# what is the best way to start ?



## sc00ter4900 (Jan 3, 2010)

what is the best way to start ? Im looking for a plan on making my own cage. Doese anyone know of a web site with that info? Thanks Scotty


----------



## jamespm_98 (Jan 3, 2010)

I am very new to rabbits too so keep that in mind when I give you this advice. Other folks here have tons of experience and may give you better advice, but here I go. I built my cages from wood and used hardware cloth (wire) with 1/2" X 1/2" openings in it for the floor and chicken wire for the sides. My cages are 2' X 2' square, but I have dwarf rabbits that weigh less than 3 lbs. You can by nice rabbit cages already built and if I knew more when I started I may have gone that route. I have my rabbits housed over a chicken run so this setup works for me. I know lots of folks use the purchased cages and have them hanging or on stands. Good luck!


----------



## kelsystar (Jan 4, 2010)

I recommend Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett. It's very thorough and a good starting place. He has instructions for building cages.

I've heard several places, though, that building cages isn't much cheaper than buying them. Depending on how cheap you can find the materials, of course.


----------



## Bunnylady (Jan 4, 2010)

I've built my own cages for many years. It probably doesn't save me much money up front, but it allows me to have cages that are the exact size that I want, including multi-hole runs that would be a nightmare to ship! I can also do repairs from the wire I already have on site, rather than replacing the whole shebang.

I prefer to use 1"x 2" wire for the sides, and 1" x 1/2" wire for the floors. Hardware cloth sags under the weight of all but the smallest rabbits, and sitting on uneven floors makes a rabbit more prone to sore feet. I'm sorry, but I feel that chicken wire is too fragile for use around rabbits. It won't stop anything that tries to get in, and gives way pretty quickly if a rabbit chews on it. Rabbits spray urine to mark their territory, and the urine eats through chicken wire pretty quickly, too.


----------



## kelsystar (Jan 24, 2010)

If you do make your own cages, make sure to use the baby-saver wire (1"x1/2") on the bottom 4" of the walls. I've had babies slip through the 1"x2" wire. 

The cat told me about it real quick, though. He thinks he's a rabbit.


----------



## sc00ter4900 (Jan 25, 2010)

Thanks for the tips. I have enough free wood to make the frame. Just pricing out wire.  WOW wire isnt cheap at all. Going to be making a couple of cages soon. Is there any place to get the wire cheap? Thanks Scotty


----------



## currycomb (Jan 25, 2010)

all of our cages are used, found on craigslist, yard sales, and those that came with free rabbits folks no longer wanted. we also have a swap shop on a local radio station, and just recently aquired a 5 hole and a 4 hole cage set-up for 75.00. needed a little tweeking, but so much cheaper than buying new. also got a 12 hole cage setup for 75.00 last summer, also needed tweeking. have purchased the really nice hutches for 20.00 each. just bought 4 havahart  cages for 10.00 each, in mint condition off of craigslist. could not afford all our cages at new prices. put up ads at feed stores and grocery stores saying you are looking for cages. never know what is in people's garages and sheds.


----------



## Bunnylady (Jan 26, 2010)

http://www.klubertanz.com/ is one of my favorite places to order wire from. No, it isn't cheap, but I have bought cheap wire and I say, never again! The wire I have bought from these folks doesn't pop welds while I'm working with it, and it lasts. I have a couple of local sources for the sizes of wire I like to use, but they only stock Chinese-made junk that I am done wasting time and money on! I happily pay shipping to get something that I know will hold up. I have a 70-hole rabbitry (and build cages for sale locally,) I don't have the time to be replacing floors all the time. I believe that if you can find good wire, it is worth the extra cost up front, because it saves you money in the end.

My solution to babies slipping through the wire is to use the 1 x 1/2 wire  for the sidewalls in my multi-hole cages. Because my cages are all wire, I cut the floor wire 8" wider than the intended cage width, and bend the wire up to form the bottom 4" of the walls. It's keeps from having to by a third kind of wire (babysaver wire is 1 x 2 on the top, 1/2 x 2 on the bottom.)


----------

