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Concerns about my DCN cage I got off Craigslist...calling all CN owners!

2473 Views 12 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  Rat Daddy, 
D
7
I just got a DCN cage today, used off of Craigslist, and picked it up and now I'm sitting at home assembling it. The guy I bought it from said it was in excellent, almost "like new" condition even though it was used, but upon getting it home and giving it a thorough inspection which I couldn't really do when it was all disassembled and grouped together with zip ties and saran wrap in the back of his truck, I'm seeing some imperfections. For instance, where the parts connect with the pegs and inside of a few hollow metal pieces, I'm seeing some rust. I also see quite a few places where the metal is scratched or the finishing has chipped off. Is this a cause for concern, or is this normal for DCNs to go through in shipping, etc.? Maybe it arrived at the guy's doorstep like this, and these imperfections are normal in CN cages? I don't know if this is a big deal or if it's not a big deal or if this is normal for CNs. I'd love advice on what to do or what you all think about this. I've included pictures of wear on the assembled base so far.

Edit: I've also added pictures of the first level front door panel I'm now assembling. Ugh I don't know what to think about this. Is this a big deal, or isn't it? And what should I do?

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D
Another pic of rust I just found inside the hollow pieces of the side panels:

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Jessiferatu
Rust isn't "like new," not even close. As far as what you can do about it, someone else might have some suggestions for that. Scratches and bent pieces are normal even with brand-new CN cages.
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Amph
Yeah my cage came with a few of those white/grey scratches but no rust at all. They do however rust over time and there isnt much you can do to stop it imo.
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TobyRat
The seller should of definitely told you about the rust and scratches. Critter Nations tend to rust easily though, at least in my experience. It still seems very usable though, I don't think it should cause much of a problem.
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erikablanchettexo
I would file the rust off with a nail file to get some of it off but everything else seems fine. He should have told you about the rust though.

If it bothers you tremendously maybe send him a quick email and send pictures of the damage to it and see what he can do for you. He wasn't completely honest if he said it was "like new"
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H
My brand new one did not have rust.

Now scratches yes it did have some of those and we added more putting it together.

BTW thank you so much for the rubber mallet suggestions when putting it together. It was a life saver!
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Phantom
I would send him some of those pictures you posted above. It is not right for him to sell you a cage described "like new" when it is rusted.

As for the rust, there are some things you can do. When I first picked up my double ferret nation it was badly rusted. Some of the screws were rusted into the cage, the cage bars were rusty, and the insides were rusty too. It was missing three wheels, and all of the pans were either gone or in bad condition except the bottom pan. I did get the cage for free because I helped the person rehome their ferret. What I ended up doing is taking the entire cage apart and sand blasting it. You can't really sand blast the deep insides of the metal very well, but since it's on the inside your ratties will not be able to get to it. After sand blasting my cage I re-painted it with rustoleum (you can pick any color you like), replaced all of the screws and the wheels, and let it sit out for a week to air out.
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D
I mean, this rust is pretty much on the inside from what I can see, and there's a little bit where the pieces fit together, but nothing bad at all that's visible, so I guess there's that. The thing that's bothering me more is the scratches all over it. I went over some of them though last night with a damp towel, and they're either getting better or going away, so some of them have to be tape or something other than permanent scratches or scuffs, which is good.
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xStatic
I would say scratches and scuffs are normal... My cage went through **** and back during shipping and especially during assembly. I had bend pieces that did not go together well and there was a lot of hammering and banging around of stuff and I definitely ended up with some scraped off finish and scratches. I also think the rust is unavoidable. I do agree that the cage is not necessarily "like new" but for a used cage I say it's in good condition. I've seen people on here buy used CN cages that were in much worse condition. I'm assuming you bought it for less than what it would have cost to get it new? If so I say you got an excellent deal because shipping a new cage and putting it together for the first time probably would have resulted in a lot of the same scratches and scrapes as you are seeing on the cage you have now.
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Rat Daddy
I've bought my fair share of $100.00 used cars through the years and in some cases pounded well over another 100,000 miles on them. A little rust and some dents, nicks and dings come with the territory... It comes down to what you paid for the cage as to whether you got a good deal or not. A $100.00 car that can't be made safe and reliable is no bargain, one that runs for another 10 years and goes over a quarter million miles is a steal regardless of the paint job or or virtual lack there of. I suppose the same goes for rat cages.
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M
With regard to scratches, that my be a lost battle - my cage, which I bought new and in great condition, has tons of scratches on it just because some of the premade hammocks/toys have tight hooks that scrape that bars when putting them on. I think it's just something bound to happen, scratches, but the person should have mentioned the rust to you, because that's the opposite of "like new"!
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Rat Daddy
LOL.... c'mon, hasn't anybody ever seen the use car add that reads 1995 Toyota:Like New; 205,000 miles.

Seriously you always check the contents of the package when you take delivery. Or in the case of a used car, read the odometer and drive the car a few miles to see if it's even working. I will buy things sight unseen, but it's because I'm getting a super bargain and I expect surprises. I only ever lost money on one $100.00 used car, prettiest car I've ever owned, but we never could figure out why the engine kept overheating... 4 months and 3 transmissions later we dumped the car at a loss. Still, I got an average of over 70,000 miles on most of the $100.00 used cars I bought and losing a few hundred on one wasn't too bad in the long run, it taught me to avoid shiny things, and if you don't overpay it's not so bad to cut your losses before your purchase eats you.
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