Critter Nation by MidWest Homes for Pets Double Unit Small Animal Cage, Habitat for Rats, Chinchillas, Ferrets, Sugar Gliders, Tool-Free Assembly, with Full-Width Doors, Shelves & Removable Base Pans

This is an exceptionally well-built and sturdy cage. It may even be overkill depending on your use case but we cycle through regular small animal rescues and see this as being useful for years. Our current inhabitant is a young opossum who appreciates the room to roam during her nightly wanders when we can't let her out. The multilevel design is not only great for the animal but convenient for allowing different "rooms" for eating, sleeping, play and bathroom (if your animal is one that picks a dedicated spot). Along with the trays, it makes it much easier to keep clean as there's no need to clean the whole thing every day. One tip: I noticed reviews that mention needing a mallet to get the sides seated. You might, and I thought I would as well, but I found that holding the sides perpendicular to the cage, lining the posts up with the holes and keeping them so, then tilting the wall up and into position did the trick. It's tight tolerances for certain, and I appreciate that in the build.

I ordered the Deluxe Critter Nation for $250 and it arrived the next day. The box was not damaged at all. HOWEVER, there was, unfortunately, some damage to the cage from the factory itself. One side panel has a scratched up bar. I don't mind the damage and have it hidden by facing the panel toward the wall in the back. The top door panel has a lot of issues. The two doors are slightly offset. I believe there was a mess up in the factory since the door panel originally came with the doors slightly scratched and the tab blocking the doors shut. The bottom bar on the panel was also bent because of this, but thankfully it was not permanently disfigured. One of the doors also swings fully open on its own when unlatched. I will probably end up requesting a new door panel from the company. Not sure if they're going to replace it for free, though (will update!). This defect is the main reason my review is four stars instead of five. Assembly…Putting the first half of the cage together was a breeze! Then, while setting up the second cage on top, I ran into a problem and had a bit of a rough time. The pegs at the bottom of the top cage's panels were supposed to slide into the holes on top of the lower cage's panels. Unfortunately, one of the pegs was slightly bent and I was struggling trying to get it to fit. I was thinking I was going to have to return the entire cage since I couldn't get one of the side panels to secure. I ended up using a rubber mallet to hammer the bent peg straight and it worked. Basically, assembly would've and SHOULD'VE been simple if it weren't for that one defect. Customization…I didn't find much information about cage customization through reviews here, so I'll offer some myself. This information is true for the Deluxe Critter Nation only. Lower cage: the half-shelf has to be on the right side (facing the front of the cage). It has three different heights with pre-cut holes to slide the shelf hooks into. Upper cage: the half-shelf can be on either side of the cage. It also has three different heights with pre-cut holes to slide the shelf hooks into (on both sides). Shelves: if you didn’t notice in the product pictures, there are bars underneath the half-shelving to hang hammocks on, which is so awesome! Ramps: The ramps work for any of the shelf heights. They can be attached to the middle, far-left side, or far-right side of the shelf. (This does NOT apply for the ramp giving access from the lower cage to the upper cage. It cannot be moved.) Being able to adjust the ramps on the shelves is super convenient for working around large items in the cage such as wheels. The ramps also unhook very easily for cleaning/switching covers, which is awesome. Material…The metal material of the cage seems strong and durable. However, damage is very noticeable. Scratches appear white on the dark gray metal due to paint removal. The trays are black and made of regular plastic. They aren't too heavy nor too thin, they're just… plastic trays. They fit on top of the shelves securely, and rest on top of the main floors (but don't shift around at all). The ramps are made of metal with wide bars (please cover them to protect your pets’ feet!). The ramp covers are very soft and have a dark purple side and light blue side. They slide on easily and have a Velcro attachment at the top. Haven't washed them yet, so I'll update this once I see how well they hold up in the washing machine. Size…I kept noticing people online saying that the single Critter Nation was enough space for four rats. I looked at pictures online and thought “there is no way that is enough space for four rats.” I was very wrong. However large you think this cage is in-person, it's even larger. Due to the width and depth of the single Critter Nation, you could definitely keep four rats in it. I would do four at MAX, however. I have three girls currently and they definitely did not need the Deluxe (which could quite comfortably hold eight rats), but they seem to love having the extra space to play and run around so no regrets. Might have to adopt more rats to fill the space! 😉 Though assembly was frustrating and the door panel is somewhat defective, I'm still giving it four stars because that's just how awesome this cage is. I’ll up it to five stars if the company is willing to send a free replacement door panel. UPDATE: I contacted Midwest Homes through the form on their website. After emailing customer service and sending pictures of the damage, they contacted me and let me know that they are sending a replacement door panel! They responded quickly. Very thankful for Wendy! ---- UP. 2: New, non-defective door panel arrived not long after and all is good.

