# DIY Cage?



## faint (May 30, 2014)

Do you think it would be plausible to make a cage out of closet shelving? I found some online that is 1/2 bar spacing. 
Was planning on somewhat following this design, http://www.mustaddfabricsoftener.com/2013/06/wire-shelving-rat-cage.html, but using a coroplast base instead of a plastic one and putting the base edges on the outside of the bars so they cant chew through.
I was thinking of making a 20" deep, 32" long 18" high cage. 

Has anyone done this before here?


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Your dimensions sound a lot better than the one on that site, its a tiny floor space. I would just add some extra height to it as climbing is really good for rats. Perhaps 32" then youve got a really nice sized cage.

The doors may be more challenging though, as a bigger cage will need more doors otherwise you build yourself a nightmare cage to clean out, rearange and fetch reluctant rats from.

In terms of coroplast bases, i've used them in a cage before as kick trays and internal trays and they do get chewed. Your idea of sitting the cage in them should work, but it will mean when you come to lift the cage out for cleaning it will bring with it any substrate and mess you've used. Its not a big issue but it is annoying.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

You need to ask yourself WHY you're setting out to make a cage. If it's to save money, don't bother. Nearly everyone that embarks on a DIY cage to save money ends up spending more than they ever would have on a proper cage.

If you need to build it to fit in a specific area, a builder like Martin's can do custom cages.


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

It's somewhat to save money, but not particularly. I just can't find any that I think are very suitable for rats around here. I can't use a CN because it needs to sit on a shelf, Martins cages have ridiculous shipping to Canada that I can't afford. The only two suitable cages that I can find that will fit my space and seem decent are this one:
http://www.hanzy.ca/details.php?recordID=MK-22&couleur=Noir expresso veiné martelé
and this one: 
http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=129_231_240&products_id=1374

The first link's cage is bigger and cheaper, but they look smaller.
The second cage is smaller, has a big door and a metal base pan. But with shipping is also 40 or 50$ more expensive. Plus I'm not sure if I would get stuck paying duty from customs since it's coming from the states. (I also asked about custom cages by this maker, but the price jumped considerably)


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

The first one looks much better to me


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

Husband and I have been thinking of making a DIY cage...we saw a few videos of them being made out of book cases. Anyone got any advice on what to use? I want to put down some plastic self sticking tile so the wood won't soak up urine and I can wipe it down with vinegar. We are looking to give the rats more room to run and climb in their cage.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Zabora said:


> Husband and I have been thinking of making a DIY cage...we saw a few videos of them being made out of book cases. Anyone got any advice on what to use? I want to put down some plastic self sticking tile so the wood won't soak up urine and I can wipe it down with vinegar. We are looking to give the rats more room to run and climb in their cage.


It will fall between the cracks of the tiles and into the wood.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Are you in Canada? Have you tried to find a cage manufacturer there? Perhaps the shipping costs would be less pricey then but you could get something that can fit in the space you need it to.


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

I am in Canada. So far the only canadian place I have found is the Hanzy.ca link I posted a few replies up. It's a decent sized cage and rounds out to about 100$ shipped. (It's in French but I used google translator hah)


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

Awe, ya I see it. That one I've had before, someone brought a ferret in it to me. I can't say I liked it. The bottom grid is loose and the tray can be pushed out by a smart animal and they can leave. It was not my favorite to clean either.

I've had quality do very large cages for my ferrets. If I was going to them I'd probably have them do one just like 1 tier of the ferret cage, but in the smaller wire. The doors are awesome in the ferret cage, and easy to access everything and clean. 

Martins are great also. But both those places are going to get you on shipping. You know there is craigslist in Canada, start keeping a close eye on your local area. Maybe you will get lucky. Also if the bars are close you can get a large bird cage. Just pay attention to bar spacing, the bottom tray, and how large the doors are. You want something they can't escape and that won't drive you crazy to clean. You also want to look at where you can put in hammocks, wheels ect.


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

I looked at Quality Cages, but with shipping, their large deluxe rat cage ends up being 150$ , and its smaller than the other cage, and if you go up any bigger sized in cages the price jumps substantially, considering it's 50$ shipping. I've been watching Kijiji like a hawk for the last few weeks for a decent cage.


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## SpringSt (Jun 18, 2014)

I've made a few cages using just half inch wire mesh and was able to make them to fit in various areas and even connect them together through tunnels. I went back to the Critter Nation in the end, though because it gives more floor space and easier to clean. I've also used those Neat Idea Cubes (storage shelf thingies,) in the past to make cages, but they were for rabbits and worked out well. I think the bar spacing gap on those would be too big even for the largest rat.


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

I would love to have a Critter Nation, but I need a cage that will fit on my shelving unit above my reptile tanks in my room. And I would be able to fit it if A) it wasn't on a stand, and B) the depth wasn't 24" because my shelving is 24"x36". I don't have a problem not being able to move it, since I can't move 2/3 of my gecko tanks anyways, I usually just clean them on the shelf lol.


