The Ups & Downs about a QC

[ChinchillaLoves]

I am going to be trading my FN for my cousins (also know on here as cutiepie) quality cage.

I'v never had a quality cage but have been wanting one.
Can anyone tell me the ups and downs about them?

 

[Brittany]

I have a QC Mansion and I LOVE IT! Here are some of the pros and cons that come to my mind.

Pros:
1. Quick to assemble and disassemble, fold flat for easy transportation.
2. Mansion and townhouse are very roomy
3. Already come with pine shelves instead of plastic or wire.
4. Trays slide out to make cleaning easier.

The Cons:
1. Aren't as visually attractive as the FN's
2. The mansion is slightly smaller then an FN142
3. You can't easily divide it into sections if you need to separate fighting chins
4. The mansion has a lot of empty space in the middle which creats a falling hazard. You'll have to get an additional shelf, or jerry-rig one of the shelves that come with it to make it safe.
5. The powder coating on the pan comes off when you clean it. If this really bothers you, you can always order a second pan w/o the powder coating.

No cage is perfect, but the QC cages work well for me!

 

[minrex]

I have a Townhome for my chins, and overall I really like it. Even though it's smaller than the Mansion, it's still very roomy and I feel like my two chins have an ample amount of space. I love the fact that it opens from the top as well as the front. Putting it together was super quick and easy, and I appreciated the fact that I didn't have to buy shelves or pans separately. The fact that the cage is collapsible was really handy when I moved!

The main "con" to the cage is actually removing and replacing the litter pan. The pan is quite large, obviously, and there's a little door on the front of the cage that blocks the gap where the pan slides in, so the chins can't escape while the pan is absent. Anyway, I have a heck of a time getting the pan back in place by myself -- trying to hold that little door up and maneuvering the big pan back into the gap is pretty much a two-person job, as far as I'm concerned (maybe I'm just strange, or a weakling or something).

I haven't had problems with the powder-coating coming off the pan on my cage yet (I've had it for about a year and a half). I guess I got lucky in that regard.

 

[3CsMommy]

I started w/ QCs and saved up for a FN b/c I was so annoyed by the limitations. My biggest issue w/ the Mansion esp. is that I'm not a small woman (5'8" and a big chest) and the cage door is small and centered in the front panel, which made it very hard to clean the back and sides of the shelves. I got stuck in it a number of times, which my ex thought was hilarious. I also don't like that you zip tie the roof and bottom in b/c I have plastic chewers. I ended up replacing them w/ picture hanging wire, but the cage only comes w/ zip ties for those parts. It was also noisy with a wheel in compared to the FN, which is sturdier b/c of the frame. And ultimately, I was the first person I knew of to have powdercoating chipping (v wearing down over time) in their pan and wasn't pleased with how the complaint was handled by the company. That, however, is a rare thing. Most customers are very pleased with QCs customer service.

The biggest pro for me was that it was chin-ready out of the box. We got it on the way home from bringing home our first chin (had it mailed to my folks for cheaper shipping), and it only took half an hour to completely unpack and set up for him. I still have the Condo as a back up cage in case I have to separate YouBe and Nova for some reason, but if I'm going to spend that much money on another cage for 24/7 use, it'll be the single level FN. I won't go back to QC for anything until they figure out their powdercoating problems, but they don't put out a "bad" product; I just wasn't pleased w/ it.

Eta: @Minirex-- 18 mo. in is when I noticed my first pan start chipping. Keep an eye on it just in case.

 

[Brittany]

My biggest issue w/ the Mansion esp. is that I'm not a small woman (5'8" and a big chest) and the cage door is small and centered in the front panel, which made it very hard to clean the back and sides of the shelves. I got stuck in it a number of times, which my ex thought was hilarious. I also don't like that you zip tie the roof and bottom in b/c I have plastic chewers.

Now that you mention it I've gotten stuck in the door as well :-( I have the 2-door mansion, which makes it a little easier to access everything. I don't know when you got your cage? I've had mine for a year, and the top is held shut by metal springs. I've replaced the zip ties on the bottom with metal clips also.

 

[Essentia]

The QC townhome and mansion I got with some rescues also had the springs for the top. I used zip-ties for the bottom, but they couldn't be accessed because the pan blocked it.

That said I still MUCH prefer the FN 142 over the QC Mansion.

 

[ChinchillaLoves]

Well, thank you guys for the opinions! I just really like the way the QC's look and Im hoping it will be worth trading lol She has it set up pretty nice and said I can have it as is with shelves and stuff. I got mine too so Im sure I can set it up VERRRY nice!
We will see

 

[rutherford]

Rutherford has the QC Townhouse for one chinchilla, and overall, I like it just fine. It isn't as sturdy as FN 142s, but it does the job. It's really roomy inside, which allows me to rearrange the shelves, tubes, ledges, etc. to create a totally new interior for Rutherford to roam and explore. But I have to agree with the others that I dislike how much noise it makes when Rutherford runs on his wheel. The whole cage rattles and shakes and it bothers the heck out of me when I'm trying to sleep. There are times when I have to take the cage out just to correct my insomnia. Putting a shelf directly above the wheel has lessened the amount of noises it makes at night, but it still keeps me up at night when I'm stressed out or trying to sleep.

I like the stand that the cage comes with--very handy that it raises it about 10 inches above the ground so the cage isn't directly on the floor. The space underneath the cage is where I put his bag of pellet, a pooper sweeper, and his dust bath bowl. It helps that the stand has wheels, because it makes moving within a bedroom really easy.

I have trouble with the powdercoating as well, but it doesn't bother me too much.

And I have to say, Rutherford has a sweet set-up so I'm sure he's not too bothered that he doesn't have a FN 142!

 

[3CsMommy]

Rutherford's Dad: Depending on how the wheel attaches, you might have luck quieting it by attaching some 2x4 to the side of the cage where it's anchored to stabilize the part of the mesh that gives as his weight shifts. It sucks to choose between not sleeping and a bored chinchilla.

 

[rutherford]

3CsMommy: Do you mean on the inside of the cage or outside? I can take a picture of how the wheel is attached if you would like a clearer picture of what it looks like inside his cage. I agree. I always feel so guilty taking it out because he makes sad, whiny noises, but taking the wheel out is really my last resort.

 

[3CsMommy]

Depends on how it's on there. PM me if you want to hear about what I did w/ ours.

 

[minrex]

@Minirex-- 18 mo. in is when I noticed my first pan start chipping. Keep an eye on it just in case.

Yeah, I always check when I clean it. So far, so good though. My ChinSpin, which I got at the same time, started chipping almost immediately.

I thought Quality Cage had great customer service, personally. But of course, others' mileage may vary.

 

[ChinchillaLoves]

I dont use a wheel. I know I probably should but I just dont use one..So that isnt a problem. Im gunna get the cage from her this weekend and then I can post pics and let everyone know how I like it!

 

[Cuddlebug]

My first good cage was a QC mansion. I got it about 5 years ago with a chin spin. Both items are still in great shape and have been used non-stop. I also have 4 of the condos now. None of my cages or the chin spin have had problems with the powder coating. I have at least one full length shelf on every side of the cage and the wheel is attached very low. It only makes noise if the wheel needs bearing, which only happened once so far. The two things I like the most about the cages are that you can have them made with kit proof wire and you can stack them.

 

[rutherford]

I thought Quality Cage had great customer service, personally. But of course, others' mileage may vary.

i second this statement. they do have wonderful customer service! their representative usually responds to an e-mail within a day.