# Getting a ridiculously huge cage this week!



## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

My aunt has kept ferrets for as long as I can remember. Now she's down to one and the lucky girl has free range of their "pet room" with her own smaller cage. Yesterday she texted me asking if I wanted her big ferret cage! She's going to send me the dimensions later today and my uncle is going to bring it over one day this week. I'm %80 sure is 2 Martin's Ferret Condos rigged together with the side panels taken out. If I had to guess on the size, I think its about 5 feet wide by 4 feet tall and maybe 2 feet deep! It has a lot of levels and doors too! 

I'm a little worried about having /too much/ space. Right now they're in a converted bird cage and its really not enough space for 5 girls. I had always intended to upgrade, just haven't had the money, so this couldn't come at a better time. Is going from slightly cramped to ample space going to cause any problems? Should I block off one half and let them get used to half first? I'm just worried about territory disputes I guess, but with enough space and stuff to do, that shouldn't be a problem, right?

All of the levels/ramps are wire. I feel like covering it with something will make cleaning so much easier. Right now I cover with cardboard because the doors on the cage are too small to properly secure fleece and they like tearing up the cardboard. I'm thinking the bottom level will be just litter boxes for now because they have a pretty deep pan at the moment. I'd like to litter train them properly now. Are there any tutorials out there for making cage liners for Martin's? 

Ugh I'm just so excited I can't stop thinking about it, my girls are going to be so happy!


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I make a template of the shelves with paperboard and then lay it out on my fabric and add my seam allowance. The rest depends on the type of liner you want.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

cagedbirdsinging said:


> I make a template of the shelves with paperboard and then lay it out on my fabric and add my seam allowance. The rest depends on the type of liner you want.


Thats a good idea, thank you! I guess what type of liner depends on the shelves and if they come apart... I'll have to investigate when I get it.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Okay so its a little smaller than I thought which is actually a good thing, lol. Its 4.5 feet tall, 4 feet long, and 2 feet deep. And I'm getting it tomorrow, horray!


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## Ravaari (May 15, 2014)

Wow, lucky!  That sounds awesome! Have fun with that! I'm sure your girls will love it.  I don't know if this will be a problem for you, but check the distance between bars. I accidentally ordered a ferret cage once and woke up in the middle of the night to find my best-behaved girl sleeping on my chest. The other girl was sitting inside the travel cage, which still smelled like the old cage. Hopefully you don't have any problems like that! My girls were still pretty young then and they've gotten bigger.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Martin's ferret cages aren't like other ferret cages. The mesh is 1" x 1". Not even females can get out.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

CBS is right, its more mesh than bars so they're 1inch by 1inch squares, little babies might be able to get out but my youngest are 8 months. Omg its freakin huge. Smells a little like ferrets so I'm going to scrub it best I can... anyone have any suggestions to make sure its super clean? 

Here it is! (featuring Treble the cat)


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## tpab23 (Apr 6, 2014)

that looks awesome! I'm saving up for a ferret kingdom. $300 off ebay and I'm an unemployed student. still looking for work but i guess what i got just has to do. your very lucky! and i love your cat haha


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Use 1/4 vinegar to 3/4 water. Safer than bleach and disinfects as well as takes scents out.


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## tpab23 (Apr 6, 2014)

nanashi7 said:


> Use 1/4 vinegar to 3/4 water. Safer than bleach and disinfects as well as takes scents out.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


i use bleach rarely. about 1-2 months. vinegar is added every deep clean. i also wash the fleece with vinegar. vinegar is soooo helpful when it comes to taking the scent out


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

nanashi7 said:


> Use 1/4 vinegar to 3/4 water. Safer than bleach and disinfects as well as takes scents out.


Awesome, I'm off to pick some up! 

Sucks that it doesnt fit in my bathtub lol.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Run to the dollar store or a beauty store and grab a spray bottle. It's what I use. 


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## tpab23 (Apr 6, 2014)

if its too big take it outside. that way you don't need to worry about the mess


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

nanashi7 said:


> Run to the dollar store or a beauty store and grab a spray bottle. It's what I use.


