I'm going to attempt to think back on the ingredients needed to modify the cage the way we did it a year or two ago...bear with me...






I'm going to assume that you have a Midwest cage (http://www.ferretstore.com/mw-140.html), the same as we modified.

Start by taking the floor off, and tipping the cage upside down. You'll find that it's easier to reach in through the bottom to attach the floors than to try to use the two doorways to get inside. The first floor will be the hardest, since you have to reach the furthest in there to set it up.

Unravel your 16 gage fencing wire. If it's like the stuff we got, it's in a big roll...so you might want to bend it out flat or it will want to keep the shape of the roll. I'm not positive on the gage..it's been some years, but what you will want to do when you see the options before you buy it (Lowes or Home Depot), try to pick something that will be relatively thick enough to handle the weight of your fuzzies. Something thin is going to bend and sag, and you really don't want that. So...pick the thickest gage wire (within reason) to work with.

Measure the cage width...this is the size you will cut from the gage wire for your floor. I used a black marker to make marks on the wire, then used the bolt cutters (I used wire cutter pliers at first, but you'll need to cut many times and little hand held wire cutters are just going to hurt your hand -invest in some $20 lock cutters for this job - it's more than worth the price) to snip the size I wanted. BE CAREFUL - the edges of the snipped wire is going to be SHARP! There's two things you can do about that....file it down with a metal bastard file, or bend the sharp edges over with a pair of pliers. BUT...you may not want to do anything, since the sharp edges will help to sit the flooring in place (I just left the edges on).

Using one of the ladders that came with your Midwest cage, measure the width of the ladder...this is the measurement you'll be cutting out of the new floor so that your fuzzies can use the ladder to crawl up through. I used one of those flat shelves to measure the width in order to figure out "where" on the floor to start the opening for the ladder. I'm sorry if this is confusing, I'm trying to think of the best way to explain it. Basically, what you're trying to do is to create an opening in the new floor in the same location as if your ladder was on those plastic shelves. The reason for this is that it keeps the same angle/slope that the fuzzies can crawl up as it had with the plastic shelves. When you get the opening cut out, check to make sure your ladder will fit through. It should be a tight fit, but not impossible to get the ladder in. You don't want the opening to be too huge that you compromise the strength of the floor...but you definitely want the opening large enough that your fuzzies can fit through without scraping on the sharp edges. In fact, with sharp edges in the ladder opening probably should be filed or bent back with pliers to protect your fuzzies from hurting themselves.

Once you have the floor ready, figure out where in the cage you're going to want it. If you're creating two floors (like we did), put them in locations that will work for the ladders your cage came with. I put my floors in the exact locations that those little plastic shelves sat on - that ensure that my ladders would reach and sit in the same positions. Once you position the floor into place, use the electrical wire ties and tie the new cage floor to the side of the Midwest cage. I put a tie every couple inches, all the way around the floor. The more ties you use, the sturdier the floor will be...and since it's wire, you want it as sturdy as possible so it won't sag.

Once the ties are on, I cut the excess ends off to keep things neat. You'll notice those sharp edges do not poke past the midwest cage, so you shouldn't need to worry about those. Do this for each floor you make.

Once your floors are in place and tied down with electrical ties measure out the floor dimensions for your fleece sheets. I used a marker on the back of the fleece and with a flat edge marked out the cutting area. Cut out the fleece with scissors and set to the side. Use your double sided tape and place down some strips for the backside of the fleece. This "should" be all you'll need to keep the fleece in place, but not permanent enough that you won't be able to pull it back up to wash on occassion. The fleece is only optional of course...if you prefer to lay down other materials for your fuzzies new floors that's fine. Carpet would work well too...maybe better because it's thick enough to sit well by itself. Whatever works for you.


You'll need to measure out an area on your cage that you want the opening to be in.

Using a Super Pet tube cage connector (http://www.ferretstore.com/sp-62229.html), measure the opening that you'll need to attach it. (Don't actually cut the same size as the connector...look at the back of it, you'll see how it attaches to the cage by clips. Measure just the rounded opening inside the connector).

Using that measurement, use your lock cutters and snip your cage and remove the pieces in order to snap in the Cage connector. Sometimes it's a little difficult to snap it in over the bars on the cage. It may take some muscle...I don't know why they make those clips so tough. I think I even used a razor blade to shave the plastic on the Cage connector in order to get the thick bar to snap in place. Just a suggestion if you have a hard time with it. As long as your Cage connector is a "Super Pet" brand, it will fit any "Super Pet" toob that you buy. It should just snap right in there...and each Super Pet toob will connect to each other. The more you buy, the longer the overall toob can be. You'll notice there are different shape toobs too, so it will allow you to design your own preference of toob shapes.

I will tell you, we connected two seperate cages with an opening at the top of both cages. The problem with this is that the longer you keep connecting toobs, the less sturdy it will become. If you have a heavy ferret (4-5lbs) and he wants to cross 3-4 connections of tubes 3 feet in the air, it's possible that it will not hold. I had to anchor string from the roof and tie around the toob in the center in order to help hold the weight. Or...now that I think of it, I could have really taped the hell out of the place where the toobs connect to the connector. Duct tape, or something like that might have helped to hold it. Whatever you decide to do, it will depend on the design you use. Those toobs are heavy when you attach several together, and you'll notice that their weight will sometimes pop out from the connector. Try to figure out a way to compensate for this.

Use the toob bubble caps to cap off either your toobs or the Cage connector if you want to keep your fuzzies in the cage from getting out. It just snaps at the end of the toob or connector. Remember, as long as the toobs, bubble cap and cage connector are all "Super Pet" brands, then they will all fit together.

So, how much will this all cost you? Well...just to add the floors, expect to spend $100. That should cover the caging, tools (bolt cutters), tape, etc. If you buy the "Super Pet" toobs and connectors, etc...then you're going to pay a lot more. Those things are not cheap...they make a killing, but they're very convenient because they all snap in place and you can create different shapes and paths....but what's money? Nothing's too good for our fuzzies!

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us, and we'll do our best to help.

James
Extreme Weezils Dad