MidWest Homes for Pets Deluxe Critter Nation Double Unit Small Animal Cage (Model 162)

This thing is a beast to assemble - certainly have at least one other person assisting you if only for bartending duties. I went rogue and tackled the project on my own. I can see that you could make a drinking game with friends out of assembling it for every time someone swears. All will be hammered within the hour. You need at least two people to carry the box to avoid likely permanent back injury - no joking, kids. Indicates "No tools required" and they include this hateful little phillips screwdriver thing that looks like a bottle opener [subliminal suggestion, perhaps, and it's just a tease as it certainly IS NOT a bottle opener], but I opted to use a much better-suited 14V cordless screwdriver and an actual church key bottle opener to make at least some of the assembly easier and the retention of my sanity more likely. Once together, it's an imposing piece of hardware but rolls very easily and has locking wheels for once you get it to where it's going. Castles weigh less. They should make little trebuchets and guard towers as accessories to fit. Maybe even little ferret guard uniforms. Many pieces interlock or otherwise fit together without hardware - nice touch - but it did prove problematic with two of the 4 end panels where I had to enlist the assistance of a block of wood and a hammer to get things to line up and go together. Instructions recommend having a rubber mallet on hand but I'm fairly strong and don't believe that would have sufficed for the couple issues I encountered during assembly. Guessing, actually, the rubber mallet would have eventually been violently thrown thru a window out of frustration and due to the recoil and nailing one's self in the forehead with said device a few times. Very solid and sturdy once together, quite the palace for an ungrateful ferret. Get the optional Accessory Kits 2 & 3, which install fairly easily and should make machine washing a simple task - since the mongrels stare you straight in the eye like a boss while defecating BESIDE their totally clean made-for-ferrets litter boxeS. Total time to assemble: one six pack and half a bottle of wine, but I finished the other half just as a reward to myself.

I love this cage perfect for chinchillas, very big and I love how it comes with the padding for the stairs so their paws do not get caught. Very sturdy, easy assembly, package came in good condition. Definitely worth the money!

Double Check Before You Buy ThisI 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.