GENERAL DESCRIPTION> The Prevue 485 is a well-designed, well-built general purpose cage, suitable for medium size birds and other animals. It compares favorably to $400 cages in pet stores.> Especially notable features are that all 3 cage shelves are "lift-out-able", and two very large doors (on the right side of each level) provide easy access.> The cage is an attractive almost "wrought-iron" pewter color. This "night camouflage" color scheme is also perfect for hiding droppings.> The legs of the cage are rubber tipped--a nice feature if you decide not to use the rollers.QUALITYVery good construction quality. Fair quality-control and sub-assembly. Mine arrived in perfect condition, except for a few barely noticeable dings and a few bent bars (easily straightened). However, the "flanges" which hold up the "lift-out-able" shelves were not well spot-welded. I suspect that after several years of use (and rust) one or more will fail and will have to be reinstalled with screws. Note that this is a moot point with the middle and top shelves anyway, because these shelves are also (optionally) secured with screws.HEIGHT> Some reviewers complain that the cage (at 54" tall) is not as tall as it looks. Actually, the height may be ideal, particularly for parrots. If your parrot is lower than your eye-level, then you are "dominant", and he/she is likely to obey you, otherwise not. It might be coincidental, but my Senegal, which bit me at least once a month when living in a taller cage has not bitten me since I moved him to a similar Prevue FO40 cage a year-and-a-half ago.> The vertical design is convenient for home-owners, but not ideal for birds. Height (elevation) is important to all birds, and socially significant for parrots. Parrots (particularly) will make little use of the bottom half of the cage--unless you place all the appealing toys down there. (But, if you do that, they'll quickly become covered with droppings and therefore become unappealing).BAR SPACING> The horizontal bar spacing of 7/8" limits the cage to medium or larger animals. In the case of birds, that means adult parakeets (budgies) or larger. An great advantage of the larger bar spacing is that you can feed your critter snacks by hand, or scratch its head without opening the cage. I suspect also that your pet has a more pleasant view outward.> The vertical bar spacing of 4 1/2" limits the potential placement of perch poles, and is too far apart for critters (including birds) who like to crawl up the sides of the cages. I'd have preferred a 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" grid.TOP SHELFLike the bottom and middle shelves, the top shelf is "lift-out-able", that allows easy access for cleaning, installing large platforms, etc. The top shelf shelf contains a closable hatch with a 6" x 6" opening, supplied with a sliding door which snap locks closed (if desired). The small hatch provides access for medium size animals to the top, if for example you want to install a playground on top of the cage. The top shelf can very easily be replaced by a 3/8"--1/2" thick sheet of plywood if desired, which would also be "lift-out-able", and could be customized to any design the user desires. Both the middle and top shelf are (optionally) secured in place by two screws each.MIDDLE SHELF> The middle shelf contains a hatch with a 6" x 6" opening, supplied with a removable door. Simply by closing the door, the cage can be converted to two cages (albeit waste will fall from the top to the bottom cage). The size of the hatch which limits the upper size of your pet to ferrets, hamsters, or medium size birds (such as conures, Senegals) etc. The hatch is a bit tight for Amazon parrots, cats, etc.> For larger critters (cats, dogs, rabbits, racoons, Macaws, etc.), you can simply lift out the shelf, but then you'd probably need to add additional platforms or shelves. Alternatively, the shelf can very easily be replaced by a 3/8" thick sheet of plywood (with or without hatches), which would also be lift-out-able, or you could cut a larger hole in the supplied wire shelf.BOTTOM SHELF AND WASTE TRAY> A black plastic waste tray in the bottom slides out for easy cleaning.> The bottom shelf (just above the waste tray) is "lift-out-able", but does NOT slide out (as does the bottom shelf on the very similar Prevue F040 cage).FEEDING TRAYS, DOORS, ETC> The cage is NOT supplied with any feeding/watering trays, so you will need to purchase these separately. (But see "Other Recommended Accessories" below.)> The 485 cage is NOT equipped with feeding doors. However, you can use a skinny spoon to fill feeding trays though the bars.PLATFORMS, PERCHES, AND LADDERS> Some reviewers report that their cages came with metal platforms--but my cage came with plastic platforms. I do not know how well the plastic platforms will stand up to chewing animals (including parrots). The platforms with my cage did NOT have the circular holes shown in the photo.> Perches (20 1/2"-long) can be made from ordinary dowels. I use "Home Depot" "48-inch hardwood dowels". Softwood dowels are quickly destroyed by parrots. Indeed, my Senegal parrot's favorite "chew toys" are 24" softwood ladders. It is best for birds to use a variety of sizes of perch poles, or natural branches which vary in diameter. Caution, many natural branches contain toxins; in general fruit tree wood does not.> Two or more perch poles installed parallel to each other made good platforms. Alternatively, solid platforms can be made with 20" lengths of board, with nails at the corners to act as prongs.