How to make a rat cage with your own hands from improvised materials at home

Pet stores offer a fairly wide selection of cages for rats. But it is really difficult to find a model that is suitable both in size, design, interior arrangement and price. The best solution to this problem is a do-it-yourself rat cage. With self-production, you can choose a suitable design, make sure that the pet will live in comfortable and safe conditions. Properly selected materials will help to save money and get a strong, comfortable cage without high costs.

Drawings and dimensions

Before embarking on the manufacture of a cage for a pet, it is necessary to choose a suitable project, make all the calculations, draw up a drawing. On the Internet, it is easy to find a variety of cell models, the designs of which can be taken as the basis for work. Rats are great at jumping, climbing wire walls, so homemade cages are usually made multi-story. The size and type of construction directly depend on the number of tailed residents.

For one or two animals, the minimum dimensions of the dwelling should be 60×40 cm at the base, 60-100 cm in height. If you plan to keep boys, you can make a wider, lower cage. Males are distinguished by a calm disposition and sociability, they rarely rise above the 2nd or 3rd floor of the cage, preferring to climb on the owner’s shoulder. Rats – girls are more shy, more mobile, less willing to make contact with people, but they like to climb to heights – therefore, a high cage of 4-5 floors will be more comfortable for them.

Self-production also makes it possible to carefully consider the internal arrangement of the rat dwelling.

Specially designated places for ladders, houses, hammocks, beds will help to provide animals with comfortable conditions and quick movement through the floors. Choose in advance the places where the doors will be located – this will facilitate the cleaning procedure, help you quickly catch your pet, and also allow you to get access to a sick animal if necessary.

Materials and Tools

Often, wood is chosen as the material for a homemade cage. Boards, plywood or chipboard are inexpensive, easy to process, safe for animals, and durable enough. A do-it-yourself rat cage is quickly made from old furniture – a closet or shelving. But for keeping rats, a tree is still not the best choice. These animals very actively gnaw walls and partitions, and due to the peculiarities of the structure, the material perfectly absorbs unpleasant odors.

Therefore, the best option would be a cage made of metal rods or mesh. Galvanized or hard-enamelled metal is resistant to corrosion, as well as to the constant impact of rat teeth. To assemble the parts of the cage, you will need a soldering iron, you can also connect them using flexible aluminum wire. To work, you will also need tools:

• tape measure, ruler, markers;
• pliers, nippers;
• scissors for metal;
• a hammer;
• file.

A significant part of the design is the pallet – it must be waterproof and easy to clean with detergents. You can choose a ready-made plastic pallet of the right size or make it yourself from PVC sheets. To seal the joints you will need silicone glue. All the necessary materials and tools can be purchased at a hardware store. To perform work with metal mesh and wire, it is also better to buy thick gloves.

How to make a do-it-yourself rat cage

After making the drawing, you need to prepare a place to work. You can make a frame yourself in two ways – by bending a metal mesh or cutting out parts for further fastening. You need to perform work on a hard surface that is reliably protected from damage and scratches:

1. When deciding to bend the mesh, the drawing is made in the form of a single sweep. After transferring all dimensions, the part is cut out with metal scissors, fold lines are immediately marked.
2. For even bending of a rigid mesh, you need to put it on the edge of a concrete slab or stone platform, press it down with a board from above and perform successive blows with a hammer along the edge along the marked fold line.
3. To assemble a cage from individual parts, they are cut out with metal scissors in strict accordance with the drawing. All sharp edges are filed so that pets cannot get hurt.
4. Between themselves, the side walls and the roof are connected using pieces of flexible wire, 4-5 cm long – it is better to cut the right amount in advance. The wire is first folded in half, connecting the two parts, then the ends are tightly wrapped around the connected rods. Rigid tips are pressed with wire cutters and also processed with a file.
   

   

5. Square holes are cut in the walls of the resulting structure in place of future doors. Holes are best made on each floor, as well as on the roof.
6. Shelves and doors are cut separately from pieces of mesh. They are attached to the walls with a flexible wire. Metal ladders can be installed between floors, but rats climb walls very well, so you can do without additional elements.
7. Locks are pre-made on the doors – you can bend a piece of wire or a metal platinum, or use clerical clips.

If the cage is large, it is better to strengthen the frame with a metal corner profile. Holes are drilled in the walls of the profile for attaching the mesh to self-tapping screws or using wire. Such a frame is more durable and stable, it can withstand the weight of a large cage.

The pallet is made only after the cage frame is ready – it must be re-measured in order to exclude an error. To work, you need a PVC sheet 4-5 mm thick, a base is cut out of it a little more than the base of the frame, as well as sides 10-15 cm high. The sides are glued to the base and strengthened at the corners, all joints are coated with silicone.

How to make a do-it-yourself rat cage from a metal rack