# Getting rust off of a used cage



## JBird

I'm terribly addicted to searching my local Craigslist for pet cages & ratties in need of homes. Not that I can take in any rats right now, but like I said, it's an addiction!! Anyway, I found a really amazing cage on there for cheap, it looked like a FN or one of those really fancy small animal cages. Two huge compartments, the front face is all doors- it's awesome, but it is rusty. If I were to get this cage, is there a way to clean the rust off and still have it be rat safe?


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## mameur

if it's rusted to the core it's scrap but if it's just on top you can just remove the rust layers with an organic rust remover like this http://www.amazon.com/Rusterizer-Non-Toxic-Rust-Remover-32oz/dp/B0019CJ28O/ref=pd_bxgy_auto_img_y and apply a few layers of pet safe paint it will give it a "second skin" so as long as water/pee doesn't come in contact with the actual iron you should be fine.


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## cagedbirdsinging

Any sort of rust remover will be fine as you will want to refinish the cage after you are done scrubbing anyway.


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## JBird

Cool! Is that a difficult or expensive task? I mean, there is a really awesome cage and I'm heavily considering it... 

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/pet/3858171912.html

Do you think this cage is worth the $80 or is it too rusty? It looks fine to my untrained eye and I'm about to splurge!!! I've gotten such bad GTGMR syndrome... it's killing me. I love the cage my girls have though, but I would really like boys as well and have nowhere to put them. Plus I love that the doors open all the way... I'm swooning!


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## HeatherElle

That's a Prevue Hendryx Feisty Ferret cage. $80 isn't a terrible deal (amazon is selling them for $130) but I'd ask them to go lower. I got one for $80 several months ago on Wayfair- new but open box. They aren't selling them at that price now but I'd still hesitate to spend $80 with rust. Maybe $50-$65. It depends on what things go for in your area too though. You could always keep an eye out for free offers too. I got a free Ferret Nation on Craigslist!


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## JBird

Thanks HeatherEllie! Good to know. I will call them and see if they will go down on the price. I was already planning on seeing if they'd go for about $60 or $70.  
Thanks again!


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## JBird

So I decided to go out and get the cage!! It's HUGE! Bigger than I thought. I like it, and my girls will love it as soon as they get in there. I stuck Chardonnay in it with a towel over the rusted wire floor... she was pretty excited. She even started hopping around, smelling and exploring the empty cage. Their current cage looks puny next to it! 
I am SO happy with my purchase. Rusty or not, this thing is awesome and a steal in my location. I see a lot of cages on sale, but nothing this big or nice for so cheap. Typically these cages (even used & a bit rusty) are $80-100. My girls are going to be so pampered.    

After arriving on the site and seeing that the cage was kept outside it was much rustier than I expected! Not so bad though. I can clean/paint most of it. She went down on the price significantly, as apparently it was "rustier than she thought", haha. I got it for $50, and it included the flying saucer and water bottle, so I'm not complaining! I'm going to spend tomorrow morning scrubbing down the shelves with vinegar and repainting them with some Rustoleum. I attached some photos of it! 
The wheels and latch look really bad but aren't anything I can't handle. A good soak will do them fine, it's the area on the main cage near the shelves that I'm concerned about. I don't want to repaint the whole cage (not only is that a PITA but there's too many ways for me to screw it up). 
Does anyone have any suggestions about cleaning up the rust right on the main structure of the cage? It's superficial, so I may just have to cover it up so it won't look unsightly. 

Fortunately for me my girls aren't big chewers, so I don't much have to worry about them putting their teeth on the bars.


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## cagedbirdsinging

Glad that you are happy with the purchase!

If the rust is superficial, some scrubbing with steel wool ought to take care of it.

You will want to grab some Rustoleum paint and refinish the cage before you use it, though. It shouldn't be too expensive, but it will need to cure for two weeks before it becomes safe to use.


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## JBird

Holy cow! I have been working on this cage and all I can say is I never knew _vinegar_ could be so useful! If anyone is picking up a rusty cage... use vinegar. And lots of it. I soaked all the latches, wheels, and screws in vinegar and they look 100x better, and the two wheels which were rusted & couldn't move are now almost fully functional! 
Steel wool on all the rusted cage bars + a coat of Rustoleum paint (black on the really rusted floor grates and a clear gloss on the slightly chewed main cage) and this thing is gorgeous. I'm going to put it all back together and upload pics later, but I just wanted to update this thread. I'll post pics when it's all put together, probably tomorrow!!


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## HeatherElle

Sounds like you got a great deal, can't wait to see how it turns out!


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## JBird

So, when letting it cure, could the cage be left unassembled in the same room as the rats? I feel like having the cage in the same airspace as the rats kind of defeats the purpose of not using it... I live in an apartment though, so there are only a few places I could put it. I could reassemble it and leave it in the same room as them so it is ready to use, or I could disassemble it and set it either under a blanket in my room or perhaps in the living room (if roommate doesn't mind). What is best?


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## Mitsy

I have the same cage and so does someone else on here we were talking about the cage and a few things to watch out for is:
the wheels at the bottom are not attached to anything so if you pick the cage up the wheels might fall out of the leg just stick them back in and it will be fine.
the legs are not super strong so when moving it if you move it often be careful that the legs don't bend.

Also when i got the cage it was already rusted and sense it was ordered online i didnt bother sending it back. Where it is rusted it is on the bottom level on the outside on the door and the middle between the door and the wall. the coating is peeled off of where it is rusted. 
View attachment 53578
View attachment 53586


Is this what it looked like? if so what is the solution you kind of stuff you used to fix it?


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## JBird

There was some rust like that on the floors of the cage, but the rust on the doors was all due to Chinchilla teeth. You could see the precocious little scamps' teeth marks all over the thing. I used Rustoleum Gloss clear enamel on the parts that weren't rusted too bad. There were two pieces of the cage that were beyond rusted and I used Rustoleum Gloss Black enamel on those. The other pieces didn't require a whole re-paint so I just glossed over the rusted bits. You can barely tell they're there.  You can still *see* the color of the rust, of course, but it's glossed over and protected. The whole thing looks a lot better. 

It's funny you say that about the wheels! Mine are incredibly sturdy. When we got the cage 3 of the wheels worked, one didn't turn or roll at all and one of the working 3 didn't turn, just rolled. We've been scrubbing them and soaking them to **** and back and they are firmly in place. We've loosened them up some but there should be a bolt through each sphere/wheel keeping it in place. It sounds like you may have gotten a bad unit! I would have absolutely sent that back and wouldn't have thought twice about it. Buying something new means it should be in excellent condition!! That's unacceptable IMHO. I'd contact Prevue if I were you!


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## Mitsy

I know! but i wasn't the one who put it together and when i got home i wasn't told about the rust and the box was ruined. so i had no way to. and i don't mean the wheels their selves but the part that goes up the leg of the cage, and ok thanks  i might try thaat.


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## JBird

Lol! That's unfortunate, though. I'd just spritz it over with some of the Rustoleum clear stuff. It really did the trick for me.


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## cagedbirdsinging

You will need to have the cage curing in a separate space as that is the entire purpose behind the curing time. It takes that long for all of the fumes to dissipate fully.

Definitely don't let it sit in the same room!


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## Mitsy

Ok I will look into getting it  


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