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Cage Building Tools |
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Needle Nose Pliers
Hammer
36 " to ~ 50" 2" x
4" or 4" x 4"
Door Latch
Food Hopper |
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Necessary Galvanized Hardware Cloth
Tin Snips
J-clips/Cage Clips/Roll Ties (all
the same thing)
J-clip Pliers-Do yourself a favor and buy the special J-clip
pliers. Your hands will thank you.
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| Tin snips, Jclips, Needle nosed
Pliers, and cheap J-clip pliers |
Very Good J-clip Pliers |
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Building Rabbit Cages
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My adult rabbits are housed in custom made
galvanized hardware cloth cages. The 36" depth can be
difficult to reach deep into to gather up a reluctant rabbit, so
48"w x 24"d x17"h or 36"w x24d x 17"h work as well.
Of course if you come bearing treats, affecionate pets, and/or
to get them to go out to the exercise pens, they will be glad to
see you coming.
Hay Baskets: They all have built-in
baskets along a side wall for Timothy hay. If the
hay is put above the rabbit it tends to fall on top of them and
get caught in their coats. Not fun at trimming time. For the hay baskets you can use chicken wire or 1"x2" galvanized
welded wire. I put the opening for the hay basket along
the top edge of the top panel, or sometimes cut a hole in the
front panel. I make the basket at least 4" wide and
from about 4'5" off the floor all the way to the ceiling,
so I can toss a good amount of hay in there. I
have some that I built early on that have a 2" thickness, and it
is difficult to stuff the hay down in there.
The openings need to be long up and down ways (1" x 2" wire with
the length up and down like skyscrapers, not like bricks).
This allows the rabbits to reach in to pull out the hay, but
cuts down on loss. Chicken wire works well too, you
just have to avoid having cut edges of wire dangerous to the
bunnies.
Floor: For the floor of all the cages I use 1"x1/2"
galvanized hardware cloth. Check your local farm supply, and compare
prices. You'd be surprised by how much they can vary.
You can buy a variety of
galvanized wire by the foot or roll. Buying it by the roll
is significantly less expensive. Make sure that the 1/2"
side of the wire is FACE UP when you attach it to the bottom of
the cage. It provides even support for their feet.
Do NOT use 1/2" x 1/2" wire. The openings are too small for the
dung pellets of large rabbits (i.e. German and German Hybrid Angoras) to fall through, and they
will build up quickly. I put the roll ties every
2-3 inches along the bottom seam of the cage. Double and
triple check that the floor has the narrow spaced wires FACE
UP first. It is no fun to remove all those roll ties.
Walls: For the walls
of the adult cages you can use 1"x1" (more durable) or 1"x2" (less
expensive) galvanized wire. The lower the gage, the stronger
the wire, and sturdier the cage. You can just bend
the walls all around as the roof, floor and sides, and you only have to
cut and attach the front and back panels. I do this by
measuring the proper length of wire to cover front roof and
back, cutting it, and making sure the side of the wire with a perpendicular crosswire
is face up, set the 2 x 4 adjacent to the crosswire 17"
from and parallell to the cut edge. I then
stand on the 2x4, bend the wire up, and hammer the corner
flat against the side of the wood. For the
sides, I cut a 36" square from the wire roll, and cut it in
half, leaving one side with 18" and the other side with 17".
You can bend the wires over and closed for a sturdy smooth
edge. It is more work now but makes a sturdy
safe cage. If you do this, you have to leave one inch of
the wire on the 18" side outside the box of the cage. it
does provide extra structural integrity. I'd have it
extend down off the bottom of the front of the cage, since you
will be cutting so many holes in the front. You can bend
it under for extra support there. Just remember to do that
before you attach it. I put the roll ties every 3 or
so inches along the side and top seams of the cage.
Door: I have found that the door is easiest to
use if it attaches at the side (bottom for kindling cages). This way you can attach the feeder to
the door wire to save space at the front of the cage, and you
don't dump food out when you open the cage. The opening for
the door should be at least 12"x12" and is cut after the cage is put
together. The door opening is centered as much as possible (for ease of
access) but still leaves enough room for the food and water to attach.
Make all these measurements, and be sure , BEFORE you
start cutting! The door hinge can be made using the same J-clips you use to connect the
panels of the cage together. The actual door must overlap the
opening at least 1 inch on the three unattached sides.
I put the roll ties every 2-3 inches along every seam of the cage (a
little more loosely for the door hinge).
Feed Hopper and Water: I cut a hole for the
food hopper one inch up from the floor of the cage. It has
to be cut to fit snugly around hopper. Sometimes the
hopper tray is just barely too wide or tall. In this case,
I take the needle nose pliers and bend the wire carefully to
make the hole wide enough to fit the hopper tray through the
hole. The water goes next to this on the front of the cage
where it is easily checked and accessed.
