Ferplast Duna Fun Maxi review!

[crabby]

Hi guys!

Introduction

So, about a month ago I got my two girls, Kane & Abel, on a whim. A new pets@home store had opened up in my area and they were just too cute!

The people in the shop seemed helpful and told me to go for a cage as big as I could afford and that was suitable for dwarfs.

Their largest was a Savic Rody… so I got that.

At this point I thought my girls were guys… which led to a male being adopted and having to split them up soon after :S

My housemate to the male and my Savic off me… So I was back in the market for a cage!

A few took my fancy… The Gabber, Duna Fun and bin cages.

The bin cage went out the window as I have no DIY skills and I wanted their home to be both escape proof and pretty.

I couldn’t find the Gabber anywhere.

So I opted for the Duna Fun. I ordered online and waited and waited and waited! After 4 days of waiting for the order to be dispatched I despaired and tried to find an alternative, because we really needed to separate these guys.

Off I went scouring my area for a big dwarf friendly cage and I hit the jackpot! Porton Pets & Aquatics had a new model in from Ferplast called the Duna Fun Maxi!

Money exchanged and a very cramped car trip back and my girls are in, so here’s my review!


The Duna Fun Maxi!

[attachment=6:3sn9hzdo]DSCF0794.JPG[/attachment:3sn9hzdo]
To start off with, this cage is BIG! It is almost 4 times the volume of a Savic Rody or mini Duna. It has a very deep plastic base which keeps the wood chippings off your floor and in the cage where they belong!

[attachment=1:3sn9hzdo]DSCF0809.JPG[/attachment:3sn9hzdo]
It has a wire mid riff just like the Duna Fun which has vents to attach a very simple (yet highly adored by the girls) tube system between the first level and the ground floor. The tube is big enough for two Robos to pass each other, so I’m guessing it would be an ok fit for a Syrian.

[attachment=5:3sn9hzdo]DSCF0800.JPG[/attachment:3sn9hzdo]
The bars are only 10 mm apart, so they are definitely close enough to stop any adult dwarf from getting through. As I have never had babies running around I don’t know if it would be suitable, however the wire section can be taken out to produce a fully plastic cage if needs be. It is worth noting that the first level sits on the top of the orange base, so any detritus on it can easily be kicked out by your hamsters, so this level needs to be kept quite clean.

[attachment=4:3sn9hzdo]DSCF0801.JPG[/attachment:3sn9hzdo]
The upper floor is large enough to fit at least two large houses. In this picture you can see the house that comes with the cage on the left and the food bowl provided is at the bottom which I use as a sand pit.

[attachment=3:3sn9hzdo]DSCF0802.JPG[/attachment:3sn9hzdo]
The first level is the same size as the top and is currently very empty. (Ideas on how to fill it please! ) You can see, the cage comes with a Sippy water bottle which can be placed on this level by using the supplied suction cups or the lower level by screwing it into the bars with the provided connector.

[attachment=2:3sn9hzdo]DSCF0803.JPG[/attachment:3sn9hzdo]
The lower level is big enough to fit two 6.5” silent spinners next to each other with ease. Incidentally, the wheel that comes with the cage is rubbish and doesn’t come with a stand so can only be connected to the bars on the first level. The silent spinners could be connected to the bars except that they need to go through the top gap and so you can’t twist the yellow bit to make it clasp the bars. (Can anyone think of a way around this?) The area underneath the first level is ideal as a burrowing place... at least my girls think so!

[attachment=0:3sn9hzdo]DSCF0817.JPG[/attachment:3sn9hzdo]
From above you can see how the two levels almost double the floor area of this massive cage. The levels are made of clear plastic so you can see your hammies wherever they are. Also note how the wire lid is held on, by plastic clasps. These provide a very secure grip but can also be disconnected very easily to remove the lid completely.

All of the plastic is well made, thick and solid. The clear pieces are very clear and the orange base is very pleasing to the eye in my opinion. The tubes are well ventilated and yet keep anything your hammies drop in there from falling out and on to your floor.

The wire section is also well built but when setting the cage up, it can be difficult to get the top level to sit correctly without the rigidity of the clear plastic section which keeps it in place. It gets easier with practice, but on the first go I would suggest getting a friend to help.

I love this cage because it gives my girls the space they deserve whilst also giving good access for our human hands. It is expensive at £80, but then again… you are getting the same volume as 4 mini Dunas, and you can’t really get them for less than £20 a pop.

