How long to keep kits in baby-safe cages?

[weaselkidsmom]

We did adapt our cage to keep the babies from getting out. However, they're already figuring out how to monkey about! How long do they need to be kept on the ground floor (as opposed to being able to climb/jump ledges)?

 

[tunes]

My kits are up on the houses with mom within a couple days (5 inches high) and up on the shelves a little after that, maybe a week and a half old. I don't have high shelves though, mine are maybe 8-9 inches off the bottom of the cage, so it's not a huge distance. I wouldn't want them going 2 or 3 feet up at a young age, that would be quite a drop. I would be pretty careful of them getting up a lot until they are at least a month old, but I'm a bit paranoid what with all the broken leg threads I see lately. I'd rather keep them lower and safer for longer.

 

[ABBY W.]

Yeah, I agree with Tunes. I keep mine in baby cages until about one month old, then I introduce them to multiple levels. So far we haven't had any broken legs or other injuries form falling.

 

[Rickman]

My breeding cages have shelves at 8 and 16 inches, [24 inches high] and they usually don't get up for 4-5 weeks! Haven't had a problem, so far!! [Knocks wood!]

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

I didn't introduce mine until they were about 2 months old. They were climbing the cage walls rather well and I was afraid they'd do the same thing after getting on a shelf. So I waited to introduce shelves to them.

 

[ABBY W.]

Really, Rickman? I usually find babies hanging off the walls of the maternity cages within a few days after birth. That's why I only made my baby cages 12" high, so when they fall then don't fall far. But I have found that by about one month old they are adept enough at jumping and climbing that they don't fall often, and I have lots of stuff in the big cages to catch them when they do.