Anyone have any cage plans for building your own cage from PVC-coated wire mesh? After looking at the one I bought (for way too much money), I'm pretty sure I can build a better one for less, even if I have to buy the mesh in 50-foot or 100-foot rolls.
Wish I had time to do it as a side business because I'm pretty sure I'd have materials left over if I decide to go this route.
Would it be better to make the cage 6 feet high or 5 feet and put it on a stand of some kind? I think I could clear a 3-foot wide space next to the bookshelves in my living room ...
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Re: Cage plans?
[Re: Paani]
#896914 01/24/1003:10 AM01/24/1003:10 AM
There's a link at the top to sites that have instructions for building cages. My husband just made the PVC one for us from www.justforfuzzies.com. It is a HUGE cage. We made a couple of modifications to suite our needs, such as adding a pull out tray below the bottom. I'd look around and see what you think will fit yours, and your gliders, needs best. Good luck!
Re: Cage plans?
[Re: ]
#896921 01/24/1003:55 AM01/24/1003:55 AM
Thanks, I'd seen one of those links before but forgot about it. Not sure about the PVC cage you built -- what is the mesh size of that hardware net? I'm wondering if they would climb around on it as much or as easily as they do the 1/2x1 inch wire mesh?
They seem pretty happy with the cage I got them although it's smaller than I thought -- only 19x19x36 -- so it seems to me that something about 30x30x60 or 30x30x72 would be ginormous for two lil joeys?
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Still looking at this, I'm kind of leaning toward a PVC-coated wire cage so I can make it wider than the 30x30 foot print of the reptariums. Question for other cage owners -- what kind of stand do you put yours on if you elevate it? How high up do you set your base? I was thinking about making the cage 5 feet high which would imply a 2 foot base -- a 3 foot base would make changing the trays more convenient but then I'd probably want to cut the cage height down to 4 feet ...
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
I've made stands for my Klubertanz wire cages with 3/4" or 1" PVC. The pipe is screwed into the connectors for extra support and stability. My 5' cages have an 18" stand and my 4' cages have a 24" stand so I can reach the top of the cages. Some have a storage shelf underneath and all have Magic Sliders on the legs so they can be moved easily. They all have wood attached to the top of the PVC stand which is cut to fit the base of the cage. HTH!
Hi Just to let you know. My husband and myself framed out our pvc cage earlier this week.I was going to go with the landware cloth but I decided to do the vinyl coated 1/2 in by 1/2 in mesh. I bought the 19 gauge because it's very flexible and easier to work with. We are finishing it this saturday. The cage is made to sit in the corner of the room and the front is shaped like a half octogon. I will post pics as soon as I am done so if you like the design I will give you a copy of the plans .I will be just posting the plans anyway sometime soon.Oh and the measurments are 6 1/2 ft high 3 ft wide by 4 ft deep. It's massive.I can't wait to put my babies in it.yay
You are born into this life,Then you are taken away,Every step you take in between is what you leave behind as your legacy! Extremely proud slave of: 3 2 2 1:plat: 2 2
In the interim, I've been looking at polyethylene mesh. Anyone have any experience with it? One source I saw on the net has a "natural" color -- should be relatively translucent so maybe better visibility for us but more confusing for them?
I hate taking so long to make this thing but I want to do it right ONCE.
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Re: Cage plans?
[Re: Paani]
#902042 02/04/1001:12 AM02/04/1001:12 AM
Well, guess it's going to be the PVC-coated wire ... after watching these guys in my tent, I don't trust Judah in anything chewable. Honestly, he has to taste EVERYTHING. Four or five times.
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
So I'm narrowing in on the design, convinced myself that I can't do a reptarium because these guys like to chew. Those who have build cages from PVC-coated wire mesh, is it preferred to use ferrules (J-clips) or blunt C-rings?
I'm thinking of a 2'x4'x6' cage with a door on each side for the glider kitchen, a large cleaning door on the bottom, maybe a large door up top to help install toys and 2-3 smaller doors in front. Any particular advice on the door latches?
Small Water Bottle Spring, 2, BSP3, $1.20 ea, $2.40 Lixit Quick Lock Flip-Top Water Tank with Valve, 2, BT02, $5.30 ea, $10.60 Total $240.03
The extra 6 urine guards are for my other cage, can probably dump them altogether along with the black plastic feeding cups. Not sure about the plast floor mats -- was thinking maybe that would be nicer on their feet but they don't seem to mind the current 1/2"x1" wire grid.
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Re: Cage plans?
[Re: Paani]
#905901 02/12/1012:29 AM02/12/1012:29 AM
I've used both rings and j-clips and the rings are MUCH easier to work with. They are also easier to cut off if needed. I'd suggest the regular ringers which are much sturdier in addition to the economy ringers for corners and tight spots.
