Pet Rat Stars - Glamour Rat Condo

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The Glamour Rat Condo ... Built for Rockin' Rats with a Kick of Glamour! Designed By MiLa Kitten

REMEMBER: there are a few other safety precautions which you should always be aware of ...

Use your own discretion when working with sharp objects or tools in general.
Watch the full video for more information about the materials used. Moreover, my intent was to open up storage space and overcome tight configurations.

Have fun! It will always be hard work!
But hard work pays off in the end.

"Rock it and believe in yourself!" (MiLa Kitten)

DIY Woodworking Projects

Turn any ordinary bookcase shelf into a glamour rat condo. The Ultimate Rat Condo that ROCKS! (Updated tour behind the scenes).

❤ Originally shot on Sony Digital 8 Video Camera Handycam Camcorder.
Updated on iPhone 5.

Where all your rat-lovin' dreams come true!

4 1/2 feet x 5 1/2 feet 5 level condo. 

Look cute and comfortable! 

All building materials, pet toys and rat decor incorporated into the process took 2-3 months to build the structure itself as I did my graduate studies online during the summer.

The pyramid bookcase itself (2 of them that I had purchased) was about $150. All other building materials were bought separately as this project began to unroll in which the costs went up in price besides typical rat essentials.

If you put your mind to it, you can build an affordable glamour rat condo at your own costs.

My estimated value ran nearly $900. Only because I had purchased decorative furniture to go around the structure itself for comfort and extra outer storage in which the Glamour Rat Condo was located against a wall right by my desk region. Having a close bond with my pet rats was a spiritual thing for me on a daily basis. Therefore, their rat cage was cleaned day-to-day with rat love and kitten care.  Being organized and a queen in this department is vital to me.

It was my first time adopting pet rats. And my ultimate goal was to build the coolest rat cage for my 6 female rats with mazes and space!

Main materials used to build and design the Glamour Rat Condo:

Staple gun with staples, wire cutters, a hammer, flathead and philips screw driver, various pieces from a one level Critter Trail Habitat in pink by SuperPet (found at any Petco or Petsmart), black wood (base background like a skeleton basically), chicken wire (main coverage), clear black plexiglass or acrylic sheet (for each level layered on top of the wood pieces), bacteria and stain resistant granite tile (made for the ladders or specific wood pieces to give a beautiful distinct characteristic), flathead philips wood screws, coarse thread drywall screws, corner braces, flat corner braces, pieces of wood cut professionally on a dual beveled sliding compound miter saw Makita 10 inch blade besides the cutting crew at Home Depot, narrow hinges and round knobs for the doors, clear glass for the see-through windows on the lower and middle levels of the cage, eight 2 inch rubber wheel rigid casters for the bottom of the cage (easy access to move or rotate the rat cage around on wheels) among other building materials that can be purchased.

Six Locker Dudes 12" pink stackable locker shelves were used for 2 center pieces in the middle. Four were utilized successfully in the bottom areas; supported with glass in the front to make it look more fancy. HINT: Black electrical tape and pink zebra duct tape were used for fashion decor to add extra support mounted to the glass that I had custom cut myself.

3/4" x 12" x 31 1/2" black thermally-fused melamine shelves were also used in the process of making the glamour rat condo. They were built inside of the cage levels as extra shelves. These can be purchased separately at any Home Depot or Lowes. Melamine Shelving is durable and easy to maintain. The melamine paper and resin coated surface resists scratches, chemicals and staining.

The L-shaped flat corner braces were screwed on for security purposes (1-1/2/" 3.8cm).

Bamboo sticks were added onto the hand built ladders. This item can be bought at any Dollar Tree. Simultaneously, black yarn was used by twisting onto the bamboo sticks for extra support. Item can be purchased at any crafts store. NOTE: This part is time consuming. Be smart and take your time! This is not a rush job!

Solid surface tiles were also used to build as fashion decor on the wooden ladders. I custom built them myself with the following fab colors ordered directly from Stone House Surfaces.

All tile samples can be seen in person at Home Depot or Lowes:

- Princess [a hint of pink]

- and black tones of Midnight, Granite, Galaxy, Dusk, Solar, Stone or Black Ice

This glamour CONDO was made for my 6 (six) charming female pet rats:

Charlisa, Shamila, Michaela, Lillyanna, Madelena and Selena with sweetheart love.

 Ooh-la-la MAKE IT SHINE! Easy to clean rat cage with the simple removal of the precut clear black plexiglass or acrylic sheets (for each level layered on top of the wood pieces). The acrylic or plexiglass is similar material like the pink one level Habitat Super Pet pink cage for small animals.

Bedding choice = Purina "Yesterday's News" 30 LB (Located on the 2nd level of the cage. It only took a week to train the rats to use as a poop box similar to a cat's -- which is kept separate from the nesting / bedding and play areas on the 2 and 3rd levels).

Water supply choice = chew resistant glass proof bottles for small animals made by Super Pet including plastic water bottles.

How exactly did I attach these inside the rat cage, especially located on the 2nd level? By taking a pair of garden cutting shears, I was able to cut the chicken wire and shape it out. I also used long black cable ties to secure the shaped wire that held the plastic water bottles.

EXTRA AIR FLOW = on the top right and left sides of the rat cage are black sconces that hold 1 small pink fan on each side (can be bought at any Target in the Room Essentials section).

