The Little Green Rat Cottage
A Quick, Easy and Inexpensive Travel, Nursery or Single Cage
To make this cage, you will need the following items: wire snips, J-clips, J-clip pliers, a J-clip removal tool (optional but handy), door guard strips, door latch, spring and hook latch, a Rubbermaid storage tub without lid, roll of green coated 1/2" wire mesh. The snips, wire and tub can be found at a hardware store such as Home Depot and the J-clips, special tools, door guard strips and latches can be ordered from Quality Cage Company. Their prices are low, quality is high and delivery is fast in my experience.
J-clip removers, J-clips, J-clip pliers, wire snips
You can buy any size Rubbermaid bin that suits your space, but I prefer the roughly 24' x 16' size. Measure the interior area of the tub, subtracting at least one inch from each dimensionto make the cage fit comfortably in the pan. Use this as the measurement for the length of the sides of the cage. I generally tend not to make the cage taller than about 24" for ease of carrying and cleaning, but it's up to you to determine the height. I would say not to go shorter than 18" to allow for a balcony. You may also want to buy two rolls of the wire just to be sure you have enough and are not racing back to the hardware store in mid-cage building. For the lid, I measure the length of the smaller sides, add about 2 inches to make a lip on the front of the cage, and then measure the length of the longer side and add about 4 inches to make side lips. When you make the balcony, be sure that it's not so wide that your ramp up to it is unsafely steep. I try to keep my ramp angle around 45º. It's also a good idea to attach the ramp at the base of the cage as well as at the balcony so that it does not flap around when you lift the cage top for cleaning. When cutting the door panel, be sure to make it at least a half inch wider in all directions than the hole for the door so it will fit snugly. I also find it's helpful to cut the ends of the door guard strips at a 45º angle so they fit neatly at the corners. The door guard strips really are important because it's nearly impossible to get all the sharp little edges of wire cut off and you and your rat will scratch yourselves at some point on the nasty pokey wires. If you do house baby rats in this cage, you will want to put a piece of linoleum down on the balcony area because their wee feet can get caught in the wire spacing when they are very small. I've never seen it be an issue for an adult, but have had to remove a scared, squealing baby rat's foot from between the wires on the floor. We went out that very afternoon and got linoleum for safety and have never had an issue since.
For those who are looking for larger, more professionally constructed cages that last a good long time, I would highly recommend both Quality Cage Co. and Martins Cages. Absolutely spring for the powder coated wire when available. It will make cleaning your cages require much less elbow grease on your part. If your rats are anything like mine, they will either chew some of the coating off the area of the cage around the door (nice try, ladies, but you're not nibbling your way to freedom) or their urine will start to erode some of the coating on the wire flooring near the popular pee spots, no matter how well or often you scrub the cage. Powder coated cages can be "refreshed" using spray-on appliance enamel which can be found at your local hardware store and which comes in several colors including black, my favorite. The enamel will take several days to dry to a point of being rat safe, so bear that in mind when you begin the project. I will warn you that the spray flies everywhere and sticks to everything, so make sure to move any outdoor furniture, potted plants or vehicles away from the work area before spraying or you'll be scrubbing your patio down but good like I did.