Very sturdy and well made with a lot of room!! Finally found a cage that wasn’t made cheap!! Well worth the price and best of all not made in China!! I would advise not buying all those other cages advertised on Amazon they are very cheaply made and no room. It was so easy to put together once I figured out. I really really recommend!!

Awesome cage for my rats. The gaps between the bars are perfect for my young boys. They're 6 weeks old and unable to fit through to escape. Putting it together was doable by myself. The only thing I needed was something to cut the zip ties. It took me less than an hour to put together. I need to put in more things for rats to play with and explore but they just stay in the bottom half for now. It's a really sturdy cage and definitely worth it to get such a good quality. I'm 5'6 and the cage is only a few inches shorter than me, so it's plenty tall for rats. The metal is thick and well made too. The doors all open for easy cleaning and the shelf at the bottom is a nice little space for storage. Each level has a thick cover that would hold up to chewing. Its got a ton of space for adding toys and things for exploration. I would definitely get this if you have the money to buy it.

I'm not an official Amazon product reviewer, I'm just paying back the favor to all those who wrote reviews on products they bought. I base every product I buy off of the reviews I read and I feel as though this product needs more reviews that aren't just complaints about having to put together something that takes longer than five minutes. I had been searching for a cage on the Internet for a week before I sucked it up and spent the couple hundred on this one, WITH the added suspense of some of the terrible reviews this cage had gotten. I have three, four-week old Guinea pigs, and let me just say that this cage is the perfect size for all three. Please refer to pictures to see cage in all its glory. The hooplah about the difficulty of putting the cage together and parts of the cage being bent/faulty: I live in Hawaii, and my cage came with no dents in the box, and every part of the cage looked like it wasn't beaten up during the shipping process. I am a 20 year-old woman, and so I enlisted the help of my boyfriend to put this thing together. I had read every single review about this cage and knew before hand that we were going to need a rubber mallet (and I might recommend a power drill, just to make the process a little faster). First off, the cage is shipped so that the only part that you need to screw together is the base shelf (where I stashed my pigs' food). Once you put that together, the rest of the cage is just fitting the metal studs at the bottom of every side of the cage into holes. Pretty much it's like a gigantic lego cage is the best way I can put it. As far as having to use a rubber mallet.... The only time we used it was to shimmy the cage square-enough to put the metal studs into the holes for the top cage, and even then it was not like we were pounding it into misery to get it to fit. All together, it took us 30 minutes to erect my pigs' cage, and it is sturdier and nicer than any cage I could have built on my own. The only reason why I am giving this cage four stars is to give an accurate review for others, because despite this cage being awesome and all I can understand why some might be unhappy with it. The manufacturer labels that you don't need any tools to assemble the cage, which might be true, if you want to make it an arduous ordeal and crack a couple fingernails. Honestly though, it doesn't require a whole toolbox to put together. I'm lucky that my boyfriend is a construction worker so he already has the tools, but asking to borrow/rent these for an hour tops is not a big deal. Also, the top cage's gates aren't square, which aesthetically isn't all that bad and the gate still works perfectly fine being a little off, but I can see others being upset about that. The big surprise with this cage purchase is that mine came with the sleeves for the ladders! I can't remember if the product stated it came with those, but I'm glad I didn't have to buy those separately. All in all, I absolutely love the cage, and so do my pigs. I have my girl and two boys separated (bottom cage's ladder folds up so make two separate cages). The doors on this cage are HUGE which makes feeding/cleaning/catching very easy as manageable. The bottom shelf is great for my pigs' food. Only things I recommend buying at the same time (if your budget allows) are the higher splatter guards. Ten minutes after being in there one of my pigs pee'd off the side that is up against a wall and ended up peeing on the wall ._____. That's why I have the pareu on the back, cheap and fast fix to that.

