# Any thoughts on the Ferret Nation Habitat Model #142?



## Ratsaplenty (Aug 29, 2008)

Hi! I've just joined the Rat Forum (my first forum ever) and was hoping for some feedback on the Ferret Nation Habitat Model #142. My four rattie girls- bunches of furry (with the exception of my Petunia, a.k.a. "The Naked Nibbler"), whiskered, long tailed, (the best feature, in my opinion) rodent goodness- currently reside in a Super Pet Deluxe Multi-Floor Ferret Home, but I'm considering purchasing them the Ferret Nation double model because of the easy access doors. I've noticed that a lot of people who own this type of cage use some sort of fabric to cover the plastic trays that cover the floors and I was wondering what the reasons are behind this- comfort, aesthetics, pee & poop catchers? As far as the ramps- is it really necessary to cover them? While researching this cage I've read about ferret feet being caught, should I be concerned about smaller rattie feet (I did read somewhere that black tube socks work real well in covering these ramps.) -I don't know? Any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!


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## junior_j (Jan 24, 2008)

Certain types and rats are covered to stop ratties getting bumble foot , and its for there comfort to , also some people have cages which absorbs the urine more so i you cover you can wash the covers every week or so and that help stop the cage itself absorbing urine , ect
Jess x


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Ratsaplenty said:


> Hi! I've just joined the Rat Forum (my first forum ever) and was hoping for some feedback on the Ferret Nation Habitat Model #142. My four rattie girls- bunches of furry (with the exception of my Petunia, a.k.a. "The Naked Nibbler"), whiskered, long tailed, (the best feature, in my opinion) rodent goodness- currently reside in a Super Pet Deluxe Multi-Floor Ferret Home, but I'm considering purchasing them the Ferret Nation double model because of the easy access doors. I've noticed that a lot of people who own this type of cage use some sort of fabric to cover the plastic trays that cover the floors and I was wondering what the reasons are behind this- comfort, aesthetics, pee & poop catchers?


 Comfort and pee catchers, in my case. The boys seem to like them and they help keep the pee marking from stinking before I spot clean.


> As far as the ramps- is it really necessary to cover them? While researching this cage I've read about ferret feet being caught, should I be concerned about smaller rattie feet (I did read somewhere that black tube socks work real well in covering these ramps.) -I don't know? Any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!


I haven't had any problem with their feet getting caught in the ramps.

Fair warning, though, depending on the size of the girls you may need to cover the outside of the cage in hardware cloth...


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

Well if you get that cage your going to double your space which your girls will likely love you for. The bars are a bit wider apart and with some small girls they can squeeze right through those so hardware cloth is probably a good idea. I cover my ramps, but that is only because 2 of my boys race down the ramps and after you have your rat get his leg stuck once your kinda scared for them. My other 2 rats walk up and down it nicely so it's no a concern for them. I have had both cages. The fleece or flannel on the bottom of the cage makes it easier to clean, nicer and softer for the rats, and it reduces the smell. You can even use old towels and such to put on the shelfs and bottom, just get some of those binder clips to hold them in place. 

I do like that the doors open all the way, but I don't like that it's so heavy there is no way to really take it outside to hose it off (I mean you could, but I don't want to break my back). The cage does seem to stay much cleaner than my superpet cage, plus it's about a million times sturdier! 

Check out the thread at the top of this section that says Ferret Nation pictures and you can get an idea of how everyone has their cage set up.


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## sarahisgett (Aug 18, 2008)

I want one SO bad but i have no room for it  I think I am going to get one next Christmas when we move into our new house and my room with be double the size it is now!!


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## Ratsaplenty (Aug 29, 2008)

Thank you for the replies!
Hmmm... hardware cloth? I'm really hoping that my girlies won't be able to fit through the bars. Does anyone have girl rats in this cage without having any problems of them escaping? The Ferret Nation cage looks so nice and I don't want to have to cover a new $200 cage with hardware cloth (which I really don't need to purchase to begin with). The spacing on the bars of the Super Pet Ferret Multi-level is a little shy of 1" which is why I originally purchased it for my first 3 girl ratties about 5 years ago (also, because it's a very respectable 32"x20"x58", not including the stand). I wipe down the the girls' Super Pet cage with baby wipes every night and I have recently purchase a Shark steamer so I don't have to lug a big cage outside to give it thorough cleanings. I was just soooooo looking forward to a large, nice looking cage that could be easily accessed for cleaning, rearranging, etc. It just amazes me that none of these cage manufacturers can make a nice big cage with 1/2" spacing that rats can live in from the time that they're babies until they're seniors! I would be more than happy to pay extra $ if I could buy a Ferret Nation #142 style cage with 1/2" spaced bars!!!


