A new home for the troublesome twosome!

The Ferginator would like to remind you,

spoiled is something found in the fridge.

I was never truly happy with the aquarium. It was kind of small for two boisterous boys, it didn't seem to have a lot of air traffic, and they couldn't climb. So, on and off I've been looking for a new home for them. The first priority was it has to be all metal - those little teeth can chew through plastic like you wouldn't believe.

I did a Google search a couple weeks ago and came up with various WARE products. Amazon had the one pictured above on sale for a rediculously low price so I snagged it for them. It's about the same width and depth as their aquarium, but it has three shelves above the floor and many added bonuses. Of course, Amazon refuses to ship anything to do with animal products across the border to Canada (its not worth the issues of what is and isn't legal, I'd imagine), so my brother sent me to http://myshiphappens.com/  They're a service that you plug in their address, it gets shipped to them, they email you when the package arrives for you, you go down, pay them $5, and then you drive home. Often that $5 is miles cheaper than what the difference in price between Canadian and American shipping would be. Basically, you're saving on the cost of hassle for whatever shipping company having to deal with customs. I think in the 10 minutes I was in the building, they made $40. Friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful people.  Definitely a plus for any Canuck who orders from the States and is a reasonable distance from the border! (I think it was 20 mins driving, 5 mins border lineup going south, 10 mins going north, 20 home.. with a stop at Petsmart to pick up some more litter and food.)

Anyway - the new cage! Their wheel attaches to the bars of the cage. Hallelujah! No more bouncy noise from their wheel(s)! And trust me, Fergie tried for a while. He was sitting in the wheel, facing out, swinging his butt back and forth for a while (so rather like a sideways rocking chair) and then he tried jumping up and down a few times. A minor squeek that I probably wouldn't have heard if the TV was on, and that's IT. Fergie seemed most perturbed at the lack of noise. Freddie doesn't seem to care, he just kicked his brother out and went for a good run before he jumped back down and kicked Fergie out of the food. (You can guess who is the boss..)

Their bottle, oh beauty, now attaches to the cage. Before I had to have it jury-rigged through the mesh on top of the aquarium. So now it's easy to remove, wash, refill, and put back. I can even change their food without having to swear at the bottle for five minutes. Even better, their food is no longer resting on a shelf that a cunning Fergie had learned how to tip so I'd have to refill it. (This would produce the satisfying byproduct of him getting more sunflower seeds.) I'm sure sooner or later he'll come up with the bright idea of just shoving their crock off the shelf, but until then I'm not going to worry. That point I'll probably just go get one of those bird feeders that attach to the cage bars. (I'm such a meanie-head!)

Freddie celebrated their new digs by running up and down the walls half the night. That boy is a climber. He just seemed so happy to be able to climb again. I don't think he used the ramps once in his explorations. Fergie climbed a bit and then used the ramps. The bottom ramp will make a little noise if he bounces on his run down. (This seems to make him happy. Little brat.)  So I think I can safely say they're both pretty darn happy with their new home!

Many reviews on Amazon were bitching about the ill-fitting corners. Let me tell you, having assembled countless rabbit cages (aka walled litter boxes since they were never closed), and a few gerbil ones now .. They never fit properly. You always need a pair of needle nose pliers as part of the assembly process. To tighten up the fastenings, sometimes to adjust them, and sometimes just to apply a little BFI(*) to the situation. I may get some twist ties to put in one spot where it bulges a bit. I don't think they could get their heads through BUT, I'd rather be safe than sorry on that one.. Otherwise, worth every penny I paid.


(*) - BFI = Brute Force and Ignorance. ie, when something doesn't fit, apply hammer; when something does work.. apply hammer. :)