Sorry to say, Kane & Abel did not wish to make an appearance as they ‘need their beauty sleep’!

Summary

Cost: £80
Dimensions: 72 x 54.5 x 41.5 cm
Build quality: Fantastic apart from the wheel and the issue with getting the top level to sit correctly.
Availability: Very new so very difficult to find at the moment.
Accessories: What you expect from a cage – Wheel, Water bottle, Food dish, House, Tubes. All usable apart from wheel.
Suitability: Very large for at least a pair of dwarfs. Also suitable for a Syrian.

PS: Any ideas on furnishings etc for the cage are highly welcome!
And of course any questions about the cage welcome.

Thanks,

crabby

[pophammy]

Your review is great and I'm sure it will be very helpful. The cage looks good too!

[souffle]

That does look like a really good cage and an excellent review. Thanks. How do you find the roof bars fit on? Are they secure? The original duna fun was very difficult to fit and many lids cracked and the clips did not hold it in place well.

[Jessalina]

OMG I want one That is all I have to contribute to the discussion

[crabby]

Glad you liked the review

[attachment=0:2p7cen6f]DSCF0819.JPG[/attachment:2p7cen6f]
The hinge clips are very well made so that they clip the bar tightly but can be easily removed too. The bars are very straight and the opening in the cage has a plastic lip so that there are no gaps for hammies to get through.

[attachment=1:2p7cen6f]DSCF0818.JPG[/attachment:2p7cen6f]
The orange clips hold the other side down and as you can see they are the perfect height so that the lid is completely flat on the plastic lip of the top section.

Even if it was less easy to use, the plastic is good quality so I doubt it would snap.

crabby

[zara825]

I recently bought this cage from eBay for £20 (bargain I know), in pristine condition. I was bought my 3 boy Robo's (although i am increasingly concerned that sam is a girl) from Pets at home for my 23rd birthday, along with the Savic cage, which was all P@H had (a common problem it seems, after reading the above review!), which was all well and good when they were babies, but they grew very quickly and the Savic became far too small in no time at all.
And they love it. I have had to get individual wheels for each of them as they seem to be very territorial over them, so they have the mini silent spinners, which i have attached to the wire section of the cage on the second level, and one freestanding at the bottom. The two levels make for extra room, and all three love running around like idiots up and down the ramps. the base is deep, so no sawdust outside of the tank, although i made the mistake of putting the food bowl on the top level and somehow they have managed to throw loads out of the cage, which baffled me at first but i figured it must slip below the platform and out through the bars.
The bars themselves are close together, so, despite how small the boys are, no escapees!
And there is even enough room for the hamster see-saw toy that they like to play with.
The tubing reflects the natural habitat of the hamsters, and it is also quite fun to watch them running through it.
The only set backs I would say are that, as it is quite deep, it isn't the easiest cage to access your pets with, especially if you have speedy robos, and secondly, if they arent used to a several level cage, they dont really have a concept of height, so they may fall off the platforms (Freddie did this once and frightened himself, but now they see it as a game and regularly dive off the top level as a game when playing chase with eachother). There are sort of 'mini walls' to help prevent this, but it is something to bear in mind if a particularly little hamster is going to be living there.
Also, I'm not sure if a medium to large syrian hamster would enjoy this as much as he would a wire cage, and a particularly podgy syrian may have trouble squeezing through the tube.
This is by far the best cage I have come accross for dwarf hamsters, and would recommend it to anyone considering them as a pet-even my fiance was impressed.
i don't think many pet shops stock it due to its size and price (althougb i am surprised pets at home don't dueto their variety of dwarves they sell), so i would advise going online, and definately try eBay!
It is normally quite expensive, which may put a lot of people off, but for what you get, it is definately worth the money.

ps great review crabby

[happysaz133]

Wow what a great cage! So do you think a Syrian could live happily in one of these?

[shazzy]

I fell in love with this cage after seeing these pics and have tried finding one to buy on the net for the past week.

However, I have since emailed Lisa at Ferplast and she has told me that the cage has been discontinued and is no longer available to buy

It's such a shame...another good cage discontinued - I wonder why?

[furrypolka]

I managed to get one of these cages brand new today for £49. Planning on putting a Syrian hamster in it soon, it is looking good empty at least

[merita]

Oh wow I want one, but eighty quid, phew!!! Will check out ebay.