# i'm building my own cage and i've got a few questi



## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

So i've decided to make my own cage cuz my mom is totally crazy and she doesnt want me spending everyting on a nice cage. i no that u, jennylove, made an extension off of urs--so maybe u could help me? Its only gotta be big enough for about 2 rats and i had a couple ideas for how to make it....
-i tried looking for real bar type stuff like they use to make real cages but all i could find was hardware cloth. but what i was thinking, since its sorta flimsey, i could make a frame out of pvc piping.
-another idea was that if i keep looking and i dont find any hard-bar stuff, then i could find some hard wire and weave it so that its like the cage i already have.
-for the bottom i was thinking of using a plastic box kinda like this: 
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...-7037467?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000IO79UW


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## lizzydeztic (Mar 15, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

i used plastic in my rats cage just as a little bin to snuggle in and they chewed it to ****. find metal or pvc. or even cloroplast. or however it's spelt. my friend bought a sheet, and made some kind of pattern and she creased and turned into a 3 inch deep tray. she found the idea on some diy cage site for guinea pigs but she used it for her rats.


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

alright--i'll try that...thanks for responding!


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## Nazarath (Feb 20, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

When i made my cages, I went to homedepot and got some wire with the squars in it. Oh lord i can't remember what it's called now but it's very useful and easy to cut if you have clippers. It's a little hard for me to describe on here though. You can use a type of zip ties and hold eveything together though. I'll see if i can get a pic to show you.


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

nazarath--is it called hardware cloth cuz thats what i was refering to???


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

Chicken wire?


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

Hey! Sorry for not responding sooner...Dumb internet was out for 2-3 days cuz people were working on it >.< There are two types of wire, Hardwear cloth and the stuff like chicken wire and fencing wire, If you go to OSH I know for a fact they have the heavy dutey wires there, they should be on the same row as the hardwear cloth. Look for the 12-16 gauge wires, any one of those should work. Get the "shiny or finished" wire, not the dull rough kind becuase those will rust like crazy! If you look at target or walmart for a plasic box, you should get a bin like this or similar to this:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...9/601-0183197-2465777?ie=UTF8&asin=B000AV3RDG


Then all you need to do is set the cage inside of that. Zip Ties to hold the cage together  If you need help with planning it out Ill be here!


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

awsome JennieLove! thats the type of bin i was thinking of. i just love planning things out like this so im very excited to get started. idk if OSH is in my area (south-east wisconsin) but ill i found was hardware cloth at ace. my spring break is commin up on wednesday so thats really good--YEA!!!!!  im goin to start planning on monday tho cuz we've got some family plans up til then.

another idea i was thinking about was using PVC pipes and wire to make a 24x24x48 cage. maybe i dont need it that big tho--that houses 8 rats! i guess 24x12x24 would be better. what does everyone think? :?:


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

Sounds good to me! Yeah, I never worked with the hardwear cloth before; I know that you DO have to make a frame so I think that PVC one would do, just dont know how you attach it. lol. I'm sure you can ask someone at Ace. 

Dont forget to make doors...LMAO one time I made a cage and forgot, haha. Not sure how you can make a cage outa the cloth material, but you'll figure it out.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

Another thing, and I know you can get this at Lowes, is wire closet organising shelves <3 That's what I'm going to make my new rat cage out of this weekend! SO EXCITED ABOUT IT!


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

yea, today was my last day of skool so now i have a full week and a half to work on my cage. could u be more specific poppyseed cuz that sounds like a good idea! thanks everyone for responding so far, but if u have any other good ideas--that would be great!!!


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

Not sure how you can make a cage outa the cloth material, but you'll figure it out. --said jennielove

jennielove: hardware cloth isnt actually cloth--LOL its this woven wire in a grid pattern. It is kinda flimsy so u still need a frame.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*



VayeraGirl93 said:


> jennielove: hardware cloth isnt actually cloth--LOL its this woven wire in a grid pattern. It is kinda flimsy so u still need a frame.


Is it anything like the stuff you get on screens for windows, or the lids for aquariums?


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## VayeraGirl93 (Mar 24, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

no--it's alot more widely spread out. it ranges in spacing though. here's something kinda like it:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=92243-000000307-72791&bc=c


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## Sara_C (Mar 10, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

http://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm

How to make the base for a C&C Guinea pig cage. My girls (Guineas, not rats) have C&C cage for the winter and it's very tough. Obviously the square grids wouldn't be suitable for rats, though.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*



VayeraGirl93 said:


> no--it's alot more widely spread out. it ranges in spacing though. here's something kinda like it:
> http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=92243-000000307-72791&bc=c


Ah, I get it, now


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

Oh, I know what the hardwear cloth is...lol. It was WAY to flimsy and I wasnt up to making a frame for it >.< Theres the hardwear cloth and then theres the welded wire.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=50093-362-4735&lpage=none

this things. They are cheap, you would probably need 3 or 4 pieces to make a decent cage, they are coated with plastic, they are sturdy, and they come in sizes grown rats can't squeeze through. Just pull them together with zip ties, add a shallow tote as a base somehow (I havn't gotten this part FULLY figured out yet ^^) Get some wire for multiple levels covered in stick lino, some hammocks maybe pvc tubes and you're set! Approximated cost of $40-60 for a cage that would normall cost you $120+


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## KayRatz (Apr 5, 2007)

*Re: i'm building my own cage and i've got a few qu*

http://www.hutchison-inc.com/images/products/fence_wire/utility/large/hardware cloth.jpg
Hardware cloth, for those who dunno what it is/looks like. :]


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