No Shirley, I don't think you missed getting any instructions.
Personally, I highly dislike the Super Pet cages. The doors in them are
frequently not placed in good positions and they aren't large enough to
be able to put large litter pans or other large items for use as beds
in them. And, as you mentioned, the grooves in the shelving only serves
to collect food bits or water. I'm not sure why they are there in the
first place. But, by and large, my biggest problem with them is the
cage wiring. It is 1"x5" spacing which is too, too wide for a ferret
cage. It poses a significant hazard to a small ferret who is intent on
escape. I speak from experience as I had a ferret who hanged her self
from this cage. She was in the large cage that is 32" sq by about 5'
tall. I had it set up so that there were two levels in it and I found
her hanging from the outside of the cage at the second level height. I
do not know for sure how she did this as she was in the cage. I had
just put her and her mates up in preparation of going to the vet with
another ferret. I went to double check that I had shut the doors before
leaving and found her. A friend and I theorize that she tried to get
through the bars and all of her body was out but her butt and it got
stuck and she tried to come back through by putting her head back
through and her butt came loose and she was caught by her neck. I
blame that darn cage because I feel with conviction that if the wires
weren't 5 in apart she would not have gotten her head through in the
first place. 3 inch spacing is preferable in my opinion and 2 inches
is ideal.

Anyway, please take precautions that a similar thing doesn't happen to
your baby. I have taken the wire racks that are used for cooling baked
goods and have strapped them to the outside of all my superpet cages
thus making the openings between the wires smaller. . I have 3 but they
were all given to me with ferrets I have rescued. I would never, ever
purchase one myself, for the reasons listed above.

Ann

[Posted in FML 5680]