FN vs CN??

[hobbit721]

Hi there, I'm about to purchase my first chin cage, and I'm stuck between the CN or the FN (double units). They just look pretty much the same!
Does anyone have one of each and can tell me if there is actually a difference?

Is one better suited to chins than the other?

Only about $12 in cost difference on amazon, so that's not really an issue.

 

[Minccino]

Personally I prefer (and own) the FN.
The bar spacing is larger, I can stick my fingers through to pet him. I can't get my finger through the CN lol. The water bottle nozzles don't fit through the CN either, unless you force the bars wider. I've heard that the CN bars can't hold as much weight as the FN bars. Either are suitable for a chin though, many people on here have both.

 

[seachin]

I agree with the above. I've heard far more positive experiences from FN owners than CN.

 

[Godofgods]

Ive only owned FN, not CN so i cant rly say on that. But i can say that kits can fit through FN cage bars incredibly easily for several months.

 

[EmilyLiliLove]

I have both. I prefer the critter nations for the more aggressive chins. I do rescue work and often get aggressive chins. The critter nation also could also be used for others like; rats hamsters, mice, gerbils etc. The ferret nation is nice because you can easily pet your chin through the bars. If you ever plan to breed get the critter nation. Babies fit through the ferret nation. They are both good cages.

 

[iheartchins]

I own 3 ferret nations & 1 critter. I prefer the FN over the CN any day. Imo the only benefit to the critter is the bar spacing for young chins/kits which you can accomplish w/ hardware cloth on the FN The 3 FNs I have are attached with hardware and my critter pops together, I would Never recommend the pop together- mine leans to one side & looks like its going to fall apart at any moment! I also have had 2 bars break on my critter and Im positive more will break, the bars can barely hold up straight my smallest ledge. To be completely honest I would call my critter nation a piece of crap and it costed more than the other cages!!

 

[hobbit721]

Thanks all I decided to go with the FN (double) as I doubt I'll ever want to get into the breeding world - and even if I did, I think I'd be looking into maternity cages and getting something specific for very small chins.

 

[chrisbradley6]

I own one of each (one FN and one CN). i got the first FN because it's what PEtsmart carried in stores (thus saving on shipping costs). the second time around, petsmart carried only the CN so again, thats what i got.

i didnt mind getting the CN for my second cage because I realized that while I wanted the cage for chinnies NOW, i might want to use it for something smaller in the future (degus, sugar gliders, etc) and the bar spacing is smaller. yes, this smaller bar spacing prevents me from petting the chins thru the bars of the cage, but it just makes me actually open it up and give them better scratches!

the bars on the CN are horizontal (and the FN are vertical). it DOES make it harder to screw ledges on, but i was able to place all my ledges at points that had both vertical and horizontal bars, which made them more stable.

CONCERNING WHEELS... if you plan on getting a good chin-approved wheel for your chin.... please note that the "silver surfer" wheel WILL NOT work in a CN, but a "Flying saucer" will (due to bar spacing). either wheel will work in a FN. i have both cages and both types of wheels, so i know! (i do not have a chin spin, so i dont know how this one would work in a CN).

I own 3 ferret nations & 1 critter. I prefer the FN over the CN any day. Imo the only benefit to the critter is the bar spacing for young chins/kits which you can accomplish w/ hardware cloth on the FN The 3 FNs I have are attached with hardware and my critter pops together, I would Never recommend the pop together- mine leans to one side & looks like its going to fall apart at any moment! I also have had 2 bars break on my critter and Im positive more will break, the bars can barely hold up straight my smallest ledge. To be completely honest I would call my critter nation a piece of crap and it costed more than the other cages!!

it was my understanding that the "pop together" cages (whether FN or CN) were the newer version of the cage, and the hardware cages were the old version... is this not correct? my FN was bought about 5 years ago and was built with hardware (very sturdy) and my CN was bought less than a year ago, and is "pop together" (not quite as sturdy, and harder to build, no doubt). if i am incorrect, and you have the choice, i would DEFINITELY choose the "build with hardware" cage.

