The 4 Best Ferret Cages (And Important Considerations Before You Buy)

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Once you have lived with a ferret or a business of ferrets for a while, you will quickly find out that the larger the ferret cage, the better. Ferrets love to run around and explore, jump, burrow and hide their belongings. Extra large ferret cages with multiple stories and ramps create the perfect spacious environment for your lovely fur-balls.

This guide will provide the top picks on the four best large ferret cages for sale, as well as everything else you should know when buying one or more of these cages for your ferret.

Part One: Lets get started with the top picks!

The four cages below are ranked by price. However, keep in mind that these prices could change at any moment, so the ranking order below might not always be in line with the current prices.

Midwest Deluxe Ferret Nation Double Unit Ferret Cage

Large Luxury Cage for the Modern Ferret

Here is a quick breakdown: The Midwest Deluxe Ferret Nation Double Unit Ferret Cage is spacious, well built, easy to clean, and looks great in any space. This cage is one of the large double units you can buy, but it is stacked on wheels, which makes it easy to move around an apartment or home.

There is plenty of space, and the large doors allow for easy cleaning. The shelves are larger on this model than on other models which are a plus for this cage over others. Generally, for the money, this is an excellent buy and great home for a ferret. This unit is also great due to its size for multiple ferrets.

Size: Large Two Story Space – 25” x 36” x 63.25”

This cage is on the larger size of all of the available units. However, it is vertically stacked so that it doesn’t fell big at all. Since it is on wheels, the upper unit is high enough so that the ferret can watch what is going on around the room, and you can watch back from the couch or bed easily.

It always seems unfair to get a cage that limits the crawling and climbing space. So, this double unit cage feels like a great home as it has lots of room for running and climbing.

Structure: Full Width Double Doors and Leak Proof Pans

The structure itself is well built and the metal side panels feel very sturdy. The construction of the cage didn’t require any tools and it takes very little time to assemble. It takes all of twenty minutes to unbox and completely put together.

There are two very important features on this cage model:

First, each unit has a full height and full width double doors. So you can literally open up both sides for super easy cleaning. Most other models come with either a half door or only one door.

Second, each unit has a leak proof pan that fits the full width and length of the bottoms of each of the units. This was an added bonus that the other cages don’t have, and it keeps the shavings from all falling through. Easier clean ups are always a good thing.

It is also good to note that the metal bars of the cage mainly run up and down, which makes it harder to climb, one of the only down sides to this cage.

Utility: Two Large Shelves and Three Covered Ramps

The utility of the cage, meaning, the utility of the cage for the ferret, was better on this cage than the others. Besides there being more room, this cage has two advantages:

First, there are three covered ramps. The ramps are available for the other cages, but with this cage, the covering is optional and can be set aside or used and washed easily.

Second, the shelves that are included for each of the units are bigger than the standard shelves for the other cages. More shelf space means more room to lounge, walk around, and nest.

You can find this cage on Amazon here.

 

Midwest Deluxe Critter Nation

Your Luxury Cage For That Condo Lifestyle

The Midwest Deluxe Critter Nation is a great ferret cage for any size, shape, or aged ferret. There are plenty of advantages to this cage over many of the competitor cages. The price is on the higher side, but for the price you are getting a superior product for your furry little friend.

There were very few downsides to this cage. The space is plentiful. The doors are easily accessible and there are two of them. Both units come with shelves, ramps and floor trays.

The major down side is that, though the trays are fantastic to have, they should be deeper to avoid spray of shavings through the side.

This unit is also great due to its size for multiple ferrets.

Size: Large Two Story Space – 25” x 36” x 63”

This cage is one of the larger ferret cages you can buy. Size does matter when it comes to your ferret’s quality of life. So, here there are two units that are stacked on top of each other with a covered ramp that connects the two.

Each unit has a shelf that covers half of the floor space of each unit. Because the two units are stacked, it can easy be pushed around on its wheels and parked in a corner or along the wall. It doesn’t feel too large in spite of it being a double unit.

Structure: Full Width Double Doors and Leak Proof Pans

The cage itself is fully metal that feels completely solid and doesn’t seem to appear loose. This is good as the construction of the cage doesn’t require any technical ability and just easily snaps together in all of fifteen minutes.

The double doors on both units are amazing for cleaning. It is so easy to open one or the other to scrap out the shavings or install a new toy or do anything inside the cage.

Often, these cages have small doors or openings that make it difficult to work in or clean out. Each unit has a plastic leak proof mat that has small sides or lips to it.

