Hello happy ferret owners!
 
I'm writing to talk about ferret cages. I had a problem when I went out to
get me a suitable cage for my ferret Max. Not only were that cages I saw
too small, but they were all far too expensive. In Florida were I live a
1'x 2'x 1' cage costs about $40.00. I can't imagine how much a cage of
the size I wanted would cost (2'x 4'x 2'), that's probably why I couldn't
find any cages of that size.
 
So what did I do???
 
Well, I sat down and thought about what a nice cage would look like. I
realized that it had to be big, I didn't want Max to be unhappy in a
small cage when I wasn't home. The cage also had to be easy to clean and very
practical, at last, but not least I wanted it to be pretty to look at.
These were all qualities of a cage that for me were impossible to find on
the market. To solve this cage problem there was only one thing for me
kn:4eXleft to do, to build the cage myself.
 
I went out and bought myself some wood boards and a couple of sheets of
plywood. Also in addition I needed a roll of chicken wire.  The price for
all this was with tax (6%) $50. Included in this price was all the hardware.
Keep in mind that a cage in a pet store that can only hold a hamster is about
$40.00!!! This cage I was building was very large, 2'x 4'x 2'!
 
I am lucky since I work in wood shop, I'm a carpenter and my job usually
consists of fixing broken furniture etc. That's why finding tools for the
job was easy. When the cage was done I was very pleased with the result.
Max now has an all NATURAL WOOD cage that he not only loves, but it's
also very pretty to look at.
 
The cage is made out of 4 sturdy wood frames that are reinforced in the
corners with metal brackets.  These frames are all covered with chicken wire
on the inside (stapled to the frame).  The 4 frames are then screwed together
with each other and put on top of a plywood sheet (the bottom).  On all this
the top sheet is put on with four hinges to make the cage easy to clean out
and change around.  On one side the cage has a door with a dead bolt attached.
This makes it easy to let Max in and out the cage, and to keep the door open I
have a little chain with a hook that I hook into a metal bracket.  This is so
that my ferret can run in and out the cage with no problems when I'm at home.
This cage is very easy to take a part.  Only a few screws are needed to hold
it together and when the 4 wood frames and top and bottom are stacked together
it's easy to transport.
 
In addition to this cage I'm planning to build a tunnel system under the cage
that Max can run around in thru an entrance in the floor.  This is not built
yet, but when it's done I'm sure that Max can not be any happier!
 
In conclusion, the cage I built is far better and cheaper than a pet store
cage.
 
If you need help with a cage, please feel free to contact me.
I know how hard it is to find a suitable ferret cage!
 
Lars Eriksson (Scandinavian ferret cage designer)
Daytona Beach, Florida (USA)
 
My email address;    [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1141]