Bedding & FNs

[lova101]

I've already decided on buying a Ferret Nation, but I don't know which one is better, FN 142 or 182? Later on I will be buying the 3rd level to put on it.I just wanted to hear yalls opinions on it.

And as for bedding.I've heard a great deal about fleece linings being cheaper in the long run and they are alot prettier but I just wanted to know how often do you need to change them and how do you clean them?Put them in the washer?Or would shavings be easy?

 

[ChinnyMom]

the difference between the 142 and 182 is just that the 182 is a 'no tools' assembly. in my opinion, the 142 may be sturdier due to the fact that you can tighten the bolts and screws with tools. finding a used 142 on craigslist would be much cheaper than buying either the 142 or 182 new!

when you set up your cage, don't put the ladders in, as they are dangerous - chin feet and legs can slip between the rungs and get caught. plus, chins jump and hop and don't need the ladders anyway.

as for fleece, it all depends if you are using a litter pan with shavings in it, and if your chins are going to be monkeys and pee on the fleece. my Rhino has a litter pan in one corner of his cage that he uses most of the time but is a fleece peeing chin as well and i'm changing his liner about every 2 days, 3 at the most. it's a good idea to have at least a few liners, that way there's one for in the cage when the others are in the wash.

i pre-soak my fleece in a bucket with hot water and a bit of laundry detergent, and then just toss it in the wash with my towels or clothes (whichever i'm washing that day). i find if i don't do the pre-soak there is pee stains still after washing.

using fabric softener will decrease the absorbency of fleece, so if you use softener, omit it for your chin laundry load. i use bounce sheets (unscented) with my fleece or else they are super static city coming out of the dryer and my fuzzybutts would get shocked all the time.

 

[Carleigh]

I agree with Chinnymom on searching for Craigslist for a used 142.
As for fleece, I used to spend $20 a month on bedding for my chinchillas. I then found that fleece liners are around $25. Buying 2 liners for my two cages came out to be a large lump sum of $100, but then you don't have to replace them often (if at all??) So, say a chinchilla lives 15 years, there's $3600 in bedding or $1500 in fleece (saying you replace all your liners every year!)

 

[Duhh001]

I used both a fleece and shredded paper when I first got my FN 182.

I use a dust buster usually every couple of days to keep the fleece clean and he uses a dog ceramic bowl to pee in. I just washed the fleece for the first time after about 1.5 months of use.

The shredded paper got everywhere in just a few days and was very messy. To me, it's not worth the mess dealing with it, when the fleece is so easy to clean with my dust buster and leaves nothing outside the cage.

I put a ceramic bowl where I found him peeing, and filled it with cat litter, and he's been using it ever since.

 

[ChinnyMom]

cat litter is VERY UNSAFE for chins. stop using it immediately and switch to pine or aspen shavings in his litter pan. shredded paper is also unsafe as a chin can eat it and get an impaction.

an inexpensive alternative to buying fleece liners that are sewn by somebody else is to just buy fleece from your local fabric store and fold it into a double layer and put that down on the cage bottom. out of all my liners i actually only have one official sewn one. the rest are just doubled up 'raw' fleece.

 

[Tagna]

Midwest plans on changing the 182 model to offer it with a locking part for assembly. Not sure when that will happen but I talked to the Midwest rep last week.

They are also looking at chaging it so you can put 2 FN's together side by side easier.

 

[lova101]

Im gonna look into buying a new FN 142 and some fleece,which Ill probly buy from somebody on here

 

[amignatowicz]

i use fleece with the bass metal pans. this way, no bedding, much more of the poop stays in the cage. of course, some still makes its way out, but i definitely think it helps.