Any Advice On The Quality Of These Bars On Cages? :)

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My DIY Zooplus Skyline Maxi has been functioning well attached to my make-shift run extension, but I am seriously hoping to buy a new purpose built cage as the maxi cage bars are beginning to show signs of wear (in just over 6 months) and patches of paint have some of the bars and rust is appearing - I do keep the cage very clean but am questioning the quality of the paintwork.

I keep coming back to these three:

Ferplast 140 (not sure about the lack of top opening though) - heard this is a good make though.
Little Friends 140 rabbit 140 - like the size and openings but no idea if the bars are too thin or any more durable than the maxi
and the elusive 'Trixie 150 cage' which I can't seem to get anywhere, or without a hefty deliver cost to N.Ireland.

So the questions is are the bars on any of these better than my present cage, would they be any thicker and would they rust at all/or less quickly?

Thanks if anyone out there can reply based on their experience with them.:cake::lol:
 
i have the little friends 140 cage i got it off littlepetwarehouse and the bars arnt bad i wouldnt say great as mind arrived damaged but they would keep piggies in fine i think most store bought cages rust after a bit even my chinchilla one is starting too :(
P1000415_zps99ab42f8.jpg

not my picture of it but its the same as this one x
 
I have the ferplast 140 and have had it for almost 4 years and the bars are still in perfect condition. The door opening to the front is huge. I can fit my whole upper half in it to get the piggies out. To be honest I prefer large front openings to top openings :)
 
I've had two ferplast cages and neither have had any problems with rusting. The only issue I have had is a slight bend at the top of the cage where the opening is split. That and I hate the little squares in the base that make cleaning a bit harder but I have put stick on tiles over the bottom.
 
Lucy1666 said:
i have the little friends 140 cage i got it off littlepetwarehouse and the bars arnt bad i wouldnt say great as mind arrived damaged but they would keep piggies in fine i think most store bought cages rust after a bit even my chinchilla one is starting too :(
P1000415_zps99ab42f8.jpg

not my picture of it but its the same as this one x
Click to expand...
thanks for the pic, I do like this one as it has a good amount and size of openings - love your chins! I used to have one years ago, very cute! x
 
aimzer said:
I have the ferplast 140 and have had it for almost 4 years and the bars are still in perfect condition. The door opening to the front is huge. I can fit my whole upper half in it to get the piggies out. To be honest I prefer large front openings to top openings :)
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I have read alot of good reviews about the quality of the ferplast cages, my only concern is that I have a new older kitten and she loves to mooch around the cage, the top openings are really handy for when she's about as I can interact with the piggies without her nosing in - I also find its really easy to clean my cage from above as I use liners. Cant put cage on stand, but I suppose if only one part if opened up while the cat is around I should be able to interact with the boys without her getting in - something to think about!
 
Harry&lloyd said:
I've had two ferplast cages and neither have had any problems with rusting. The only issue I have had is a slight bend at the top of the cage where the opening is split. That and I hate the little squares in the base that make cleaning a bit harder but I have put stick on tiles over the bottom.
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I think I read that somewhere too, and it does concern me as my present set up doesnt bow (though it rusts - and I prefer non rusting to bowing!)
I use fleece liners so hopefully the cleaning shouldn't be too bad? I am really swaying between these cages!

And I found a liberta 150 model on the net last night which is similar to the trixie one I liked, but not sure if its too big - in height! :doh:
 
We have a two tier 120 Ferplast cage which I love. I have used it with the bases side by side to make a square cage and also as two hospital cages one on top of the other with the opening closed up and ramp removed. The bars are good quality.

If you are going for a single tier Ferplast on the floor then you might wish you had a roof opening but you could buy two of those IKEA lack tables and sit the cage on that perhaps then the lack of roof opening should be less of an issue.

I have another cage (no idea what brand as it was given to us) which has a roof opening only and I prefer the ferplast front opening.
 
PiggySmitten said:
We have a two tier 120 Ferplast cage which I love. I have used it with the bases side by side to make a square cage and also as two hospital cages one on top of the other with the opening closed up and ramp removed. The bars are good quality.

If you are going for a single tier Ferplast on the floor then you might wish you had a roof opening but you could buy two of those IKEA lack tables and sit the cage on that perhaps then the lack of roof opening should be less of an issue.

I have another cage (no idea what brand as it was given to us) which has a roof opening only and I prefer the ferplast front opening.
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Maybe its just a case of me getting used to a new style of cage - front opening would be good for cleaning. I did buy a stand for the original part of the cage, but it was so high up the cage dominated the kitchen, so I put it back on the floor which I love. But maybe raising it a small height might be a good compromise. thanks for your help! :)
 
ok, so i am on the verge of ordering either the liberta 150 or the little friends 140 cage.

I would love to go with Ferplast as it has such great recommendations about its quality, but I know I would regret not having top opening access along with the front, as I use the top one so much.

