# Giant homemade DIY cage?



## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

I have two rats in a cage that from what I gather on this site is fine or two rats, no more, which is fine right? Wrong, I want a light colored, I just do...do I need a bigger cage, and I'm having so much fun making stuff to go in the cage I thought, why not make a cage, I wanna go all out make this thing massive, what's the most sturdy, cheap ish way to build a giant cage?


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## allieykatt (Jun 7, 2013)

I built my own cage so i could give instructions for that but its solid wood so no climbing but you can drill through the walls to hang stuff


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## allieykatt (Jun 7, 2013)

its very VERY big with 3 levels

Allonsy!


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Do they chew through the wood at all? And what are the approximate dinmensions?


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

DIY cages are not cheap. You are much better off getting a premade cage than buying all of the different things you'll need.


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## JLSaufl (Jan 20, 2013)

cagedbirdsinging said:


> DIY cages are not cheap. You are much better off getting a premade cage than buying all of the different things you'll need.



I so agree with this. I made my own cage, I ended up saving like $10 but it took me over a week to make, and I ruined a lot of clothes with the hardware cloth. I wish I would have just coughed up the money and bought a martin 699 or a CN. Lesson learned. 


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

I hav clothes I don't are about that I use to like....grease a log truck, I'm not really worried about ruining clothes, I want something like....the size of a Martin skyscraper but don't want to pay stupid shipping


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## JLSaufl (Jan 20, 2013)

I spent $11 on the hardware cloth, $4 on zip ties, $13 on 90 degree metal tubing and $6 on square iron. That was to make a 30x15x18 inch enclosure that didn't have a bottom because I zip tied it to the top of my existing cage and just cut a hole in the top so they could access the new part. Totally not worth it. 

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

If that's not worth it, where are you finding cages, and I also considered maybe converting an old entertainment center into one, would that be possible?


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

I love building/making things for my mischief, but the necessary material/ time it takes to build = me to frustrated and impatient to finish. I'm just saving to get the Martin's R-699 cage, I should be able to get it next paycheck.


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

If you can get that with your next paycheck.....I seriously envy your paycheck, mine is gone after food and gas, and I can't even afford to move somewhere where I'd have to pay rent....I'm seriously thinking second hand entertainment center, converted, does anyone know if that would be safe for ratties?


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

My husband and I work minimum wage (7.40 an hour) but I've been saving to upgrade my cage; I have a little over half saved up. Rent is free and so is food, the only thing I have to worry about is gas. I honestly can't wait till I'm a RN, bigger paycheck.


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## allieykatt (Jun 7, 2013)

sorry for replying so late.since most of it is flat they cant chew it there are some places they can chew but they arnt intrested in it. my dimensions are 100hx90lx50b (cm) but you can make it bigger. levels are every 33 cm. the front is chicken wire so they can breath easily but cant chew.

honestly if you buy wood from the right places it doesnt cost to much, and building it is really satisfying. I got all my wood for R600 ($61.01)


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## allieykatt (Jun 7, 2013)

according to the cage calculator that can fit 7. so you have tonnes of space


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## TexasRatties (Jun 2, 2013)

Honestly I would say don't got homemade cage unless you can make it really rat safe and water proof. I would just check craigslist for a cage big enough you can find a bunch of great deals. Otherwise check ferret.com, amazon, or somewhere like that. I don't know what your price range is but make sure if you do make a cage that I would recommend something that is powder coated for the wire.


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

My boyfriend and I made a huge cage for my two boys. There's so much space that now I wanna get more ratties  I'm really chuffed with myself for this though, don't mean to brag or anything, just feel like adding that Yes it is expensive and you need to make sure it is rat safe n all, but nothing can compare to the joy you have when giving your pets the best cage you can offer them. It cost me about R3000 (Rand) which is about $305.
totally worth every penny though!!!
I say save up and make your own cage
Oh, and I used vinyl for the cage flooring if you're wondering, so easy to wipe up and clean as apposed to washing fleece from their flooring everyday, although I do still have to clean their little hammocks and beds every second day still which is to be expected. 
I'll be adding some more climbing toys and other goodies at the end of the month again 
I used self adhesive Velcro to hang things from the "ceilings" without having to commit to hooks in certain places.
I also used astro turf for the bottom floor to make things a bit more fun, luckily my ratties aren't big on chewing things a whole lot.

