C & C Cages?

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Cinderwolf

Cinderwolf

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2010
Messages
1,503
Location
Richmond B.C.
Hey, I have been in the market for a bigger cage for a while and I was just thinking of different options. My friend ( she has a hedge hog, can you tell) suggested a C & C cage. I have been thinking about it and I think It would be do able. 2 cubes deep, 3 wide 3 tall, coroplast on the floor and shelves, netted so they can't get out and doors made from panels that are connected on one side and clipped on the other...

Anyways, it's just an idea but its starting to sound more and more desirable since finding a huge cage is proving very difficult without paying a ridiculous amount.

So does any one have and thoughts on the matter? I would have to buy some good paint if the cage is galvanized but thats the only real issue I can see. And the cage grids are all over craigslist.


So yeah, Ideas?
 
C & C cages are great for buns and GPs... you rats will get out of one in no time though. You may be able to figure out a way to make them more sturdy and secure for rats, but I really think it's a waste of time TBH.
 
I had a nice c+c cage for my GP and it works great for them but I have to agree with Victoria, it'd be a waste of time and $ to try to make a suitable living cage for rats.
 
Ditto the others. I made them for my rats in 2004 and ended up giving the cage to my ferrets until I bought cages for all the critters. One my ferrets was able to escape the cage, I couldn't imagine it containing my rats for 3 minutes lol There are two types of cubes though, the ones with 1" space and there are ones made now with mesh in the squares.

Mesh
 
I think they might be a pain to keep clean.
I would strongly suggest you get a really good cage like a CN or an FN or a powder coated martins R695 or larger.
Otherwise you might soon be spending a lot to purchase a good cage, having spent time and money to make something you were not happy with.
 
You guys don't think covering it in hard ware cloth would work?

I could look for those ones with smaller bar space, or it'll be back to the drawing boards. :wallbang: I saw one girl on the internet made the bars smaller by doubling up the grids and offsetting them a bit. then again that would be a lot of grids.

I guess I'll go craw back to criaigslist. Oh well :emb:
 
The issue is not the spacing, but the fact it's not sturdy and it would be hard to create the vertical space a rat needs and to have a top on it. Trust me, you'll be a lot better off finding a big bun cage on online classifieds.
 
victoria said:
The issue is not the spacing, but the fact it's not sturdy and it would be hard to create the vertical space a rat needs and to have a top on it. Trust me, you'll be a lot better off finding a big bun cage on online classifieds.
Click to expand...

Oh, I see what you mean.

Oh well, it was worth a shot. Maybe I will be able to think of a way to make it sturdy otherwise I guess I'll eventually have to suck it up and pay for a big cage like a cn. Until then I'll have to keep searching for a cheap used cage

Any other ideas for homemade cages? or cheap alternatives?

After paying 100 for the Rat Resort :wallbang: ( dummy) , I'm hesitant on paying a bunch of money for another cage.

Oh well.

Edit: Maybe broom handles for support? like as a frame? I dunno, just a thought
 
The thing is, all the materials to make the cage will be cheap at the outset, but to make it well, it's going to add up fast and furious.

So, if a pack of cubes is $20, that's great. But, to make anything of any reasonable size, you're going to need.. three sets? Because you'll have to make it deeper as well as taller? So that's $60. Double it to make the holes smaller, so we're at $120... and even if you use hardware mesh instead of more cubes, for anything of reasonable size you're looking at about $30, and you'll want a pair of decent snips or tile cutters to cut the mesh, so it'll work out to be about the same. You need a pack of zip ties (at least one pack), so add a few bucks, and then something to make it sturdier, I guess broom handles would work, so add another $20.

You'll need to make some sort of base, which will probably require coroplast, and if you actually make a base with sides to hold bedding, you'll need some sort of plastic glue or caulking so, at LEAST another $20, maybe more, since you might want to consider using coroplast to make your levels solid.

Honestly, I would start a "Bigger Better Cage Fund" NOW.... go put $20 in it this moment. Go add another $20 next week. In 10 weeks you'll have $200 which will buy you a single CN or pretty much any other cage you might want. Your girls will survive in the Rat Resort for the time being, it may not be the best size but it's serviceable until you find something better. I slowly upgraded from cage to cage, and spent way more money if I had just waited and bought my dream cage outright. So I went from an ALT, to a Super Pet, to another one I bought used, to a single FN, to a double CN... making the jump to the cage I actually wanted would have been a much better route! I only have the FN and CN now, I gave the rest away.

