It’s so nice to have your perspective as a rat owner living in the US! All the other rat channels I follow are based out of various other countries, where rat care or simply what’s available can be totally different!
I got these same pans and they have changed my life! I have a really bad allergy to rats so keeping the cage clean is ESSENTIAL to me not dying lol. It makes cleaning the cage so easy, but keeps scatter messes down outside the cage too. It was such a pricey investment, but honestly, it was worth it. Though, when I got them in the mail, one of the larger pans was bent and I wasn't able to totally get it bent back to its original location so it does impact the fit a little bit, but I wasn't bothered enough by it to even contact their customer support.
We love having bass pans for our 8 girls. We just ordered the shelf pans, too. It’s an initial fee up front, but definitely worth it for the long time rat owner.
Thanks so much for this review! Dealing with an accidental litter, and I think this metal pan will be perfect for making a chew-proof divider in my DCN when I have to separate the boys and girls.
I think that would be a great use for it - I actually recently did that while doing intros (I didn't want to take apart the cage and switch grates, plus this ensures their tails don't hang down and get nipped by the rats in the lower unit) and it works really well.
I bought the cement mixing pan and my rats literally DESTROYED it after 4-5 months. They just suddenly got interested into that resin and started chewing it like crazy. I will definitely consider that option haha.
@@autumnnorth2874 oh really!?? I thought I was the only one because everyone seemed to have no issues with the « mixing pan chewing ». At the beginning, it was perfect and i thought i found the simple and cheap alternative for that bedding container. I ended up shedding 100$ (with shipping) just on the bass equipment pan 😂.
Your rats are just s adorable! They look like they're really having fun, I really like your setup, it's roomy but still with plenty of enrichment! Good job, great video!
Great video girl, this information helps a lot. I've been using unscented pee pads taped & clipped down to the plastic trays that come with the cages but there's still the problem of not having the side protection. These pans obviously take care of that problem so I will probably be getting some of these. Thanks again !!! ☺️🐀🐁
Great review. I have the pans as well and have been very happy with them. They are a tight fit for the cages, so it does make the larger pans harder to remove and reinsert, and you definitely want to be careful not to bend the edges. That tight fit is also a plus, though, since it helps to keep bedding from getting between the pans and the cage sides. For folks who use the ramps that come with the Critter Nation cages, the lip of the pans will also make the angle of the ramps steeper, so you might want to put a small box or a brick under the bottom edge of the ramp to lessen the incline for older rats. I put a brick under each of the ramps for this purpose, plus it helps keep the rats’ nails trimmed. Thanks for the review!
imo as someone who's rescued rats and actually takes care of them in their old age, this entire setup is ridiculous, uncomfortable and not the best for cleanliness which is important to their health. I really hate to criticize but it's hard to be quiet on this one. It's really easy to just make fleece coverings and some padding like uhaul textile underneath. Wash pretty often. Litter boxes with yesterday's news just in the corners. They are so easily litter trained. Especially for the oldies who would have to drag themselves through the litter it's just incomprehensible why anyone would use it instead of fleece. Cheap and easy to recycle old fleece blankets from Value Village. Easy to change and wash. More comfortable for the rats.
I'm in need of replacement pans because my girls have demolished the plastic ones that came with the cage. I was thinking about these but your review had definitely made me one to purchase these instead of going with the plastic or the cement tubs. I have guards for the cage already so I think I'll shift them up a little more and have a super deep layer of bedding. I was keeping a huge box in there for digging but I think this will be a much more beneficial option for me and the rats.
Hey Shadow great video, the guides you post help me a great deal. I'm in the UK and splashed out for a dcn for my ladies, they love it and I have just got the base equipment pans and shelves for it. Don't ask how much.....crickey my girls are spoilt! Can't wait to put them in! 🐭
Great video! Im getting rats soon so this was very helpful! Just wondering if the critter nation and the ferret nation are the same cage? I had just been wondering for a while, thanks!
