Thinking about downsizing cage

I collected my three beautiful new rescue boys last night, Harry, Stoner and Diego.  

Harry is active and will climb, but Stoner and Diego are very elderly and I'd say even ramps would be beyond Stoner.

At the moment they are in the top half of a Furet Tower. I really hate the Furet Tower! Much too boxy and big for my tiny living room, awkward to clean and re-arrange and a pain to hang hammocks and shelves. (Rant over, sorry!) Anyhoo I was thinking of downsizing. I saw Lazy Bones cages yesterday and I was thinking of maybe getting a three-tier one. I have vet bed to cover the wire flooring and I can cover the ramps, too. (Stoner in particular needs soft flooring.)

The only benefit of the Furet Tower to the boys is that it gives lots of floor space to Stoner and Diego to play in (80cm x 75cm).They'd lose that in the Lazy Bones cage, which is coming in at €110 for a three tier plus stand, including delivery.

Any advice for me folks? Is there a cage out there that'd suit them better than the Lazy Bones? Should I put up with the Furet Tower? I'd only love a cage like the SRS that gives complete access, but it's much too big for my house too!

When Stoner lived with me he stayed on the floor of the furet xl for about a week and then he started climbing with no problems up to the high hammocks. I think he's just a lazy boy who will do as little as possible to find a comfy bed but if the comfiest bed is at the top of the cage he can climb like a young boy!!

He's after making a liar out of me...

No sooner had I posted than he went up the ramp.  

Have you a link to the Lazy Bones cages? Not ones I've heard of!

xx

Here it is:

Lazy Bones Cage

Actually not as nifty as I thought - I thought the front panel of each level can be opened, but nope, only the lid opens that way. There is a door in each level.

Now that Stoner has discovered life in the penthouse suite, maybe I'll stick with half the Furet Tower. It's just such an awkward berluddy thing. I'd love something wider, with less depth. Like a SRS, just not so humungous!  

Oooh! Right, I know them well, our first rats were kept in very similar never heard them called Lazy Bones though. They're based on a design by another Italian cage company, Terenziani - amazing cages <3 there have also been copies before, Critter cages (Critter 1, 2 and 3). Terenziani cages were named the Rodin, Michaelangelo, Moor, and there was another... but I've forgotten!

Anyway - yes, they are good cages, but access can be a bit awkward if the rats are shy and try to hide. You can take the doors off and put them on backwards so they open out, that helps.

I feel your pain with Furets. I've had 4 over the years, all still stacked up, out of use the last... 4 years? I'd guess. Have you thought about an Explorer or Ferret Nation/Critter Nation or Savic Royal Suite?

xx

Oh, thanks for that, Z!

These boys are anything but shy.  They are so much easier to handle than my two jumpy little zoomies, Tola and Cash!

The SRS would be too big. Something half that height would be perfect, like a critter nation 1 maybe, if I could find one. If you saw how much space the Furet Tower takes up in my living room (okay, along with all the feral cat stuff, granted) you'd laugh! Right now it's on the table. I can't stand it against the wall because then I can't reach the curtains. 

Mmm - the half size would be OK then, but not the full - though it's the same floor space of course. Erm... What about a Savic Freddy? They come in Freddy 2 and Freddy 3 (Maxi I think?) - and both are quite nice, though I prefer the access for the Freddy 2 - as the Freddy 3 has identical door and placement, but the cage is bigger :/

xx

I kept my oldies in a rabbit cage and though it wasn't what I'd call an ideal cage for most rats (ie young ones) I found it really useful for Monty when he had HLD and it was high enough to hang hammocks and have a shelf but low enough that he could get in them and of course, loads of floor space.