modifications for special needs chin?

I am looking for some suggestions on what to put in a cage or how to modify a Ferret Nation cage for a chin with special needs.

In a week, I am adopting a pair of brothers. One is "normal", the other cannot jump up onto ledges/shelves etc. (I'm told he has balance issues, is "wobbley", and will probably spend his time on the floor of the cage.)

I have the bottom half of a Ferret Nation 142 available for them. I have fleece tubes, hammocks & ledges for the first brother, but I'd love some suggestions of items to include on the floor of the cage for the non-jumping chin. I hate for him to be bored!

any advice?

Can anyone refer me to someone in the forum who makes chin hidey houses? the few sites i've visited all say houses (or all supplies) are currently unavailable.

I would be careful about too many shelves and ledges. Even though he can't jump, that doesn't mean he won't try, especially if his brother is up high all the time. Since you have a FN, why not hang a PVC pipe tube on the side. You can also put a low hung hammock as well. If you can find someone who can build you a wooden chin house, why not see if they can build you a ramp with sides going up into the house as well (thinking two story house)?

I'd love to help you and your boys. I sent you a PM. Already brainstorming ideas.

right, i don't want him to get hurt by trying to jump when he can't! My aim is to put enough on the floor to keep him entertained. But I don't want to deny his brother any fun either.

i don't know the severity of his balance issues, so I have to wait until I bring him home before I'll get a better idea of what he can handle. (I'm told he's in a one level cage now.)

If I think he can handle going up a ramp, I definitely want to make a shelf/platform for him. Similar to the large shelf the ferret nation comes with, but obviously made of all wood, and with a guard so he doesn't fall off!

i have a fleece tube in the cage (2 actually) and I moved one all the way down so it's on the floor. I have corner hammocks, but the problem is that the horizontal bar spacing on the cage means that the hammock is either (literally) on the floor and useless, or too high for him to jump to. any suggestions on how to hang a hammock lower than the lowest horizonal bar?

also... i'm not sure if i should have a wheel in the cage. I have a flying saucer i could use in it (for his stable brother!). IF i dont think the wobbley brother will injure himself on it, I'm wondering if the saucer is the best choice, or if I get a chinspin or silver surfer it will take up less floor space?

Personally I'd wait on any wheel until I see how wobbly he really is. Why not set the hammock up high enough for it to swing and build a little ramp leading up to it. That way he can enjoy it and brother can too.

I think it would be hard to build a ramp to a hammock. Unless you stab holes in it, it wouldn't be very steady. I would just hang the hammock a couple inches off the floor of the cage, then they can both use it. I would also wait on a wheel to see exactly what his condition is. If he can't have shelves, I'm going to guess he can't have wheels.

update on my little wobbly boy:

since I got him 2 months ago, he's made quite an improvement in his mobility! before I got him, he was in a single level cage with nothing. Now, he has a fleece tube (right on the cage floor) to crawl thru, a litter pan to jump into, a twig tunnel to hide in, a very low hanging hammock... to name a few. He used to flop around just from walking, but since he's gotten more practice, more room, and more interesting things in his cage, he's been doing great. He still stumbles and probably always will, but he can jump to the top of his twig tunnel or his fleece tube. During playtime he can jump from the couch into my lap and back down without a lot of trouble. if he tumbles, he can get himself back up again easily.

i did buy a wheel to put in the cage, mostly for his brother to use. The brother gets hyper and bounces around a lot, so i know he could use the outlet for his energy! If it doesnt work out, or is too dangerous for the one, I'll remove it. but it's worth a try!

Care to post pictures of your setup? I would love to see.

I would as well please. I just adopted a little guy with a spinal defect and am building him his cage right now. Any advice would be welcomed. Taylormade - I love the idea of a PVC pipe. He seems to love to hide in things.

by request!

it's been exactly one year (to the day!!) since i got my special little guy and his brother, and it's safe to say that his cage has been through a lot of changes since then. it's a constant process! i uploaded a couple of photos. the first was from a month or 2 ago, and the second was just a week or so ago.

all the ledges are homemade, as well as the hidey house, fleece liners, and fleece tubes with covers.

i used to have a fleece covered tube hung all the way close to the floor so that Tripp could lay in it, but i found that he would stay in it TOO much and not practice walking around. i took it out and replaced it with a wooden hidey house. he sleeps in that now, and even practices jumping on top of it too!

I have lots of marble slabs for Tripp to hang out on, which he loves, and a low hanging hammock that he jumps into. he really LOVES his hidey house! I'd see him jumping up on it so much that i knew i wanted to build some WIDE shelves for him to jump up on, but low enough that he could safely get down too. the second pictures shows the big corner shelves that we built, with a low hammock hung between the shelve, and a shy Tripp underneath it (Track is hiding behind the tube in the top left corner).

the cage has a very shallow food bowl, which helps Tripp eat so he doesnt have to reach over a bowl with high sides to get to the bottom, in case his brother eats a lot of the food lol. notice how i hung th rest of the small ledges up high, so his brother Track can easily jump to them and race around the top part of the cage, but they are too high for Tripp to get too. no worries about him falling! the green critter bath is what i use for hay.

constructive criticism, ideas or comments are welcome. any other special needs chin owners are more than welcome to PM me anytime for help getting ideas on how to modify their cages.

How wonderful!

I love the idea of the corner shelves, and the tube is a PVC pipe that's been fleece covered? I had to remove my boy's tube because it didn't last a week before they chewed it enough to expose a spiral wire in the rim. That hit the trash very quickly. I'm going to have to make my own with no wires.
:clap1:

Nice job! Well thought out and I love that you continue to adjust it to his needs.