> Three plastic ramps were included with the 485 cage, which are probably fine for rodents and ferrets. However, for birds, 2 or 3 standard 24" wooden ladders are good replacements for the ramps.DOORS AND DOOR LOCKS> Some reviewers mistakenly assumed that there are two doors on each of the two levels (a left and a right door). But as the photos clearly show, only the right side on each level is a door. The one large door (on each level) provides excellent access, and the fixed left side provides needed placement points for the platforms (or perch poles) on the left side of the cage.> The stainless steel door locks are a cleaver critter-proof design. However mine did not initial work as designed, mostly because they were poorly manufactured/installed. Simply tightening the screws is a great improvement (so that the screw heads do not interfere with the action). Then a little fiddling with a hammer and pliers restored the locks to their designed functionality. Note however that the locks are NOT childproof and cannot easily be made childproof.ASSEMBLY> As in assembling all such "furniture", initially install the screws loosely (i.e., with perhaps 1/4" remaining to be screwed in), and tighten all when finished.> The instructions are fairly good, and assembly is very simple, but requires some talent at assembling such things.Steps:-- screw leg frames (F1 & B1) to base shelf (C1), and optionally insert the wheels-- insert lower door panel (F2) into top of front leg frame (do NOT install screws)-- insert lower back panel (B2) into top of back leg frame (do NOT install screws)-- install side rails (L1 & R1) with screws (which also secures the bottom of the lower door panel (F2) and the lower back panel (B2))-- place lower side panels (2 of L1, L2, L3 or L4) in place and install screws in bottom of the lower side panels (do NOT install the upper screws)-- insert upper door panel (F3)into top of lower door panel (do NOT install screws)-- insert upper back panel (B3)into top of lower door panel (do NOT install screws)-- install upper screws in the lower side panels (which also secures the bottom of the upper door panel (F3) and upper back panel (B3))-- install (with screws) the upper side panels (2 of L1, L2, L3 or L4)-- install the three cage shelves (C2, C2, and C4), then slide-in the plastic waste tray. The shelves can be "dropped" in place as you build upward, but you should wait on installing the retaining screws on the sides until the last step.> No tools are needed except for the included allen wrench. However, there are alot of screws. An electric screwdriver with a hex bit the right size makes the project much easier.> The cage can be assembled by one person, but a helper can make it easier.> It can be a little difficult to align the screw holes for the top and middle shelves. A large screwdriver can help, to pry the shelf into alignment, so that the holes match upHOW TO IDENTIFY THE COMPONENTS> BASE--The leg frames are [-shaped pieces. The one with the dangling "bell" goes in front (F1), the other is the back (B1)-- The base shelf (C1) (at the very bottom, above the wheels, is the only shelf with holes at each of the 4 corners.-- The side rails (L1 & R1) are the smallest pieces in the box and are obviously rail-line. They are NOT interchangeable. The forward end of each is open; the back end of each is closed.> CAGE SHELVES: The large simple (without plugs) panels are the shelves.-- The middle (C3) and top shelves (C4) have holes on the short sides, the bottom shelf (C2) has no holes.--- The top shelf (C4) has a sliding door built in.--- The middle panel (C3) has a removable swinging door built in.> FRONT DOOR PANELS: Obvious because they are the only panels with doors. Note that the upper and lower door panels are NOT interchangeable.-- The top of the lower door panel (F2) has sockets in the top edge.-- The upper door panel (F3) does not have sockets.> BACK PANELS: The large panels with "plugs" on the bottom side. Note that the upper (B3) and lower (B3) back panels are NOT interchangeable.-- The top of the lower back panel (B2) has sockets in the top edge (into which the "plugs" of the top back panel (B3) fit).-- The upper back panel (B3) does not have sockets.> SIDE PANELS: The small panels (L1, L2, R1 and R2), all are interchangeable, but must be installed with the flange toward the top.> SCREWS: All the screw, except 4 short screws, are the same and interchangeable. The four short screws are to optionally secure the top and middle shelves (which is the last step in assembling the cage).COMPARISON TO THE PERVUE FO40 CAGEI have had a Pervue FO40 cage for several years for my medium-size Senegal parrot. Recently I inherited a Yellow Napped Amazon, and purchased a Prevue 485. The smaller Senegal got the new cage because the platforms and center-platform hatch are a bit small for the Amazon. The 485 is 1 inch taller than the FO40, but otherwise the same dimensions and of similar construction.PROS> The middle shelf of the 485 makes a nice needed large platform (no middle shelf is included in the FO40).> The "lift-out-able" top shelf of the 485 is makes access for cleaning and installing large items (e.g. tree branches, breeding boxes) much easier.> The sliding hatch in the top shelf of the 485 makes easy critter access to the top for playgrounds etc.> The huge front doors of the 485 make easy access or cleaning and installing large items (e.g. tree branches, breeding boxes) much easier.> The small plastic (or maybe metal in some shipments) platforms of the 485 are nice accessories.> The larger bar spacing of the 485 makes it possible to pet your pet's head, and hand-feed him/her without opening the cage.CONS> The slide-out lower platform of the FO40 is much easier to clean.> The feeding doors of the FO40 provide more options for placement of feeding watering dishes (NO feeding doors are included in the 485).