Rat Cage Calculator
Most cage calculators take only the width, depth and height of cages into consideration when trying to calculate the number of rats the cage will hold. However, on careful consideration this isn't very wise as the cage may not actually have enough *floor* space (i.e. shelves, etc) for the rats. After all would you put the same amount of rats in a cage with only one shelf that has the same dimensions as another cage with say three shelves? The first example wouldn't give the rats the same amount of floor space to spread out and run around on as the second example does.
Therefore, we have devised a calculator that takes shelf and floor space into consideration, and may give a slightly more accurate result as a consequence. To use the calculator, you will need to know the width and depth of the bottom of the cage (the floor) as well as the width, depth and number of shelves in the cage. Figures can be either inches or centimetres.
Click for more help if you are confused!
Cage Calculator Help
Feeling a little confused about the cage calculator, and what each section means? Read on!
Presets - these are cages that have already been roughly calculated for size. Unfortunately, there are so many cages out there that it would be impossible to include them all, so this includes some of the more popular ones. If your cage is in here, simply select it, and the form will be automatically filled in for you. All you have to do is hit "Tell me how many?"!
Base width and base depth - this is the bottom level of the cage (the very base of it). It doesn't really matter what way round you put the measurements, but the width is usually the longest length from one side to another, and depth is from back to front, or the shortest length (see picture below).
Shelf base and shelf depth - the measurements are usually found the same was as the base width and depth, one being the short length, the other the long length. Again, though, it shouldn't really matter what way you put them in, since the calculator works out the square area, i.e. once length multiplied by the other (see picture below).
Shelf base* and shelf depth* - these spaces are in case the shelves in your cage are different dimensions. If all shelves are the same size, then you can just use the first Shelf base and shelf depth boxes, and tell it how many shelves there are. If they are different, there are two more areas for you to fill in these different dimensions.
Hope that helps with any confusion!
Cage Calculator
