If you’re on the market for a good pet rat cage for your new furry friend, or you’re just wondering how much a rat cage costs, you’ve come to the right place. There are many choices around and it can be hard to choose the best option for your pet rats.
In this article, we’re gonna talk about a few cages, with different features and sizes. This way, you’ll know what better fits you and your ratties needs when it comes to pet rat cages!
The average price for a pet rat cage goes for about ~$250. A high-end rat cage costs up to $370+ while a budget version of a rat cage costs around $150.
Of course, all these price points depend on the features that you need, how big you want the cage to be, and even how many pet rats you own or intend to own. Let’s take a look at them!
How Big Of A Pet Rat Cage Do You Need?
Pet rats, although smaller animals need more space than it seems. Even if you get baby pet rats, remember that they will grow into adults.
The average size of a pet rat is about 10 inches, plus a tail that can grow as big as 8 inches.
For this reason, depending on how many pet rats you have or are thinking of getting, the size of the cage might vary.
As a general rule, pet rats need at least 2.5 cubic feet of cage volume, per rat. Now, these numbers always tend to be way too complicated, so here’s a handy table comparing some of the best pet rat cages with their price per sq inch:
| Cage | Max Number Of Rats | Price | Price per sq Inch |
  Kaytee My First Home (best budget cage) | 3 | $149.99 | $15.74 |
  Prevue Pet Home Crate (best for the new owners) | 5 | $219.74 | $14.95 |
  MidWest Homes for Pets Deluxe Critter Nation (best value) | 12 | $310.99 | $9.87 |
So if you’re considering only the size you need, the best cage for the price is the MidWest Homes for Pets Deluxe Critter Nation.
This cage is big enough for 12 rats, but even if you’re thinking of getting only a pair, they’ll live very comfortably in it, while having lots of space to explore!
But what about other features like adjustable shelves, ramps, and strong doors? These already offer some features like wheels, shelves, and even a few ramps. But there are more options around that are worth taking a look at.
And in that case, you might want to spend a bit more and get a higher-end product.
Features Of A Pet Rat Cage
Some premium cages, like the Critter Nation mentioned above, include helpful cage accessories like shelves, ramps, 2 pans as well as locking wheel casters. These can be a great additional features that are worth the extra price.
Having these removable shelves and pans, make it much easier to clean the cage. Simply remove them, wash them, and put them back. These will also avoid most rubbish from falling off the cage and into the floor.
Again, some cages bring more features to the table, like hammocks, a bigger number of ramps/shelves, and even more security.
So let’s compare those features in a table:
| Cage | Max Number Of Rats | Features | Price | Price per sq Inch |
| MidWest Homes for Pets Deluxe Critter Nation | 12 | – 2 pans; – 2 adjustable shelves; – 3 plastic ramps with covers; – 4 locking wheel casters; – Full-width double doors with critter-proof dual-locking door latches. | $310.99 | $9.87 |
  Prevue Hendryx Home Cage | 7 | – Four levels of living/play space; – Includes a hammock; – Two large front doors with escape-proof locks; – Mid-level floor separates cage into two halves-floor (can be closed or left opened); – Debris tray can be pulled out for easy cleaning; – Includes storage shelf at the bottom and wheels. | $246.27 | $12.7 |
  Prevue Hendryx Deluxe Critter Cage | 12 | – 5 shelves; – 3 ramps; – 1 hammock; – Pull out debris tray for easy cleaning; – 2 large access doors and secure locks; – Storage area with pull-out shelf; – Clip-on/off mesh for easier cleaning and more secure cage. | $378.19 | $12.20 |
As you can see with these examples, the cage with the most features, as well as more security is the Prevue Hendryx Deluxe Critter Cage, with a price per sq inch of $12.20.
It’s a bit more costly than the others, but it does bring a whole lot of entertaining for your pet rats. So this extra rat cage cost can be worth it.
