FN vs. CN - why one over the other?

[my3esses]

I have been reading all over this board all week trying to gather info before we get our baby chin, but here's a question I am not sure on....

I see the FN is highly recommended, but what makes it better than the critter nation and is the 1" wire too big for a 12w old chin? Does the horizontal vs. vertical caging matter at all? Are there other differences besides those that I am not aware of? Unfortunately I haven't been able to see them in person anywhere, will be ordering online.

Also, will we be ok housing 1 chin in a single unit of either cage? We are going to keep it in a main living area of our home and I really don't want it to be an eyesore.

 

[kickster]

Since your chin is young, I would get the critter nation, an yes,a single unit is perfect for one chin. Make sure to cover the plastic or replace it with wooden ledges and take out the ramp. With the single unit you could just add more ledges to make it more interning for your chin. Good luck!!! Oh and if you are going to house your chin in the main living area, that might be a bad idea since they prefer quiet and dark housing.

 

[ashleynicol3]

I got my chin when he was around the same age as yours. I decided to go with the FN over the CN. Like you, I was worried about the 1" bar spacing, but I never had any issues with him trying to escape & I don't believe he could have if he had tried. I bought hardware cloth to wrap the cage with if need be, but I never had to use it.

Your chin would probably be OK in a single unit; however, I have a double unit & my chin uses every bit of the space. If you get a single unit, make sure you add ledges & things so he can jump around. I bought all my ledges from Whimsy's Menagerie.

I would also recommend fleece bedding instead of shavings, but to each his own. I tried shavings for about a week & they were everywhere & it was so hard to clean the cage - I tossed them and bought fleece and cut it down to size myself. No sewing, I just lay it in there (one big piece folded in half for an extra layer of absorbency). Hay & poop still make their way onto the floor, but it's not near as bad as it was with the shavings. Plus, I have Bass pans. I would definitely recommend some type of scatter guard.

 

[my3esses]

Since your chin is young, I would get the critter nation, an yes,a single unit is perfect for one chin. Make sure to cover the plastic or replace it with wooden ledges and take out the ramp. With the single unit you could just add more ledges to make it more interning for your chin. Good luck!!! Oh and if you are going to house your chin in the main living area, that might be a bad idea since they prefer quiet and dark housing.

Thanks! I am thinking I will order a deeper pan for it to try to cut down on the mess, will look into more ledges too! I am also thinking of doing fleece covers, never knew that was an option till I started reading here!

I hope the room will work, its a large room but quiet, shaded and cool during the day because everyone is in school. We don't really have another place to keep him, our house is a decent size but its family room, dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, etc. and I don't think having him in any of the bedrooms would be a good idea if we want sleep!

 

[ashleynicol3]

Oh, Buddha was somewhere around 300g when I got him. The first time I was able to get him to stand still long enough to weigh him, he was 343g. If your chin is around that size, I would say you should be good with the 1" bar spacing too - but you might want to have hardware cloth handy just in case if you get the FN. The FN ended up being cheaper for me & I heard the bars are sturdier (which they are very sturdy). I didn't want to pay all that money for a CN for a shelf to be too heavy and the bars to snap from the weight, injuring my chin or leaving a hole for him to escape from.

Also, the 1" bar spacing allows me to hand him treats and things through the bars & also to reach in & give him scratches, where the 1/2" spacing would probably be too small. I am extremely happy with my FN purchase! Cheapest place to get one is ferret.com!

 

[mknoblich1]

I bought a critter nation double for my girls when I first got them. They were around 3 months when I got them. I put wooden shelves in and the cage almost made it a year before the bars started to break in different spots in the cage. As my girls got older they became to heavy for the bars of the critter nation to support them. I replaced the critter nation with a ferret nation and the bars are much thicker.

I would get the ferret nation and get hardware cloth since your chin will be so young. Chins can squeeze through very small spots so I wouldn't want to risk not having the hardware cloth.

 

[Pookinaround]

If I was just a pet owner I would go with the Ferret Nation because the bars are stronger. I recently had a bar snap on a Critter Nation. It was my own fault cause I used too small of a fender washer on the ledge but still the bars on a Ferret Nation would not have done that. You can also watch your chins easier in them because they are more open which I find a big part of the fun in having chins.

I only prefer the Critter Nations because I use them for breeding and they are baby-safe whereas a Ferret Nation is not.

 

[my3esses]

thanks. I guess I should go with the FN then! I really just hope he/she can't get thru the 1" bars!!!!!!!!

 

[mgonya]

Another vote for FN. I bought the FN 182 for my male when he was about 2 mo old. He has 2 main levels with 4 levels on each. A silver flying saucer on the bottom level. He tears through that cage like a tornado. I am very glad that I bought it for him, he uses every bit of that room.

 

[my3esses]

Thanks, I did end up ordering the ferret nation, hated the idea of spending the money and then having bars possibly break!! Really hope my chin will not be able to get out!!!!