As stated above, it would be nice if the sides were taller to fully protect against the spray of shavings out the side. But the fact that it comes with two trays in and of itself is great.

The cleanup is much easier and it is simple enough to create larger sides with cardboard or balsa wood.

Utility: Two Large Shelves and Three Covered Ramps

Any ferret is going to appreciate this cage. There are three important benefits here:

First, the bars on the cage are horizontal, which makes climbing around the walls much easier. More exercise!

Second, the ramps come with removable covers, which can be easily washed or not used.

Third, the shelves cover half of each of the units’ floor space. This makes it seem like there is much more room for the ferret or other small critter to play, roll around and nest on. Much more useful than the small shelves that doesn’t seem to be useful at all.

You can find this cage on Amazon here.

 

Prevue Hendryx Black Feisty Ferret Cage

Midtown Ferret Life at Half The Cost

The Prevue Hendryx Black Feisty Ferret Cage is a well-constructed and spacious “middle of the road” ferret cage. It isn’t quite as nice as the luxury models, but for the price point it is definitely a top pick of all of the available cages.

The biggest benefit to this model is the size of the cage and the full size doors. It doesn’t have a leak proof pan for each of the units, but it does have an easy access drop pan that is below the bottom unit.

This means you don’t have to open the cage to clean out the drop pan. The shelves for each of the units are smaller but completely adequate with sturdy ramps to each level.

This unit is also great due to its size for multiple ferrets.

Size: Large Two Story Space – 20” x 31” x 54”

This cage is a “middle to large” sized cage. It isn’t a monster size cage, but the two-unit structure gives it a very spacious feel. Since the units are stacked on top of each other, there is a nice vertical depth that gives the feeling of more space.

The more you need to climb or can climb up, the bigger the space feels. Plus it is really only a few inches smaller than the luxury units. So, with this unit you are really going to maximize your dollar per square foot value.

The cage rolls on wheels that can be easily locked, and it doesn’t feel like it is too big for any single space. It also has a shelf at the bottom where you can store food, shavings, or other odds and ends.

Structure: Full Width Single Doors and Single Drop Pan

The bars generally run vertical, which does means there are less climbing rungs, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a lanky ferret. There is a single door on each unit that is the full height of each unit and half the width. This makes access to the interior of either unit incredible easy, particularly for cleaning or rearranging the furniture.

The cage has a single drop pan that sits below the bottom unit. Unless you put in extra paper or other shelving, the shavings will drop through the cages bars but will be easily caught by the drop pan. The cage itself is simple to construct and is stable.

Utility: Two Quarter Sized Shelves and Three Plastic Ramps

Though it has two connected units, it really is four levels with three ramps. Each unit has a plastic shelf that connects the bars of the cage that is about a quarter the floor space of each unit. So, they are pretty big and easily accessible by the attachable ramps.

It would be advisable to rubber band a washcloth or something like that to the ramps to make them easier to grip. Besides being plastic, the ramps clicked into place and feel completely stable and secure.

You can find this cage on Amazon here.

 

Prevue 490 Pet Products Corner Ferret Cage

Post-Modern Corner Cage With a View

The Prevue 490 Pet Products Corner Ferret Cage is a uniquely designed corner cage. It has a pie sliced shape so it can fit nicely in any corner of your home or apartment.

Though it is one large unit, it holds four metal shelves for vertical climbing and a drop pan below the bottom floor. The doors are on the smaller side but still allow plenty of room for cleaning and rearranging.

The ramps that run from shelf to shelf don’t require added pads or cloth to grip as they come grooved for extra grip.

Its massive size makes it great for multiple ferrets or other little friends as there is floor space and plenty of shelves to find an empty spot to play or nest.

Size: Large Single Story Corner Space – 27” x 39” x 63”

This is one of the tallest units available and is one of the most uniquely shaped as well. However, the uniqueness of the design is actually incredibly useful as it backs into a corner with ease and adds a sense of security due to the fact that two of the three walls of the cage are “covered” by the walls of the building.

It does feel like there is a lot of wasted and empty space in the cage since there is only one floor and four smaller shelves, but after some time it doesn’t feel unused.

There is lots of room for jumping and climbing since there is no second story divider floor.

Similar to other larger cages, this one is attached to wheels, so it can be rolled around on the floor and has an accessory shelf for shavings, paper, food and extra toys.

Structure: Two Stacked Central Doors and Single Drop Pan

The drop pan in this cage is one of the nicer drop pans because it is metal and looks like a small drawer. It is a minor point, but it makes the aesthetics of the entire cage appear much fancier as compared to having just a black plastic pan suspended below the bottom of the cage.

