# Building Custom Enclosure



## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

Finally to a point in my life (out of college, in a house I'd like to stay a few years in) that I feel like I can get rats. Been wanting to for literally years! I'm an artist (sculptor) and so I want my rats' cage to be aesthetically beautiful and also I'd just love to have a hand in building their new home, especially since it'll be a few months before I can actually get them (housesitting my friend's hedgehog and want to give her my attention).









So far I have blondewood plywood for the base, just to build off of. I just ordered a 21.5 x 35 dog crate replacement tray to put on the bottom of it, just to keep the wood clean (I'm also going to seal all the wood). And then I'm thinking a higher walled bin on that to put bedding in that they can root around in (also maybe a permanent or attachable burrow box somewhere else). Wood edges, little corners for the levels to sit on so that the levels can easily come out and be cleaned. Maybe have the powdered wire mesh walls be removable for cleaning too. Little table legs so the rats can see higher and be closer to our eyelevel. And cause I like how it looks. Trapezoidal top, removable like a lid, also just cause I like the look of it.

I really want it to be as easy to clean as possible. I was originally thinking wood levels (just cause that's what I automatically think when thinking about building) but I read that it'll soak up the urine too much. Would acrylic be better? I definitely want something easy on their feet that still looks good (subjective I know). I don't know how to get plastic or anything like that that's more similar to what's in store-bought cages.

Also having some trouble finding info that I can understand about safe and unsafe woods. "Blondewood" is just a color description, so I'm not sure what species (?) of wood it's made of. If they're not chewing on it and pee shouldn't be getting to it, is it safe? On other forums I saw "fumes" mentioned a few times but nothing very specific about what types of wood fume. Should I be worried about the plywood I have?

I'm planning on making the edges out of oak. Is that still considered a safe wood?

This is my first post, first time joining a forum so sorry if it's a bit long! I'm just excited. Should I keep posting updates on this thread as the project comes along or make a new thread each time?


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## anilec (May 2, 2016)

Hi there and welcome, this looks like a large project and I'm excited to see it finished. I see you already know about the urine and wood so just to clarify what you already know they can not have any uncovered wood as they will pee on it and the smell will never come out 
For shelves you can find those plastic cage shelves on amazon or ebay but I'm sure you could find something in store that could work just as well.
Oak is fine, rats are ok with hardwoods but all softwoods are a no-no hopefully you can find out what type your plywood is 
Lastly I think you should keep all updates about the build on this thread so it will be easier for peoplr to track!
Good Luck!


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## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

If the plywood is pine but the rats aren't coming in contact with it, I still shouldn't use it? From what I'm finding online it seems like it's just made of scrap wood and it's not labeled what they're actually made of.


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## charlypie (May 15, 2017)

The phenols in softwoods (like pine or cedar, trees without leaves) are where the "fume" dangers come into play, hardwoods don't have these. I think it would still be best to avoid even if they aren't coming in contact with it, particularly because of how close it would be, I'm not sure if it would be a concern if you sealed it with something though? But you'd have to make sure however you are doing that is safe enough for them to be near too. 
Also I know that some metals are dangerous I believe zinc was one? You mentioned having the metal mesh powder coated which I would assume would make it fine regardless but that might be something to look into just to make sure, and to keep an eye on if the coating gets worn in places. There are instructions for some hanging fleece shelves here, which i think you could easily have plastic attached to instead to make shelves, and they would be really easy to remove to clean or just rearrange. The critter nation does have a nice design for their adjustable half shelves you could get some inspiration from too, it sort of sounds like you were thinking of something like that. Besides acrylic you could try corrugated plastic for shelves too, that would need more support and depending on your rats taste for chewing would need more frequent replacing but it is cheap, easier to cut, and comes in a lot of colors. 
I'm excited to see the development on this cage!


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

Hi, sorry. I hadn't seen this post when I responded to your other thread!

Honestly, while I don't think it's optimal to make the cage stand out of pine plywood, it's probably not the end of the world. How many people have their cages sitting on a piece of pine furniture? Probably a few. Might it be better to only use hardwoods? Probably, yes.

For the bottom of the cage, are you planning on having the crate pan sit on the inside of the cage or are you having the cage sit inside (on top of) of the pan? If the base pan (dog crate pan?) is on the inside of the walls of the cage, how will it be removed to clean? Will it be lifted out the top? Will the doors be big enough to remove it from the front? Will it slide out from the front like a bird cage? What will prevent urine and debris from falling to the wood base below around the outside edges of the pan? A few good ideas for higher walled pans would be clear Sterilite tubs, concrete mixing tubs, deep garden trays, or metal trays. Whatever base is chosen may strictly determine the dimensions and design of the enclosure. A cage that sits inside a larger deep pan could solve a lot of issues.

