Building a cage! Need ideas!

[Tikus]

Alrighty, well, last time dad wouldn't listen to me and got galvanized hardware cloth... So we are building a new cage!
It's gonna be roughly 26 inches deep, 48 inches high, and 42 inches long.
I'm thinking of doing something like this:

(Credit to OctodonDegus.weebly.com,.)


The cage is gonna have a wood frame, with hardware cloth (the type that DOESN'T soak urine up...) for the sides and such. It will have tile flooring.
I'm thinking we will probably do two full levels, then a few half levels.

Any thoughts/suggestions/ideas?

 

[Aida]

I'd say make the door side wire, not glass. That looks like it has bad ventilation! D:

 

[Joanne]

You may find that you spend just as much money building a cage as you would just to buy one..........
And I agree, that cage LOOKS good, but it's lacking ventilation.

 

[Tikus]

stated that we would be using hardware cloth for the sides and such in my post..

with hardware cloth (the type that DOESN'T soak urine up...) for the sides and such

Sorry if i confused anyone.
We are using hardware cloth (wire) all around for the sides. its a wood frame, with wire siding.

 

[Cinderwolf]

I suggest instead of using a wood frame, you find a metal shelf for the frame, hold on I know I had the goosemoose thread somewhere.

http://www.goosemoose.com/rfc/index.php ... #msg393106 thats one, but not the one I remember haha

TADA Found it haha http://www.goosemoose.com/rfc/index.php?topic=4067771.0

 

[SQ]

Excellent cage on goosemoose
but given the cost etc I think a CN would be better and much easier to clean

When making a cage remember that wood will be chewed and even if (by some miracle) it doesn't get peed on, it will absorb smells

 

[hopefloats]

it takes the fun out of making them though!

 

[fumblesquid]

Well, my personal custom cage idea was to buy a metal bunk bed frame without a bottom (about $125), like the kind you can fit a desk under, and fill the bottom with an enormous rat cage. Just a fantasy and an idea, but it would be a way to get a nice large frame that can also be used as a bed. Shelves could be creatively made out of stuff at the hardware store. Some problems are that it would cost a lot for the materials and it might be hard to clean unless you engineer it right. I'd love to see someone try this.

 

[handmeafish]

http://www.dapper.com.au/grotto.htm

That cage always looked fun to me.

 

[kscanuck785]

since I've had rats, I've had multiple cages, my 1st one, that I had was homemade with a Tv armoire.
did it work? yes absolutely, but it was only for maybe 1 month and then I got a custom Kritter Koncept kage.

I will have to side with the ones who are telling you at that at the end, It is NOT worth spending $ on a homemade cage. They are usually very hard to keep clean and they won't last nearly as long as a store bought cage.
I don't know how many rats you have but save yourself the headaches and go with a single Critter nation (roughly $150 new) if you have 5 rats or less, and then you can get the add on later and make a 2x critter nation that can house a dozen rats.

 

[Aida]

stated that we would be using hardware cloth for the sides and such in my post..

with hardware cloth (the type that DOESN'T soak urine up...) for the sides and such

Sorry if i confused anyone.
We are using hardware cloth (wire) all around for the sides. its a wood frame, with wire siding.

Oh, so hardware cloth has holes in it? I thought you meant just like a wood frame/shelf/side, witch would still not be so great as the bedding would soak it up, even if the wood won't.

 

[kscanuck785]

this is hardware cloth:

galvanized:

PVC coated