The ferret nation has vertical bars with 1 inch spacing while the critter nation has horizontal bars with 1/2 inch spacing. All young rats and many adult rats can escape the ferret nation due to the large bar spacing however no rat regardless of age can escape the critter nation. The critter nations horizontal bars also make climbing easier for the rats and make hanging their toys up easier for us. Overall if you find a good deal on a ferret nation then you can get it and hardware cloth it (or if you have large adult rats they might not be able to escape), but hardware cloth is a nightmare to work with and so unless you find an incredible deal I’d just go with the critter nation as you don’t have to modify it at all (well other than getting a cement mixing tub or bass pan if you want to use bedding lol - the pans that come with the CN and FN cages are terrible for bedding and the Midwest scatter guards you can buy don’t help at all).
So I have a question I'm not sure if you're still active enough to answer. Is that a fish tank in the side cage as a dig box? I think that's a fantastic idea but like they wouldn't suffocate would they?? Like I've been wanting to get my babies some sort of dig box and that looks like such a good idea.
I agree that for the long term rat owner these are an investment....they don't become more valuable or anything but I feel like they have improved my rats experience in their home and my experience taking care of their home. I have no concerns they will ever wear out or break...like EVER....and they just look nice
This is a weird question especially for the light hearted video and I’m sorry, I just had a question that’s been on my mind a while and I figured that it was best to comment on the most recent video. So I want to own rats however with my PTSD there is one issue; is it true that they are known to eat one another after their passing? I own 3 mice and had one pass away only to be eaten. It’s gross but it also ties into my PTSD and can give me episodes relating to that moment as a lot of my ptsd surrounds those less ideal scenes.
Lee Carlisle, I’ve had rats for many years (mid 1980s) and have never had this happen. To be fair, I almost always have my rats euthanized. It’s rare that I don’t know that they are dying; I can’t bear for them to suffer, and my regular vet doesn’t charge to put them to sleep (although the after-hours clinic does charge $50USD.) The times a rat has passed on their own, my other girls have left them undisturbed. Maybe it has happened to others, but I’ve never heard anyone talk about it in Facebook rat groups.
Thank you, I had one of my mice eat the other upon passing suddenly and we weren’t aware of the issue ahead of time. Mice it’s hard to tell when they’re dying sometimes. They can show signs of illness and still pull through.
Lee Carlisle, I understand. And I should add that rats also mask illness for a very long time and can turn up sick very quickly, but I usually notice in time to take them to be put to sleep. I wouldn’t let your fear over this dissuade you from getting rats. I also struggle with pretty severe anxiety and PTSD after a near-miss plane crash. The two things that bring me relief are my ratties and playing guitar. I think you’ll love them, especially since you’ve had mice. Mice are great, but rats are a little more huggable! ❤️🐀
Hey Shadow the Rat!, I do have a question. So for the single critter nation, the second level (not the floor tray but the second tray), what are the dimension for that level? It'll really help me :)
I am interested in the scatter guards, but was unsure what I needed. I have a DCN cage with the bass pans. How do the attach, and are they ordered per side of cage?
They attach with tiny c rings (comes with the order) to the cage bars on each side - I was given the advice of zip tying them on instead by other rat owners who used them (not sure how that would work though), but in the end I just decided to glue them on the pan itself (my main problem with cage bar mounted scatter guards is that when you open the cage stuff can spill out - probably not an issue if you have the pans themselves but personally I just like everything to be part of the pan itself. I’ve had them hot glued together for close to a year and it doesn’t show any signs of coming off, but it makes removing the base pans harder which isn’t too much of an issue for me as I usually just clean them in the cage but it could be an issue if you want to remove them to do so. And as for the side shelf’s those I didn’t modify at all).
Mysteeri Mies you can introduce another rat. babies do best with introductions. i introduced my two month old boys to a seven month old and they are doing fantastic together. all sleeping together. you can watch youtube videos on how to do it properly
Hey, I saw a video using a load of your footage on Facebook by ViralHog. I just wanted to make sure it was used with permission as they don't say where the footage came from.
Hello Rat lovers!!! My pet Rat Trixy,the first rat I ever got, has just suffered a stroke. We are scared she will die soon. She was my everything and im so sad. Pls pray for recovery.