Unfortunately, sealing wood will not prevent it from being damaged by urine and chewing. Cat pee can still destroy hardwood floors even though they're sealed. I think it would be a good idea to make sure that any wood components that may be affected by urine are removable and replaceable if they get damaged. If the main structure itself starts to get smelly and gross, the whole thing would have to be scrapped. If it was just one replaceable part, it wouldn't be as big of a deal. Also, wood will get chewed on. Whether it's the base of the cage or the frame, if the rats can reach it, they will chew on it. 

For the shelving, perhaps you could use the wire closet shelving that they sell at hardware stores or the grid pieces from those modular wire cubes. These could provide the base for the levels then you could cover them with mats or coroplast or whatever. You could potentially even make the walls of the cage out of the metal closet shelving and you wouldn't even need to use wood for the frame of the cage. My biggest piece of advice would be to avoid being too wed to a particular design aesthetic for the cage if it's going to compromise the functionality.


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## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

Thanks CorbinDallasMyMan for replying to me twice! I went back and read your response on the other thread as well.

Definitely the wood gathering grime and getting chewed is the issue I'm still thinking on solutions for. It is the easiest for me to build with, but I'm also trying to minimize how much I'm using and how much they have access to. I did have two ideas today. First: the pan was originally just going to sit on the plywood. I think if I cut a hole that fits the pan exactly, that could further minimize the amount of vulnerable wood. Second: I could use metal pins like that come with IKEA shelving to hold up the levels. Then the wire walls could meet and the wood edges be outside the cage itself, with the pins going through the wire walls and into the wood edges.

Thanks for the link to that other DIY cage on the other thread. What they did to the wire mesh there, the rubber-like coat, is the powder coating I mentioned. That's what I intend to do for my walls, I came across a lot in other people's DIY and modified cages. I'm also looking into if I can modify crates or shelving that's already coated. If I can get closet shelving that's big enough, that's a good option too.

I am planning lots of doors, for all four walls to be able to swing open, and for the trapezoidal top to lift completely off. I definitely want to be able to get to every corner of it, even without taking it fully apart (but also to be able to take it nearly fully apart). I want to be able to reach the rats no matter where they are, just in case. The wire walls will hopefully be able to be slide out the top, if I can figure the engineering of that out. The first level of the cage is going to fit right onto the higher walled bin, which will be able to be pulled out like a bird cage for more frequent cleaning. All the walls and levels, including the pan at the bottom will also be able to be lifted out to be cleaned.

So far the dimensions of the cage are 36L x 24W x 30H, three levels.

Unfortunately I can't seem to get images to upload on here right now, hopefully that all made sense. I drew a cutaway, maybe I'll be able to upload it later.


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## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

What dimensions should spaces of the wire mesh be? I do have those wire box panels, but I can already tell that they'll be able to stick their head and whole body easily through. How small should I go to make sure they can't get out even when they're young?


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

The most appropriate bar spacing for rats is 1/2". This is narrow enough to keep juvenile, small females, and adult males from escaping. 

A spacing of 1" is fine for adult males but young rats and smaller females will be able to squeeze through bars spaced 1" apart. Anything larger than 1" probably isn't appropriate for any rats.


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## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

Good news! I found out my plywood is made of oak! still gonna cut it so there's less contact and space for accumulation, but at least it won't fume.


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## rottengirl (Mar 16, 2016)

It looks wonderful. 

My two cents would be to make the door the entire side of the cage for ultimate access, similar to a critter nation. don't want to have to twist your body to clean the cage. Oh, also it would be helpful to have the top of the cage detach for the same reason.


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## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

Here's an updated sketch of how the cage will be able to be taken apart for cleaning, once it's built.









The top lifts up and off completely, like a lid. The wire mesh will run completely over all of the wood.

The levels will be able to be lifted up and out once the top is off. The floorplan of the levels aren't really planned yet, other than the bottom layer, which will be based on the shape and dimensions of the plastic bedding bin.

Once the top, the levels, and the bedding bin are out, the bottom dog pan (which the rats won't have access to) can be lifted up and out as well.

The three removeable wire walls will be able to be slid up and out. They'll touch in the corners and fit into routed slots at the tops of the wood frame.

The wire on the facade will cover all of the wood on the inside of the facade. If the rats start to chew the wood through the wire, could putting a layer of plexi between the wire and the wood help?

The bedding bin will be able to pull out like a drawer without moving anything else or requiring anything else to be removed first.

Hopefully the most frequent cleaning will be pulling out the bedding bin to replace the bedding and wiping things down via the front doors, but taking everything but the frame apart to clean in the shower hopefully shouldn't be too difficult with this design.


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## rottengirl (Mar 16, 2016)

super cool looking, hope you'll think of taking custom cage orders one day!


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## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

rottengirl that's super sweet! Maybe after years of having rats and learning what works and what doesn't.