Over all the cage is well constructed. It's made out of what seems to be wraught iron by the weight of it. It has a very thich coating of paint that should last a very long time, unlike some cages which chip off and rust within a months time. The total weight of the double critter nation is about 90 lbs. So, be sure to have some help getting in the house when it arrives. I used a 2 wheel dolly to get mine in the room it was to be setup in. It was packaged well, plastic to ensure that the pieces did not get chipped up in transit. I would have liked to have seen cardboard or styrofoam layering though. Mine came FedEx, but I have no doubt if it had come UPS it would have been damaged by the way it was packed and knowing how UPS throws stuff around. I worked at Lowes for awhile and saw this first hand on my visits to the shipping/receiving docks. Some may be put off by the base shelving being shallow, but it doesn't bother me since my rats learned fast how to use a litter box. So, I just use an old T-shirt or something to cover the shelves, making their shallowness a plus for me since it's easy to wrap the cloth around the shelves. I like the fact that you can use it either as a double or a single unit. Right now I have it setup as a single unit until I can get the girls use to their environment and get enough coverings stocked up for 2 sets of shelving. I didn't think I would want or use the storage area under it, but it turned out that the first thing i did after getting it was filled that area up with food containers and baby wipes I use to wipe down my hands after holding and the cage when cleaning. When you first get the cage it may seem too big, but my girls love the extra area to run around in...and it fills up with toys and hiding areas quick. The only issue I had with the cage is the paint coating can make it hard to assemble. You have to work with leverage to get some pieces to fit together. I was putting it together by myself and tried to force a side on and ended up having a caster break on me. Which brings me to the only other issue I have. The casters are very thin walled for the weight they will be holding up. They are an eight of an inch in some spots and easily sheared off if one is not careful. At some point I see myself picking up some better quality ones from Lowes. A positive about the whole deal would be the customer service from the manufacturer. They were pleasent and said they would have me another caster in the mail asap. To conclude, if you want a high quality habitat for your little pets then this is the cage for you. I don't think you will find a more well constructed, beautiful cage than this. For me, it was all about buying quality from the beginning and not having to buy another cage a few months later after sinking 100 bucks on a cheaper one. This one will last the life of my girls and on into the lives of my next pets that call it home.

I've had this cage for 8 months and have put it through moderate to heavy use, but I don't see it giving out anytime soon. Mine came with all the pieces intact, though one of the trays was cracked along the edge (it didn't affect the functionality so I didn't ask for a replacement.) I assembled it mostly without issue in about two hours. It is huge. I'm about 5'3 and I'm head-to-head with this cage. It's very large inside as well, and most of the room comes from the vertical space, which makes it great for animals that climb. It is a bit cumbersome and has a large footprint, but aesthetically it's not an eyesore. The durability has been great, the whole cage is sturdy and seems very well built. Nothing has bent or broken. There is some rusting beginning in the corners where the cage connects, though. Portability has been a hit and miss issue for me; the wheels are uncooperative and frequently stick or freeze up when I want to take it across the room (note: the locks on the wheels work very well and the cage doesn't budge when they are engaged), but on the other hand I have had to move it up two floors and it was extremely easy to pull apart the two levels and carry them up separately. The cage is surprisingly lightweight without sacrificing that sturdy feeling. Cleaning is fairly easy; the two largest trays are a bit difficult to remove and need to be tilted at a 45 degree angle before they will fit through the cage opening, but once you get them out they are as easy to clean as any piece of hard plastic. The bars are easy to clean as well. I've noticed that anything in the corners of the top level (food, bedding, waste, etc) will fall easily to the bottom level, which can make things messy if you're housing animals separately. The bars are horizontal which makes them easy to climb, whether that is a pro or con depends on what kind of animal you're housing. The spacing of the bars is very small and I don't think even the smallest rodent could squeeze through, but buying accessories that lock onto the cage wall becomes difficult because only certain types will fit. The latches for the doors stick frequently and can be noisy (some WD-40 might fix this but I'm too afraid of the toxicity to try it, I may try vegetable oil in the future), but they require a fair amount of pressure on the top and bottom to open, so even if your pet could figure out how they would most likely not be physically able to. Tips - When you're assembling the cage you'll need to attach the sides to the bottom by placing the round pegs at the corners into the corresponding slots. There are small, black, plastic placeholders in all of the slots, presumably meant to help them keep their shape during shipping, and the pegs will not fit into the slots until you remove these placeholders. They have small holes in the middle which makes it look like they're supposed to be there, so it took me forever to figure this out. - If you can't get the pegs to go in the slots, place a folded towel over part of the cage to avoid damage and use a hammer over the towel. - The ramps will have a slight bend in the middle, this is intentional and makes them easier for your pets to descend. Don't try to unbend them. - The Amazon price for this cage (by Midwest Homes for Pets) fluctuates wildly. I've seen it for >$300 USD and as low as $219 USD. If the price is over $219 when you're considering buying, and you can afford to wait a while, it will come down. I would definitely recommend this cage!

