Cage bottoms and painting cages

[djeaton]

My wife would really like to find one of those Marshall Ferret Mansions in the Electric Blue that she saw online somewhere. It matches our decor. What can I say. LOL Something tells me that may not be a realistic option though. But I have to consider that this thing will be in our living room, so having it look nice *is* a priority. So I was wondering about paint and cages. Bad idea? Do Chins chew on the wires? If paint were an option, it would open up a lot more cage possibilities.

Also, I really like the idea of a deep pan in the bottom so that litter and whatnot doesn't get all over the floor. Is that a valid concern? Seems that most cages don't have much in the way of pans in the bottom. Maybe 1/2" to 1" at best. So that makes me unsure what is best....wire bottom with litter under it or pan bottom with litter in it or something else entirely. Any help will be appreciated.
Newbie Daniel

 

[mishellyshel]

We painted the outside of our cage. There is no way the chins can get to it. Most of the exposed wood on the inside is either covered in sheet metal or is Kiln Dried Pine and is unpainted. The cage wire is so tightly spaced that they wouldnt be able to get to the outside. we also have the pull out pans, just because i think it is easier to clean. our cage is split vertically cause our two boys dont get along so well. we are currently working on the setup of the inside, but attached are the most recent pictures.
Honestly, if i had my choice, I would have just bought one cause as long as my finace' is taking, it is VERY annoying. I am impatient and just want my boys to be in their fabulous new mansion!!
btw......this isnt a finished product.......there have been lots more changes just since these photos, but just to give you an idea of how the paint looks.

 

[Sesame]

Chins would chew the paint off if you painted the wires.

A deeper pan might help, but I have found that whatever is on the shelves will find it's way out of the cage and onto my floor (my main problem). There are these metal shelf guards and also shelves that have a wooden lip/guard as well. Metal shelf guard example Wooden Shelf Edging example

If you use a wire bottom or wire shelves, just make sure there's plenty of other comfy surfaces (wooden ledges, tubes, houses, marble tiles) for the chin to perch on. Also, the wire spacing has to be a certain size (don't remember off the top of my head). Depending on the sizing, chins can get their feet stuck in the spacing.

Custom metal pans can be bought from Bass pans or maybe directly from the cage company (ie: Quality Cage). Some cages have a pullout pan, so if the pull out area is only 2 inches, then there is a reason why the pullout pan is slightly shorter than 2 inches.

 

[ann1]

I would definately not paint anywhere a chin can get their teeth on.

 

[Cat75]

Since it's a metal cage it could have been powder coated.

 

[djeaton]

After visiting about 6 different stores, we found one that seemed to be the best recommendation. It is the Ferret Nation #142. Now it is "slot A" & "tab B" time. What a puzzle! And the kids had to move a fully loaded 6' bookcase in order to assemble this where we want it. LOL At times like this, I don't mind being disabled. I'm just watching. ;D Do Chins need the ramps in this thing, or is better to just do without them and let them jump?

Seriously looking into the fleece liners. Will probably get the stuff to make some of those tomorrow. Also going to Home Depot later tonight or tomorrow for wood for the shelves and a nice slap of marble or something. I wasn't able to find a good wheel or saucer locally. Going to have to order one online. If someone knows the best place for that, let me know. The big thing is to get her out of the 20g tank she's been in for the last 18 hours or so. It's been cool and had great circulation (placed right under the ceiling fan), but it was definitely an overnight solution until we could research and find a nice permanent home.
D.

 

[InkedupTara]

You can do a search through the classifieds for things to put in your chin cage.

Quality Cage Co makes the CHinSpin wheel which is a good wheel or you can go with the saucer. I have both types and love them both!

Here is a link for the Saucer. http://www.chin-chillas.com/exercisewheels.html

I have been told, that a chin under 6 months should not have a wheel as they may over do it. Not sure on everyones take on that, but it has been said to me, so I thought I should throw that out there.

 

[djeaton]

Just got the Ferret Nation #142 cage all assembled and set up.