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Where do you live? Minimum wage is 7.25 here, and literally there's NOTHING left after gas and food for my animals and myself and litter and bedding to even save


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

If you serch "rat" or "rat cage" or even "cage" in the cl for my area you get...cars snakes and fish tanks


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Stefni that's amazing!!! Maybe I should just hire you to make it lol jk I definitely think I'm going to keep an eye out for cabinets and shelves at good will an PAC rat palace (the second hand store) to repurpose as a cage, I saw a site that said that too


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

That's so funny
Same thing my side, I get alot of property popping up for some reason too lol 


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

Hahaa, we were thinking of making them for people but wow the amount of labour is intense!! Still thinking aboudit, will let u know if we come out with an affordable flat pack one day  
You'll b surprised how strong these screws are, no glue needed 

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

No property really here (no surprise you hardly get property when you search for it) it's really mostly cars....ya know "rat rods" or something with a roll "cage"


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

Is that 7.25 dollars an hour or day? If it's hourly and you still don't have money over to save after every month, then I say move to Cape Town lol
Cost of living there sounds like a rip off 

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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

Yeah, I was searching for another Dumbo rat today and I kept getting search results for cars and property, very strange indeed lol 

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

It's an hour but still with gas at about 4 bucks a gallon. My car getting only 22 mpg and everything here being so far apart....it's just not workin out plus I get hardly any hours at work and they won't give me more and they won't give me a regular schedule so I can fin a second job....it blows


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## JLSaufl (Jan 20, 2013)

Grawisher what city do you live in? I can help you find a cage online. As far as your minimum wage job, it's hard to make it work with little amount of money, and it seems like you're not getting enough hours, perhaps find a second job? I create my own work, I walk two dogs every day, for $15 each (m-f) I clean my parent's house for them, $50 a week, and then I have a small etsy store where I sell small animal hammocks. I do these things because a 'real' job was both hard to find and unappealing. Plus I make plenty of money this way, more than if I had a part time job (MN min wage is $7.75) Perhaps you can sell your skills to your city, or the nearest large city for some extra money. 

Also for cages, find a farm supply store, usually they have enclosures which are just basic rectangles, but they're usually less than $30 each, you could buy two and stack them, attach zip ties and cut a hole in each the top of one and the bottom of the other so you have a two story cage.  I would have done this, but my bottom cage was old and I couldn't find a topper with similar dimensions, which is why I made my own.


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

Sorry to hear that Grawisher 
I guess cost of living is pretty pricey there cos I earn way less than 7.25 dollars an hour (if i convert the rand to the dollar) and I still manage to save a little at the end of the month. I really Hope you mange to find a better job or second job that doesn't add too much stress in your life. Maybe you should try making and selling things like JLS mentioned  

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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

You should take up cycling  I save alloooot of money on petrol when I cycle to work and back in summer 

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Cycling to work isn't an option, it's too far and unsafe, I live in rapid city South Dakota, I IS the nearest "big city" at ALMOST 70,000 people






this I my current cage and I just want something bigger, I KIND OF have. Second job (I check the tire pressure on my dads log truck) but my sporadic work shedule doesn't allow for another job (sometimes I work certain days, sometimes I don't, sometimes I work days, sometimes nights)


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

And I gets REALLY cold in the winter as far as cycling goes (you step outside and your snot freezes)


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

I did find some large entertainment centers today that I think could work for like 15 dollars so I might try that


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

Aww Sorry I had to laugh about the freezing snot issue 
That does kinda suck hey. Well, I guess all good things come to those who wait. 
I gotta add though, your current cage looks great, you should've seen the cage I had before :what: lol 

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Yeah, that's after a fairly recent cage overhaul though, it was really lane before that


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

So we've gotten a bit off topic, so what in thinking now is second hand entertainment center with the inside covered in vinyl flooring with some shelves added and hardware mesh covering the open parts, does tht sound like a good cage?


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

Sounds amazeballs 
I'm sure your ratties will love it 

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## Minigeko (Sep 18, 2013)

Hey I have that same cage. All living things or something to that effect. "Luxury rat cage". It's a nice cage but I want a double critter nation
Although making a cage is interesting.
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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Yeah, I like my cage and I'm so thankful that my dad got it for me but browsing goodwill and pac rat today I kept thinking of the possibilities with all the entertainment centers


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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Stefni! Could you give me some pointers on making doors? Did you use like...trim or lumber?


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

I constructed the whole cage and doors with white melamine and Cladded it on the outside with enja Formica. The Formica was just for a neater appearance on the outside, not necessary to do that though. All the ends of the melamine were edged for waterproofing purposes. The edging was a pain in the ass lol 
I was fortunate to have access to heavy machinery for cutting the door frame holes out perfectly. I used chicken mesh for the holes and framed it with nailing untreated white oak to the frames.

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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

Hinging the doors are pretty tricky tho, so I would just give the heads up that it will be quite difficult doing that on your own, try getting someone to help you with that, it ain't a one man job 

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## Grawrisher (Sep 10, 2013)

Aha, I can prolly get my dad or Simeon to help with hinging lol...I don't understand your big words lol, I'll just ask my hardware store people for help when I go


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## Stefni (Aug 10, 2013)

Lol Sorry  melamine is basically like a white plastic type covered chip board. When you cut a piece of melamine, the chip board is exposed so you need to "edge" it, meaning sticking stuff you call edging all around the exposed wood. 
You can ask your hardware store for melamine cut to your preferred sizes and ask them to edge it for you, you get different colors of edging but white will maybe be cheaper.
Screwing the wood is easier and safer for the ratties and if you use the right screws it will be really sturdy. You gotta drill very accurately though to prevent chipping or breaking the melamine.

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