Thats exactly what I did! The dollar store sells vinegar too apparently haha. I'm trying to scrub it but its still kinda sticky when it dries :/ the smell definitely has gone away!


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

I once had a Martin's that I bought from someone that had ferrets in it and clearly never cleaned. It really stank.

Vinegar is my go-to, but this STANK was set in so deeply that I actually feared that I wouldn't be able to get it out at all, with anything. Finally, I had to do several rounds of scrubbing with almost pure bleach and using a pressure washer between rounds. Ruined one of my shirts that way. (I actually still have it, but it has a bleached 1" x 1" grid on the chest.)

Anyway... try vinegar first as I'm sure your cage didn't have poor ferrets sitting in their own filth in it for years. Don't feel terrible if you have to resort to bleach, but just be sure to rinse well. And, if you must use bleach, air-dry in the sun after rinsing to dissipate the chlorine.


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## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

When I first got my double ferret nation it stank of ferret as well. The previous owner never cleaned the cage, and the cage was rusted. I ended up cleaning the cage completely and leaving it outside for a while to air out before I gave it to my friend to sand blast and re-paint.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

I scrubbed it pretty well with vinegar but it still kinda smells... like a mixture of vinegar and ferret lol... I asked my girlfriend if she could smell it and she said no. So it might be just me. But if I can smell it, the ratties definitely can, right?

Sadly I live on the second floor of an apartment building and while its not that heavy and I could lug it down the stairs, theres no hose or anything outside. I might just scrub it down again today and see if that makes a difference, I have feeling I just didn't get all the corners well enough. I wanted to move the ratties in right away but I still have to figure out how to cover the floors!


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

How long until you want it rat-ready? Baking soda is a natural deodorizer. 


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

I do use baking soda in the cat's litter box and the bottom of the trashcan so thats a good idea, I might try that. I'm not in a rush to move them in, I just really want to give them all the space! 

We're actually considering putting the guinea pig in the bottom since the second ramp to the bottom floor is already zip tied up. The rats wouldnt be able to see the guinea, but would this be a bad idea? They've never met each other (and wont ever) but have always lived in the same room.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Well; you'd always have to crouch down to see the guinea pig at all and if he is a nervous piggy he could get antsy at them trying to visit or view him. 


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Mona's not a nervous piggie, shes actually pretty ballsy! Has zero fear of anything and will walk right up to the cats, who run from her. Yeah I was worried about that cause right now shes up high on top of a small book case, we just wanted to give her more room. Guinea cages are hard bc they need so much floor space, not a lot of vertical space. We might try it and see how it goes... shes a little poop machine but that wouldn't be my problem! The ratties are my responsibility and the guinea is all my girlfriends so she can deal with that!


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## tpab23 (Apr 6, 2014)

If you want to do that. Maybe consider putting the rats on the bottom as rats don't need much light and that being in the dark will not affect them. I don't know about guinea pigs but I know rats really rely on smell as their eyesight isn't great. So being in the dark won't change them. I know piggiepigpigs on YouTube has rats underneath her guinea pig cages. Even though she has lights under there she hardly uses them


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Well we moved the guinea to the bottom to see how it went and i think its going well, she loves the space and my girlfriend loves that she can open the doors and Mona crawls right out to her lap. The cats are enjoying this new form of "catTV" and havent stuck a paw in the cage!

Ive never seen my girls so happy  it looks so empty but i literally put everything i could think of in it! Im hopefully going to buy stuff this weekend.


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## tpab23 (Apr 6, 2014)

Looks awesome


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## Hetty (May 10, 2014)

Looks brilliant, I would have loved a cage like that for my ferrets (three hobs)! I was thinking for added guinea pig comfort and flooring issue you could have a mdf board cut and slot that onto the level or possible coroplast which guinea pig lovers make there c and c cages out of, you could make sides and then add bedding with that idea. Good luck! Hetty x


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