~

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to put fleece/absorbant liners on the levels. I thought that having plexi/acrylic/plastic levels would be easiest, to just wipe down every morning when I feed them, because I had thought fleece lining was mainly just for wire flooring. But I came across an old thread that someone was asking the same thing, if they could just have a nonabsorbent floor that they wiped down, but the response was that they wouldn't be able to keep up with it and the fleece was necessary to wick away the moisture so they weren't running through pee. That makes sense, so now I'm working to change my level design so I can switch out the fleece more easily.

How often do yall wash your fleece liners? Should I make it easier to clean than having to take each level completely out of the cage?


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## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

Would just sticking velcro on the plexi so the fleece could just stay on the top and be able to be peeled up and off without having to take the whole level out would work or would the rats be able to pull that off? (Is that just a wait and see and modify kind of thing?)


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## rottengirl (Mar 16, 2016)

koto said:


> Right now I'm trying to figure out how to put fleece/absorbant liners on the levels. I thought that having plexi/acrylic/plastic levels would be easiest, to just wipe down every morning when I feed them, because I had thought fleece lining was mainly just for wire flooring. But I came across an old thread that someone was asking the same thing, if they could just have a nonabsorbent floor that they wiped down, but the response was that they wouldn't be able to keep up with it and the fleece was necessary to wick away the moisture so they weren't running through pee. That makes sense, so now I'm working to change my level design so I can switch out the fleece more easily.
> 
> How often do yall wash your fleece liners? Should I make it easier to clean than having to take each level completely out of the cage?


You're right about that info - it's the fact that rats are standing in pee (+ a cut or scratch on their foot) which can cause bumblefoot infection. Your fleece liners need to be sewn together with a wicking material underneath, of course. 

When I used fleece I was washing them at least once every 5 days.

IMO try velcro. But don't be surprised if your rat has super rat strength and can pull it off to climb underneath. I would tuck my fleece underneath the levels securely, and they could still pull it up and out. 

If you use a wicking material then it's not really a problem if they get underneath there once in a while, as the material absorbs the urine. What can be bad, though, is if a rat with a predisposition to URI's gets under that fleece because that will exacerbate their condition.


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## Asiposea (Dec 16, 2016)

This looks like it will be a fun build. I second your thoughts on focusing on 'easy to clean'.

Am I right to understand that there will be three levels and each of those spaces will be about 10 inches? If so, I would double check that you will be happy with this height. This sounds a little short to me but I am used to a very open cage. When my rats stand on their hind legs and reach up they are 12 inches tall. One alternate idea would be to have levels that do not extend across the entire footprint but maybe 1/2 or 2/3's.

Happy building!


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

Asiposea said:


> Am I right to understand that there will be three levels and each of those spaces will be about 10 inches? If so, I would double check that you will be happy with this height. This sounds a little short to me but I am used to a very open cage. When my rats stand on their hind legs and reach up they are 12 inches tall. One alternate idea would be to have levels that do not extend across the entire footprint but maybe 1/2 or 2/3's.


Here's a study that considered the standing stretch as it related to laboratory enclosure standards. It states that _"rats stand at a height of about 22 cm by 2.5 months of age and 26–30 cm by the time they are fully grown." _I agree that you may want to reconsider your full-sized levels. Switching to just two levels or or making the 2nd and 3rd levels half-sized and staggered might be a better idea. This would allow them more room for standing, stretching, and climbing. I don't think the cage needs to have 12"+ height everywhere, but some of the space should be taller.









For example, when the shelf of the Critter Nation cage is on the lowest height setting, the height underneath the shelf is 8". This is fine as long as there are taller areas for the rats to stretch out.
_
_


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## koto (Jun 10, 2017)

Asiposea said:


> Am I right to understand that there will be three levels and each of those spaces will be about 10 inches? If so, I would double check that you will be happy with this height. This sounds a little short to me but I am used to a very open cage. When my rats stand on their hind legs and reach up they are 12 inches tall. One alternate idea would be to have levels that do not extend across the entire footprint but maybe 1/2 or 2/3's.


Yea I realized that I had had the math wrong, in that I did at least have the info that the levels need to be at least 12" apart floating around in my head, but didn't correspond that to the overall height (in other words, I don't know what I was thinking).

Not having full floors and staggering is a good idea, I think I'll try either that or having the top floor be mostly around the edge and the middle floor definitely at least 12" above the bottom. I decided on a different location in my room for the cage, so the height is less of a restriction, so I can make the decision of making it taller or splitting the levels (or both!) I think I'm going to put tab holes along the whole height of the frame so I can change the levels around and possibly even change the floor layouts entirely.

rottengirl I did not know about the wicking material! Thank you for that, I hadn't come across that info. What is usually used as the wicking material?


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