Double Check Before You Buy This I bought what was supposed to be a critter nation under this listing. It is called the critter nation (at least currently), and described as model 161/162, which is also the critter nation. However some of the questions and answers under the product refer to the ferret nation, and the pictures in the description and customer pictures are of both. I'm not sure if they use this listing for both and switch between them or what, but it makes things very confusing and they should fix it. I received the ferret nation instead, I couldn't exchange it from the seller since they didn't have the other in stock, so I had to send it back and reorder it for a higher price. I suppose I should have been a little suspicious because I had never seen the critter nation that cheap before... But the point is, whether you want the CN or the FN, as long as this listing is still confused with the pics and description, contact the seller and make sure you're getting the one you want before you buy it. As for the actual cage itself, it is a great cage. This is my second one, and I attached the two double cages side by side to make a quad. It is spacious and the design is decent. I would highly recommend it, but wait for it to be on sale. The CN is great for rats, the bar spacing is small enough that they can't get out and they are horizontal so it does allow climbing. The layout is made so you can hang things almost anywhere, and if you want to separate the top and bottom sections of the cage (either for cleaning or separating the animals) you can by hooking the ladder up. If you want the separated at all times you can also switch the top and bottom pans so the hole is covered. The wheels also make it easier to clean. It does have some flaws though. It can be hard to put together because the pieces don't always line up perfectly and you will need to hammer them into place. The new shelves are a bit uneven as well. The old shelf pans clipped under the shelf, and they were very nice but more difficult to clean. The new ones fixed that, they are much easier to clean and have a lip now, but they are not quite as secure and sometimes they sit on an angle, though it shouldn't cause any problems. And some people do not like that the cage doesn't have a pan for bedding/litter, however liners are much easier and if you really want you can buy pans that fit the bottom. I love this cage for my rats, but I'm not so happy with amazons listing at the moment, if they fix it I will change this.

This is a great cage! Honestly one of the best cages you can buy for rats! The only thing I don't like is for the price it could be built a little better! Overall it's really good, the issue is the doors! Like everyone else has said, the doors are crooked and don't quite perfectly lock in the holes. They will shut and they will stay shut, but you've got to be careful and make sure you close them properly and push them in, otherwise you might end up coming in the room to see your rats have escaped and are sitting on top of the kitchen counter 🤦 So just make sure those doors are locked shut! Or perhaps could get some clips or ties to make sure the doors are even more secure! Other than the doors... It's a great size! Sturdy and look great! All doors open fully, so it makes cleaning easy! And lots of space and bars and hooks on the ledges to hang stuff. You can keep the ledges in or take them out. You can DIY wood or plastic guards around the bottoms to keep bedding in and so they don't kick it out all over the floor. And it has a fair amount of space underneath for you to store their food and toys and is easy to move around. Definitely happy with the purchase.

Der Käfig wirkt sehr robust, der Zusammenbau war relativ einfach (hab ihn alleine aufgebaut). Er ist extrem geräumig und man kann sehr viele Versteck- und Klettermöglichkeiten anbringen. Für den Preis Top! Meine 5 Köpfige Ratten Bande tobt schon den ganzen Tag darin. Der Abstand der horizontalen Gitterstäbe beträgt 1,3 cm und ist auch problemlos für weibliche Ratten geeignet. Einziges Manko bei mir war, das eines der vorgestanzten Löcher im Metall, welche die Halterungen des Zwischenbodens aufnehmen, nicht ausgestanzt war und ich musste mit der Bohrmaschine durchbohren, war aber relativ easy. Die Bezüge für die Halb- und Volletagen und auch ein Streuschutz für den untersten Boden gibt es separat zu diesem Käfig zu kaufen. Klare Kaufempfehlung meinerseits.

Easy set up, recommend at least a hammer to help but easily done by 1 person. Really lovely locking system on doors, doors are large and can easily get inside of cage to clean. Was amazed about the size, absolutely huge! Highly recommend for any rat owner as bar spacing is perfect and the horizontal bars make hanging hammocks and other toys and such super easy!

This is an amazing enclosure for our four dwarf rats. They have so much space to run around and play. Great quality too!

Facile à monter, très grande pour mes 3 bébés rats , espaces entre les barreaux assez serrés pour des bébés d1mois . Super cage en tout cas .