cage recommendations for my friend

i have a friend from work that is really wanting to get a 2 sugar gliders. (she has been wanting them for a long time now but is now finally in a place to have the time she needs to dedicate to them) she is trying to plan ahead and hopes to get them in about 3 months or so. i have been helping her to get a check list together to make sure she has everything she needs for when she does get her new babies.

i am having trouble with recommending a cage to her.

her budget is limited so i am hoping to find the cage that would be the "best bang for the buck" for her.

normally i would recommend a PVC cage to her because they are big and inexpensive to make in comparison to a lot of other cages. the problem is that she has 2 dachshunds and i would worry that the dogs would be able to get into a PVC cage too easily. (she plans on keeping the gliders cage in a room away from the dogs but it would only take a second for one of them to bite through the plastic mesh and dachshunds are bred to go after small animals)

what is a good cage that wont break the bank? i found some cheaper wire cages but none of them seem Sugar Glider safe. i also found some nice cages but she doesn't have $250+ to spend on just the cage.

the cage i have for my colony of gliders is homemade. i bought a large roll of pvc coated wire from an approved place (don't worry, its not the toxic stuff) and spent countless hours fabricating my own cage design and putting it together in my husbands workshop (he was less than pleased with me using his nice tools to make a "rodent cage" as he calls it lol.) my friend doesn't have the ability to do something like that so she is limited to cages that she can buy (her husband could help if it needs put together as long as its not too difficult)

does anyone have any ideas of some good cages to look into for her?

This is the one I used until I was able to get them a much larger cage.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Small-Animal-Sug...=item419b996677

The smallest cage I recommend is the Brisbane or Sturdy Cage.

http://www.sugar-glider-store.com/brisbane-cage.html

this cage is great for 2 or 3 gliders. It is sturdy and had a heavy powder coat finish that will resist rust for many years of use. It also has large doors for easy cleaning and decorating the cage for gliders.

The stand will keep the cage above the reach of the dogs.

Have you thought about offering to build a cage for her if she could supply the materials and pay you a little for the work?

Other than that I suggest she just bite the bullet and save up for a good cage. Sometimes you can catch the cages on sale through Exotic Nutrition. I would only really buy a cage or maybe some treats through there, not food, wheels or even toys.

She will need a safe wheel, pick a good diet, purchase bedding(pouches, vines, hammocks, etc.), find a glider experienced vet, and decide what cleaning product she's going to use.

There are many small things to think about that she might as well decide now while she's got the time rather than flipping out at the last minute and causing herself unneeded worry.

Candy, Between the brisbane and the midwest double critter nation which would you choose and why?

Another suggestion would be to check Craigslist for pre-owned cages in her/your area.

If you do, please check the cages up close before you buy. I drove over 2 hours to "purchase" a cage only to walk away from it because it had tons of rust spots.

I have not dealt with a critter nation cage personally and would not choose one for my gliders.

My current cages are a little taller than the Brisbane - but not quite as tall as the Congo. The Congo will be my first choice if I ever need to replace the 3 current cages (which are now 6 years old and still like new)

For me the down side of the critter nation cage is the fact that there is no removable bottom grate over the cage pan.

The cage pan is INSIDE the cage so the gliders would be walking in puddles of pee and other waste and food scraps when they are on the bottom of the cage.

Some people have rigged a support for the cage pan to put it UNDER the bottom of the cage creating a barrier between the glider and the pan - but the bottom of the cage is not removable for the frequent cleaning it needs.

I do not clean my entire cage very often - only about every 3 months - but I do scrub the bottom grate and cage pan weekly because that is where all the food scraps and waste lands.

For me the cage choice all boils down to how easy it is for me to clean and maintain.

i think the Brisbane cage may be perfect. it is a nice cage out of sturdy material but its a lot more reasonably priced than some of the others i have seen. i found it for about $184 after shipping. so that is a lot better than the $250 (before shipping) cages i was finding earlier.




i would offer to build another cage for her like mine but i just don't have the time. i built my current cage while i was pregnant and home on maternity leave with nothing better to do all day. now that i am chasing an 11 month old around it just wouldn't be possible.

im helping her to get a check list together so she can make sure she has everything for her new fur babies before she gets them. she knows that she would like to be able to get them in about 3 months so she is starting to get everything together now. we have a good vet in the area and i am teaching her about the proper diet and a safe wheel etc. i actually just bought a new stealth wheel for my gliders (in a different color) so i am letting her have my old one.

Thank you! I've seen a few people order a replacement floor for it for about 8.00 and then cut the pegs so that it fits snugly over the pan on the inside of the cage so if I go that way I would probably do that!

If your friend goes to Petco and signs up for their email she can get the HQ Congo cage and get a 20% discount on it with free delivery.

I did that last year and ordered 5 cages. Petco calls it the HQ flight cage.