Anyone else NOT like their Ferret Nation?

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Ilovemychin

Ilovemychin

Ruby's Mom
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
192
Am i the only one who doesnt like theirs? Its soooo messy,and everytime i open the cage to change hay, food, liner, etc. Ruby jumps out and i can get her back in for like an hour (It's a big room so its hard to catch her.) I just don't know what to do...I'm thinking towards other cages. (Thought about bass pans, but the mess isnt why i hate it it the fact that its easy for her to get out when i open the door.) I have fleece liners in the cage.
 
Just open one door then...your body can block the opening. Grab the dish, close the door, fill it up, then open the door again to put it back. You must have a very determined chinchilla, I have 5 and none have ever jumped out even with the top doors (bottom would be a different story) wide open without me right there...I guess I can't understand what the big deal is, what am I not getting?
 
Well, Its a 141, so its only the bottom but its very irritating chasing her around at 10 at night for an hour. Ido only open one door, but i cannot fully block it and its just the fact that I thought that by getting one, I would love it so much better than my old cage, but i never had these problems with the old one. I guess its not a huge deal, its just not what I expected...
 
Not all chins bolt for the door when you open it. Mine are usually too lazy to come see what I'm doing unless they hear the treat jar or the dust bath.

I love my FN's and the full front opening doors are one of my favorite features. You'll just have to find a way to distract your chin or block her from getting out.
 
JM--i have 3 chins that try like heck to jump out of their cage. it actually takes me longer to try and block them from coming out than it does to just let them in the bathroom for 5 minutes and clean cage & replenish food. so that is what i do every night.....Zucca, Stitch & Richie come out. usually 5 minutes while i clean and at least another 5-10 minutes i sit in there and play with them.

the only thing i can do to distract them is give them their nightly treat and then i can quickly get in and out. of course i have to deal with their pouting!

Emily--do you have a safe place to keep ruby? maybe you can just let her out for a few minutes while you clean up her cage???? or be prepared with a special treat and that may occupy her.
 
Maybe give her a small treat and while its busy chewing on it, real quick open the door grab whatever and close it. Then when you open it back up give another tiny treat, like a tiny corner of a shreddie or a stick or a few oats, and close it back up real quick again.
 
I have a safe place for her, but she kacks at me when i try to catch her....but i will try that...Thanks
 
I understand now, it is close to the floor. Could you set up a playpen (or cardboard barrier) around the cage and then if she hops out she would at least be confined to the playpen?
 
Here is my 2cents. I'm a new chin owner looking forward to purchasing a big cage next year. I have been looking at all the cage setup pics here and have been going to websites for cages recommended here to check on prices etc.

My first impression of the FN cages was that I don't want a big door because my chin will get out. I can see that it is very easy to get inside to position shelves etc. and to clean but I also want a cage with deeper pans to catch some of the litter and poop. I don't want to use fleece. I don't want to have to do a great deal of customization.

I have looked at FN, Martin's, Quality Cage, and 4 J's Plantation so far. My personal opinion is that the FN cages are not right for me. I like the Quality Cage cages the best so far. I am considering the 48" high Chinchilla Mansion with two doors on a 10" high stand.

My next step is to do research on a 4 J's custom cage that would fit in the area I have my chin cage in and then decide based on price compared to the Quality Cages. I would need the 4 J's cage up on casters somehow, I have not tried to contact them yet.
 
Emily,
I know exactly what you mean as I have a chin that sits at the back of the cage just waiting to run the minute there is a crack in the doorway. I myself have spent many hours chasing her trying to get her back in the cage ( I have a cage I made not a FN). The only things I have found that work are either to give her a piece of spaghetti thru the bars so she is occupied then grab her quickly and do what I have to do, or if she's too smart for that I get out a jar, add some dust and catch her that way. I know she is just doing her part to help me keep fit but some nights I'm just not up for it. Hope this helps you out
 
Chinwawa said:
My first impression of the FN cages was that I don't want a big door because my chin will get out. I can see that it is very easy to get inside to position shelves etc. and to clean but I also want a cage with deeper pans to catch some of the litter and poop. I don't want to use fleece. I don't want to have to do a great deal of customization.
Click to expand...

You can get some nice pans for FN's from this link: http://www.bassequipment.com/Cages/Ferret+Pans/default.aspx

They are 2 1/2" deep and hold shavings well. Just providing options. :thumbsup:

I also have Martin's and Quality cages. I love Martin's because of the flip top lid option you can get as well as the pull out trays. You can also ask them to remove ramps which deduct a bit from the total $. The Quality cages are nice, if you do not like FNs but want something similar, I would go with QC's. Nice wooden shelves, stands and built in litter trays.
 
i have FN cages as well, i have one 3 level with the bottom remove & one 2 level. i also have a home made wooden cage that is huge (and hard to clean!)
i also have a feisty ferret cage, that houses 1 chin. much smaller than the FN but multiple levels. has a pull out tray. i only ever had 1 chin at at time in it but 2 could fit comfortably. it is an option if you dont like the FN. only 1 door at at time opens and the doors are much smaller. also if your chin is not a plastic chewer there is not too much you have to add to it. let me go find the thread that has a pic of it and i will post it.
 
Hey thanks for all the info guys! I am not sure what I am going to do yet, I think I am going to try the FN for a little while, as its Brand New! If in the long run, I dont like it, I will sell it and try a different one, but we'll see how it all works out. Thanks sooooooo much guys, I really appreciate it!
 
vickvela1414 said:
You can get some nice pans for FN's from this link: http://www.bassequipment.com/Cages/Ferret+Pans/default.aspx

They are 2 1/2" deep and hold shavings well. Just providing options. :thumbsup:

I also have Martin's and Quality cages. I love Martin's because of the flip top lid option you can get as well as the pull out trays. You can also ask them to remove ramps which deduct a bit from the total $. The Quality cages are nice, if you do not like FNs but want something similar, I would go with QC's. Nice wooden shelves, stands and built in litter trays.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the tip on the pans. I am leaning toward QC but have just sent an inquiry to 4 J's Plantation. Will comment on my own thread. Didnt mean to hijack this thread.
 
I think the best thing about the FN is the wide doors... makes it so much easier to clean and, to be honest, the small doors on other cages bug the heck out of me. I have a couple boys who don't like to be caught and trying to grab with both hands out of a tiny door is frustrating and sometimes painful.
 
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