It's still a bit sparse on toys, but we're working on it! I have one of those digital clocks over it with the temperature display. Anyone have any cautions or concerns about this cage that I should be aware of?
Daniel

 

[PaperMoon]

ahh, the beautiful FN142 =) I have one myself and i highly recommend it to anyone, it is huge with plenty of space for the precious little chins to jump and frolic...

Daniel, you should take out the ramps, they'd be much happier jumping from shelf to shelf. Also, the ramps can hurt their little feet =D ....later on, you might consider taking out the plastic shelves completely, they might chew on the plastic (if they do, take it out immediately!!) if they don't chew on the plastic, it is really up to you. I personally kept the shelves in, but I had special pans made for that size and place it over, many other people on the forum just remove it completely and place a lot of ledges for them to jump around in. Again, completely up to you.

As for the fleece liners, i also highly recommend these...it really minimizes the bedding and poo mess....for one thing, I find that the fleece kind of keeps the poo clinging onto the fleece, preventing it from flying it half way across the room =) threewingedfury on here makes wonderful liners if you get too lazy to make your own

The chin flying saucer/wheel *can* get a little pricey, but every once in a while you can find it on the classified ads section for cheaper =D

And, a word of caution, when you have the top half open and bend down to pick something up, watch your head....if I got a penny for every time I bumped my head, I'd be a rich rich woman

Finally, have fun decorating the cage!! it's the best part of it!! Can't wait to see pix of the final project!!

 

[Anne-Lise]

You will soon enough swear at those plastic pans! All the bedding gets on the floor. I'M having inox pans done to replace them, 4 inches deep.

 

[Siylvat]

Looks nice! I would recomend getting some custom pans from Bass if you get fleece liners or stick with the bedding. I just got mine recently and they are just so nice. I wouldn't want to go without them again.

Also, be careful of the hammock you have. Make sure you chin doesn't chew on it, cuz that would be bad.

Good luck with everything, and have fun! Looks like a great start!:thumbsup:

 

[Sesame]

Ditto on the hammock; your chin might chew on the strings holding it up. It's safer to use an all fleece hammock with metal clips (clips, keyrings, pear rings, etc.) to hold it up.

I'm sure that the classifieds section and other chin-safe stores will up with the sprucing up. If you're looking for marble tiles, just head to Home Depot/Lowes, grab the marble kitchen tiles and ask them to cut it in half... then voila, you have 2 nice shelf-sized slabs for much cheaper!

 

[djeaton]

Daniel, you should take out the ramps, they'd be much happier jumping from shelf to shelf. Also, the ramps can hurt their little feet =D ....later on, you might consider taking out the plastic shelves completely, they might chew on the plastic (if they do, take it out immediately!!) if they don't chew on the plastic, it is really up to you. I personally kept the shelves in, but I had special pans made for that size and place it over, many other people on the forum just remove it completely and place a lot of ledges for them to jump around in. Again, completely up to you.

Thanks for the advice. I'll remove the ramps to the shelves now. Might leave the one that goes up through the floor of the second level for another day or so until she has that part figured out. At the slightest sign of any chewing on the plastic, we are going to replace it with wood shelving cut to that size.
D.

 

[djeaton]

Got some more questions about setting up the cage (and other things). I just keep trying to remember that there is no such thing as dumb questions - the dumb thing is not to ask. So bear with me.

1. I know Sweetie loves rolled oats. She's climbing up/out on us to get them already. (She's very young and a lot more tame that some of the stories I've read.) Anyway, are they something that should be limited?

2. I'm getting some wood cut to cover the shelves and possibly make some corner ledges. Is there some very good reason to round off the corners? I don't have the equipment to do anything like that and was just going to have Lowes or someone cut them for me.

3. Is kiln-dried 6" wide pine OK? Would something else be better?

4. Finally, I was going to get some marble tiles for the cage. Is granite OK as well? What size is good?

Thanks for all the advice...
Daniel