Ware Manufacturing Chew Proof High Rise Pet Cage for Small Pets

Before I purchased this, I looked up all over the internet trying to find info on the wire bar spacing of this high rise cage and could not find it. So, I took a chance and ordered it anyway. Now, I can share with others the bar space measurement, which is very important to know when you have small pets! The bar spaces are 3/8-inch(which is 1 cm). I got it to use for mice and have not had any trouble with escapees. There was one corner where one bar is distanced further, so I cross-wrapped some wire around that small spot, so that I wouldn't have to worry about my mice making the great escape. I would recommend going over the cage before you put your pets in to make sure there are no areas like this...all it takes is one spot a little wider than the others and small mice or hamsters can slip out.Also, in the item description here on Amazon it says the measurements of the cage are: 19-1/2-inch width by 11-inch depth by 10-1/2-inch height. However, this is not the actual measurement. As stated on the box it comes in the measurements are: 20 1/2 width by 10 3/4 depth and 10 1/2 inch height. This fits perfectly on a ten gallon aquarium. Also, the Amazon description says that it comes with a wheel and tunnel tubes, which it does not. I am going to email Amazon, so that they can correct the description. It does come with a water bottle and food dish. I already have a water bottle, though, so I didn't even try this one. (edited to add that I tried the water bottle just to see if it works...it leaks like crazy! With some adjustment, I got it to stop leaking out the metal ball part, but then it started leaking at the seam where it screws together...so it went in the garbage!)This cage comes folded up with all the sides all ready connected to the top, so you just attach the J hooks of the sides together and then attach the shelves and ramps inside. It comes with two shelves and two ramps, which with the aquarium makes it a three story house. I didn't have any trouble assembling it...it just takes a little patience attaching the shelves inside, as you have to maneuver your hands and the shelves around the inside of the cage to connect them. They are also attached with J hooks. It says you don't need any tools, but I borrowed my Dad's pliers to pinch the J hooks tighter where the ramps connect to the shelves. My mouse that I had in another cage always got under the ramp and would bump it(maybe trying to move it) and when I tested these ramps by putting my hand under them and giving them a bump, they lifted right off. I didn't want my mice getting hurt by falling ramps, so I just pinched those hooks tighter with the pliers and now they are secure.When I was considering buying this, I was confused by the conflicting reviews, as some said it was great and others said it had broken and bent wires, etc. But, I knew Amazon always gives 100% refund if an item arrives damaged, so I went ahead and ordered it. No problem with mine, so hopefully the company that makes these has better quality control now.On the box, it states the cage is for hamsters, gerbils, mice, and rats. I really can't imagine a rat having enough room in there when they're full grown, but I've never had a rat before(only mice), so maybe I'm not the one to say. I just always love my pets to have plenty of room and for mice, this gives them lots of fun space. The mice cages at pet stores seem so small, so I had been using a big plastic bin, but this is much nicer(no plastic...yay!) and easier to view the little critters. It has a large snap door opening in the top, so you can reach in to interact with your pets. The cage is easy to lift off...you just lift the spring loaded clamps on each side and it lifts right off. Those clamps are attached to the cage and you pull them down to clamp under the black rim of your aquarium. But, they are SPRING loaded, so if you have children, be sure they know not to fiddle with them...when I first took the cage off the aquarium, I just snapped them up and they jumped up like a gerbil...you wouldn't want a child's hand to get hurt or startle the inhabitants of the cage. The cage feels secure on top of the tank; I tried rocking it back and forth and it stays securely. I have found it works great for mice.I made an extra shelf to put on the second story, so now the second story is a full floor. I used metal grating like the type used for these shelves. I got it at a hardware store (I got the more expensive kind, because the less expensive kind had rough metal). I cut it to size with overlap on the front and back...that way the overlap is what holds it in place when I clamp the cage on. I attached felt around all the edges to cover any sharp points where it was cut with wire cutters.

