# So..have you ever spent good money on a cage and then HATE it once in use?



## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

We bought the girls and eventually Remy too, a Super Pet 5 Level Ferret cage. It had great reviews.
Got it and bar spacing was 1" so we bought hardware cloth and spent a whole weekend covering it. Hard to tell it didn't come from factory that way, hubby did such a great job!
We are 2 weeks into using it now....and it is a PITA to clean. The doors stick. Hard to get into. The shelving and ramps are sucky plastic. A clip broke today.
I hate it to be honest!
I am on the lookout for something I like better but not telling hubby yet. 
I made a comment today and got the look....that like are you kidding me, eyeroll.... so keeping this one under my hat.
I just thought we had bought a great cage to last the life of our bunch, esp. since it had good reviews, etc. and now I do not want it!???


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## Jokerfest (Sep 25, 2012)

I haven't not wanted a cage because I disliked it but I always want to improve.
You could donate the cage to a local rat rescue if you decide to get another and help a bunch of homeless ratties out.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Nope! Because I always buy Martin's cages. 

In all seriousness, though, if it's only been two weeks... return it! You got a product, you don't like it, no problem!

Other than that, the donation is also a great idea.


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## apac (Jan 23, 2012)

i totally agree with returning it. Buying brand new and getting something you think is sub par is awful! cages are so expencive too.


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## JudeWriley (Aug 1, 2007)

Maybe I've been doing it wrong, but even though I do have Martin's Cages, they were always such a pain to clean every week. There were always places I couldn't effectively reach with a hose or brush so I'm saving up for a Critter/Ferret Nation now.


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## Kaliloca (Jan 24, 2013)

I haven't spent a lot of money for a new cage and didn't like it, but I did buy a used cage off craigslist. It was actually a very nice cage. Easy to clean and my rats seemed very happy. It wasn't a "big" cage, but it had adequate space. 

Then I joined this forum. I learned of bigger, better, more secure cages. I checked out the prices of these "nicer" cages. I figured......I really can't afford to spend that much on a cage. The more I looked at the "nicer" cages and then looked at what I had for my rats..... I became more and more unhappy with my rats cage. I figured if I didn't like it then they probably didn't like it either. 

I saved up and got a DCN cage. It's the BEST!! My rats are very happy. Going by how they act in the new cage compared to the old one..... I'm guessing they weren't very happy in the smaller cage.

So, if you're feeling like you don't like the cage. Maybe your rats don't like it much either. If you can return the cage you have then go for it. Then shop for a cage that will make you and your rats happy. 

BTW I would have had to buy a second cage anyway. That's why I initially got the double. I needed to separate my girls from Armageddon. Now, when I get the money/space I'll add a second DCN cage for my boy...... Hopefully, I'll find him a cage mate soon and it will be "boys".


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I spent $80 on a All Living Things Luxury Rat Home and _disliked _(not hated_)_ it instantly. It's an okay cage, but after having a Martin's Cage, it paled in comparison. It's noisy, not too sturdy, the water bottle that came with it leaked completely out overnight (flooding the shelf), the shelves are hard to put it and honestly aren't very good. Because of the flat shelves and horizontal bar spacing, poop and food went flying with every whip of the boys' tails.

I still would recommend it to anyone that can't afford a good Martin's cage or something better, though. I just warn them that they're paying for quality.

Now I have my girls in two Martin's R-680s put together and my boys in a DCN! I hope to get the girls a DCN too, but I don't have the money right now. My girls are really happy with their current cage, though. It's pretty huge with lots of climbing space! The Cage Calculator says it'll fit six rats and I'm going to have four girls in it once Eevee meets the rest of the gang. 

I'm never going to buy another cage (with the exception of a small spare cage) that's not either a Martin's or a Critter Nation! No more cheapo brands for my Mischief!


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## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

Thanks guys! I like aspects of the cage and the size overall...just not parts. Can't return it, box is gone, we have modified it already, etc. I am hoping that once I get hubby to change out the shelves and ramps and I tweak the doors a bit....it might be ok.
I have noticed that the girls which are in this cage are SO much messier than Remy who is in the Coast cage. He could easily be litter box trained as he poops and pees in 1 corner. The girls pee and poop EVERYWHERE and scatter it all over.
I am still on the lookout for something better and will just sell this one on CL when I get one but GRRRRR.

I am going to contact Petco and/or Super Pet and see about getting a replacement clip. Today and yesterday are just one of those days. Wondering if we kept too many of the litter....poop all over, girls making messes before I get one cleaned up! Then I go clean Remy's cage and it is neat as a pin. Granted 1 rat in a cage vs. 6 rats in a cage but still.....kinda like being a Mom, getting kids room cleaned, house cleaned and you blink and it was trashed again!LOL 
Need to get in a routine of cleaning and being able to do it efficiently so it doesnt smell or get poop all over....


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

Haha I've heard that girls are surprisingly a lot more messy than boys! I think coz there a lot more active. Sorry your not liking your cage. I kinda feel the same about my DCN...don't get me wrong its a NICE cage...but I def don't think its worth the price! & yes poop gets flung everywhere due to such shallow trays which is a pain...I have to sweep constantly! I know you can purchase deeper trays...but again for the price you pay for the cage you would have thought they would already give you that!


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## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

Eden, I ended up just putting a pan that came with my Martin's cage in the bottom DCN unit. It's a tad too small, but it's definitely helping to keep poop contained. I wish I had another I could put in the top, though. It's a really deep pan.