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## SpringSt (Jun 18, 2014)

You may like having your own home made cage, too. I loved being able to fully customize it however I wanted, and in any shape. I just used the wire mesh with c-rings (from the rabbit department of a feed store,) and zip ties. I had one built in about 2 hours. I used a plastic storage container for the base so that I could put fleece or litter in the bottom. Another cool thing about that is that you can buy any depth of plastic container you want so keep bedding from flying all over, or make the bedding extra deep for digging (fun for gerbils at least lol!)


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

cagedbirdsinging said:


> It will fall between the cracks of the tiles and into the wood.


 Double layer overlap? Good call though I didn't think of that


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

What about one of these two? The rat calculator says the first one can hold two and the second can hold three. I emailed both to see what the bar spacing is. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-pet-accessor...age/604273225?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

He said they were about 3/4". Is that too big?


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## Isamurat (Jul 27, 2012)

Honestly the minimum cage size for rats is big enough for 4 in my opinion, whether you have 1 or 4 rats. Otherwise they just don't have enough space to move around.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

3/4in is too big for any but adult rats.

You don't have to necessarily put the CN on a stand, you know.


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## Hey-Fay (Jul 8, 2013)

The first cage you linked is my spare. It'll house two rats comfortably but I wouldn't add any more than that. It's a good cage and it breaks down easily for storage.


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

I know I don't need to have the CN on the stand, but its the same size as my shelves. So I need it to be an inch or two smaller in either depth or length because of the shelving poles if that makes sense?


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

This one looks nice, the pan is metal. I'd probably figure something out to make the pan deeper though, but the calculator says it holds 3, and I'm only getting 2.
http://www.amazon.ca/Ware-Chew-Proo...s&ie=UTF8&qid=1403288155&sr=1-8&keywords=ware


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

Just be warned that Ware products arnt vary stable and you will need to reinforce the pieces to be more stable. Most people regret getting thes cages because the bars bend easily and can be damaged at the slightest pressue.


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

What about this one? http://www.kijiji.ca/v-pet-accessor...ge/604831168?enableSearchNavigationFlag=trueI swear there is just nothing one can house a rat in.


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

Well the door is small so you are gonna have one **** of a time cleaning it and some say that being on wire all the time leads to bumblefoot. I lay down blankets on th wire for my rats but I'm going to build a grotto style home for them. If your looking to spend $100 save a bit mor and get a critter nation.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Wire flooring has NOT been proven to cause bumblefoot. It may be caused by a variety of things - open injuries on the foot, a dirty cage, bacterial infection, and it may even be genetic. I had a Martin's cage for years and rarely covered the ramps or floors - never had a case of bumblefoot. Between the flat base floor, hammocks, etc. their feet had plenty of rest from the wires.

That wire cage looks neat, though be sure to ask for dimensions and view it if possible to check it for damage and such. Ferret cages tend to use larger mesh which a rat's foot can get stuck in and sprained/broken.

I really loved my Martin's cage. If you need to order a cage from the USA, maybe you could see if there is a shipping/receiving depot near the border in NY and pick it up there? That's how I got my Martin's up to Canada.


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## Zabora (Jun 8, 2014)

I said SOME say I leads to bumblefoot. Not that it was a FACT.


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

I don't drive or have a passport sadly, so I wouldn't be able to pick up the cage accross the border


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

If I made a frame for the cage out of PVC or ABS pipe, and made it out of coated hardware cloth would they be able to chew out ?


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## inod3 (Jun 13, 2014)

faint said:


> If I made a frame for the cage out of PVC or ABS pipe, and made it out of coated hardware cloth would they be able to chew out ?


No, they wouldn't be able to chew out of it. Most of the coated hardware cloth you can buy at hardware stores is 19 gauge wire. For comparison, Martin's cages are made of 16 gauge wire. The smaller number is thicker wire. So the cage would be flimsier than a Martin's. Probably doesn't matter so much for the walls, could for floor though probably it'd be fine. The other issue with coated hardware cloth is you'll have a PVC coating rather than powder coating. It's more of a soft plastic coating, and rats seem to like chewing it off more than they chew powder coated wire.


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## delilahrene (Nov 1, 2013)

PVC is definitely an option, but it may not be very sturdy. I have seen cages made of modified bookcases or storage units, would that be feasible for you?


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## faint (May 30, 2014)

I was more concerned of them chewing the ABS pipes, and can you get powdercoated hardware cloth?

No that wouldn't be an option for me.


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## inod3 (Jun 13, 2014)

faint said:


> I was more concerned of them chewing the ABS pipes, and can you get powdercoated hardware cloth?
> 
> No that wouldn't be an option for me.


You can have regular hardware cloth powdercoated but that's probably cost prohibitive. They don't sell powdercoated hardware cloth because it comes as a roll and powdercoating isn't that flexible. You'd ruin it unrolling the wire.


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