# Buy another Double Critter Nation, or buy Prevue Hendryx Fiesty Ferret cage?



## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Hello, everyone!

I currently have 8 rats living in a DCN. I have four boys on the bottom and four girls on top. While I know this is technically "enough" space for them, I've been considering getting another DCN so the boys can have one DCN all to themselves and the girls can have one to themselves as well.

I noticed today, however, that Amazon is having a sale on the Prevue Hendryx Fiesty Ferret cage: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846

It's $131 dollars right now plus free two-day shipping, which seems like a really good deal. But I also have some concerns about it, considering I've never owned one before and really like my current DCN.

First concern is that it's a little smaller than the DCN. Does anyone own the Fiesty Ferret, and how many rats can live in one?

The cage bar spacing....I would most likely use this cage for my female rats since it's a little bit smaller than the DCN and my boy rats are considerably larger than my girls, however I'm concerned the girls may be able to fit through the bars. It's 7/8" but my girls are still growing, and one in particular is pretty good at squeezing through tight places. Also, if I ever want to adopt more baby rats, the bar spacing will obviously be a problem. Plus, the bars run vertically so that kinda sucks for climbing rats.

I've also read reviews saying that the shelves are kind of shoddy, but most people say they've been able to modify the cage a bit with no problems. (It would obviously need something to cover the floor grates too, like some carpeting or tile/linoleum.)

All these concerns aside, it's about $100 cheaper than the cheapest DCN I've been able to find. So in everyone's opinion, is it still a good deal, or would I be better just spending the extra $100 for another DCN since I already know I like the cage?


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

I also just noticed, I don't even know if the Fiesty Ferret's shelves are adjustable.


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## xxTheRatChampion (Apr 18, 2013)

*Just ordered my Feisty Ferret (waiting for it in the mail). As far as I know about the cage is that the shelves should be adjustable. Also don't rush on buying the cage. It isn't really a sale, its just showing the difference of prices with buying from amazon. I think its best to get the FF, its cheaper but there's a lot of bad reviews of it coming damaged. Amazon should be able to replace the parts tho.*


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## zurfaces (Jan 16, 2013)

I have two ff I have not had any problems with the shelves and I take them off everytime I clean the cage. As far as covering I usr coroplast and score it in the middle so I can just fold it and slide it out. My rats still climb (I dont use ramps they suck) just limits where you can hang stuff. I have females in my cage no problem. If you get babys hardware cloth is pretty cheap just need some wire cutters and zip ties. Probably total cost for all that is 30 dollars. 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## JBird (May 23, 2013)

I have the FF and it's awesome. I definitely prefer it to any other cage I've had, and for the price it's a fantastic alternative to the DCN. It is smaller, from what I've seen in pics, but it is still a huge cage. If your girls are having the entire thing to themselves, there will be way more than enough space for them. I keep two boys in the top and two girls in the bottom with no problems, but it can easily hold two more rats. 

If your girls are young, the bar spacing might be a concern. My boys could slip through it until they were just under 3 months old, and then they quickly outgrew that. My adult girls have no way of getting through! The bars are really only a concern with babies. An adult rat, even a small female, could not squeeze through there without hurting herself. 
The shelves are adjustable, and I've had no problems personally with them. I don't use them much, though. Since the bars are vertical, unlike the DCN's horizontal, the shelves can only be at one of four heights, and I'm not a fan. That being said, the one I do use is easy to remove and replace. I take it out only to replace the liner, it stays pretty clean.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I have a FF. It can hold about 7 adults comfortably according to rattycorner's cage calculator. That's a lot of space, so I think the males would be fine in it. The girls will likely be able to fit through the bars :/ BUT! If you want babies, and you want horizontal bars just get some hardware cloth, cut to size and attach with zip ties. That's what I did. Before I did that, my male had no problems climbing around using the vertical bars and some of the cross bars (which are about the length apart of my male stretched out).
I bought the cage used, my shelves came with broken clips. I haven't gotten around to fixing it, but with 13 babies and two adults no shelves have collapsed. They aren't, however, really customizable. But! There is still a lot of vertical space to work around them with. The _ramps_ are the flimsy things that honestly you should just take out and throw a ladder or some rope in. However, if you don't divide it I recommend zip tieing the center ramp to the holder or else it may knock loose -- nothing worse than that guilt when rats have been stranded all night!
For covering, I use a towel folded over and usually fleece on top. I also have used grass mats and carpet squares to cover some of it.