I watch your rat vids often but it's painful to see the cage. Especially as I've cared for older rats who've needed an easier and safer time getting around. I've used fleece lined over the shallow plastic pans, over uhaul padding cut to fit within the pans. I made my own fleece liners from recycled blankets, easy and cheap, no sewing. The fleece pieces were larger so they could be tucked under the metal parts of the levels. Living in litter looks less comfy and sanitary for them. The rats had litter boxes in corners. and cozy fleece hammocks pocket/honeycomb/cube/decker style and cardboard boxes with the bottoms cut out. It's all really easy to wash and easy to litter train them. Once the fleece coverings are too shredded, they can be recycled again into stuffing for other things or in a pile for them to burrow into. I'm sorry, I don't want it to be harsh or hurt your feelings. but I feel responsible to say something for the rats and how much your channel influences others. I wish I'd switched to a DCN and to fleece coverings much sooner.
Arya Stark Fleece actually sucks for controlling odor and ammonia.. loose bedding is much better for that purpose. And as long as they have plenty of places to sleep like hammocks and baskets it shouldn’t be uncomfortable for them
It’s so nice to have your perspective as a rat owner living in the US! All the other rat channels I follow are based out of various other countries, where rat care or simply what’s available can be totally different!
I got these same pans and they have changed my life! I have a really bad allergy to rats so keeping the cage clean is ESSENTIAL to me not dying lol. It makes cleaning the cage so easy, but keeps scatter messes down outside the cage too. It was such a pricey investment, but honestly, it was worth it. Though, when I got them in the mail, one of the larger pans was bent and I wasn't able to totally get it bent back to its original location so it does impact the fit a little bit, but I wasn't bothered enough by it to even contact their customer support.
We love having bass pans for our 8 girls. We just ordered the shelf pans, too. It’s an initial fee up front, but definitely worth it for the long time rat owner.
Thanks so much for this review! Dealing with an accidental litter, and I think this metal pan will be perfect for making a chew-proof divider in my DCN when I have to separate the boys and girls.
I think that would be a great use for it - I actually recently did that while doing intros (I didn't want to take apart the cage and switch grates, plus this ensures their tails don't hang down and get nipped by the rats in the lower unit) and it works really well.
I bought the cement mixing pan and my rats literally DESTROYED it after 4-5 months. They just suddenly got interested into that resin and started chewing it like crazy. I will definitely consider that option haha.
same mine have chewed holes in the side of two different tubs 😭
@@autumnnorth2874 oh really!?? I thought I was the only one because everyone seemed to have no issues with the « mixing pan chewing ». At the beginning, it was perfect and i thought i found the simple and cheap alternative for that bedding container. I ended up shedding 100$ (with shipping) just on the bass equipment pan 😂.
Your rats are just s adorable! They look like they're really having fun, I really like your setup, it's roomy but still with plenty of enrichment! Good job, great video!
Great video girl, this information helps a lot. I've been using unscented pee pads taped & clipped down to the plastic trays that come with the cages but there's still the problem of not having the side protection. These pans obviously take care of that problem so I will probably be getting some of these. Thanks again !!! ☺️🐀🐁
Great review. I have the pans as well and have been very happy with them. They are a tight fit for the cages, so it does make the larger pans harder to remove and reinsert, and you definitely want to be careful not to bend the edges. That tight fit is also a plus, though, since it helps to keep bedding from getting between the pans and the cage sides. For folks who use the ramps that come with the Critter Nation cages, the lip of the pans will also make the angle of the ramps steeper, so you might want to put a small box or a brick under the bottom edge of the ramp to lessen the incline for older rats. I put a brick under each of the ramps for this purpose, plus it helps keep the rats’ nails trimmed. Thanks for the review!
imo as someone who's rescued rats and actually takes care of them in their old age, this entire setup is ridiculous, uncomfortable and not the best for cleanliness which is important to their health. I really hate to criticize but it's hard to be quiet on this one. It's really easy to just make fleece coverings and some padding like uhaul textile underneath. Wash pretty often. Litter boxes with yesterday's news just in the corners. They are so easily litter trained. Especially for the oldies who would have to drag themselves through the litter it's just incomprehensible why anyone would use it instead of fleece. Cheap and easy to recycle old fleece blankets from Value Village. Easy to change and wash. More comfortable for the rats.
