Build a rodent cage yourself
In the meantime, hopefully it is well known that rodent cages are too small. But if you want to buy a cage that's big enough, you're already getting poor. Self-build here would be an alternative that can indeed go into the money, but often there is cheaper. Also a problem for people with 2 left hands? As if.
I have two different forms of home-built cages at home that are pretty quick and cheap to build. And yes, I have two left hands that are full of thumbs. Nevertheless, it worked quite well.
Two of my cages are converted cabinets. So, once cupboard, once shelf. I bought both needed.
In the cabinet, the doors (and holes in the sides) were sawed out and replaced with aviary wire. Intermediate floors were already in there (which were previously painted for safety with Sabber varnish), in which I sawed holes. (Merchandise was rather unnecessary here.) Men only seldom use them.) There was a lock on one of the doors and a bolt on the other. In it (1.60 x 1.40 x 55 cm) is space for 8 rats. He cost me at most 50 euros.
The size of the shelf was divided into three parts. In front there were 3 door frames attached, fastened with piano strap (and on the other side a hook-and-loop fastener). Voluminous wire came in the frame again. In the shelves holes (about 10 x 10 cm). In between, ramps. I got the cupboard for 2.50, for the wire I paid (for 25 x 1m) 15 Euro, for closures and piano band came again 5-10 Euro. With its 208 x 97 x 50 cm and 6 shelves are the dimensions for a maximum of 9 rats.
Since I currently use newspaper, my cages have no scatter protection, but they should get soon. For this I have some old cabinet back walls, which I attach with small angles.
Cage number 3 is made up of 4 lacquer tables and currently under construction. A 2x2 cube. The simplest form of this is to build a small frame for 1-2 pages (or one for the top), wrap everything with aviary wire, holes come in the upper levels. Watch out here. Between the 2 chipboard is cardboard. For the women I have here, it would be an invitation to eat and have another place to sleep. When I briefly used the cage as a transition, I stapled microfibre cloth strips around the holes there. But it's not helpful if it's animals that get stuffed in 10 minutes. In that case, I had no idea yet. For the new cage, I take out the middle stuff and glue only the two plates on top of each other, so that a minimum of scatter protection is created. Anyway, the cage would cost completely new probably around 40-50 euros and with its about 1.10 x 1.00 m and an intermediate floor for 4 rats enough.
For a decent, really high litter protection (for example for hamsters) I recommend Plexiglas. Should be a bit higher and not take the whole view.
Very important (which I unfortunately forgot even with my last cage):
You can still control that often. A cage is only escape-proof, if it also the rats (sometimes also only after weeks of attempts) as escape-proof view. So no false hopes, that only promotes the trouble afterwards.
Full floors are easy to fix in most cabinets, as shelves should be. For parts floors you do not get to screwing.
For toilet corners, it is worth it, if you run these out. Can then just wipe away.
So. I hope I took something the fear of building (welfare) cages for rodents myself. The respective figures I took from www.cagecalc.de
I also saw a cabinet cage for guinea pigs. Here a chest of drawers was used, but otherwise proceeded the same way.
Unfortunately, I can only make the information for rats. Cagecalc also provides information for other animals, but first of all, calculate by planning. The website can count on many animals in both directions.
Before you ask how the hell you get (currently 17, permanently 11) rats:
I had a pleasant number of 6. One I got, because the previous owner thought it was a goat with undescended testicles. Two (!) Veterinarians confirmed it to me. 6 weeks after integration with my Dicken (and 12 weeks after living together with another buck, which again gave me security), the squeaking in the cage showed that it is still a female.
