I give this cage 4 out of 5 stars. It has a lot of serious flaws, but I still recommend buying it, because it’s still the best thing out there. Just plan on making some modifications.
—The Good—
{1} It has a nice appearance.
{2} There’s storage space underneath.
{3} The owner has easy access via large detachable doors.
{4} Despite being a tall cage, it doesn’t have any fall risks inside.
{5} The top and bottom cages can be joined or separated.
{6} The cage walls are quiet because they’re welded.
—The Bad—
{–1} Assembly can be difficult if the parts don’t fit together properly.
{–2} The floor grates are noisy.
{–3} To get good pans, you have to buy them separately, from another company.
{–4} The mid-level shelves are unsafe without modification.
For my video review, including some tips and tricks for assembly and modification of the cage, go here:
https://youtu.be/l5Q7ixUhj58More details:
{–1} The cage is designed to fit together easily, and in theory, it does... but I had to work around several manufacturing flaws. In one case, a rock-hard paint drip inside of a screw hole kept two pieces from fitting together. I had to file it down and break it off with a screwdriver. (I also had to file a paint drip off of one of the door handles.) I also encountered a bent door frame, which needed to be bent back into shape, and a side wall that would not slide into place without the use of a rubber mallet. (Suggestion: Leave the wheels off while you’re assembling the cage, because you might have to push down on a few of the pieces REALLY hard.)
{–2} The floor grates are not rigidly anchored; they just rest in place between the sides of the frame. Unfortunately, this causes them to clang when the animal jumps around. To avoid this, you can buy #8 screw protectors (small rubber caps) and put them on the tips of the grating before you assemble the cage. Truthfully, the manufacturer should include these with the cage already... but they don’t.
{–3} The included pans are woefully inadequate for anyone who uses wood or paper bedding, and the official Ferret Nation scatter guards seem poorly designed. (I’ve never owned any, but I’ve read reviews and seen pictures.) That leaves you in the bizarre situation of spending $200 for this cage and then spending another $150 on pans and scatter guards from a completely different company, Bass Equipment. I do recommend the Bass pans, but you should know that they’re noisy unless you modify them (which is covered in my video). The same goes for Bass’s urine guards.
{–4} The mid-level shelves are held in place by their own weight using tension on two hooks. It’s a really bad – and dangerous – setup because the shelf can fall if it’s hit from below, either by a human arm or a jumping animal. You can fix this with a few washers and screws (see my video for details), but it’s really upsetting. You shouldn’t have to modify a $200 cage just to make it safe.