E-Z open and carry away petting zones are on several levels taken directly from the one level Habitat Super Pet pink cage for small animals. Apparently my pet rats love to cuddle and sleep in them.

CUSTOMIZE IT = other accessories are mounted on the right plus left sides of the rat cage for rat books [by Debbie Ducommun] and rat medical care inside a pink file box [bought at Big Lots or Jo-Ann Fabrics].

FASHION TRICKS = Once you've nailed down your fashion vibe, have fun piling on the jewels! Craft and fabric supplies for decor on the outside of the cage are ribbons, decorated zebra tape (in pink, black and white), Gorilla glue, wood glue, black duck tape, black electrical tape, picture frames, flat corner braces, corner braces, art work of images (skulls, rats [Littlest Pet Shop - Mouse and Rat Hasbro toys] or movies) and random sparkling jewelry to complete the punk rock, razzle-dazzle, bewitching look. Some supplies can be bought at Michaels Arts and Crafts Stores or Walmart.

ROCK YOUR RATS IN STYLE = some chew proof toys can be bought in the toy or baby section of any Toys R Us, Walmart, Target, pet stores, etc. Chose wisely. If you know your rat will not chew up specific toys, then it's safe. If you know your rat will chew up certain toys that will last for only a few hours -- then make sure to clean up their mess and provide new chew-proof toys. At least it keeps them busy.

Example: Kitty Catkin Bug House #6781 [crafted using non-toxic coatings] www.melissaanddoug.com
My pet rat stars loved to sleep inside this bug catcher! Comforts 2-3 small rats.

RAT SECRETS = ceramic baking supplies [sturdy food dishes] or ceramic pet supplies were bought and used for the rat food and water areas inside the rat cage. All fun decor can be bought on sale at bargain places such as Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Anna's Linens, The Hobby Lobby, dd's DISCOUNTS, Home Goods, etc.

PASSION FOR FASHION = on the very bottom (1st level) in front of the rat cage ... there are 3 gorgeous velvet (purple and black with faux diamonds) ottomans to accentuate the spot to hide nesting materials, play toys, bedding, etc. The ottomans are also a sitting zone where anyone can open the rat doors and play with the pet rats -- as each one will crawl onto your shoulders and cuddle with you to hang out. Or you can stand up and the rats will still excitedly come to anyone and hop onto their shoulders for affection.

Make the living room dreamy for your pet rats. Interestingly, mine will sleep on a Barbie toy sofa by Mattell.

Canisters of food [in black containers to match the rat cage] are placed at the very top (5th level).

On the 1st level, Super Pet Habitat one level portable pink rat cages are stored for future Veterinary Hospital or travel use. Although they are perfect for hamsters, gerbils or pet mice -- they are adequate portable cages for small animals such as rats. I've taken my pet rats to the Vet in them and never had a problem. It can easily fit 2 rats per cage. Therefore, I own at least 5 of these one level Habitat Super Pet pink cagesfor extra back up. All are kept clean 24/7 and ready to go for special rat occasions and rat emergencies.

The Beauty of Best Friends ...

All my 6 female rats were in allurement heaven. The day I put them into their rockin' condo, they were making happy squeeking noises that they ran around like crazy on each level making use of all objects + toys. And slept in every place they could hide. And played or tried to claim their own territory in the first few days.

Afterwards, they all shared various places and know that mommie built this entire cage with tender love and kitten care, with one other rat confidant that aided in special artistic areas (my beloved boyfriend - their rat poppa). It's the sweet stuff that makes you smile.

RAT TREND OF THE YEAR ... I love my rats dearly. And if you love your rat(s), take the fun and artistic enjoyment of building him / her or them an awesome one-of-a-kind playful rat cage!

THE MAGIC = Art is my hobby with crafts and sewing including digital illustration. Thus, all of the above was hard labor, hours consumed with love, and time to think out a rat plan of what the condo [rat cage] would be designed like from day one.

No one told me what to do. Like graduate school, it teaches you to do research ... to think about creative ways to express yourself by the knowledge and skills you learn along your educational journey. And to apply those principles into the real world. And this is exactly what I did from an artistic perspective!

The Psychology of Color

For exquisite colors, I choose a lot of fuchsia, light pinks, baby blues, wild zebra, leopard prints, turquoise pigments and lastly rebellious black to fit the Punk RAT edge.

GIRLS ROCK! CONFIDENCE AND AMBITION

"It was hard creative work and my six pet rat stars were in condo style galore!" 

Although the glamour rat condo no longer exists on planet earth that was once crafted with true rat love for all my 6 pet rats, time changes and rats only last for 3 years the max.

Because I finally rented a house on my own (besides being stuck in condos or apartments as a college student), this art project gave me a chance to express myself. To use my girl power and various talents to perfect a residential hot spot for my pet rats inside the home itself with a kick of glam.

Girl power is about who you really are. I am a proud homemaker and owner of this rat condo. And I will forever love it. It was one of a kind!

And I will always cherish the love and devotion I put forth into this artistic rat piece.

I'm a proud rat momma. As the years go by, and they will ... with each new rat incorporated into my daily life, I will put my rat loving dreams to hard work once more in order to build the next ultimate rat house galore!

X0X0  (MiLa Kitten) 

© 2010-2018  Pet Rat Stars.  All Rights Reserved.  Web design, photography and graphic illustrations by MiLa Kitten.   info@petratstars.com

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