discouraging cage climbers?

[Petunia]

my kids don't realize how lucky they are LOL they have an entire room to play in, and it's not a small room either
but even with all that room, their favorite thing to do during out time is to climb up the cage and run around on the top of it!!!

it wouldn't be too bad if they would stay put and wait for me to take them down, but no.......
little buggers try to climb off, and only two of them are able to do that skillfully (Evie and Smidgen)

Teddy especially, tries to climb down by himself and he's just not as agile as the little girlies are, he's fallen a couple of times now. It almost seems like he's just thrown himself off the top, because he doesn't fall from half way down, he's on the top of the cage on minute and then THUD he's on the floor!! :shock:
I used to keep big piles of sheets and soft things all around the cage but I'm not fast enough to get to him, and while he's been fine so far, it's only a matter of time that someone gets hurt.
so I've been dragging the DCN OUT of the room, then taking them out of the cage and putting them in their room sans cage

this is not the best solution for me, as I've got bad shoulders;
from dragging the cage back and forth, I've got bursitis in my left shoulder now. :/
(see, I knew someone was gonna get hurt :lol: )


is there any way to keep the cage in the play room but make it so they can't climb up it?

 

[hopefloats]

I have put cardboard on the sides of the cage to stop the climbers. Just zip tie it on. I always take the doors off of my cage the bottom ones and that stops alot of of the climbing the cages.

 

[Petunia]

I have put cardboard on the sides of the cage to stop the climbers. Just zip tie it on. I always take the doors off of my cage the bottom ones and that stops alot of of the climbing the cages.

do you mean from the bottom to the floor, or the bottom sides so that if they are in the bottom of the cage, they can't see out?

do you have any photos? I'm guessing I'm gonna need really big pcs of cardboard!

 

[hopefloats]

I do from the bottom of the cage itself to the top of the lower level. Actually you only have to do a a foot up the sides that will stop them from climbing up, if they cannot grab on they wont climb. I will have to get pictures later i have them but i gotta go to work.

 

[Godmother]

Good ideas! So far I just stay vigilant, ever ready to grab them off the top. They do love to climb, and it's good exercise for them. But it would be nice sometimes just to relax and snuggle them. :lol:

Would you believe that my two-year-olds, one of whom is Stella (brought back from the brink of death by Bromocriptine), are just as busy as the young 'uns at climbing?

 

[mamarat]

I use coroplast on each side of the cages.

 

[jorats]

I do like mamarat. Works pretty good.

 

[Petunia]

great ideas, thanks!

I attached some cardboard for now til I figure out how to cut coroplast

my girls are already checking out the zip ties, mmm tasty :lol:

but so far, it's working great! no one tried to climb up this last play time!

I might need to extend it a bit because Smidgen has springs for legs, and can jump pretty far!

 

[hprats]

Hah! My cage has a little door on the top, and my cage climbers are in the top half of the cage, so I just leave the door open when they're out, then they can get in!