My mice would give this five stars, but I can't be that generous for a couple of reasons. My female mice love this thing because it expands their living space vertically and they love climbing and sitting high up on the top shelf. I had to temporarily use it on a tank for my males, who grew up together and get along well enough with the occasional squabble, but they have been fighting much more since they've started using it and I think it is because they are establishing territories down in the tank and up in the cage. I have eight bucks in there, and I think the living space is a bit small for that many anyway. I recommend using this for fully grown adult females with a ten gallon tank as the base. It is probably not the best mouse habitat, but it works well if a ten gallon fish tank is the best you can do. This product makes that a lot better.The pros:- doubles the amount of living space- promotes climbing- allows easier access to fresh air instead of being confined within glass walls- comes with a plastic food dish and water bottle- you can hang things on the bars, including the water bottle, which doesn't hang well on the rim of a tank- the shelves can be customized a little bit (I used the ramps as smaller shelves by tying them to the bars and provided sticks so the mice can climb up. It gives them more usable living space)The cons:- it's a little expensive in my opinion, but if you don't have space for a larger tank, then it is probably worth it- it is not easy to reach down through the cage to the bottom of the tank- it often rains food and dry poop on my desk because it goes right through the bars- you have to clean it often enough so their pee doesn't corrode the wire mesh of the shelves (you should be cleaning their tank regularly anyway, but this is a pain to clean. I just rinse it in the shower and dry it with a paper towel)- the bars are not always spaced apart correctly, which can have devastating consequences. When my mice were about a month old, I had them in this cage and one of them went through the bars and ended up on the floor where one of my cats got her. It was horrible and you really have to watch out for that risk. I had to use floral wire and wind it between the bars that seemed to be spaced farther than normal. Now it is no longer a problem, but it doesn't look that good and it took me a while to do. Also, be wary of the space between the cage and the rim of the tank. One corner might fit on the rim really well, but another might not. You have to ensure that all sides are pushed down on the tank enough that the space between is equal to or less than the spacing of the bars. If you miss a side, they can escape. Usually, the mice will escape a couple times before they learn that life is better inside the cage rather than out, but unfortunately for Pip, she didn't have a chance to learn that.Another thing worth mentioning about this cage is that I've read that you should put down some kind of bedding over the mesh shelves for their feet. They are too lightweight to get "cage foot", but I guess it's just better if they aren't walking around directly on the mesh. If you put bedding on the shelves, they will scatter it everywhere, so I put little mouse blankets in the areas they like to sit in the most. I made them with pieces of wash cloth and hand towel with stitching around the edges. What's great about them is that they get pooped and peed on, but I can wash them easily enough in the sink with dish soap, hang dry them, and put them back in. The mice sometimes throw them on the floor, but I figure that's their problem and I just fix them next time I'm in there.Overall, this product isn't bad for me, and my mice love it. I love watching them enjoy it, but I just wish I could have prevented Pip from falling victim to my cat. Apparently, checking the spaces between the bars is a normal part of inspecting a cage before you use it, so please take that seriously, especially if you have cats.

A lot of edges where fine pieces of wire intersected were very sharp, and at least 5 long pieces of wire exposed. I had to snip them off, and then file hard/sharp edges off. Took a lot of time, and I'm not 100% sure I got them all. And now I question longevity of the cage as wire was not entirely encased in the plastic coating. Be cautious and inspect, and be careful when assembling. I discovered the issue when the wire jabbed me!

After searching high and low and pricing out many different options I decided to try this. My son has a pet rat that has been kept in his 10 gallon aquarium since Christmas and while that seemed good as a baby, now seems a little small and boring for her. We could fit little else in there except her hiding tube and food bowls. I was curious if she would like this and if it would be as good as the design, but for anyone with limited space this is a fantastic option. It was awesome to see Lola climb the ladder and investigate the levels as soon as I assembled and attached it to the top of the aquarium. My son is easily able to remove the top to clean out her home. It looks neat and tidy and best of all still keeps all her bedding inside the aquarium as opposed to other type cages. (she likes to push it all up in one corner or another to hide her treats) I would highly recommend this purchase to anyone looking for more space for their little critter it's just too bad I can't charge Lola rent to pay for supplies! lol

This was very easy to assemble and the wire cage was sturdy enough. The mesh platforms were also well made. The ladders are a little hard to keep in place as the gerbils keep dislodging them. The gerbils are good climbers so the shorter ladder is not that necessary. Super easy to install on the tank. My only issue, I only realized after installation, was that there was no water bottle or food ball included, as advertised on the box. Not a big enough deal to complain about to the manufacturer though. Overall I would recommend this product for your critters!

Pretty neat design. With the wire cage, you can add your own additions and whatnot. We have an 8" wheel for our Gerbil to run on that actually fits on the bottom level of this (hung from the very top), and we wired in a wooden platform as well... I like it that we can put his food on the top level, which keeps wood chips out of it -- and allows us to see how much food he has left or needs. The water bottle is also attached, and having it on the outside (with the spout inside) is a big plus - he's less likely to move it around and inadvertently get water dropping onto his bedding. The bottle that it comes with, though, is plastic -- I don't trust gerbils with anything plastic, so we replaced that with a thick glass one. These toppers basically double the floor space for your pet, but allow you the benefit of using an aquarium tank, which keeps bedding and wood chips from spilling out (or to a minimum). At first, our gerbil wasn't too confident going up and down the longer ladder, but within a week he was moving up and down at will without any problems.

It didn't work for me.