Galvanized vs. powder coated. (what's the diffrence? witch is best for rat cages?)?

I'm in the process of making a Grotto style rat cage.





It says to get one inch POWDER COATED wire mesh for the door.





my problem is I can't find any of it, but i have found GALVANIZED wire mesh, and have seen that some rat cages are made from galvanized wire, not powder coated.





is it ok to go ahead and use the galvanized wire for the door?Galvanized vs. powder coated. (what's the diffrence? witch is best for rat cages?)?
Galvanization is a process in where steel (or iron) is covered in a zinc coating. It's not healthy for any animal. Just like you'll find pine and cedar sold for pet bedding when they shouldn't be - the same goes for galvanized cages and wire. Galvanizing wire is done to make the metal stronger, but it reacts poorly to animal urine and frequent washings, as well as chemicals. I highly doubt you're going to find powder coated wire in a do it yourself type store. The only option would be to buy something and take it somewhere to be powder coated - which is not going to be cost effective in your case. Your other option is to get plain hardware cloth that isn't galvanized.Galvanized vs. powder coated. (what's the diffrence? witch is best for rat cages?)?
Galvanized wire is not ok for rats. It can cause zinc poisoning if the rats chew on it, or lick their feet after touching it.