# The story, and pictures, of a cage ho *major DUW!*



## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

I decided to make this a post instead of a reply, since I would have hijacked IceLore's thread insanely otherwise 



kkdepp said:


> NIght-you have had a lot of different cages....how many years have you had rats? About how many cages have you had?
> 
> KInda random.....I was curious


Sorry I didn't see this! I've had rats for 7-8 years  I have/had a WHOLE LOT of cages! Hopefully I can remember them all.

(2001) Let's see... my first two rats were Ferret & Weezil, and they lived in this first. It was my first foray into homemade cages, and not a very good one if I say so myself.










(2002) Then, they lived in this cage, which was a complete and utter disaster. I didn't even bother saving any of the materials when I moved them to a different cage. I just kicked it all to the curb.










(2003) That's when I got my SuperPet ferret cage. The lack of hammocks hurts my soul  I didn't know how to sew then.










(2004) After Ferret & Weezil passed away, I got Gabriel, Morgan, and Ichabod. The all lived in the SP cage, but I had it sectioned off since Ichabod and the other boys didn't get along.










(2004) I wanted to adopt more rats, and I was getting way tired of the tiny doors on the SP cage, so I decided to try building another homemade cage. Well, although it turned out markedly better than my first, it weighed about 250 lbs and cost me $400-$500 to build  Since Ichabod still didn't get along with the other boys even after his neuter, he lived by himself. I then got Atticus, Mulligan, and Fitzherbert; they lived with Gabriel & Morgan in the homemade cage.










(2005) While the group of boys lived in that, I made this cage for Ichabod.










(2005) He rarely went to the bottom of the cage, so I ended up making a smaller cage that fit on top of the homemade cage.










(2005) I purchased an R-695 for some reason that I can't remember. I used it only very shortly for when I got Winterbane, and then for a short time after that to house Fitzy when he got aggressive (I later neutered him).










(2006) After many, many months of living alone and never being able to get along with anyone, Ichabod found his perfect friend, Widdershins. I bought this SuperPet cage for them. Unfortunately, it wasn't in use very long since Ichabod developed an inoperable tumor in his abdomen and had to be put down 










(2006) Over the last 3 years, I had gotten good use out of my homemade cage, but I really wanted something newer and better. Thus began my love of Ferret Nations  I didn't want to wait for it to be shipped to me, even if it meant saving a lot of money, so I rushed out one night and bought it at a local Petsmart for a whopping $229 (that's WITHOUT tax!).










(2007) Then of course I got my second FN, modified both cages, and connected them.










I also have quite a few temporary cages! I won this SP cage at a rat show during a raffle in May.










A smaller SP cage, which I rarely if ever use now, and a 20 gallon, which I now use for my mice.










I *think* that's it! :lol:


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## ratsrule419 (Jun 28, 2007)

1 word, amazing! i love your current cage!!


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## kkdepp (May 22, 2007)

Wow....you have had so many cages....Maybe someday I can hope to have such a cool setup as you have with your FN....One question though....do your rats seem to like the FN better than other cages you had? I was asking because the FN only has a ramp leading to a 2nd level in each section of it. I guess because of all the ropes, boxes, chains, ladders, hammocks, etc. it makes it pretty interesting. I would love to get one but if I am going to be able it would have to be much later this year.
Basically i am asking if it is more interesting for the little ratties in the FN than in the SP cages? Is the FN easier to clean too?


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## Night (Feb 23, 2007)

The FN is the easiest cage I have ever had the pleasure to clean. Besides my own cages, I help out weekly (or more) at a local rat rescure, Huron Valley Rat Rescue, so I have cleaned many, many different brands of cages there also. The FN is such a breeze to clean. 

In February of this year, I developed an absolutely horrible case of bronchitis and was practically bed-ridden for two weeks. I admit, I didn't clean the cage for over a week; I didn't even spot clean... I just wasn't able to stand up for that long, and would end up having bad coughing fits and would get extremely dizzy. Even though the cages was a COMPLETE disaster, it took no longer to clean it than any other normal clean. 

My best friend Kaia, who runs the rat rescue I help clean at, recently purchased a Ferret Nation of her own. She has had, and dealt with, more cages than you can ever imagine that have gotten donated to her over the years. She, too, loves cleaning the FN. It is just SO easy. 

My cleaning routine goes likes this...

-take out all hammocks
-shake them out
-take out all towels
-shake them out
-pop everything in the washer
-sweep out/vacuum the FN
-spray it all down with cleaning solution
-dry everything
-re-decorate

Even though my current cage is absolutely massive, the actual cleaning only takes me about 15-20 minutes. It's the re-decorating that makes the full process take about 2 hours all together 

My rats are far, FAR happier in the FN than they were/would be in any other cage. I have SP cages for quarantine/sick cages, and let me tell you... when my rats are in them, they go insane. They are so BORED. The FN cages are perfect as far as their lay out - there is just so much space for hammocks, toys, ladders...


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## Leiren (Aug 5, 2007)

You're so creative.Haha jeez I wish I could think up stuff like that.And the rat on the top shelf in the 4th picture,haha the expression is priceless.


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## waffle (Aug 5, 2007)

WOW!!!
I've had rats for a wopping 8 weeks now 
Multi-level cages never occured to me, I think i'll modify my ratties' current cage, well, TODAY!

Night your rat cages (i think condos or mansions would be more appropriate really) are amazing! Modified ferret cages eh? what a great idea!


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