Any input on this cage?

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JensAwesome

Active member
Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Messages
39
Location
Hawaii
I am looking to get a cage for our new chinchilla come next month. I was wondering if anyone has any input on the fiesty ferret cage http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Hendryx-485-Products-Hammertone/dp/B000QFMYWQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top.

Looks similar to the FN cage (which we have one of at my mothers house) without the plastic pans to me. I know the wire bottom would be bad, but was thinking of cutting wood or even tile or plexiglass with a felt cover to keep little paws safe. We really don't have $300+ for a cage right now, so wondering if this still is decent quality to anyone's experience here, rather than relying solely on Amazon reviews. Thanks!!
 
or perhaps the Marshall folding mansion? http://www.petco.com/product/104532/Marshall-Folding-Ferret-Mansion.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Dog_3-_-Marshall%20Folding%20Ferret%20Mansion-104532
I have seen a few threads mentioning the mansion, but not sure on the final verdict. Eventually when we move back to the mainland the hope is to slowly introduce our two chins to see if they may be able to become cage mates, at which time they would probably be moved into the FN cage. This is several years down the road, so I don't want Zoe to not have a nice cage in the mean time, and especially if she and Cinny cannot get along!

Thanks everyone, have just under a month to figure it out, so wanted to come here.
 
I have no experience with that cage, but when looking at the picture up close it appears that the doors are only hinged on the right-hand side. if that is the case then only the right half of each level opens up. That may not seem like a big deal, but if you're accustomed to a FN then I'm sure your accustomed to the wonderful amount of access that fully opening doors allows. For the price I'd say just wait and spend the money on another FN, especially if your going to go through the cost and trouble of redoing the floors anyhow.
 
on amazon, the ferret nation is only 19 some dollars more than the prevue cage right now.

with the prevue cage, you'd have to buy tile or plexiglass plus fleece to cover. with the marshall cage, you'd need to outfit it with all new shelves, as the wire ones shouldn't be used with chins.

the ferret nation simply needs fleece to cover the shelves and pans. if you are looking for minimal cost on cage plus all the extras, that's the way to go. much cheaper when you look at the price differences between those cages, and what you'd have to spend to fix them up proper for a chin :))

and then you can slowly get everything you want for the cage, without breaking the wallet.
 
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Have you considered a Critter Nation cage? You could get the single (161) to start and if you decide later that you want ti to be bigger you can buy the add-on.
 
I've heard good things about the Fiesty Ferret cage. It's a little smaller then the Ferret Nation, but I don't see how that would be a problem.

I have a Marshall Mansion, it's a good cage but it has it's flaws. For one the bar spacing is pretty big so you would need to wrap it in hardware cloth for young chins (but you have to do that on a lot of cages anyway). Secondly, the doors are a pain in the butt imo. The doors are like a grid that hangs over the opening, it comes with a bar to latch it down but it's hard to take on and off, so I use a couple of binder clips to hold the doors in place. It's not a problem anymore though. Since it comes with wire ramps and wire ledges, you'll have to take them out and put wooden things in there. They're super easy to make yourself. I could give you the inside demesions if you needed them! Cost be about $30 to line it all with wooden shelves, I only wish I didn't have to cut the wood myself.. ughh lol

For two chins, I think your best bet would be a Ferret Nation, since they are two cages put together and can be easily separated in case the chins didn't get along at some point.
 
The Feisty Ferret is a great cage for a single chin, but it's a little too small to comfortably keep two in. There will be lots of squabbles and food hogging and such going on.
Tami's old aviary was almost the exact same dimensions as the FF, and here it is next to a Ferret Nation just to give you an idea of what the extra $20 will get you:

100_5441-1.jpg


And just so you know, I did try keeping two chins in there for a couple months, but they were on top of each other, it was just too small.
 
I'd shell out the extra cash for the Ferret Nation or the Critter Nation. They are only an inch different in size and sometimes the Critter Nation runs a bit cheaper than the Ferret Nation. The cage shown I would worry about the tray underneath. There is the risk that they could somehow get it out. I am not certain if there is a grate over the tray or not but if there is those aren't really good for their feet. They hurt their feet and many times the spacing of the grate is too big and can risk them getting their feet caught. This is the hazard with getting a cage that is really marketed for ferrets. Ferrets have larger feet.
 
When I last checked the FN was at 300 dollars. Now it's 226 and I can even get it at Walmart, which is good because the FN seller on Amazon doesnt ship to Hawaii! Since it is for a baby chin who will be just leaving her mom, I think I will get the FN and block off the top level for a little bit until she gets bigger. I haven't seen a CN vs an FN anywhere, but I will check it out locally when I can. Thanks!
 
We've got the Critter Nation cage(s), and the biggest difference between the CN and the FN seems to be the wire spacing. There's only a minor difference in volume of the cage, but the critter nation has 1/2" spacing instead of 1". There may be a difference with the ramps, as well, but we took out all but the ramp between cage levels and replaced the other ramps with shelves and stuff, because they flay out ignored the main ramps anyway.
 
I like both cages and I know people have good luck with both the fiesty ferret and the ferret nation so its really up to you!
 
Critter nation sounds like it would be better for me to get at this point since I am getting the cage for a young chin. I have even considered if I get the two level cage, blocking off the top from her until she is a little older or until I know she is used to the cage in general. Not to mention saving some on all of the extra goodies for a few weeks or so, mostly so I can figure out what she will prefer.

Just have to hope I can find the cage on island for a decent price. None on craigslist of course, and the military pet store of course caters to cats and dogs! Oh well, what can you do? Glad my husband has a 4 day weekend so that I may drag him around with me!
 
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JensAwesome said:
oh, also, FN 142=CN 162? is that correct?
Click to expand...

I think FN182=CN162, because I believe the 142 is their older cage requiring tools? I don't remember exactly. I posted somewhere else, but we got each of our CN162s at PetStreetMall.com, where it was for sale at $234.95 with free shipping. We just got our third one yesterday. :)
 
Petsmart has gone down to 250 for the cages according to the website. I am going to go by there soon and see if its the same price at our local store, that is better than we got our FN for years ago. I will definitely see if the site you linked will ship to me, Thank you! I forgot they changed to "tool free" assembly.

Anyone have any experience with the tool free cages? I know the screws on our FN eventually got pretty bad, so I imagine it could be nice, but is it as sturdy? Thanks everyone for all of the input!
 
Like I said, we've got three, and they hold together great! There can be some difficulty putting them together without the use of a rubber mallet or hammer, because sometimes the metal cones (for lack of a better term) that connect the pieces are welded on slightly crooked or get bent in shipping. A few taps with the mallet to straighten the cones, and another couple of taps to make sure the pieces are together securely works like a charm. We usually get them together in 15-20 minutes. All the cages have wheels attached to the sides as well as supplemental shelves, and with all the running and bounding, they've been rock steady, and decidedly quieter than the previous cages we've had.

I'm sorry, I didn't notice you were in Hawaii! They do ship there, but there is a shipping fee, for which you have to call...800-957-5753. I hope it's reasonable, or that you can find the cage locally!
 
yeah I saw the number to call, if I can find it for 250 on island, i will go ahead and grab it! Shipping 90+lbs is sure to be really expensive! lol. The torture of living on an island, the shipping is horrible! Oh well, I guess the scenery etc makes it worth it :p
 
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