Then, when you get your new cage, put the Rat Resort on sale online for $20.
 
There are often 40 inch long rabbit cages for sale second hand and in great condition on kijiji, etc.
If you add a couple of levels, it will make a good cage.
If the bar spacing is too large, you can cover it with hardwire cloth.
Someday, when you get the cage of your dreams, you can resell the rabbit cage.

Here is a picture of a rabbit cage I used as an extra cage. The homemade shelves were easy to make.
Lots of room for houses, toys, litter boxes, a 12 inch diameter wheel, hammock, etc:
007.jpg
 
You can also ask for $$ for Christmas/Birthday/etc and add it into your dream cage budget, as well as your loose change jar(unless that is already designated for vet bills, of course.) =) We bought our CN by asking family members to contribute to the cage budget for Christmas, and ended up getting more than we needed, because we found it with Free shipping. =)
 
MomRat said:
You can also ask for $$ for Christmas/Birthday/etc and add it into your dream cage budget, as well as your loose change jar(unless that is already designated for vet bills, of course.) =) We bought our CN by asking family members to contribute to the cage budget for Christmas, and ended up getting more than we needed, because we found it with Free shipping. =)
Click to expand...

Ya I was thinking that, but I'm not sure if they would go for it. :emb: I'm graduating this year and if I get in to the school I want I'm going to need a nice camera ( I want to go to school for photography and I can't borrow my dads camera forever.) so that can run me back a good amount plus tuition, though I am applying for scholarships. So my family would much rather help me with money for that than for a new cage. With good reason. I was going to ask them to split the cage budget for my birthday in August but I realized now that I think I should be asking for help with a camera budget.

The only reason I really want a new, big cage is because, while the rat resort is okay for my girls, what with the added levels that I made , I really wouldn't mind adding to my gang. Not too many maybe one or 2 neutered boys. But i obviously can't do that without a bigger cage.

I have been searching craisgslist and kijiji for weeks but turned up nothing so far. I did see a double FN for sale on there but they wanted 300 dollars for it and wouldn't waver.

I will just have to wait til I find the perfect cage in my budget.

Anyone have any suggestions for cages that are good and big but not super expensive?
 
I agree with SQ, the best cages for small groups on a budget are large bun cages. You can usually find them used for $30-50 and if you do eventually upgrade to a CN or FN you can still use it as a hospital/elderly cage. Another thing to consider is if you are thinking of going away to school next year, residence won't be an option with pets, I don't know what residence allows pets. It just means you'll have to find a room or apartment that allows pets, but it's something else you should keep in mind.
 
victoria said:
I agree with SQ, the best cages for small groups on a budget are large bun cages. You can usually find them used for $30-50 and if you do eventually upgrade to a CN or FN you can still use it as a hospital/elderly cage. Another thing to consider is if you are thinking of going away to school next year, residence won't be an option with pets, I don't know what residence allows pets. It just means you'll have to find a room or apartment that allows pets, but it's something else you should keep in mind.
Click to expand...

Ya no worries there, I am staying at home until I finish my schooling. I didn't even apply for school out of my area. I will keep looking for a bunny cage.

And If i can find one which has 2 doors on the top ( or even just one) I can rig it up to put the RR onto, give them even more space.
 
I'll check the measurements on my Tommy cage.
If it is the same size as mine, then $60 would be a good price if the powder coating is in good condition.

I think it is over priced. If you want it, you might see if he will drop the price a bit.
The bar spacing will be larger as it is a rabbit cage, so if your ratties are small, you may need to cover it with wire.
I have only had adult rats in mine and the bar spacing has been fine.
 
That cage is the same as my Rene cage, only bigger (longer). Mine was $149 new, and a lesser cage than the Tommy. I believe the Rene is just a tad bit too small for 2 rats. Here is my Rene cage with Sam when I first got it.

100_2625.jpg


And a photo of the actual cage...
Marchioro Tommy Cage

The Tommy range has 3/4 of an inch bar spacing where the Rene has 5/8 of an inch.
 
Thanks. I just spent he last hour ish on craigslist emailing anyone who had a rabbit cage and i''m waiting for replys to find out some measurements.

What do you guys think of a huge dog crate ( like for big big dogs like rottweilers and things like that)? There are a lot of those for sale near me and all are around 40-50 dollars. I dunno just a thought?
 

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