Here are some pics of mine (covered in hardware cloth). It is divided, girls on top (9 babies, 1 mom) boys on bottom (4 babies, 1 dad): http://imgur.com/a/1B1N8
[URL="http://imgur.com/9kwnYXo"]http://imgur.com/9kwnYXo
[URL="http://imgur.com/Lv8AQOT"]http://imgur.com/Lv8AQOT


A [/URL]v[/URL]ideo I took showing my adopters the top half: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FRN7UzJzGY&feature=youtu.be


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## TexasRatties (Jun 2, 2013)

I also have a feisty ferret cage and I love it  I covered the bottom half in hardware cloth for when my rats were little and the bottom half is normal. By 8 weeks old they could have the whole thing and didn't fit through. I have laminate tile on the bottom floor and a bathroom rug on the top floor mine are litter box trained though so it's not a lot of mess. I have to say the only thing I don't like is the bottom grate tray other than that I love the cage and would buy it again. It's the perfect size for me because it takes a while to clean and I can imagine a dcn or dfn would take even longer.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

TexasRatties said:


> I also have a feisty ferret cage and I love it  I covered the bottom half in hardware cloth for when my rats were little and the bottom half is normal. By 8 weeks old they could have the whole thing and didn't fit through. I have laminate tile on the bottom floor and a bathroom rug on the top floor mine are litter box trained though so it's not a lot of mess. I have to say the only thing I don't like is the bottom grate tray other than that I love the cage and would buy it again. It's the perfect size for me because it takes a while to clean and I can imagine a dcn or dfn would take even longer.


Do you mean the slide-out tray? I like it for quick poop-cleanings. I also just found out that grate apparently comes off so I think I will be securing the tray to the cage better and making the bottom level of my cage bedding.


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Wow, this is some seriously overwhelming support for the FF! I guess I could just ziptie hardware cloth to it and that would solve my two biggest concerns. I just might have to go with it! Nanashi, thanks a bunch for the pictures. I probably won't get it right away since I actually just ordered my rats a whole bunch of new stuff from the Drs Foster and Smith website, but maybe in a couple of weeks. Thanks a lot to everyone who replied with their input, I really appreciate it.


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## Hitmanthe3rd (Jul 16, 2013)

Is the critter nation Suitable for 5 week old rats? I'm looking at one for when I get 2 pups. Are the bars spaces small enough?


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Critter Nations bars are small enough for 5 week old rats, yes.


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## Hitmanthe3rd (Jul 16, 2013)

CindrDoLLy said:


> Critter Nations bars are small enough for 5 week old rats, yes.


Thanks! I assume the Prevue as well? That one seems much better for the price. I'm also debating between these two cages XD


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

The prevue's bars are 7/8" wide, that's almost a full inch, so not suitable for babies. You may want to read the rest of the thread, people had some good suggestions for the prevue cage.


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## NatnRoo (Jun 9, 2012)

if you decide to buy another double unit critter nation you should look at ferret.com its where i just bought mine. its on sale for 170 which is a really good deal


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## Actress (Aug 9, 2013)

Ok... so this probably wont be that beneficial for you; I haven't had a FF cage, but I do have a CN and it's amazing, so in my completely biased opinion I'd say get a CN ;D. That way the bedding/fleece (IF you use that) will fit both cages. Both look great though! Good luck~


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## CindrDoLLy (Oct 3, 2012)

Thanks again all, now I'm eyeballing a Ferplast furet tower, why are they so many choices?! Aaahhhh!


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