Greetings All.  Just though I would let everyone know my experiences with
the Super Pet cages.
 
I planned on getting two kits, so I purchased the 4 story deluxe kit from
The Pet Warehouse (WWW.Petwhse.com) for $100.00.  This came with the
non-funnel version of the 4 story cage, and all the extras.  The litter pan
(corner style) and playhouse sucked, but the other stuff is sill in use
today.  The cage was great, as Super Pet has moved away from the wire ramps
and shelves to solid plastic.  A couple of minor problems with the cage.
The tubes that came with the cage to be used in one of the shelves wouldn't
fit.  I called Super Pet, and they sent me the correct funnels at no
charge.  Second, my guys quickly figured out how to open the main cage door
by grabbing an upper bar with their teeth, pulling back, all while pressing
against the door.  A couple of clips like for dog chains remedied that real
quick.  All in all the cage is a breeze to clean and well constructed.
 
This cage worked fine for about 6 months.  We could feel ferret math taking
hold and were deciding to adopt a 3rd ferret.  I wasn't comfortable putting
3 full grown ferrets in the one cage so I started looking into a larger
cage.  I checked out the Midwest and Marshall Cages.  They were larger, but
I didn't like the wire mesh ramps.  After a trip to Pet Smart, I noticed
the newer Super Pet Funnel cages.  The new 5 story cage is essentially two
of the smaller 3 story cages stacked.  I got an idea...
 
I called Super Pet again and asked if I could stack two of the larger, 4
story cages.  They had tested is and said it would work fine.  I sent an
Email to both the Pet Warehouse and The Ferret Store asking if they had any
damaged Super Pet 4 story cages that were missing either the base or top
plate that they might want to unload.  Joe from the Ferret store was the
only one to reply.  He had a 4 story funnel cage, that had some broken
tubes and a badly broken base that he would sell me at a very large
discount.  ( I didn't need the base, as this was going to set on top of
my current cage)
 
So, I bought it.  When it came in, I put it together and saved the extra
clips they give you with those things.  I had enough unbroken funnels to go
from one side to the top of the cage and put a plug in the opening on the
other side of the cage.  I removed the top from my old cage, set the new
cage directly on top of it, and used the extra clips to secure the pieces
together.  My old cage had special thumb tab clips, so the top would hinge
open.  I used the same setup for one of the sides on the top section of
cage.
 
For $60.00, I doubled the size of my kid's existing cage.  Geddy, Chewey
and Tully now have a 32" by 20" by 64", 7 story cage with funnel tubes
running outside it.  Not only do they have room to play, but have space
for 2 hammocks, 1 sleep sack, 2 litter boxes, 2 water bottles, a food dish,
toys and a couple of t-shirts.  And for those who question the funnel
cages....yes they do play in the funnels.  Since I've done this to their
cage, they seem healthier, happier, and have more energy during their
playtime outside the cage every evening.  If anyone want's more detail on
how this was done, or is interested in doing something similar, don't
hesitate to drop me an email.
 
Mark
[Posted in FML issue 2743]