 

[Minccino]

it was my understanding that the "pop together" cages (whether FN or CN) were the newer version of the cage, and the hardware cages were the old version... is this not correct? my FN was bought about 5 years ago and was built with hardware (very sturdy) and my CN was bought less than a year ago, and is "pop together" (not quite as sturdy, and harder to build, no doubt). if i am incorrect, and you have the choice, i would DEFINITELY choose the "build with hardware" cage.

I think you are correct on that. I also have the newest model of the FN and it was pop-together. Still very sturdy though.

 

[EmilyLiliLove]

it was my understanding that the "pop together" cages (whether FN or CN) were the newer version of the cage, and the hardware cages were the old version... is this not correct? my FN was bought about 5 years ago and was built with hardware (very sturdy) and my CN was bought less than a year ago, and is "pop together" (not quite as sturdy, and harder to build, no doubt). if i am incorrect, and you have the choice, i would DEFINITELY choose the "build with hardware" cage.

I own the older 142 and the newer 182. the older IS the screw together one. I LOVE them. they are WAY more sturdy. Wish they would go back to the older version.

 

[Godofgods]

yea, i have screw together FN that i use. The extrta ones i got where 'no tools' pop together. I put it together jsut to make sure i had everything and it was a pita. If anything is even slightly out of alignment you will have a **** of a time getting it together.

I honestly don't see why they made the 'no tools' cage. The first cage only required a single screw driver. Thats it. It was simple to put together too. If someone couldn't figure that out, cant get a screw driver, or cant afford a screw driver... then they shouldn't be getting new pets/cages.

 

[chrisbradley6]

yea, i have screw together FN that i use. The extrta ones i got where 'no tools' pop together. I put it together jsut to make sure i had everything and it was a pita. If anything is even slightly out of alignment you will have a **** of a time getting it together.

I honestly don't see why they made the 'no tools' cage. The first cage only required a single screw driver. Thats it. It was simple to put together too. If someone couldn't figure that out, cant get a screw driver, or cant afford a screw driver... then they shouldn't be getting new pets/cages.

i couldnt agree with you more. I was able to put together my old FN together all by myself and one tool.... my new CN was very hard to "pop together". there were a few parts out of perfect alignment and it took my boyfriend's major help AND quite a few tools to get it to fit together. and it's still crooked!

 

[Lynn7998]

SALE on FN/CN (1/2015)

Hi All!

Nothing like a great sale to beat a rainy Monday! I just adopted 4 boys and while they came with a good sized cage it is not large enough to make them and all of their personalities happy. I was planning to buy a FN or custom build (yeah right who am I kidding) but could not find the FN reasonable enough...WELL thank goodness for waiting! I just went to 1800petsupplies.com and got 2 FNs for...$331 and free shipping! The site was having a 20% off + free shipping on $50 or more sale AND if you purchased 2 or more of an item there was an additional savings!!!!
So if you are in the market for a new unit, replacement...etc...GO NOW!!!

Happy Shopping & SAVING :dance3:

 

[sarahspins]

CONCERNING WHEELS... if you plan on getting a good chin-approved wheel for your chin.... please note that the "silver surfer" wheel WILL NOT work in a CN, but a "Flying saucer" will (due to bar spacing).

This is kind of misleading. I have a silver surfer in each of my CN's (and one in a FN) and they weren't that hard to mount securely, and I did only minimal modification to the wheels... all I did was bend the hanger "hooks" about 1/4" from the bottom so they were short enough to fit through the bars when I manually spread them apart a little... there is still about 1/4" of the "hook" left available for it to hang on the bars. The bottom screw attaches as normal, except you don't need the larger washer that is needed with a FN

Also, curiously, I think there are 2 different versions of the "no tools" CN and FN cages... I have some that had a base that screwed together while the rest of the cage required no screws, and another that has no screws at all, anywhere - not even the little swing latches that hold the "top" on (they are not just missing, there are not even any holes to mount them).