You won't need the plastic floor mats. Gliders are fine with the vinyl-coated wire and they would just be something else to clean.
The black feeding cup in your list doesn't fit in the 1/2 x 1" wire. The carry handle is more for a travel carrier/cage and may not help much when moving a cage of the size you are making.
That will be a HUGE cage! You may want to consider the thicker 14-gauge wire for the front panel only for extra support. I prefer one large door in front so I can reach into all corners of the cage. You will need a ladder with a 6 ft cage on an 18" stand!
I love the spring door latches! I have two on my 24" tall door. You need to be sure to cut the door at least 2 or 3 inches larger on each side to prevent gaps that gliders can squeeze through.
sounds like quite a project - you will be pleased with the results!
Well, I was looking at the cage I bought with these guys and it really looks easy to assemble. Probably the hardest part looks like cutting all the darned wires!
Good thought on the 14 gauge. I'll have to think about that.
The other thing I'm thinking about is pitching the roof like on their current cage because it will give just that much more surface area for them to hang from. If I did a pitched roof, the front and back could be a tad shorter and I could probably use the corner pieces cut from the sides to do corner platforms as long as I bonded a safe edge to the fronts.
Thanks for the input on the rings. I really want to order the parts and get this thing built -- just don't want to spend $250 and however many hours and decide I did it wrong!
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Re: Cage plans?
[Re: Paani]
#905968 02/12/1010:12 AM02/12/1010:12 AM
When pitching the roof, just remember that it is much more difficult to cut and connect the edges. The 1/2" x 1" is hard to cut at a perfect 45-degree angle. I made a 5' cage with a flat front and a hex-shaped back and learned the angle problem the hard way! The door liner can be used for edges of shelves, platforms or the door opening.
I used a good pair of bolt cutters for the wire and a dremel to smooth the edges of the cut wire.
It is VERY easy to assemble if using a rectangle shape. You may also want to consider a 36" width if you are going with 6' tall so you can use one drop pan instead of two. The legs/slides on the site are more for stacking cages. You could make a more reasonably priced and attractive stand with PVC as I posted above. One of these days I am going to paint the stand with black PVC paint, when the weather warms up enough to let it air outside for a while!
Hmm ... good idea on the Dremel. I hadn't really thought about smoothign the cut edges since most of the wire was going to be cut down flush with the crosswire and be inaccessible to the fuzzbutts.
Did you really need bolt cutters? I was just going to use my regular wire cutters since it's just 16 gauge. I was thinking about making a cardboard template for the roof pitch and cut along the sides. I might be able to shave a foot of the 1/2"x1" mesh since doing the pitched roof at a 45 degree angle drops the front and back to 3' sections each and only adds 1' to the overall roof length (just under 1.5' hypotenuse for 1' sides).
I didn't want to go 36 inch for a couple reasons: the only place I could put the cage if I go that deep is in the middle of the living room (!) and I want to be able to wheel this out the door for the occasional hose-down. Thanks for the info on the legs though. Maybe I can find a cheap television stand or side table to put this on -- I just wanted to elevate it a little both for the fuzzbutts' confidence and my back!
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Oh, I was suggesting 36" WIDTH, not DEPTH! I make sure my cages are no more than 2 ft deep so they will fit through doorways. Your wire cutters may work - my bolt cutters look like wire cutters, but the hardware store called them bolt cutters!
You can eliminate many cuts by bending the wire in a U-shape.
I would love to see a drawing or plans with the pitched roof when you have a chance!
Oh yeah, I wasn't reading carefully. I was thinking 4' wide so they could have jumping space. Really not enough space to glide but I don't see how I could do that without just setting a whole room up for them. Which is a thought -- I could disassemble the bed in the guest room and put up a big tent inside but then they'd have to go back to the "cramped" space whenever I have guests ...
With what's in my head, the only places I can see doing the bends would be along the roof peak and where the side walls meet the "floor" (the real floor would float inside so I could place the pan between. The front and back would need to be separate panels -- unless I made them one piece with the roof ... hmmmmm ....
[censored], you have me rethinking this again!
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Hi, i just built the same cage this weekend, and im curious, as i didnt think bout the original plans and the odd pull out tray from the original plans... what did you end up using for a pull out tray and how did you put it together? i ended up making mine 2 cages by running a seperator down the middle of the cage to seperate the males and females.
Haven't built it yet but I was planning on using two 24"x24" pull out trays, probably putting a small vertical separator at the bottom to guide the trays and maybe give the guys something more to climb or jump to. I was thinking I could add an additional foot to the 2' wide mesh and use half of it in the middle for structural support (and to separate the 2 trays) and then run the other half across it so there's a small raised platform in the middle. I guess the bad point on this is that it creates another ledge that I have to get under for cleaning.
I'm sketching out the design this weekend, will try to post graphics of the design when I finish it and then order the supplies.
