I got so tired of trying clean around the "gutter" of the base of the Midwest cage, that I finally removed mine from the base. Now my cage free-stands on top of a piece of shower board. The shower board is very easy to clean and inexpensive at a lumber/hardware store. The cage with all it's accessories is way to heavy for the little ones to even try and escape. Happy Midwest modifying, PS - don't know if anyone has seen the ad from Midwest Cages in Modern Ferret issue #17. They are now marketing a corner sleeper that ties to the cage. It looked very comfy! Also, it will benefit a ferret shelter in Kansas. Check it out! Chris [Posted in FML issue 2352]