Modified Super Pet Shelves

[Serenity]

Well I have a Super Pet Ferret Kingdom. I'm pretty sure it's the largest cage that super pet sells. It's 3ft x 3ft x 5ft aprox. not including the wheel stand. It also has 8 shelves. Needless to say its a complete horror to clean.

I've always had a problem with the shelves. Daily cleaning was impossible because of the grooves these plactic shelves have that collect everything like poo and food crumbs etc.

Sooo even though I don't use my Super Pet anymore because I only have one senior rat left I still went ahead and modified my shelves for when / if I get more rats.

What I did is I took peel and stick linolium tiles and cut them down to fit into the shelves just to that they would cover the grooves in the shelves.

This is the result. The top is the unmodified shelf and the bottom is the modified shelf.



I intend to seal the tiny crack between the plastic and the tile but i'm not sure with what yet. I need something non toxic incase some day I get some chewers.

I've only done one shelf so far. i don't want to do the rest until I get some feed back from you guys.

I'm pretty sure all the shelves for all the super pet models are like this so if somebody wants to give it a try on thiers and tell me how it ends up that'd be cool. I'd test it myself but with one senior rattie that doesn't climb that much and lazes in his hammock or the couch all day it wouldn't be much of a test.

[Pink]

I've been thinking of doing the same thing for my new super pet exotics, which I have no use for, since all 11 are happy in the FN.

Pink

[JR1030]

I made a tube kind of thing from flannel that slips over the shelf before you put it in the cage, so that absorbs pee and keeps crumbs and stuff from accumulating in the groove.  And then you can just wash it.

[RatStars]

Do they chew the flannel? I considered doing that but I wasn't sure the tubes would last long enough.

[JR1030]

They didn't actually chew the flannel, but they did find their way under the shelf, and inside the tube as a kind of hammock. 

[CheesyRatte]

Linoleum peel and stick tiles work great for making solid levels. You can just wipe down the linoleum in a few seconds. I used them on my Petco Rat Manor to make the shelves solid since my mom won't let me use fleece. She doesn't want rat piddle in the washing machine.

[JR1030]

What I did is I took peel and stick linolium tiles and cut them down to fit into the shelves just to that they would cover the grooves in the shelves.

This is the result. The top is the unmodified shelf and the bottom is the modified shelf.



I intend to seal the tiny crack between the plastic and the tile but i'm not sure with what yet. I need something non toxic incase some day I get some chewers.

What if you made the tiles a bit bigger so they completely cover the groove, and overlap the edge a bit, so there is no crack to seal?

[chaa]

What if you made the tiles a bit bigger so they completely cover the groove, and overlap the edge a bit, so there is no crack to seal?

*nod nod*

I'm an all-around pet person and also happen to have BD (among other treasures).  And i can tell you from immense, painful experience that unless that grout/sealer/silicone is super perfect and there are no rips/tears/holes/bubbles, things WILL get under there.  and those things WILL mold and rot and generally stink.  And when you go to wash them the water gets trapped inside and makes you incredibly frustrated.  Or, for example, a cricket will wiggle its way under and lay ever so many eggs that make your entire home a cricket-den for weeks.
... ah, well.   you get the idea, i'm sure.   

I'd really recommend re-thinking this technique.  Its a great starting point, but perhaps cutting the lino so it goes over the lip (i have a super pet also, so i know EXACTLY what you're talking about... huge design flaw, IMO) may help with the sealing process.  making some kind of lino 'sleeve' is really the best option.  using non-stick lino with iron-on fabric tape for 'joints' would make it super easy to make a really squashed rectangular sleeve to slide on and off the shelf.

i haven't done it m'self, but i know other users have just drilled holes in the 'pee track' that allowed it to drain.

best of luck, let us know how it goes!!