The Kaytee Story: From a Wisconsin Grain Elevator to Pet Homes
Kaytee began as a grain and feed business in Wisconsin in 1866 and grew into a small-pet and bird brand. Here is its story and how to choose from its habitats, tubes, wheels and bedding.
In short
- Kaytee traces its roots to 1866, when Nicholas Knauf started a grain and feed business in Wisconsin.
- The name comes from the initials of Knauf and Tesch, the partners behind the company, written out as K and T.
- Since 2013 the CritterTrail tubes, Run-About balls and Lava Ledges carry the Kaytee name after Kaytee joined forces with the maker of Super Pet cages.
- Choose a Kaytee habitat by the pet first: Open Living pens for rabbits and guinea pigs, CritterTrail for hamsters, gerbils and mice, multi-level homes for ferrets.
- Add the extras in layers: a hideout, a wheel or ball sized to the pet, a chew-proof water bottle and a bedding you like to clean.
If you have ever set up a hamster home, filled a guinea pig pen with fresh bedding or hung a millet spray for a budgie, there is a good chance you have met the red Kaytee heart. Kaytee is one of the oldest names in small-pet and bird care, and its story starts long before hamster tubes, in a Wisconsin grain town. Here is that story, told from the timeline the company publishes about itself, followed by a friendly guide to choosing from the Kaytee range in our small pet shop.
1866: a grain and feed business in Wisconsin
Kaytee's own history begins in 1866, when Nicholas Knauf started a grain and feed business in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He went on to build elevators in Brillion and in Chilton, and the Chilton elevator became the company's headquarters. In 1897 Knauf and Tesch bought the elevators and became a Wisconsin corporation. Take the partners' initials, K and T, say them out loud, and you have the name that still sits on every bag and box.
In the 1920s the company was sending dried peas for pigeon feed across the country, and from there it began making foods for birds and small animals. Kaytee says its early wild bird mixes in the 1940s helped create the wild bird food category. One lovely detail from the 1950s: Capital Airlines chose Kaytee Parakeet Mixture exclusively, and the company marks that moment as the start of its advertising.
1945 to 1997: four generations of one family
William Engler Sr. joined the company in 1945. In 1964 he bought out the Knauf and Tesch families and made a clear choice: drop the dairy and hog side of the business and focus on birds and small animals. In the 1970s the company took the name Kaytee Products, Incorporated, and grew its manufacturing and storage.
By 1984 the business had passed to the fourth generation of the family, Bill Engler Jr., Michael Engler and Virginia Engler-Gilmore. In 1993 Bill Engler Jr. was named Outstanding Small Business Person of the Year by President Clinton. Two years later Kaytee expanded its Avian Research Center and added a 5,000-square-foot Education Center, with a philosophy it still quotes: a commitment to appreciating our privileged interaction with birds. In December 1997 Kaytee was sold to Central Garden & Pet.
2005 to 2013: how the cages and tubes joined the family
This is the part of the story that explains the habitat side of the range. In 2005 Central Garden & Pet acquired Pets International, maker of the Super Pet brand of cages and accessories. In 2006 the two businesses came together in Chilton, Wisconsin, as one bird and small-animal unit, and in 2013 the Super Pet products began carrying the Kaytee name. That is why today you will find CritterTrail tubes, Run-About exercise balls, Lava Ledges and a few chews that still say Super Pet on the label beside the Kaytee bedding and hay.
Kaytee describes its goal today as offering a total solution of products owners can trust, with the comfort and security of pets as its first priority. In practice that means you can build a whole small-pet home, from floor to water bottle, within one brand.
Choosing a Kaytee habitat by pet
Start with who lives there. Kaytee's habitats fall into three families, and each one is built around a different kind of pet.
| Habitat family | Made for | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Open Living pens | Rabbits and guinea pigs | A wire frame with clip connectors and a waterproof liner; the 60 x 30 pen covers 12.5 square feet and is open on top, with an optional rooftop |
| CritterTrail and My First Home | Hamsters, gerbils, mice | Compact plastic homes that connect to tubes and add-ons, so you can grow the layout |
| Multi-level homes | Ferrets and guinea pigs | Ramps and levels for climbers; check the floor space against your pet's needs |
| Clearview glass home | Hamsters | A glass habitat that is chew-proof and easy to see into |
For floor space and sizing, our guides on what size hamster cage to choose and how to set up a guinea pig cage go into detail. Bigger is almost always kinder, so treat the smallest starter kits as a beginning you can add to.
Kaytee habitats and pens
From open pens for guinea pigs to connectable homes for hamsters.
For rabbits and guinea pigs: Open Living 60 x 30
A roomy, open-top pen that clips together without tools and sits on a waterproof liner, so cleaning is a matter of lifting the bedding out.