There are also two doors that make it easy to access either the floor of the cage for clean up or the upper shelves of the cage for organization and more cleaning. The doors are a bit small, but their sizes don’t seem to be a major concern.

Utility: Four Quarter Sized Shelves and Four Grooved Plastic Ramps

The majority of this cage is powder-coated wrought iron so you could probably drop it off the roof, and if it bends, just bend it back into place. It isn’t breaking anytime soon.

Even the accessory shelves are metal. The only things that are plastic are the ramps that connect the shelves. However, they are only slightly smaller than the width of the shelves themselves. So, there isn’t much utility in them.

To save room and make the shelves seem more spacious, you can easy ditch the ramps, at least if your ferret is ok with jumping. The shelves are closely positioned and easy enough for a ferret to reach. The extra effort even adds a bit of fun to the whole set up.

You can find this page on Amazon here.

 

Part Two: Your Guide to Choosing the Best Ferret Cage

Ferrets have two extremities in their lives: when they sleep, they do so for up to 16 hours, but once they wake up, they take full advantage of the energy they have stored up, making them one of the liveliest animals during the few hours they are awake. To help your pet live a fulfilling life, you will find that the type of cage, as well as how it is set up, is important.

Cage Size

If you have one ferret, then the minimum recommended cage-size would be 40 to 60 inches long, 20 to 25 inches wide, and 20 inches high. This will allow ample space for your ferret’s litter box, food dish, bed and a play area. However, if you plan on having more than one ferret, then you would need to get a bigger cage, or most likely have multiple cages stacked on top of each other so that there is ample room for more litter boxes, beds, and dishes.

If you´re wondering what would be considered a large ferret’s habitat, the most likely setup would have the following specifications: 36 inches long, 25 inches wide and 62 inches high. This type of layout would probably have two big cages stacked on top of each other with an extra area at the bottom for storing your ferret’s gear.

The size of a ferret’s cage will also depend largely on how much space you have in your house, where the cage will be located, and your daily schedule in terms of being at work versus staying at home. The longer you will be out of the house while your ferret is alone at home, the bigger the cage should be.

The size of your ferret’s habitat also depends on when your ferret is sleeping and awake, while you are away. For example, if you know that you are going to be out of the house only when your ferret is sleeping, and will most likely always let your pets come out of the cage to play when you arrive home, then a huge ferret cage might not be that necessary.

But you would need to be consistent with this type of schedule and habit to ensure you give your ferret the space they need to move around freely. Also, read our article on how to set up a ferret cage to create the best environment for them to feel comfortable, free and entertained in the cage.

In fact, most people find ferrets to be the perfect pet because of the way these pets’ sleeping schedules coincide with the pet owners’ working schedule. For example, if you have a typical 9 to 5 working schedule, it could pan out very well if your ferret sleeps until 5 o’clock and then plays with you for the last 4 to 5 hours of the day before you go back to sleep.

This also provides you with ample time to feed your ferret, give them some exercise, as well as maintain and groom them. In this case, your ferret might still decide to play a bit more in its cage before finally going to sleep at roughly 12 to 1 in the morning. But once again, this depends largely on your ferret’s sleeping schedule compared to yours, and either way, having a bigger cage will ensure that if your schedules were to go out of sync, your ferret will still have ample space in its cage to move around freely.

Keep in mind that regardless of how big your ferret’s habitat is, whenever possible, always let them out to play and run around in your home, with supervision. Ferrets are very curious animals, and to stimulate their curiosity, they love exploring places.

By simply leaving them in the cage, you will kill their spirit, which finally could be one of the main factors to them leading a very short life. In the end, when you adopt one of these beautiful creatures, the goal is to make them part of your family and not simply just another ornament.

Play as much as you can with them, and let them use the cage as a home and not as a place that makes them feel captivated.

Ferrets are very social animals, so it is highly recommended to have more than one of them to keep each other company. Even if you decided not to have another ferret, this is something you should still factor in when buying a cage, because you might find that somewhere down the line you could change your mind. If this happens, you won’t have to worry about buying a new cage to cater for more than one ferret.

Single or Multiple Story Ferret Cages

The question many people ask is, what is better, a single story or double story ferret cage? A popular choice is the double story layout, because these types of ferret habitats offer more benefits over their single story counterparts. Double story ferret cages allow more space for your ferret without taking up too much space in your home.

