All About the Cages...

[FourWands]

I am working on getting cages together for rehab.
Aside from the Critter/Ferret Nation cages, what do you rehabbers have on hand for cages? My primary interest is in squirrels/small mammals and non-rabies vectors but if it's okay, I would love to hear about all the cages you have on hand for whatever wildlife that comes your way.

[SammysMom]

http://martinscages.com/ is a great place to start. They have a whole lot to choose from...:thumbsup

[FourWands]

I actually have some Martin's cages and the are great.
But what sizes are recommended? Assuming you start off your pinkies in some kind of brooder, do you bump them up to a middle cage before you put them in the largest cage?
What about young flyers?

I just want to make sure I have a good range of cages. I am worried that an infant squirrel might fall off one of the shelves or something! :)

[HRT4SQRLS]

FourWands,
I'm not a rehabber but I do have several cages. I have raised a few but not enough to qualify to be a rehabber. :tilt

In addition to the 2 CritterNations doubles, I have a Henry's cage. It is a good cage. It is fine for a few babies to be raised to release BUT in my opinion it is not large enough to overwinter babies in. That's just my opinion, other might feel differently.

I recently bought a small cage that I just love. Most of the small bird cages are so 'cheesy' IMO. They're not cheap but they ARE cheaply made with plastic trays, etc. I was looking for a small metal cage with a metal pan. I was going to Texas to pick up a flyer and I certainly didn't want any escapes in the car.
This is the cage I bought.
http://t.petco.com/product/11381/Prevue-Hendryx-Cockatiel-Small-Parrot-Cage.aspx
It only has one flaw. The 3 white plastic feeding bins come out and leave a hole in the cage. The plastic panels fit in the slots and cover the holes but I feel this is an escape route if busy little squirrels started chewing the plastic. I haven't done it yet but it could be easily fixed by sliding a thin metal panel in the slot.
It is a great first cage for baby squirrels. They would graduate from the Sterilite bin to a cage like this. I really like it. :thumbsup

[island rehabber]

If you can get a small and medium sized Marchioro cage like this:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25921,

they are terrific "first" cages for 6+week old babies. The plastic bottoms are three times thicker than other similar cages and I have never had a squirrel chew out of one. AVOID THE SUPERPET BRAND from Petco; I blew $75 one Sunday on a medium-sized Superpet for three 8-wk olds. They chewed a hole in it within four hours.....:shakehead

For my bigger cages I love the Marshalls and have three:

http://www.ferret.com/item/marshall-folding-mansion-ferret-home/650715/

For squirrels, I love them because the bars are wide-spaced enough to let you put food or syringes of formula in right thru the bars. When they are young and sweet you'll think "why would I want to do that?" but if you're rehabbing correctly (allowing them to wild up), by the time they are 10 weeks old some of them will want to separate you from your hands and you do NOT want to have to open that door. :grin2

[FourWands]

If you can get a small and medium sized Marchioro cage like this:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25921,

they are terrific "first" cages for 6+week old babies. The plastic bottoms are three times thicker than other similar cages and I have never had a squirrel chew out of one. AVOID THE SUPERPET BRAND from Petco; I blew $75 one Sunday on a medium-sized Superpet for three 8-wk olds. They chewed a hole in it within four hours.....:shakehead

For my bigger cages I love the Marshalls and have three:

http://www.ferret.com/item/marshall-folding-mansion-ferret-home/650715/

For squirrels, I love them because the bars are wide-spaced enough to let you put food or syringes of formula in right thru the bars. When they are young and sweet you'll think "why would I want to do that?" but if you're rehabbing correctly (allowing them to wild up), by the time they are 10 weeks old some of them will want to separate you from your hands and you do NOT want to have to open that door. :grin2


This is all really good stuff to know. Thank you!

[SammysMom]

Shop Craig's List. You would be surprised what you find for a reasonable price. Since you have time to acquire them, start shopping now.:thumbsup