat Heaven! It's based off the Super Pet (Kaytee) EZ Care Rooftop Flight Cage for birds, with my own custom brackets and shelves, and numerous store-bought pet toys and non-pet stuff that can be used as pet toys.

Specific Features:

A: Super Pet Super Sleeper - Sleep-E-Tent with zippers on the corners to convert it into a hammock or whatnot
B: 2' gray channel grates used as ladders, securely fastened
C: Wood chew blocks to distract the rats from chewing on the cage
D: Grass balls with bells inside for the same goal
E: "Burrow your own home" rat hutch made from a cool dried plant stalk with a hard outer rind and fibrous inner tissue. Supposedly irresistible to rats' burrowing instincts
F: Timber Hide-A-Way which doubles as access to the upper platform via the hole in the back corner
G: Custom L-shaped upper platform, 20"x20" with 6.5" legs, easily removable when the large front door is open
H: Custom bedding box, 13.5"X10"X1.5" built into lower platform
I: Feeding crocks with individual external access doors and cages to hold them in place
J: Wodent Wheel Senior for quiet, safe exercise, the only rodent wheel approved by the ASPCA
K: Chin-up bar for flabby ratties
L: Super Pet 26oz Chew Proof Water Bottle cleverly and securely mounted inside the cage for clean lines
M: Carefresh Blue Pet Bedding in a tray that's removable without opening the cage
N: Super Pet Grassy Mat for soothing little rat feet without obstructing bathroom access
O: Super Pet (Kaytee) EZ Care Rooftop Flight Cage with 'seed guard' for catching 'stray objects'
P: Super Pet Small Scatter-Less Pet-Ware Feeder repurposed for a secret hideaway
Q: Sticks on a rope climbing and chew toy. Two in one!
R: Super Pet Cozy Hammock angled to allow unobstructed views into the cage
S: Super Pet Play Tunnel for simulating burrowing and general rampaging
T: Balance Beam to tempt fate
U: Custom L-shaped lower platform, 20"x20" with a 6.5" and 10" leg (with box), easily removable when the large front door is open
V: Super Pet Bigger Giant Roll-A-Nest for cool-downs after running
W: Custom aluminum brackets with stainless steel hardware to support both platforms on all four sides when the outer door is closed, without getting in the way of climbing
X: Under cage storage for food, bedding, and other supplies

General Advantages:

- A rounded, power coated cage, aluminum brackets filed blunt, and smooth painted wood make for excellent comfort and ease of cleaning. No sharp corners!
- Ladders and holes provide clear access to all sections of the cage without wall climbing (apart from the secret hideaway) allowing tired or infirm rats complete mobility
- Feeding can be done at any of three locations to keep the rats guessing and engaged
- There are two front doors, a small inner door for more control, and a large outer door for complete cage access
- Everything is removable down to the bare cage in minutes, without any tools
- The entire cage itself breaks down into 1/2" thick parts for moving/thorough cleaning
- The rats have plenty of comfortable surfaces to stand on, yet with little or no training they can learn to go to the bathroom directly into the bottom pan, where they don't stand, and where clean-up is painless
- Blows away typical rat cages, which are rusty, sharp all over, small, and hard to clean

That about sums it up!

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