The two story models also help to separate the litter area from the rest of the living space in the ferret’s cage, making it far more efficient to maintain proper hygiene and optimized sanitary lifestyle for your pet. Another great benefit of two story ferret cages is that they allow more ways for your ferret to spend up their energy as they would have to constantly climb up or down to move from one cage to another (a small benefit to consider when there is no place in the house to have a wider layout with just a single story cage).

If you have two or more ferrets, this is a great way to provide ample space in such a way that they can also have their “own” space when needed. While these cute pets love the company of each other, there are times when they will want to be alone, and to ensure that you provide this essential need, the two story ferret cages can be a great solution.

Cage Type

Ferret cages should be well ventilated, so buying enclosed cages that don’t allow for ample air flow will be detrimental to your ferret’s health. A common mistake many people make is by thinking they can buy a huge aquarium for their ferret. Aquariums are a very bad idea because they do not allow sufficient airflow, which creates an unsanitary environment for your ferret.

Instead, always opt for cages that have walls which have sturdy wires closely placed together. The main reason for this is to provide the most comfortable environment for your pet, and it is also an effective way to avoid the concentration of the musky smell ferrets are well known for.

While most ferrets in America have been descented, which is done by removing their anal sacs, these animals are still known to have a notable musky odor. So if there isn’t enough ventilation surrounding the ferret’s living space, this musky odor can quickly accumulate, creating an unpleasant environment for you and your pet.

A well ventilated ferret cage also provides the perfect temperature for your furry companion. Ferrets don’t handle very cold or very hot weather well, which is the reason why they are known to make excellent house pets. Inside your home, you normally have a consistent room temperature that is perfect for your ferret.

While it is important to buy ferret cages that have walls which have sturdy wires closely placed together to prevent the ferret from squeezing through, try to avoid cages that have a wired floor, because the paws of ferrets are not designed to walk very well on these type of surfaces. In fact, it can also cause unnecessary injury to your pet.

Instead, find a cage that has a flat, solid surface, as this makes it more comfortable for your ferret to move around without injuring itself or causing uncomfortable pain over the long-term. If you are unable to find a cage with a flat surface, make sure you cover the wired floor with some type of filling that prevents the ferret’s paws from getting caught between the wired floor.

Cage Design

First and foremost, avoid buying ferret cages that use painted or pressure-treated wood or that contain any type of metal that has toxins such as lead or zinc as this can be very bad for its health, and your health. Also, while it is important to look at factors such as the quality of material used to make the cage, whether it’s ventilated or not, and whether it has ample space, this is not enough.

More thought has to go into the actual design and layout of your ferret’s home to ensure that it doesn’t only live comfortably, but that its environment is safe as well. For example, the cage should have sufficient space that allows for a dedicated litter area and an equally dedicated space for your ferret’s food and water, which should be completely separate from the litter area.

It would also be ideal if its play space or other areas of movement are free from both the food area and littler box. So the more space you have, the better it would be. Cages with double floors become more ideal for this type of layout. Your ferret’s cage should also make it possible to securely fix the litter box, food dish and water container so that they don’t topple over. This will also prevent the ferret from using these items as toys.

A good cage design also makes it easier to place or remove accessories for your ferret such as toys, food containers, water containers, litter boxes and hammocks. Avoid cages that have small doors or sliding doors, as these tend to make it more difficult to insert or remove anything from a cage.

Large doors that open on hinges are ideal. In fact, if you’re able to find cages that are designed with the full part of the front wall being the actual door or double doors that open outwards on hinges, you would be good to go. By having the complete wall open up in this manner, it is easy for you to use both hands and arms to place, remove or move things around inside the ferret cage without any difficulty. This becomes even more helpful when changing the litter box and cleaning all areas of the interior part of the cage.

Cage design should also be focused on being ferret proof. In other words, the bars on the cage should be close enough together so as not to allow the ferret to escape through it, or to get one of its limbs or any other part of its body stuck between the wired bars in such a way that it could get injured.

Another area within the cage that you need to think about when considering your ferret’s safety are the gaps that allow your ferret to move from one floor to another. This area should be big enough for your ferret to climb through, and there should be no sharp or pointy edges, or anything else, that could injure your ferret.

Conclusion

Take your time to think carefully when considering what is the best ferret cage to buy. This is an exciting time, and you want to make sure that you provide your new companion with the perfect habitat to ensure its happiness in his or her new environment.

The more you focus on your ferret’s health and well-being, the less you will have to worry about taking your pet to the vet due to unnecessary sanitary problems that could have been avoided in the first place. Remember, your ferret should be considered a new member of your family, so treat them the way you would any one you cherish dearly.

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