Notes: Some cages are secured
within a sturdy framework, a good 3 feet off the ground (angle
iron works well) . Attach angle iron to the four
corners of the cage with bolts and washers. Be sure the
bolts will fit through the holes in the angle iron (and the
washer won't fit through the holes in the cage wire) BEFORE
you buy them. The other cages are hung from the rafters
by sturdy chains. The rabbits must have plenty of fresh air but be safe from
icy drafts, hot sun, pests, and moisture. A 24" deep
cage is much easier for those with short arms to reach in to
compared to the 36" deep cage. If this is an
issue for you, for a larger space
one can make a 24"x48" cage. I'd suggest
two doors on a cage that long. All
the rabbits really do enjoy getting out to the exercise pen
regardless of how big your cages are. |
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Building Kindling Cages for
Breeding Angora Rabbits |
 The kindling cages are made
entirely of the 1" x1/2" wire to insure against kits wiggling
out of any 1"x1" holes. My kindling cages for
nursing does and their kits have drop nests built into the bottom (see
diagram). (Note: For kindling and the first
month I strongly recommend a drop nest box 12"wide x17"long x 7-9"deep.
The small size helps the kits stay together. Shared body heat
keeps them warm. Also locating it at the front of the cage
makes it a lot easier to check on the kits.) For the floor of all the cages I use 1"x1/2"
galvanized wire (check your local farm supply, you can buy a variety of
galvanized wire by the foot or roll). Make sure that the 1/2"
side of the wire is face up. It provides even support for their feet.
Don't use 1/2"x1/2" wire. The openings are too small for the
dung pellets of large rabbits (i.e. German Angoras) to fall through, and they
will build up quickly. For the walls
of the adult cages you can use 1"x1" (more durable) or 1"x2" (less
expensive) galvanized wire. You will need a pair of good tin
snips, some needle nosed pliers, a set of J-clip pliers and J-cage clips, a drummel
tool (optional) to grind cut wire instead of bending it
safely out of the way with the needle nose pliers, and a
hammer and a 2x4 (or something similar) around which to bend the
wire. You can just bend the walls all around as the roof,
floor and sides, and you only have to cut and attach the front
and back panels. The less cutting, the better.
Whenever possible try to bend the wire with a perpendicular
crosswire on the inside as opposed to the outside.
I have found that the door is easiest to use if it attaches at
the bottom for kindling cages. This way when you open the door,
it drops out of your way and doesn't hassle you while you are
checking on the babies. The opening for the door
should be at least 12"x12" and is cut after the cage is put
together to make sure of proper placement. The door
opening is centered as much as possible (for ease of access) but
still leaves enough room for the food and water to attach.
The door hinge can be made using the same J-clips you use to
connect the panels of the cage together. The actual door
must overlap the opening at least 1 inch, preferably two or more
if you can fit it (especially on the kindling cages) on the
three unattached sides. I put the roll ties
every 2-3 inches along every seam of the cage (don't crimp them
as tightly for the door hinge). Some
cages are secured within a sturdy framework, a good 3 feet off
the ground (angle iron works well). The other cages are hung from the rafters
by sturdy chains. Regardless of which style you choose, they
must be protected from
pests and predators (eg. mice, rats, raccoons, aggressive dogs) and the
elements. The rabbits must have plenty of fresh air
but be safe from icy drafts, hot sun, pests, and moisture. A 24" deep
cage is much easier for those with short arms to reach in to
compared to the 36" deep cage. I have found that the
36"X36" or larger cages are much better for housing litters.
For an even larger space for large adolescent litters, one can
make a 24"x48" cage. You probably want to
put two doors on that one. All the rabbits really do enjoy
getting out to the exercise pen regardless of how big your cages
are. |
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Rabbit Runs /Exercise Pens |
 The
five 6' x6' pens (pictured at left) have a partial roof on the
south side for shade (not shown in picture). Corrugated
tin roofing is light, can be attached securely, and provides
good shade. Be aware that shade will move with the sun and possibly leave the
rabbit without respite in the hottest part of the day.
Roofing must account for the movement of the sun. To make
this adjustable pen, I bought a roll of 36" wide 1" x 2"
galvanized hardware cloth. It is too tall for them to jump
out of but provides structure to attach the tin roof.
There are exceptions of course. We have one buck who
jumped right out, even with roof material covering the top of
his enclosure. In that case, it is easy just to cut two
72" pieces and attach across the top of the enclosure for his
safety. Each panel is 72" long, and is attached to the
next panel with 1" carabineers, thus making all sections easily
adjustable. The wire was cut with 1/2" length of wire left
at the ends, and the wire was bent over and turned safely under
with needle nosed pliers. I find this is the safest and
sturdiest method of handling the cut ends. The wire is
held securely in place on the ground with tent stakes.
That said, the rabbits should NOT be left unattended for more
than a few moments. Rabbits will dig out of any enclosure
not reinforced with a wire and concrete foundation. Fresh
water must always be available
here as well. They do love to nibble on hay, and/or fresh
grass (not too much for the kits whose digestive systems are
just developing). We, at Harvest Moon, get hours of relaxation and
enjoyment watching the bunnies hop around in the exercise pens. |
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