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

Well there has been talk of a rat nation instead of a ferret nation, but that's all it is at this point talk. My female couldn't escape my superpet cage (the exact cage you have) but can squeeze out of the FN cage. If you put the hardware cloth on the inside it's easier and honestly it doesn't hurt you like if you were to wrap your cage in it. You won't go to reach in the cage and be attacked by that stupid stuff, so it's not a huge deal on the fn cage.


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## Kathleen (Jul 1, 2008)

Even though I have boys, I'm waiting until the Critter Nation (which will be exactly like the Ferret Nation, only with smaller bar spacing) comes out. Then I'll never have to worry about the bar spacing, even if I were to get babies, females and/or small rats in general. 

With the 142, you will more likely than not have to treat it with hardware cloth. I think only large adult males fit in there without needing extra security.


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

I have 5 girls in a Ferret Nation with no hardware cloth, and none of them have gotten out. One thing that I think deterred my girls from trying to get out is the fact that the big spaces are vertical and not horizontal. They stick their noses out and can't get much farther than that. If they turned their heads sideways they could probably get out easily but they haven't even tried. When I had a Super Pet ferret cage, I only had my girls in it for a couple days - they got out all the time because the wide parts were horizontal and they could almost just walk right out of it.

I think you have to know your rats well enough to know if they would escape or not - I didn't take the hardware cloth off until my sister took her two rats back, because I knew one or both of them would have gotten out.

As for the ramps, I've never had a problem with leaving them uncovered, and I like putting towels in my cage because I imagine it's softer to walk on than plastic  Like having carpet instead of hardwood floors ^_^


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## Ratsaplenty (Aug 29, 2008)

Wow! That would be so awesome if there was a Rat Nation! Wait... I'm tearing up! 
Well, I think I'm just going to have to buy some new rat accoutrements & rearrange the Super Pet cage- if I'm getting bored with it, they must be!
I'm also toying with the idea of getting some type of a wardrobe / cabinet type piece of furniture, maybe from IKEA, that I can convert into a rat cottage. I would predominantly house them in their Super Pet cage, and put them in the "cottage" to mix things up a bit. 
Does anyone know if you can purchase hardware cloth, or like material, that is safely coated to wear better? I have no experience with it and what I'm trying to figure out is- does the hardware cloth rust or look crappy after awhile?
Kathleen- have you read about a Critter Nation cage somewhere, or is the cage just talk at this point like lovinmyworm said?
It makes me kind of sad to think that my girlies might not be around by the time a great cage is available.


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## Kathleen (Jul 1, 2008)

Some people have received e-mails from Midwest about the cage. I actually found a link on here to one from April: http://ratforum.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=80498.html

I've heard rumors that it's supposed to come out by the end of the year. But it's just hearsay. I think Midwest is concerned about the fact that the increased bars/weight might make the cage cost too much and I believe they've been tweaking it.

I don't think anybody knows for sure but you can try e-mailing them to learn more.


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## Ratsaplenty (Aug 29, 2008)

OMG, Mana you've given me hope yet- thank you! I was thinking about the bars last night, and wondered if the fact that the spaces are vertical instead of horizontal would make a difference! I may still have to purchase the FN cage! If it turns out that they can just mosey in and out of the bars and I did have to say, unassemble the cage... would it really be a big pain in the butt? Do you clip the towels down on the floors? The one thing that I'm pondering is that the base to my Super Pet cage has the nice deep base, that I layer with the white Carefresh. I guess this is something that I won't be able to do in the FN cage- not that the girls are really litter trained anyway. I originally had a large corner litter pan on an upper level, that one or more of them would promptly empty (out onto the floor) and then they would all curl up together- the sweet little things! I wonder if I should try & put a pan of litter in the FN cage- or not even bother?
I remember when I was waiting for the girls to get big enough to not be able to fit through the bars on the Super Pet cage. I used a Super Pet guinea pig cage I had to test them every few weeks (which by the way is the exact same size, but around 20-ish inches high). I've also toyed with the idea of attaching that cage to the top of the ferret cage to make another level or two for them- I really do like the fact that you can order all the different cage parts from Super Pet to do different set ups in an existing cage.