I'm in need of replacement pans because my girls have demolished the plastic ones that came with the cage. I was thinking about these but your review had definitely made me one to purchase these instead of going with the plastic or the cement tubs. I have guards for the cage already so I think I'll shift them up a little more and have a super deep layer of bedding. I was keeping a huge box in there for digging but I think this will be a much more beneficial option for me and the rats.
I hope you love the pans as much as I do - its been about 2.5 years now with them, and they still work perfectly!
Would definitely appreciate the measurements, I too have two critter nations connected
Hey Shadow great video, the guides you post help me a great deal. I'm in the UK and splashed out for a dcn for my ladies, they love it and I have just got the base equipment pans and shelves for it. Don't ask how much.....crickey my girls are spoilt! Can't wait to put them in! 🐭
I really like the domed top you have on the taller half
Did you make that yourself or buy it?
Great video. Can you do a cage cleaning video where you show changing the bedding?
Wonderful review. I love mine too.
I love my Bass pants. My rats ate through the mixing pan in 2 weeks!
THX 👍
i just adopted a new rat!
Only one? Because if you only have one then please get atleast one more cuz rats dont live alone its really bad for them
I know, i already have a rat, don't worry. I needed a companion for her though. I'm actually introducing them right now.
@@ratprince1114 Oh okay! Sorry!
Goodluck and have fun with your new baby😊
Thanks so much! ;)
Great video! Im getting rats soon so this was very helpful! Just wondering if the critter nation and the ferret nation are the same cage? I had just been wondering for a while, thanks!
The ferret nation has vertical bars with 1 inch spacing while the critter nation has horizontal bars with 1/2 inch spacing. All young rats and many adult rats can escape the ferret nation due to the large bar spacing however no rat regardless of age can escape the critter nation. The critter nations horizontal bars also make climbing easier for the rats and make hanging their toys up easier for us.
Overall if you find a good deal on a ferret nation then you can get it and hardware cloth it (or if you have large adult rats they might not be able to escape), but hardware cloth is a nightmare to work with and so unless you find an incredible deal I’d just go with the critter nation as you don’t have to modify it at all (well other than getting a cement mixing tub or bass pan if you want to use bedding lol - the pans that come with the CN and FN cages are terrible for bedding and the Midwest scatter guards you can buy don’t help at all).
Shadow The Rat thank you so much! This was very helpful! Have a great day!
So I have a question I'm not sure if you're still active enough to answer. Is that a fish tank in the side cage as a dig box? I think that's a fantastic idea but like they wouldn't suffocate would they?? Like I've been wanting to get my babies some sort of dig box and that looks like such a good idea.
I agree that for the long term rat owner these are an investment....they don't become more valuable or anything but I feel like they have improved my rats experience in their home and my experience taking care of their home. I have no concerns they will ever wear out or break...like EVER....and they just look nice
This is a weird question especially for the light hearted video and I’m sorry, I just had a question that’s been on my mind a while and I figured that it was best to comment on the most recent video.
So I want to own rats however with my PTSD there is one issue; is it true that they are known to eat one another after their passing? I own 3 mice and had one pass away only to be eaten. It’s gross but it also ties into my PTSD and can give me episodes relating to that moment as a lot of my ptsd surrounds those less ideal scenes.
Lee Carlisle, I’ve had rats for many years (mid 1980s) and have never had this happen. To be fair, I almost always have my rats euthanized. It’s rare that I don’t know that they are dying; I can’t bear for them to suffer, and my regular vet doesn’t charge to put them to sleep (although the after-hours clinic does charge $50USD.) The times a rat has passed on their own, my other girls have left them undisturbed. Maybe it has happened to others, but I’ve never heard anyone talk about it in Facebook rat groups.
Thank you, I had one of my mice eat the other upon passing suddenly and we weren’t aware of the issue ahead of time. Mice it’s hard to tell when they’re dying sometimes. They can show signs of illness and still pull through.