> The included perches and feeding trays of the FO40 are a bonus for owners of small birds.> The closer bar spacing of the FO40 is more suitable for small birds (such as finches or lovebirds).OTHER SUGGESTED ACCESSORIES> For feeding/watering cups, I recommend It's spacious and gives lots of room for my little furry monster. I bought this cage a few years ago for my chinchilla and she loves it. There lots of room and it's multi level so she can jump around and climb the walls. A down fall is that bedding and other things get stuck between the metal bars and the plastic stands and immediately became a pain to clean, same with the bottom floor where the metal bars are above the platic draw, thing get stuck in the cracks and it's really difficult to clean. I have had to replace all the platic shelf's in the cafe with wood because she gets frustrated and eats them while I'm asleep. The bars are easy enough to wipe down but still very difficult and if you don't want things spilling outside the cage you need to buy or make cafe liners for the sides so thing don't fall out. Overall a great cage and it is really easy to customize.I purchased this product for my other half’s rats and they absolutely love it!It is very easy to clean the bottom tray slides out but I chose to not put the bottom grate on as it makes it even more easy to clean.I can’t seem to get the ramps to stay on but they only occasionally fall probably not putting them on correctly.Other than that 10/10 product highly recommend!Plastic platforms extremly thin and bendy for even 1 rat to be on never mind a ferret , ramps dont fit properly to them keep falling off, bars are easy to bend, had to use mallet and pliers as cage wouldnt size up properly overall really small for price £140, better cage at half the price is cosy pet range had one previously rco2 cost £70 was larger and certainly more sturdier, would advice to keep looking at other cages as unfortunatly there nothing positive I could say about this cage.Assembly could have been easier, as although each part was labelled, the labels didn't correspond with the printed instructions! However, after a bit of swearing you should get it together. Some of the pieces were welded at angles that were way off 90 degrees. The frame went together OK, but these bad angles make it slightly wobbly, and also may cause the welds to break as I assume they are under some strain as the rest of the frame is trying to push them back to 90 degrees.The actual cage is a great habitat for 2 or 3 ferrets, and has some nice features like being able to remove the litter tray without the ferret(s) being able to escape. The floor sections can be removed easily enough for cleaning, and the top and bottom can be isolated via a clip on trapdoor cover, once you remove the ramp.I was advised that walking on the bars is bad for ferrets feet, so I cut a piece of OSB board and inserted it in the middle section, but you could use a piece of doormat or hardboard. The bottom section can't be covered as the ferret wees through the cage floor into the slide-out litter tray (which we fill with sawdust). Poo tends to be too big to fall through, so the cage floor needs lifting out to be hosed down - which is where the isolator trapdoor comes in handy, as you can lock ferret in top section while you clean the bottom.I ordered this cage for my new pet ferret. I'd spent a good while looking at several & I chose this 1 based on the size, amount of space, & the good reviews, with pics. It arrived speedily which was great, & obviously arrived in a large box. On opening the box, each piece of metal frame was individually wrapped, & they were cable tied into sections (for example the front & back were cable tied together, the side pieces were all together, etc), & came with an Allen key & screws to fix it together. It did come with instructions, with diagrams, but the instructions weren't the best to be honest, they just provided a rough guide to follow. Also, the metal frames were quite hard to slot together, some pieces needed a little force, but we got there in the end. I couldn't put the cage together myself so 1 of my housemates kindly did it for me. It took about 2 hours! The cage itself is pretty sturdy, & is of a good size, however, when it came to putting in the plastic shelves, I couldn't attach them to the cage as on both of the platforms, on 1 side, the plastic clips were snapped, - which is how they arrived, so I had no way of fixing them to the cage. For the price of this cage I am really not happy, as I have a cage, but with no platforms or ladders, & as you put the plastic shelves in at the end once the cage is built, there's no way, after all the trouble putting it together, am I going to dismantle it all again to send back! I have requested a partial refund due to this, but for the price, this is not something you would expect. My only other grumble is the fact that the cage actually rattles when you walk past it or around it, which is a bit annoying. Overall I'd say its an 'ok' cage. It seems to be secure & has plenty of space, but it's not very good quality for the money, & I deffo wouldn't buy this cage again.This cage has provided my 2 male rats with plenty of space to roam about. They love it. Only downside is that the doors only open to the right side and not both doors. This make it slightly difficult to get in to clean underneath. Also the stairs are quite steep my rats where cautious at first but once brave enough mastered them fine. My rays also are not keen on wire flooring but I have lined mine for them. I like the fact that it has wheels which makes it easy to move around to hoover under. Easy to put together sturdy and generally good value for money