Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / September 2004

I had to laugh (sorry!) at your post as I had a bit of an ordeal putting my
rats' large cage together too - glad it's not just me!  I couldn't get some
of the metal rods to slot in (they were supposed to go in nice and easy -
pah!) to hold the bits together, I tried everything, boy I was doing some
swearing... I ended up losing my temper and knocking them in with a hammer!
Well, solved the problem...

Have you decided what to do regards spaying/castrating/buying new female
companion for Maggie?

Tracey

Oops, a bit late now (for me too with my old Martin's cage), but I've
seen it recommended to put them together with plastic cable ties
(those kind of "toothed," pull-through dealies ... see link below)
instead of the metal clips so that you can easily unassemble the cage
for storage or rearranging of levels, etc.  And when using the cable
ties, after cutting them, you can melt the sharp ends a bit with a
lighter/match for safety's sake.  Also, depending on how "chewy" the
cage occupants are, you might want to reinforce certain areas with
extra ties (and keep extras on hand for the same reason).

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/images/products/prod_cable_ties.jpg

Anyway, if you are going to be taking some of the clips off anyway
(sure don't envy you that task!), maybe you might want to consider
reassembling those areas with cable ties rather than those dang
C-clips.

hahahaha. i put my 690 together exactly the same bass-ackwards way you
put your cage together. it's still like that, three years later. the
rats don't care and i'm not prying those stupid clips off if i don't
have to!!

you might try zip ties instead of those c-clips. i haven't used them,
but apparently they're much easier and the rats don't mess with them
too much. especially if you ever need to take the cage apart.

---
han solo shot first.
http://shattering.org

My sister did that too!! But she didn't take it off, she just left it like
that.
I've got the ferret ones: F475. I did have R695 but switched to the huge
ferret ones.
I love Martins' cages!!

I also got the 695 for my boys , and it was on backorder for a LONG time
too;p Somehow I managed to put it together with out any problems. However,
the girls cage was a different story, it was the next size down. I managed
to connect 2 opposite sides each off by one rectangle, and of course, one
was off upwards, and the other down:) I don't think I've ever had such a
temper tantrum before that night^_- I'm glad to know I'm not the only one,
lol:)

-Lauren*^_^*

Hi Meghan.  Those are nice cages aren't they?
I have two.  The first one I put together with the C clamps. And I'll tell
ya, those pliers that they send along are a big joke. Of course, I couldn't
find any better ones around town.  When I purchased the girls martin cage, I
used the cable ties. MUCH MUCH easier and less stress on the hands.  So Far
in the year that I've had that cage, I have not had to replace any cables.
They do hold up very well.  I bought the black ties so you can't even see
them on the cage.
If you decide to fix the front, try the ties, you'll like them!
Good Luck
Sue