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Okay, the attached graphic shows what I'm thinking of (at least I hope it's attached -- preview isn't showing it). Would love feedback. The parts list -- if I did my math right, is
19’ of 48”-wide 1”x½” PVC-coated wire mesh 18’ of 24”-wide 1”x½” PVC-coated wire mesh 2’ of 24”-wide ½”x½” PVC-coated wire mesh 8 spring door locks 2 24”x24” Duraplast floor pans 14 plastic 30” door strips 1 pkg 3/8” stainless steel blunt C-rings
plus tools and accessories. I was planning on hinging the doors the way my current cage does, using the C-rings spaced about every inch or two.
I have doors on either side up top to make it easy to attach stuff hanging down, two smaller doors in the middle -- not sure what I'd use them for but the cage is planned to be so large that I think I'd want access in the middle, one large door at the bottom to help with clean out, and one door on either side to provide easy access to the 9-inch ledges which I plan on using for the kitchens.
The 6 inch shelf in the middle (raised 6" off the bottom floor) is another platform for them as well as providing bottom structural support.
I decided to make the roof a trapezoid -- couple 45-degree angles to give them more hanging surface area but a flat ridgeline for me to mount red LED lights and a ceramic IR heater.
Would appreciate any constructive criticism as I'm new to gliders and want to get this right before I order everything. Are there too many doors? Are they too large or the wrong shape?
Last edited by Paani; 02/15/1003:47 PM.
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Are you still going to put the cage on a stand? I'm asking because I'm 5'8" and can barely reach the top corners of my 5' cage on its 18" stand.
You may also want to consider fewer and/or larger doors. I like a large door on the front for easy access, but none of my cages are as large as yours. That's the beauty of building your own - you can customize to suit your needs!
Oh, you probably have already allowed for this, but be sure your gliders cannot possibly reach the heater or the lights mounted on top. Gliders are comfortable at room temperature of 70 or so, and can be given extra blankies in their pouches to snuggle in for extra warmth. Some also use a portable heater in the glider room if it is a bit chilly in winter months.
I've made 4 of these cages. Here is a pic of my 2x3x5 cage. It is now on the stand linked above.
I was asking for advice precisely because I wanted to see what people had experienced in their own cages, especially with the doors. I suppose I could order the extra wire mesh and spring latches for the doors but not cut all of them until I'd had some experience with it. Maybe leave out the middle doors and only cut one of the top doors?
I'm only 5'8" myself BUT I was planning on putting this cage in the family room area (so they can see me watching TV if they're curious) which is half a level below the kitchen/dining room. I could also put it in the living room but probably won't use a stand if I do that. I wanted to make this wide and tall enough to give them room to do some decent jumping (almost gliding) if they wanted (Judah already jumps around inside their current cage like a little cricket).
I don't mind getting on a stool if I need to but I don't think I'll be messing around up top TOO much and I think it'll improve their confidence when they can look down on top of me.
I'm already using the ceramic IR heater -- the coil is in a cone reflector that sits a couple inches above the mesh. one worry I have is stability -- at 6' tall and 2' deep, I'm wondering if they might rock or even topple it by jumping at the very top.
The other thing I was thinking about was that I could partition this down the middle if I end up expanding the colony but needed to keep them separated.
Sooo ... what would you suggest with the doors?
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
I really like the design and symmetry with all of the doors. It's just a matter of personal preference how large and how many. The 9x9 doors, for example, could be cut at a later time if you find that you would use them. There won't be any more wire ordered because you can use the wire cut from other doors. Each door needs to overlap the opening by at least 2" top, bottom and latch side. So, you could use the piece cut out for the 18x18 opening for your 15x12 door. The hinges are pretty inexpensive, and I always order extras. If you decide to keep all of the doors, consider the thicker 14" gauge wire just for the front of the cage. That will be more stable with all of the cuts.
One thing I didn't do with my cages but wish I had was make a removable floor. I just added one to one of my pantry shelving cages, with tracks, and it will make cleaning much easier. With the snow on the ground, I don't get to take the cages outside to clean them thoroughly, but it's easy to take just the floor out to hose it off.
Oh, and you don't have to worry about the cage wobbling or toppling! It will be very sturdy and stable, especially with all of the extra shelves you have planned.
Thanks. I wasn't worried about the structural stability because of the cross bracing by the shelves and double floor (above and below the pans). I was just thinking 6 feet high above a (potentially) 2 foot base at the shortest axis is a rather long moment arm (sorry, physics geek showing). Of course, I could fix that by running some forward slats out from under the pans and increase the effect size of the base ...
I was thinking the pans would collect everything and I plan on lining them with throwaway paper or maybe the polypro liners I've seen here so cleanup should be easy -- or am I being naive?
I was already planning on reusing the cutouts as much as possible. I hate waste.