- 12.5 square feet of floor
- Waterproof liner protects floors
- Rooftop sold separately if you need a lid
Tubes, wheels and balls: adding room to explore
CritterTrail Fun-Nels are the fun part of the range. The tubes pull apart and snap back together, connect to any CritterTrail home, and come as straight runs, a four-way cross, a Loop-D-Loop and the Lazy Look-out, a domed perch at the top of a tower of tubes. Add a section at a time and rearrange now and then so the layout feels new. The Chewbular play tube is a different idea: a chewable tunnel to lie in or run through.
For running, the Silent Spinner wheel comes in a regular 6.5 inch size for hamsters and gerbils and a giant 12 inch size for bigger small pets. Pick the size where your pet runs with a level back rather than an arched one. Run-About balls come in 5 inch for dwarf hamsters and mice, 7 inch for hamsters and gerbils and 13 inch for rats and chinchillas. Keep ball sessions short and supervised, on one floor, well away from stairs and other pets.
Tubes, wheels and exercise balls
Mix and match to build a layout that grows with your pet.
Hideouts, ledges and chews
Small pets like a place to tuck away. The Kaytee Igloo is a dome hideout with a wide doorway for guinea pigs, ferrets, dwarf rabbits and chinchillas. The Chinchilla Hut is wood with a ceramic base, and the Natural Tree Trunk hideout looks like a hollow log. Lava Ledges are pumice shelves that attach to wire walls to add a step or a lookout, and the Carrot Patch and Natural Cube chews give teeth something to do. Offer chews alongside plenty of hay, and ask your vet if you are unsure what suits your pet.
Hideouts, ledges and chew toys
Somewhere to hide, somewhere to climb, something to chew.
Bedding, bottles and the daily basics
Kaytee's Clean & Cozy paper bedding is the brand's best-known basic. It comes in white, natural, colours and a lavender version with real lavender buds for scent, plus aspen for owners who prefer wood shavings. Our hamster bedding guide compares paper, aspen and other choices in depth, and the Kapok nest pods give a soft nesting material to pull apart.
For water, the chew-proof bottles have a metal guard for rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs and chinchillas, in 12 and 26 ounce sizes, while the Clear View bottles suit hamsters and mice. The Vege-T-Bowl is a heavy ceramic dish shaped like a cabbage or carrot, hard to tip, and the Hay Manger hangs on a cage wall to keep hay off the floor. The Hi-Corner litter pan fits a cage corner for rabbits and ferrets learning to use one spot.
Bedding, water and feeding basics
The everyday pieces that make cleaning simple.
And because Kaytee began with hay and seed, two everyday staples belong here too. Its timothy hay comes as a hearty, crunchy 1st cut and a soft, leafy 2nd cut, so you can offer the texture your pet prefers, and spray millet is a classic treat to hang in a bird cage. For portions and what suits your pet, check the label and ask your vet.
Hay and a bird cage favourite
Pick by texture and size.
A simple Kaytee starter list
- A habitat sized for the pet: Open Living for rabbits and guinea pigs, CritterTrail for hamsters, gerbils and mice.
- One hideout per pet, plus one spare.
- A wheel or ball sized to the pet, used under supervision.
- A chew-proof bottle and a heavy bowl.
- A bedding you find easy to spot-clean, and a little nesting material.
- A chew toy and a hay holder for rabbits and guinea pigs.
Setting up for a rabbit? Our indoor rabbit setup checklist walks through the room as a whole. For more makers we carry, browse all brands.
Questions people ask
Who owns Kaytee?
Kaytee was sold by the Engler family to Central Garden & Pet in December 1997, according to the company's own history. It is still based in Chilton, Wisconsin.
Where does the name Kaytee come from?
From the initials of Knauf and Tesch, the families behind the early company. K and T, spelled out, became Kaytee.
Is CritterTrail made by Kaytee?
Yes. CritterTrail and other habitats and accessories came from Super Pet, whose maker joined Kaytee's parent company in 2005; the products began carrying the Kaytee name in 2013. CritterTrail tubes connect to any CritterTrail home or add-on.
What size Kaytee wheel does a hamster need?
The regular 6.5 inch Silent Spinner suits many dwarf hamsters and gerbils, and larger hamsters often need a bigger wheel. Watch your pet run: the back should stay level, not arched. If in doubt, size up.
Which Kaytee habitat is best for guinea pigs?
The Open Living pens and the Deluxe 2-Level habitat are made for guinea pigs. The Open Living 60 x 30 gives 12.5 square feet of floor and an open top, and you can add a rooftop if you need one.
About the numbers
- Kaytee, company history timeline, read 2026-10-29: Founding in 1866 by Nicholas Knauf, Knauf & Tesch in 1897, pigeon peas in the 1920s, William Engler Sr. from 1945, the 1964 buyout, the 1970s rename, fourth generation in 1984, 1993 award, 1995 Education Center, 1997 sale, 2005 to 2013 Super Pet combination and rebrand
- Kaytee, product packaging and descriptions: Open Living 60 x 30 pen covers 12.5 square feet; CritterTrail tubes pull apart and connect to any CritterTrail habitat; wheel and ball sizes