Lee Carlisle, I understand. And I should add that rats also mask illness for a very long time and can turn up sick very quickly, but I usually notice in time to take them to be put to sleep. I wouldn’t let your fear over this dissuade you from getting rats. I also struggle with pretty severe anxiety and PTSD after a near-miss plane crash. The two things that bring me relief are my ratties and playing guitar. I think you’ll love them, especially since you’ve had mice. Mice are great, but rats are a little more huggable! ❤️🐀
What are the measurements? I'm wanting to put 2 bass pans in our new critter nation cages. They are side by side like yours..
Hi, could you please send me the dimensions of the pans for connecting the cage horizontally. Thank you!
Hey Shadow the Rat!, I do have a question. So for the single critter nation, the second level (not the floor tray but the second tray), what are the dimension for that level? It'll really help me :)
Hey Shadow the rat where did you get your custom pan as I need some for my cage, thanks.
Bass Equipment makes the pans
what do you use as bedding in the pans?
I believe she uses Yesterday’s News
I don’t know what she uses but I use tractor supply pelleted bedding
Yep, and I use Back2Nature small animal bedding, which is a recycled paper bedding with excellent odour control
I am interested in the scatter guards, but was unsure what I needed. I have a DCN cage with the bass pans. How do the attach, and are they ordered per side of cage?
They attach with tiny c rings (comes with the order) to the cage bars on each side - I was given the advice of zip tying them on instead by other rat owners who used them (not sure how that would work though), but in the end I just decided to glue them on the pan itself (my main problem with cage bar mounted scatter guards is that when you open the cage stuff can spill out - probably not an issue if you have the pans themselves but personally I just like everything to be part of the pan itself. I’ve had them hot glued together for close to a year and it doesn’t show any signs of coming off, but it makes removing the base pans harder which isn’t too much of an issue for me as I usually just clean them in the cage but it could be an issue if you want to remove them to do so. And as for the side shelf’s those I didn’t modify at all).
What was the size of the custom pan?
where can i find the scatter guards?
Do you mean the metal pans? These are scatter guards, they are full pans.
Anyways I have them linked in the description.
So I can remove the wheels and lower shelf and still have a setup?
Yup!
my rats are from atlantis rattery 🤣
One of my two rats just died now there is just one left i dont know what to do
Mysteeri Mies you can introduce another rat. babies do best with introductions. i introduced my two month old boys to a seven month old and they are doing fantastic together. all sleeping together. you can watch youtube videos on how to do it properly
Rebel 711 well he is probably my last rat because my sister is allergic or something so thats why i cant continue with rats
Hey, I saw a video using a load of your footage on Facebook by ViralHog. I just wanted to make sure it was used with permission as they don't say where the footage came from.
hi
Hello Rat lovers!!! My pet Rat Trixy,the first rat I ever got, has just suffered a stroke. We are scared she will die soon. She was my everything and im so sad. Pls pray for recovery.
Take her to the vet please. Best wishes
@@aryastark3148 Hi we had to put her down. She had a brain tuma thing
I watch your rat vids often but it's painful to see the cage. Especially as I've cared for older rats who've needed an easier and safer time getting around. I've used fleece lined over the shallow plastic pans, over uhaul padding cut to fit within the pans. I made my own fleece liners from recycled blankets, easy and cheap, no sewing. The fleece pieces were larger so they could be tucked under the metal parts of the levels. Living in litter looks less comfy and sanitary for them. The rats had litter boxes in corners. and cozy fleece hammocks pocket/honeycomb/cube/decker style and cardboard boxes with the bottoms cut out. It's all really easy to wash and easy to litter train them. Once the fleece coverings are too shredded, they can be recycled again into stuffing for other things or in a pile for them to burrow into.
I'm sorry, I don't want it to be harsh or hurt your feelings. but I feel responsible to say something for the rats and how much your channel influences others. I wish I'd switched to a DCN and to fleece coverings much sooner.
Arya Stark Fleece actually sucks for controlling odor and ammonia.. loose bedding is much better for that purpose. And as long as they have plenty of places to sleep like hammocks and baskets it shouldn’t be uncomfortable for them