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## Ratsaplenty (Aug 29, 2008)

Thanks Kathleen!


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

I found a different setup seemed to give me more space in the SP cage. I put the spiral slide thingy at the bottom, put a litter box at the bottom of the cage next to that. The second level had the ramp and the third level had the tube. I re-arranged the hammocks and stuff all the time so my rats never got bored. If the new FN cage is going to come out by the end of the year if what they are saying is true then personally I would wait. 

Assembling and un-assembling that cage is NOT something you want to do!!! That cage takes forever to assemble, it's not like it's hard to do, but literally can take hours! If you want a pan sort of deal for the bottom you can always put chloroplast on the bottom of the cage and make a tray down there for them. I find it's cleaner to have liners for the cage. You just hook them with binder clips to the tray at the bottom and to the shelf. Once a week or so you just take them out and toss them in the wash and replace. It is cleaner and doesn't smell as bad this way! I dislike carefresh though anyways because it tends to be dusty and it does nothing to stop smells. Something like yesterdays news is a much better litter!


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## Ratsaplenty (Aug 29, 2008)

I have an older Deluxe SP cage:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753263

I do it like it because it came with 9 adjustable shelves which can be moved around in the cage. Last year, I ordered a couple of extra shelves with and without holes and some more ramps in different lengths. It does have 6 doors but if Super Pet made this cage with larger, double doors it would be pretty close to perfect. Petunia (my Hairless Dumbo- "Naked Nibbler") is the only one who has gnawed in the corner of the plastic base, but hasn't made a hole through it (and I have the base of the guinea pig cage as a back-up). I have read that many people find that the clips they give you to assemble the SP cages break. The only ones that broke on mine so far, are the ones that hinge the top of the cage so you can open it up completely. I used the black metal binder clips to replace the broken clips (removed the silver parts that you squeeze to open & close the clips) and they are working fantastically.
I used the gray Carefresh when I got my first rats and find that the white seems to be less dusty and controls the order better. I clip an old t-shirt to the bars of the cage on one of the shelves for the girls to sleep in. I have to replace it at least every other day because they do pee on it and that's when their cage will start to smell.
I called customer service at Midwest today and asked about the Critter / Rat Nation cage. That rep said she hasn't heard anything about one being manufactured. I mentioned that I heard of someone being emailed by Midwest to give feedback on colors for the new cage and the rep said that if it is in the planning stage, it will still have to be tested and it would be a looong time before it would be available for sale. I'm hoping that she doesn't know what she's talking about! Maybe I'll try back next week and ask for a supervisor.
What is chloroplast?
Yeah, I think I'll wait for awhile & see if they do make the new FN- that way if (when) I get babies they can go right in.


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

I sent this link a long time ago before but here is a degu cage, looks somewhat like a FN. The doors are different and I cannot see if rats cannot escape if the wire bottom is removed. But is has 1/2 inch bar spacing.
p://www.exoticnutrition.com/exoticnutrition_pet_company.htmp://www.exoticnutrition.com/exoticnutrition_pet_company.htmp://www.exoticnutrition.com/exoticnutrition_pet_company.htm


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## Ratsaplenty (Aug 29, 2008)

Thanks, I'll check it out.


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## Jingles (Feb 2, 2008)

the FN #142 is the best thing i have ever bought....well well well worth the money!!! The picture online does no justice! This thing is HUGE!

easy to clean!
easy to assemble!!!
easy to love!!
tons and tons of room for toys and hides and hangy stuff!!!


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## Ratsaplenty (Aug 29, 2008)

Hi Jingles! It looks awesome in the picture, I can just imagine how great it is to have one! Do you have yours covered with the hardware cloth?


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