Baby proofing a FN

[Pookinaround]

Hi I need to baby proof several Ferret Nation cages. I was wondering if anyone had any good photos of how they did theirs (showing how they attached the wire)??? I am not sure of the best way to do this so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Bundalo]

Hi I need to baby proof several Ferret Nation cages. I was wondering if anyone had any good photos of how they did theirs (showing how they attached the wire)??? I am not sure of the best way to do this so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Well, no pictures on our setup, when we had our baby chin, we didn't have a Ferret Nation or our Critter Nation, but the cage we DID have had the same bar spacing as the FN. We went and bought a couple of packs of metal cable ties from the hardware store to affix the wire to the cage. I think a pack of 10 cost about $7. We also affixed it to the exterior of the cage, in case we missed any point wire bits from cutting the wire to fit.

 

[Pookinaround]

Thou shalt only ever buy Critter Nations or breeder runs ever again! As the lord up above as my witness... ARGHHHH Never again will another Ferret Nation cross the threshold of my home (only for the breeders) as long as my chins and I all shall live! There has got to be an easier way to do this...

I bought the metal zip ties (not cheap 50 cents apiece) and I got J-clamp pliers and J-Clamps. I used the zip ties on each of the 4 corners and I did the j-clamps on each of the 4 horozontal bars going across and all along the seams. So far I got 1 door done and the wire for the other door cut out. Please someone out there give me some ideas to simplify this...?

My main accomplishment for the day was getting a bunch of untreated pine chopped up at Lowes for only a buck apiece since the wood pieces were less than perfect. Yeaaaaa for that but I have been cussing up at storm over baby proofing the Ferret Nation. The only thing I can think of as to be causing this misery is that the J-Clamp pliers I got at Farm and Family are cheezy...Are the ones you can order from Ryerson's any better????

 

[Jazicat]

You know that only kiln dried pine is safe for chinchillas? Untreated pine may have oils that are unsafe for chinchillas.

Good luck baby proofing the cage.

 

[qtpie61282]

I would love to also know how to baby proof the FN bc I have one pair in it now who arent used to the breeder runs and I feel bad moving them to one.

 

[Pookinaround]

I ordered the J-clip pliers from Ryersons and that helped a great deal. Got the carpet wire from Farm & Family, metal zip ties from Lowe's. I zip tied the 4 corners then went around and J-clipped for stability. I think it was a little over 30 bucks for the pliers and J-clips from Ryersons including shipping.

 

[Stormcrow]

Well, I am a chinowner for only 2 months, but I can share you my experience.

I have bought a FN aswell for a 2 and 4 month old chin. I went to get some mesh wire to ataround the cage. I measured the wire panels and cutted the mesh wire to the apprpriate size.
I attached everything with plastic zip ties. I knew this was a risk, but tried it anyway. The chins never showed intrest in them, and when I removed the wire last week all the zip ties were still there. This depends your chin I guess and plastic isn't the way to go but it worked for me.

People advice to attach from the inside to prevent a small chin getting stuck between the wires from the FN cage and the mesh wire and thus hurt themselves or worse.
I considered this, but I wanted to avoid fur damage from the mesh wire so i attached to the outside of the cage. I countered this by attaching it every few cm. Although it is maybe not necessary I prefered to play safe and to give you an impression: 600 zip ties were used in the process

Another thing I stumbled upon here on the forums that I nearly forgot myself: Wire the top panel (ceiling) aswell as kits can climb up and squeeze through. I did the same with the ground panel.

When to remove the wire? I removed mine as soon as my youngest one weight over 350 gr. He started to jump around more and i was afraid he could get a foot stuck between the mesh and break it.
The chins needed a day or so to adapt to the mesh free cage

 

[Essentia]

I also use plastic zip ties and attach the hardware cloth to the outside. I use small zip ties that are clear. Like the above poster I attach it every few inches so little bitties can't escape.

 

[Pookinaround]

I would looooove to be able to use plastic zip ties. My concern is that I plan on keeping the wire attached permently. If I was just using this while a baby grows up then yes it is a great idea. I am starting to buy breeder runs but I am also going to have some pair breeding set-ups as well and this is for them. So in that case would the plastic zip ties still be ok or no???

 

[Stormcrow]

i think it depends on your chin. Generally people wouldn't recommend it as it would be bad if they ingest plastic. Mine didn't chew it but nothing said that they wouldn't have started doing it one day once they learned the trick.

Believe me or not: the first time he chewed them was while I was busy removing them... Did he watch me and figured it out or just coincidence, no idea

I think in your case, if you really considered leaving it on permanently, i would try something else.

By the way, no idea how you look upon the estethics of this whole thing but let me tell you; the mesh wire is clean and tidy, but it makes your cage look like crap. It reflects light very strongly, so because of that you can barely see through the cage when a light is on in front of it, especially from further away. Since my cage is in the living room, I was very happy that I finally could remove it and see my chins properly.

And to be honest we think they feel the same way since they spend more time on the higher ledges now to look around then when the mesh was on.