I was planning on taping cardboard or something around anyplace poop tends to escape, but I haven't had a chance yet.


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## Hamsterific (Jan 14, 2013)

I bought a My First Home for Exotics and ended up really hating it. Cleaning it was such a pain and it didn't really have as much surface area as I wanted. I got it for an ok price but I managed to sell it for just as much, thankfully. So happy to have a CN now


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## Flora (Aug 30, 2012)

I HATE the All Living Things cage, its similar to the Super Pet. It its a total pain to clean and my level clips broke off too. I am so glad I got t used for only $25 and only use it as a quarantine/sick cage. 

Return it and save up for a Critter Nation. Its totally worth it and a dream to clean.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

I got my DCN because I was having cleaning issues and level issues in my own cage (the bars were vertical which limited my options). My finace wasn't super happy about it when I buckled down to get the DCN (which was meant to be a triple but the add-on was missing a part and we're still waiting on the replacement) because he thought that $80 we'd spent on the previous cage was more than enough, but we're both really happy with the decision we made. The DCN is awesome to clean and very sturdy, but I totally feel yah. The second cage we got for our girls I was super excited about but it didn't even last a week because it was hard to clean, the levels were broken, etc. It stinks to spend money on something then be disappointed.


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## anglethatispurple (Jan 3, 2013)

I have a modiified cat/ferrret cage had to modify it a lot hardware cloth and put in shelves it not a bad cage i think the rats are happy and have a lot of space. It looks quite nice all set up too. But i hate it cause it so hard to clean cause the doors are a bit small. Would love a ferret or critter nation with the doors that swing fully open. But they don't sell them over hear in australia. So many people with great cages on the forum, nice to look at them all and dream of having one lol. So I'd say if you can get the money together to get a martins or FN/CN I would they look like good cages that you could keep forever, for multiple generation of little lovely rattie pets . No point sticking with something you hate. Unless it possible to modify it enough that will like it.


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

I have the smaller version of that (Habitat Defined) and words can't describe how much I hate that cage. The only reason I got it was Pet Smart had it on sale for $17 (!!!) and I couldn't _not_ get it for that. I planned to flip it, but ended up opening it up when I needed a temporary bachelor pad, and the rest is history. I only use it when I need to and as soon as I feel like I have enough other cages to cover intakes/temporary/hospital needs, it's outta here.


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## JessicarrBrumm (Sep 25, 2012)

i bought a 5 tier cage about 2 weeks ago, the price was really good for what it is, but i think my rats dislike it its very tall but not very wide so i think they dislike the fact they dont have much room even though it is a tall cage, and we too have the problem of the the bar spacing being two big, they cant escape but they can fit there heads through if they wanted.. so thinking about putting wired mesh around it as my dog likes to try and eat the rats aswell haha! if you dislike it though i'd return it and get a new cage which looks better for the same price  xx


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## aknapoli (Oct 20, 2012)

Depending on where you got it, Petco took back a small cage that I had (before I knew it was too small) the boys in for about 20 days. I didn't have the box OR receipt. Luckily, I had used my debit for the transaction and my petco members card so they had a record of it. I'd call just to find out, it probably depends on individual store policy.


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## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

So...you can get deeper trays for the CN cages? Hmmmm
That was the reason I didnt get one. One of the adoptive parents of the boys was getting that and I checked into it but did not like the fact that it was virtually flat and open. 
Running a childcare and having rat poop/pee everywhere doesnt exactly work!LOL And I pride myself on keeping a clean childcare. People cannot smell or tell I have pets, other than they are in their cages. No smells, no litter, no hair because I clean daily.
Now that you guys say there is deeper trays you can get.....that might be an option.I liked the look of the CN cage!
And JessicarrBrumm, if you want to do wire mesh or hardware cloth around it. Check the feed stores for these wire clips for making cages and they sell the special pliers for them but they are slick when wanting to attach wire to wire! Made it snug and tight and you virtually cannot tell that the hardware cloth is not part of the cage to begin with!


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

You can buy pans from Bass Equipment or you can buy plastic cement mixing tubs at Lowe's that will fit with a little trimming around the edge that can be done with a box cutter.


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## katlovesaandw (Feb 10, 2013)

Thanks CarrieD!


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## CarrieD (Nov 20, 2011)

Welcome.  I have both and there are pros and cons - the Bass pans are too shallow to really hold all the bedding in, and it does get stuck between the cage and the pan a bit (I have a shop vac I spot clean with, and that cleans it right out.) I didn't paint mine, but you can - my understanding is that you should let it cure a few weeks before you put it in the cage. If you don't paint them, they will corrode a bit where the water bottle is, but you can position it over a shelf instead of the bottom. 

The cement tub is nice and deep (8")- it keeps bedding in very well, but the biggest drawback is that it's so deep - you can't see a lot of what's going on in the cage. The tubs kind of curve in at the bottom, so you do lose a bit of floor space. Because of that curve and where the opening from the top to the bottom of the cage is, you wouldn't be able to use a second tub upstairs, you'd have to use something else if you want bedding up there. They are also chewable - my degus had one down to frisbee sized pieces in less than a week. I solved that with hardware cloth wrapped around the rim and you may not need to worry about that with rats, but something to keep in mind. The nice thing about the CN is, even if they chew through a plastic tub, they still can't get out of the cage itself. 

I can dig pictures out, if you like.


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