You said the hinges are inexpensive. So you use something other than the same C-rings as hinges? What do you use? I didn't see anything labeled as a hinge on Klubertanz and my current cage looks like it just uses extra C-rings as the hinges.
Do you think the 18x18" door should be wider?
What do you think about making the top and side doors be flip-up or flip-down rather than side-opening? Are the spring-clip latches good enough (it's what I have now) or should I look at some other mechanism like the two-finger latches?
Maybe this is overachieving and I could get the same effect for the gliders by making it 60 inches tall (eliminate the middle doors) and raising it another foot on an elevated platform?
I was thinking about putting the wheel(s) on the bottom so they could do maximum leap from the top going left-to-right or vice-versa and almost get an actual glide but if I do that then I have to be careful to not have a bunch of stuff in the middle.
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Re: Cage plans?
[Re: Paani]
#907815 02/16/1010:38 AM02/16/1010:38 AM
In theory, the drop pans collect everything and you can just clean them and be done with it. It doesn't work that way though... ... sticky bits cling to the wire on the way down. I have kitchens on the floor of my cages and wonder how BML ends up stuck to the top of the cage. This wire does wipe clean easily though. I use a hot microfiber cloth for spot cleaning.
Are you planning on a stand for the 6-ft cage? If not, I'd probably take a foot off the height and raise it up. You have the option of securing the cage to the ceiling with something like the hooks used to hang plants to compensate for the "shorter axis"! I really don't see excess wobble being a problem though, and forward slats would just get in your way.
The door sizes are just your preference. You could cut smaller openings with larger doors if you want the option to cut them larger if needed at a later time.
I meant latches are inexpensive, not hinges - OOPS! The rings do make perfect hinges. The spring latches work great. I can see the side doors as flip-down, but not flip-up because you would have to hold them open while accessing the cage.
My gliders make more use of the horizontal space for gliding, and your 48" width will certainly allow for that. If your options are 6' tall with no stand or 5' tall with stand, I'd go with the stand to raise the cage up off the floor.
Thanks for all the helpful advice. Lacking any other comments, I think I'm going to build the 2' x 4' x 6' version since it's only $21 more and I can fit a 15-inch shelf/stand under it in the TV room and could even put it on a 2' stand in the living room. I'd need a ladder to mount stuff to the ceiling if it was that high but I don't see me doing it that often. Will probably be calling Klubertanz today to place the order so I can get building ASAP.
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Well, just called the order in. About $260 including shipping, it should go out Monday. Unfortunately will be busy all day next Saturday but maybe Sunday I can cut and assemble so these guys can move into a larger abode.
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Re: Cage plans?
[Re: Paani]
#913729 03/02/1010:57 AM03/02/1010:57 AM
So box 1 arrived last Thursday with the pans and rings and pliers but box 2 with the actual wire didn't get here until last night. Their new Stealth also arrived in the mail yesterday so I almost felt like Steve Martin in "The Jerk".
I put the Stealth wheel into their existing cage immediately then I set about figuring out how to unroll the mesh. I was able to undo the rings holding the mesh roll together using a combination of a good screwdriver and pliers. Unfortunately on the 1/2" x 1", the 1" runs along the 4' edge rather than into the roll. Not exactly the look I was going for but should be okay.
I have Scouts tonight so probably won't be able to assemble the cage until after work tomorrow. Am thinking about crimping some of the bends in the wire rather than just cutting straight sides and ringing the panels together. Basically, the bottom panel and the back panel could be a single 7.5' piece crimped 90 degrees at the 2' point while the front panel and the floor could be another single panel (about 7' 3.5") crimped 90 degrees at the 2' point.
I could in theory do the bottom, rear, roof, front and floor all in one piece except that I decided to make a semi-sloped roof so they'd have more roof surface to hang from. The 45 degree slopes I'd planned call for hypotenuses of 0.707" so that just won't look right in a single sheet. On the other hand, they seem pretty happy now with hanging from the various tree branches I've placed in their cage so maybe I don't have to worry about the roof line.
Only thing is I don't have a crimper -- best I could probably do is use my aluminum contractor's level. That would probably be sufficient if I go with the boxy all-90-degree replan but just cutting and ringing simple panels will likely be quickest.
Any thoughts?
Nala, Ronald & Reuel (formerly Eladio & Petal) Judah Anson Lele Laki
Re: Cage plans?
[Re: Paani]
#913731 03/02/1011:03 AM03/02/1011:03 AM
Good luck on the cage build... I have a massive Klubbertanz cage... the dimensions are 4'x 2'x 5' That's 4ft wide, 2 deep and 5 high... The drop tray is made almost exactly like Nancy's.
One thing to note... even if the cage is skinny enough to fit through the door, you have to make sure you can turn corners with it too... this one BARELY fit around my hallway into the room!
Meghan
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