Is this cage harmful?????

[shellyb1018]

I have just recently put my girl in a smaller cage for a short period of time. The cage is smaller than her HUGE cage she has, but is 3 foot by 3 foot. It is a ferret cage. Its black, but seems to have a coating of black over metal?? She is now chewing on the cage a lot, shaving this off the metal part. She has been chewing it a lot.
Now it seems that when I give her a hazelnut, she is chewing it but not breaking it. Am I causing her harm in this cage?

[gs1]

i don't know...

she could be ingesting the black paint -?toxic - or damaging her teeth....

i wish i knew....:grouphug

[shellyb1018]

doesnt seem like she is ingesting it though, it is all over the floor.....but i checked her teeth, they seem to look ok..oh I dont know....

[Jackie in Tampa]

chewing cage bars can be very dangerous..
many sqs have permanent teeth damage from wide bar spacing...
and some have become non releasable due to it.
Some have odontomas from chewing bars...:shakehead
1/2 inch spacing is recommended.
One more thing, please place a thick cover on top of cage so when she/he is outta cage playing and running, a leg doesn't get caught and broken in those wide spaces.
Thank you for caring enough to ask..
I would advise changing cage as soon as you can, like yesterday!:)

[shellyb1018]

Jackie, the cage is 1/2 inch squares..I feel horrible, I have to figure something out today and not wait, it was only a temporary thing, for a about a week. But I will have to find something different. thanks for your input, it means so much.

[shellyb1018]

So if the bars are spaced 1/2 inch, should i still look into getting a new cage? My son had said, even if we get a new cage, she is still going to chew it because she has to get used to it....I am not sure if this makes sense or not???? I am ready to buy a new cage, but the bar spacing is actually wider than what I have because there are longer blocks, almost like rectangles (still 1/2 inch though) ????? The cage she is in has smaller blocks, she cant get stuck on them in anyway. My issue is her chewing on them? I am so stuck on what to do here.

[shellyb1018]

Ok...Yesterday I got rid of the cage, put her back in her regular. And now, my son is going to make a spare cage for her, just a miniature one of the one she is already in. Her mouth seems to be a little bit swollen from chewing on the bars, but her teeth seem to be ok, so I have ordered some Fox Valley and will be making her some boo balls. She has not eaten any of her rodent block for 2 days now,and she has always eaten them like they are going out of style, but has been eating some of her veggies and fruits. I am keeping a close eye on her and if her mouth doesnt seem to be getting better, or, she still isnt eating her block, I will be making a trip to the vet. I thank god that I have a vet that is close by. I just never thought putting her in a different cage would come to this. It has been a stressful time for her and me. But I am doing everything I can to make it right for her.