# finally getting my cage back



## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

FINALLY!! my mother has finally said i can have my big cat cage back. so now i have to find time to pick it up and cover it. the only material available to me is galvanized hardware cloth. i don't really want to use it because it will rust and hold odor but i have no other option. they'll chew through screen as some other members here have found out the hard way. 

i was thinking about using it for my bunny dexter but now he seems content with his cage he has now so i'm less sure i will use it for him. he can get out his cage on his own now but most times chooses not to. so i don't know. i think i'm leaning more to using it for the rats again now. and this is the thoughts that came with using for the rats idea:

but the new cage will pose some problems in decorating. the bars are vertical rather then horiszontial (sound it out and the word will make sense, for some reason i can't spell that word today) which means a few of my hanging toys won't be able to attach. also, where i will have to cover the sides its going to make attaching the parrot ropes difficult. i figure i can still do it if i cut space for their attachment but its going to make moving them aroud difficult. i also suspect that the lava perch won't be able to fit in the bars. i will also need to go out and get some fabric and binder clips for the levels. they're solid but a few of them have these weird little grooves that i think will be more hassle then they're worth to clean properly. 

but they will have more room so all this trouble will be worth it of course. and i kinda like setting up new cages anyway. but it is going to be a pain. and i know once i get the cage i'm going to obsess over getting it ready for them. so i'm going to have to leave the cage at my mom's until i have the materials at least. maybe that will help me from breaking the budget trying to get everything at once. but i know its there, and i can have it... its hard to not skip class and go get it.... 

in anycase. any advice that you can give me about attaching hardware cloth would be appreciated. what tools works best? how far apart should zip ties be? was there something better then zip ties that worked for holding on the mesh? and how small a mesh works best? i'd still like to be able to fit my finger through for kisses and pats but i don't want the gauge to be flimsy. i think the larger the spacing the less thick the wire seems to be. but i could be wrong. can you get strong wire with large enough holes for fingers? 

this is the cage i'm getting back. i've actually owned it for 2 years but mom kinda took it over. but i'm finally getting it back!! *squeals with delight*









(i'm at school right now but i will post pictures of their set up now to give an idea of the toys i will have to adapt.)


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

ignore the decor in the picture. a think only one of those hammocks exist anymore and i have none of those huts anymore. the lixit water bottle i sorely miss though. it was such a quiet and easy to clead bottle.... i really wish i could find them in a store or that mom would finally place the order.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

why do you need to cover it with hardware cloth?

are babies going in it?

what is the spacing of the bars... I can't tell from the picture.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i have some small rats. but the spacing is larger too. it 1and 1/4 inches


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

oh wow... that is big

The 2 ferret cages I use with my rats have 1" & even my smallest girls can't slip through it

maybe you should double check before going through all the trouble of adding the hardware cloth

not only is it a PITA to add, it is kind of ghetto looking no matter how creative you get with zip ties.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

when i had fat spider even she was able to fit through it. i doubt tiny tween and twix who have stayed the size of a 5 month old will have any issue getting out. i would much rather have been able to find someone to add bars and invest in that but i can't find anyone even willing to do it let alone talk about price. 

but its really becoming apparent that for the number i have the cage i have now is just not enough. there's too many squables cropping up for my liking and its a PITA to keep clean with so many using the space. this black cage will fix both problems though i know its not going to look as pretty and be a PITA to set up. 

(i really like your abreviation :grin


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## lina (May 28, 2007)

twitch, You sound like me when you said you was looking forward to setting up the new cage.

I must be lucky because on girls are in a Tommy 82 T3. The bar spacing is 1" and even my smallest rat Elle can not get out. Have you tried putting your girls in to make sure. Like the cage BTY.


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## madeittothemoon (Nov 1, 2007)

I had a similar problem, so my boyfriend attatched hardware cloth to my cage. He used wire cutters to cut it down to size, and then put the zip ties about every 4-5 inches (depending on the placement). Hope that helps!


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

hmmmm... here's a thought

If you are going to cover the basically cover an existing cage with hardware cloth why not just make a cage topper with the hardware cloth & drop into a plastic pan?

I mean, why go through the aggravation of trying to fit the stuff to the interior of the cage? You really can't attach it to the outside because there is always a risk that they could slip between the hardware cloth & the cage bars & get stuck.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i have tried rats in it before. granted it was a whole different set of rats but those rats were bigger then the smallest ones i have now. the cage i am currently using also has 1 inch spacing and no one can get out but the bigger cage has an extra 1/4". i didn't thinkthe 1/4" would make that big a difference either, its why i still bought it but as it turns out it makes a BIG difference. 

i don't want to make myself a new cage. i can't anyway. wood and rats don't mix and the cloth wouldn't stand on its own. a topper would be smaller then the cage i have now. i need something bigger. 

i can't put the mesh on the outside? that was the plan. i thought so long as it was tight to the cage it would be fine. i wonder how big a problem it really is though. i mean it makes sense that they could get stuck of course but i have seen lots of covered cages with the covering on the outside. i wonder how big a problem that was and if they were able to solve it but without having to put the wire on the inside. 

i forgot to put in the approximate dimensions when i was posting the cage. these measurements are just eyeballed from my mother so i'm not sure how accurate they are but i forget the exact dimensions. it is approximately, 4 feet tall, by 3 feet wide, 2-2 and 1/2 feet deep. i think that will give them lots more space.