Not only that, but their features make it very easy to clean the cage, without having to unmount the whole cage.
Finally, keep in mind that buying a pet rat cage is usually a purchase that will last you a lifetime.
Buying A New Pet Rat Cage VS A Used Cage
If you’d rather spend less money and think the average rat cage cost is too high, there’s always the option of buying a used cage. However, that can come with some disadvantages.
Since it’s a used cage, its condition might not be as good as before. For that reason, be sure to inspect the cage very well, before buying it.
In the case that you’re buying it online and can’t see the actual cage in person, ask for lots of pictures of the cage in question! Maybe even a video, so you’re sure it’s the real deal.
Check the state of the cage as best as you can. Notice if there are bits of metal that are dented and even scratched surfaces.
Even though some of these might seem small, they could be enough to hurt a pet rat!
Another thing to have into account is how stable the cage is. As time goes by, if you move the cage around too much, their steadiness might decrease.
Not only that, but accidents happen and that might create some wobbliness.
Again, a wobbly cage, might not look or feel like much to us, but it will create some difficulty for your pet rats to move around.
They like to jump and climb and if they don’t feel secure enough, they won’t be very confident moving around their cage.
Lastly, if you do intend on buying a used cage, be sure to do a very deep cleaning of it before putting your pet rats inside.
Even if the buyer was careful with it, you don’t know what animals were living in it before, nor their condition. Not only that, but you don’t know where the cage was being kept nor what might’ve come into contact with it.
So, to be on the safe side, give it a good scrub with water and vinegar. You can even wash it twice and then dry it very well.
After that, fill it with any accessories you want, and the cage is ready for its new tenants!
Do Rats Really Need A Pet Cage?
Even though you can let your pet rats free roam, you’ll always need a pet rat cage for them to return to!
This will be their safe harbor and it’s where they feel safe and happy.
Their cage is their home. It’s where they find their food, water, their bathroom, and even their beds.
Remember that pet rats are very organized and like to have a steady and clean place to live in. And there’s nothing better than a proper cage.
They might like to walk around your house or a safe perimeter you set out for them, but they’ll always want to go back to a safe space that belongs only to them.
And if you want to make sure they’re happy, be sure to get them lots of accessories and toys to keep them entertained, as well as play with them!
Pet rats have lots of energy and like to be occupied, so be sure to fill their cage with ramps, bridges, tubes, and interactive toys so they can have some fun.
They also like and need to chew on hard objects to keep their teeth healthy, so be sure to give them some mineral stones or even colorful chewing toys to help them out with that!
And of course, don’t forget to add plenty of hideouts and beds, so they can rest while feeling comfortable and secure.
Can You Build Your Own Pet Rat Cage?
Yes! One of the cheapest options if you have the time, patience and skill is to build your own pet rat cage. It’s a DIY solution that takes some practice but saves up quite a bit on the costs.
We actually made our own cage and it still holds out very well!
Be careful though to make it quite sturdy and get the right components.
The most common materials to use are Grid Storage Shelves, along with some Hardware Cloth so your pet rats won’t escape their cage. You can find both of these on Amazon at a very reasonable price.
Here’s a video showing you an example of a DIY C&C Rat Cage, using the materials we mentioned:
As you can see it turned out quite well but still took some time to assemble and get the materials.
For this reason, I recommend beginners to just spend a bit more money if you can and get a strong brand new cage ready to use!
This way you’ll be a bit more on the safe side and won’t have to worry if everything is well assembled and safe.
Again, if you’re looking for the best rat cage in terms of size at the lowest cost, get the: MidWest Homes for Pets Deluxe Critter Nation.
If instead, you want to get all of the great features and durability of a premium pet rat cage, get the: Prevue Hendryx Deluxe Critter Cage.
Nonetheless, remember that no matter the rat cage cost, your pet rat will love it and cherish it for their whole lives.
Hope it helps you and your little rodent friends!
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