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[Kittenya]

So Mikro is almost 4 mos old. (He'll be 4 mos on the 19th) and he's still baffling me with his abillity to squeeze through the bars.

His bar spacing is 1''  with a teeny tiny bit of wiggle room (the bars can ever so slightly bend giving him maybe an extra 1/16th of an inch...) (though I remember the store rep -who i should have learned to ignore by now, but nooo- saying the spacing on that cage was 3/4 of an inch which is why I got it. figured there was no way the rep could screw that up since I couldn't take it out of the box in store)   He can still fit through. Though he has to stop halfway and rest for a bit. Basically means I've been leaving out spare food/water way up on the counter for if he escapes when I'm doing my 'trials' to see if he still can, and just leaving his cage door open the rest of the time (Mikro has been living in my gutted out bathroom... been having to use the boyfriends shower or the friends upstairs shower for the last 3 mos)

Once the bf and I move in together (which is likely november at the latest), we plan on giving Mikro the bf's old ferrett cage. I believe it has unbendable 1'' spacing... But thats going from memory. Whatever the standard is for ferrett cages...

The issue is thus: about how old are they when they can stop getting out by squeezing through the bars? Braden has a cat and the ferrett cage is HEAVY and on the other end of the city, so we're trying to only move it once, which means I can't even test if Mikro can get out or not yet. Which means either figuring out a way to for sure chin proof the cage so he can't get out and meet Floyd the cat unsafely, or waiting to move until Mikro can no longer escape his current cage.

Though I know that Mikro's parents were on the smaller side. I didn't realize that until I saw my friends black Kupo again, but the girl I got Mikro from when he was 6-7 weeks old had some rather small chinchillas. (they just seemed bigger from the two little babies running around, and she assured me the parents were 2 and 3 years old, so full grown)

I love Mikro to death, he's a little snugglebutt and has got to have the best temperment I've ever encountered in chinchillas, but gadzooks I'm a little concerned.

[1newChinmom1]

First I will admit I am a worrier. We all know that, or should , by now,lol. Second, I would strongly suggest you purchase some 1/2 inch, galvanized wire mesh from the hardware store to completely wrap your ferret cage in.  We had to do that for our Cerberus, who is now three months old, half as big as his Mom, and STILL can escape from her cage, if I am silly enough to try to put him in there while I clean out his hutch, while his Mum is out for running playtime. These little fuzzy bottoms are true escape artists, and I would rather go overboard than find out the hard way that that cat and your baby don't get along.   
We only get one chance to get it right in some instance, and this sounds like one of those to me.  Again, I am a worrier, admittedly. But, better safe than sorry is a cliche for a reason. 
Best of luck with your new home.

The more I learn the more I realize how little I know

[Kittenya]

with the mesh, what size would I get? and how do you affix it to the cage? I worry that Mikro might get stuck in between the layers, panic, and hurt himself more.....

But the mesh does sound like an idea. As I said, he'll likely be about 5.5 mos old when we move (We're waiting for a return call about this one place that sounds fantastic for us... but they have a one pet policy and we have... um... 9? but since all but the cat are caged, they're seeing if there is a loop hole...)

Though to be extra extra super safe since we're getting a 2 bedroom, for the first bit testing the ferret cage, we'll be putting mikro in the spare bedroom until we know for sure. That way we can lock the cat out, and if he finds a way out (since he's ridiculously good at it) he can stay safe once we have it chin-proofed.

[Hoppinchins]

Yeah, people at the pet stores really don't know that much. I have also learned that the hard way. Good luck on chin proofing the cage, Mine don't excape from there cage so I don't know much about that.

On another note, just speaking from personal expirence I moved in with my ex after only being together for 6 months. He is the only bf i have ever lived with. After living with him for almost 6 months, it wasn't working. Its different when you life with someone, they are always there and the sweet things they do kinda stop, or atleast for me. So i don't know how long you two have been together or not, but just think it through. There were signs for me to wait to move in with him, but yet i was soo in love with him that I over looked those things. And we have no been pre engaged twice.

[Kittenya]

One would think after so many petstore mixups and bloopers, I would know better, but I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt... figured how hard was it to know the spacing on a product when you work in the small animals department... *shakes head* so now the cats, dogs, fish and small pets have failed me. and I'm not really a bird person. Which is why I have google and forums



lol I have plenty of experience living with significant others since they usually start as roommates/one life has an upheaval soon into relationship that leads to 'why not?', actually, its this whole not living together thing that is weird for me. cohabbited with my first girlfriend for about 1.75 of our 2 years (plus roommats), first boyfriend for 10 mos of our 1 year (with roommates), second bf for the whole 2 years (alone), 3rd was the whole 2.75ish years (mostly with 'invisible' roommates), and the last failure was 4/5 mos (alone)....

And with this one we've been extremely good friends for 4 years, and dated for a whole... month... about 4 years ago. (not relationship issues, just my head needed straightening out as it was on a brief breakup with mr. 2 years, and the current recognized it and put his feelings aside to do what was best for me at the time) So we know even if we break up, as we're both the kind to stay friends with exes (barring certain things) and we've handled a break up before, only to become even closer so...

Throwing caution to the wind, sorta. We've already hit that stage of its not a case of 'will i see you tonight' but instead 'who's going to which house?' and neither of us can sleep a wink if the other isn't there... starting to affect both of our health if we have to stay apart more than a few days... /sigh   His cat even pouts if i'm not there.

This will actually be a record for longest time not living together first... its a strange, strange new world for me, and I find I don't like it much... especially when there are pets at both houses that need care

[1newChinmom1]

with the mesh, what size would I get? and how do you affix it to the cage? I worry that Mikro might get stuck in between the layers, panic, and hurt himself more.....

But the mesh does sound like an idea. As I said, he'll likely be about 5.5 mos old when we move (We're waiting for a return call about this one place that sounds fantastic for us... but they have a one pet policy and we have... um... 9? but since all but the cat are caged, they're seeing if there is a loop hole...)

Though to be extra extra super safe since we're getting a 2 bedroom, for the first bit testing the ferret cage, we'll be putting mikro in the spare bedroom until we know for sure. That way we can lock the cat out, and if he finds a way out (since he's ridiculously good at it) he can stay safe once we have it chin-proofed.

1/2 inch or 3/4 inch should be fine. I folded it around the hutch, like gift wrap..then used wire to tie it TIGHT at all the stress points, and wove it through the sides at 6 inch intervals - like stripes through the sides of the hutch. The wire held the mesh close up against the hutch - so there is no room for Cerberus to get between the hutch and the mesh. I also wove the wire through the front spaces around the gate, just in case.  It took about an hour and a half. Overkill, maybe.   But he hasn't escaped from his hutch since. And this whole madness was inspired by my seeing him ON TOP of his hutch the first night before we went to bed.
Best of luck.......if yours is like ours, you will need it!  

The more I learn, the more I realize how little i know

[Kittenya]

haha thank you! I will have to try it once we find a place. (we're not in any rush, just figure the sooner before winter the better)

[Hoppinchins]

Interesting... Well maybe this one will work oust since you two waited to live together. Wish you the best of luck with living with the bf and the little escape artist.