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## madeittothemoon (Nov 1, 2007)

My cage has mesh on the outside, and no one has ever gotten stuck. As long as you do it right, I think you should be okay.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

The topper I suggested doesn't have wood in the construction. I don't suggest using wood in cages for many reasons.

here are some very brief instructions. If there is enough interests I will create directions with pictures that explain things much better.

measure the circumference of the interior of the pan you would drop it inside of

roll out enough cage wire so that you can join two ends together
(need about an extra inch or so for overlap)

depending on who high you want would depend on the width roll you would buy & then of course... rolling out this twice so that you can join the two pieces to make a taller cage. When you join them it is like sticking a straw in another to make a longer straw.

then the top would be a piece or pieces that are large enough to make a roof.

now for joining the various pieces I use an 18 gauge wire that is used for hanging heavy mirrors or framed art. If you can find a lighter gauge wire, such as 20 or 22 it is easier to work with but all I ever find is 18

I just sew the pieces together with a loop stitch.

Before I put it all together I loose fit it to see where the stitches go & then I mark these spots

I've also cut the hardware cloth to make shelves & I stitch those in as well prior to putting it all together.

I'll take some pics of a glass aquarium topper I made to fit a nursery tank. 

I've also made mid sections that added much needed room to cages that were far to small. This was out of need when I have taken in rescues that were surrendered in cages that were way too small for them. I would just lift the top portion of the cage off, add a mid section with a shelf or two & then affix the original top back onto it.


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## A1APassion (Jul 29, 2007)

twitch said:


> <snip>
> i can't put the mesh on the outside? that was the plan. i thought so long as it was tight to the cage it would be fine. ,snip>





madeittothemoon said:


> My cage has mesh on the outside, and no one has ever gotten stuck. As long as you do it right, I think you should be okay.


That is the key thing... so long as it is done right. When not getting it quite right results in the injury or possibly death of our beloved babies... why risk it?

I'll spare the details... let's just say I have seen the worst case scenario.


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

I have hardware cloth on the outside of my FN. It's attached around the outside edges securely, and also in several places in the middle to make sure it's very secure and flat up against the cage. There's no way they can push it out far enough to squeeze through even if they tried.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

that's an interesting way of doing things passion but i think i will just cover the cage i have. thank you for the explanation though.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i got the cage back yesterday and i was able to get a list of people to call about adding bars to the cage to reduce the bar space. i haevn't called them yet but i'm hopeful i'll finally be able to do what i wanted with the cage originally. after 2 years of looking and not even able to find a start i finally have people to call. 

in the meantime however, its getting covered in hardware cloth. i was trying to find the 1" mesh mom just get to replace her dog kennels with but without success. i got the 1/2" instead. hopefully it will only be a temporary thing! *grins*

i'm making liners for all the levels and bought a ton of binder clips but as it turns out i won't be able to attach the cloth easily that way. so i'm going out to get some velcro to attach to the levels as well. i'm hoping that will work, otherwise i'm out of ideas on how to keep the cloth in place. 

oh and i got the exact measurements! it is 4 feet tall by 3 feet wide by 22 1/2 inches deep. my rats i going to love the new house but i'm thinking that at least a few of the toys they have now will be useless in there. we'll have to see once i get the mesh on. 

speaking of which. i LOVE kents. they cut each pannel for me. i will still have to do some cutting for the doors but a huge chunk of the work was done for me at no cost. if i need anything else building wise i am so going back to them. 

anyway, i have a few errands to run and i have to get the velcro. then i'll check the liners and put on the cover. i hoping they will be in their new home by tonight! :grin: i'll be sore as heck but it will be a happy sore... :lol:


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

so after 12 hours i finally have the cage completely covered. i used close to 600 zip ties to make double sure that no one is going to push their way out and get stuck. Ink is not happy. she likes the space well enough, sure, but she really wants to stick her nose through those bars and just can't. her frustration is cute though... 

ladada thinks i'm a bit obsessive though. he came and helped me out bending the cut edges back and attaching it to the cage. he hasn't seen me sew up the liners yet though... 

speaking of which. turns out i need to use velcro to keep the liners in place as i can only use binder clips on one edge. so i was making one last night. i was using self-adhesive velcro but it doesn't want to stick very well to the plastic shelves. when i go to pull up the liner the velcro on the shelf comes up with it. to the people that have used velcro, how were you able to fix this? am i just not using the right type of velcro?

(pictures will be added once i get the disposable camera developed. or reachthestars comes over for a visit with her camera--whichever one comes first... [hint-hint reach])


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