Kelly's Cage Pages

Hardware Cloth cages
This section assumes that you know about hardware cloth, or read about it in Part 1, and that you own not only some sort of power drill, but also a good pair of tinsnips and a couple of pairs of pliers. The basic idea behind these cages is to buy some sort of plastic base tray, and then build sides, doors, and tops out of hardware cloth or other metal mesh. Actual cage wire mesh is available from several mail order sources (discussed later).
Depending on the size cage you want, there are several choices for a base for a home-made cage. The basic rule of minimum size, remember, is 2 square feet for the first pig, 1 additional square foot for each additional pig up to 4 pigs per cage. More is better. So, for one pig, you want a base that is at least 12" x 24" or 15" x 20". For two pigs, you want a base that is at least 18" x 24", for 3 pigs at least 18" x 36" or 24" x 30".
The most readily available bases are - plastic underbed storage boxes! Available at discount department stores such as Wal-Mart or Target, category stores such as Bed, Bath & Beyond, and many home improvement stores and hardware stores, as well as from numerous catalogs, these storage trays are about 6" high. Many of them have small built-in wheels for rolling, rather than sliding, them under beds. These wheels can be handy if your piggy cage is on the floor, for rolling aside to sweep up, but if the cage will be on a shelf or table, you may prefer a tray without wheels.
Before and after the Christmas holidays, there are even more choices available, as there are large plastic storage trays sold to hold gift wrap and ornaments. Look for the after-Christmas sales on these!
 

The even more surprising choice for a base for a cage that will hold up to 6 piggies or 1-2 rabbits quite happily is - a kiddy wading pool! These are the 1-piece stiff plastic units, sold at fine supermarkets and drugstores everywhere for about $10, all summer. (They may be harder to find in the winter months...) They tend to come in 4-foot, 5-foot, or 6-foot diameters. Even the smallest, the 4-foot diameter, is adequate for 6 piggies. Many are 12" high, and this may in fact be high enough, if your piggies are not climbers, to need no additional sides. Some wading pools are 18" high, which would definitely be high enough for piggies. However, on the 12" high ones or lower, you will probably feel safer putting up wire sides, and for rabbits you definitely need wire sides going up to at least 24". More details about constructing an entire cage with sides out of a pool are in Part 5. The wading-pool cages take up a lot of footprint (floor space), but they have some definite advantages: small children can sit in the cage to play with the piggies; lots of space to put in numerous toys, tunnels and tubes, wooden dens; gives dwarf buns lots of exercise area without letting them loose in the house. Although it takes a lot of bedding to line the bottom of one of these cages, it doesn't have to be cleaned as often, since any given area isn't used as often. It is also possible to buy a shallow pan, such as a large baking pan, that takes up part of the floor space of the pool, and fill only that pan with bedding, leaving the rest of the cage bottom empty - still available for running around in, but not comfortable for sleeping piggies. The pigs will probably confine their peeing to the bedding area, although they will poop anywhere; the un-bedded areas can be swept up with a whisk broom. This kind of partial-bedding set-up also works very well for the rabbits. Usually the bottom of these pools has a slight texture, which gives the rabbit some footing to get exercise.

Featuring Blackie, and with thanks to Blackie's human slave, Lynne Skerlec, for the idea and photos.
Original idea, photos, and instructions © 1997 Lynne Skerlec; additional drawings and supply list © 1998 R. Kelly Wagner
Neat Ideas Cubes are packages of heavy wire (about 7 gauge) squares, about 14" square, that come 17 to a box, and are sold at Office Max and other office supply stores. They come with little disks that are supposed to fasten the pieces together, straight or at right angles. However, after wrestling with these little plastic disks for a while, I can see why Lynne Skerlec, who told me about the Cubes, elected to use something else to hold the sections together. Rather than prove to yourself that the disks are ill-fitting, unreliable, and frustrating, why not take our word for it? Instead, for fastening together squares, use j-clips, hose clamps, or nylon tie-wraps. (See Part 5 for further explanation of these kinds of fasteners.) Below are pictures of rabbit cages Lynne has made for her bunnies from these squares.

The smaller bunny house was made with 2 boxes of Neat Idea Cubes. Its measurements are 28"w x 42"L x 28"h. Blackie could easily jump on top of this house.

A larger cage, made by adding another level to Blackie's house. Its measurements are 28"w x 42"L x 42"h. It took 3 boxes of Neat Ideas Cubes to build this one.

A last few comments about hardware cloth or Neat Ideas cube cages:

Guinea pigs can't get by on wire floors alone, because of their little feet and narrow toes, and also because it is fairly unusual to have a completely litter-trained piggy who doesn't need a solid floor with some sort of litter on it for his pee and poop. You'll have to make a solid tray for the bottom if you are making a GP cage out of these things. Visit the Neat Ideas Cubes page for ideas on making trays out of plastic materials, etc.

If you have hedgehogs, be aware that hedgies can be excellent climbers at unexpected times, so you'd have to make a top for a hedgie cage made out of these, unlike for guinea pigs. A hedgie can easily scale up wire mesh and escape from a 14" high wall, and then manage to squeeze into the darkest corner of your house, where it will take you several hours to find her. 

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Click here to see pictures of Kelly's rabbits.
Click here to see pictures of Kelly's hedgehogs.
Click here to see pictures of Kelly's guinea pigs.