So that also leaves the Little Friends cage which is cheaper, but would I regret not getting the extra volume in the Liberta one. Its a big taller than I would have wanted but seems like a good long term cage should my piggies numbers change in the future.

decisions, decisions! :crazy::))
 
I'm thinking of upgrading Katie & Nalas cage so please can you let me know what you think of it when it arrives :)
 
smileyface:) said:
thanks for the pic, I do like this one as it has a good amount and size of openings - love your chins! I used to have one years ago, very cute! x
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aww thankyou there cheeky little monkeys chinchillas are :)
I'm sure the one you've gone for will be great :)
 
smileyface:) said:
will do, hopefully for me this will do them a long time :)

just got to suss out the outside run replacement now - :))
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I've just bought one of these for an outside run from Zooplus and would recommend it (although the "instructions" to assemble it might as well not have been there for all the use they were!). http://m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/runs_fencing/73280/4_sided/281806

It had an extra £5 off as an Easter offer and I've paid that annual fee to get 5% off any order which is worth it for me as I get their nuggets from zooplus too.

After I'd ordered it I saw this one which was the same price but very slightly bigger. I'd probably have chosen this one if I'd seen it first (but it didn't initially have the same £5 off - later they added it into the offer grrr!).

http://m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/runs_fencing/73280/4_sided/281805

I've also got one of the cheap widely available 8 panel metal octagonal (or other shape you choose to make) runs and the above ones seem more sturdy and worth the more expensive price.

Finally we've got wooden runs. One is the large rabbit run from rabbithutches.co.uk. I really like the good big size of this one - it's slightly bigger than the new metal one I've just got from zooplus. I admit we didn't take particularly good care of it but by the end of last summer (it's first summer with us), some of the hinges on the roof had broken and the mesh side on one panel had come away from the frame at the top edge. At roughly £40 more than the metal run, I would say the slight extra ease of putting it up and moving it about isn't worth it overall but I will repair it and continue to enjoy using it.

Hope that is all of interest!
 
lisaali said:
We have a Ferplast 140 which has served us well for over 3 years..
View attachment 27022

Lisa & Ali.. x
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they seem to be great cages, knowing my luck they bring one out with the option of a top opening too, along with the front opening - then I will be kicking myself wishing I had waited for it! :))
 
PiggySmitten said:
I've just bought one of these for an outside run from Zooplus and would recommend it (although the "instructions" to assemble it might as well not have been there for all the use they were!). http://m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/runs_fencing/73280/4_sided/281806

It had an extra £5 off as an Easter offer and I've paid that annual fee to get 5% off any order which is worth it for me as I get their nuggets from zooplus too.

After I'd ordered it I saw this one which was the same price but very slightly bigger. I'd probably have chosen this one if I'd seen it first (but it didn't initially have the same £5 off - later they added it into the offer grrr!).

http://m.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/runs_fencing/73280/4_sided/281805

I've also got one of the cheap widely available 8 panel metal octagonal (or other shape you choose to make) runs and the above ones seem more sturdy and worth the more expensive price.

Finally we've got wooden runs. One is the large rabbit run from rabbithutches.co.uk. I really like the good big size of this one - it's slightly bigger than the new metal one I've just got from zooplus. I admit we didn't take particularly good care of it but by the end of last summer (it's first summer with us), some of the hinges on the roof had broken and the mesh side on one panel had come away from the frame at the top edge. At roughly £40 more than the metal run, I would say the slight extra ease of putting it up and moving it about isn't worth it overall but I will repair it and continue to enjoy using it.

Hope that is all of interest!
Click to expand...
@PiggySmitten thanks for all the info on these, its really helpful.

I currently have a pop-up fabric play pen, which I got before the boys moved into the house so they could come in the house and I don't feel its secure enough for long period outside as Spud is already nibbling away at the mesh.

I also bought a octagonal run last year with the panels that slot together with the long pins - the panels are really sturdy but I have used three in my temporary cage extension and they are now bent out of shape from doing that! Also I would need to have the top covered with bars as I wouldn't be happy with the net top (my new cat, other cats and the local crow population would soon mess about with it!).

So I am planning to get their dandelion hutch out of the shed (where they used to live but wont be any more) and locate that at the fence at the bottom of the lawn and then link that to a run - these both look really good - trying to decide between those and a folding wooden one.

I did build one myself last year but its ended up far too heavy, doesnt fold, and over the winter its just gone to pot so a lighter folding one would be great.:))
 
smileyface:) said:
@PiggySmitten thanks for all the info on these, its really helpful.

I currently have a pop-up fabric play pen, which I got before the boys moved into the house so they could come in the house and I don't feel its secure enough for long period outside as Spud is already nibbling away at the mesh.

I also bought a octagonal run last year with the panels that slot together with the long pins - the panels are really sturdy but I have used three in my temporary cage extension and they are now bent out of shape from doing that! Also I would need to have the top covered with bars as I wouldn't be happy with the net top (my new cat, other cats and the local crow population would soon mess about with it!).

So I am planning to get their dandelion hutch out of the shed (where they used to live but wont be any more) and locate that at the fence at the bottom of the lawn and then link that to a run - these both look really good - trying to decide between those and a folding wooden one.

I did build one myself last year but its ended up far too heavy, doesnt fold, and over the winter its just gone to pot so a lighter folding one would be great.:))
Click to expand...
I've bent a couple of panels (and lots of the long pins) on our octagonal metal run by stepping over the top to get out and catching my trailing leg on the top - many a you've been framed moment created by me last summer :doh::P
 
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