NIC blue print? Anyone?

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koolaidsmiiles

koolaidsmiiles

koolaidsmiiles
Joined
Dec 1, 2013
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Location
new york
Hi again lol

Does anyone happen to have the exact measurements of all the stuff used to create their NIC? & be able to tell me where they bought it or where I could get it? Please post a pic of your cage as well. It would just be so much easier if i could copy a cage i like & knowing the measurements so i know exactly what to get. Or if there's a website that has blueprints to nic cages? Thanks!
 
cage info:
http://breyfamily.net/bunnycage.html
http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm (shows how to do coroplast floors if you'd rather use that than plywood)
best deal on grids for the cages: http://www.sears.com/stor-floor-sta...p-00913332000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1 (they come 23 to a box)

ba756683-5373-4059-b542-107d15c9946c_zpsfbf17cef.jpg%7Eoriginal


I've since built a 2 x 4 x 5 high condo, but don't have a pic yet. I designed it a bit better (imo) - the 1-grid high level is in the middle, making the lowest level much easier to clean. You can find more info on NIC condos in this post I made a little while ago.

The majority of grids are approximately 14'' square (the Sears ones I linked above say they're 13.98'' x 13.98'').

Everyone does things a little differently and it's best to have a cage customized for your wants and needs. I know it can be a daunting task to come up with something from scratch, but luckily for you, I love brainstorming condo ideas! If you can figure out how many grids wide and long you want your condo, plus either how many high/how many levels you want or a price limit (which will determine the # of grids you've got to work with), I'd be happy to help you come up with something that's right for you.
 
Imbrium said:
cage info:
http://breyfamily.net/bunnycage.html
http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm (shows how to do coroplast floors if you'd rather use that than plywood)
best deal on grids for the cages: http://www.sears.com/stor-floor-sta...p-00913332000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1 (they come 23 to a box)

ba756683-5373-4059-b542-107d15c9946c_zpsfbf17cef.jpg%7Eoriginal


I've since built a 2 x 4 x 5 high condo, but don't have a pic yet. I designed it a bit better (imo) - the 1-grid high level is in the middle, making the lowest level much easier to clean. You can find more info on NIC condos in this post I made a little while ago.

The majority of grids are approximately 14'' square (the Sears ones I linked above say they're 13.98'' x 13.98'').

Everyone does things a little differently and it's best to have a cage customized for your wants and needs. I know it can be a daunting task to come up with something from scratch, but luckily for you, I love brainstorming condo ideas! If you can figure out how many grids wide and long you want your condo, plus either how many high/how many levels you want or a price limit (which will determine the # of grids you've got to work with), I'd be happy to help you come up with something that's right for you.
Click to expand...

Great thank you. . How about this? Is this size Ok?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVH0UxfKo7Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 
I only vaguely skimmed the video, but it looks like it's only one grid deep - definitely not a suitable size. If you were to take the same design and make it two grids deep, that would work (and be very similar to the condo in my picture).

(BTW, I'm off to work on projects for a bit, but I'll check back in a little bit)
 
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Imbrium said:
I only vaguely skimmed the video, but it looks like it's only one grid deep - definitely not a suitable size. If you were to take the same design and make it two grids deep, that would work (and be very similar to the condo in my picture).
Click to expand...

OkWhat do you mean by one grid deep? You mean height wise? Yea thats do able.. what size do the grids need to be & how many boxes? I'm going to try to go to Walmart today maybe I can find some cubes there.
 
Deep as in wide - her cage looks big when looking at it from the front, but it looked like it's only one grid (14'') between the wall and the front of the cage ;)

Walmart rarely stocks the grids except perhaps at back-to-school time. Avoid Target at all costs, some of their cubes have a larger hole in the center where a bunny could get their head stuck. Sears really is the best bet - I've yet to see anyone come up with a lower price from a US retailer in over a year now.

Number of boxes depends on the design... at an absolute minimum, you'll need two (some designs can take as many as 4-5). If you want to do 2 grids wide x 3 grids long x 5 grids high with three levels, you'll need 3 boxes (assuming you don't want to make a "floor" of grids on the ground level, which isn't necessary but makes things feel sturdier to a novice builder - I went that route with my 2 x 3 x 5 condo but left the floor out with my new 2 x 4 x 5 and it's plenty sturdy. If you want a ground floor made of grids, you'll need four boxes and end up with a lot of leftover grids).
 
Imbrium said:
Deep as in wide - her cage looks big when looking at it from the front, but it looked like it's only one grid (14'') between the wall and the front of the cage ;)

Walmart rarely stocks the grids except perhaps at back-to-school time. Avoid Target at all costs, some of their cubes have a larger hole in the center where a bunny could get their head stuck. Sears really is the best bet - I've yet to see anyone come up with a lower price from a US retailer in over a year now.

Number of boxes depends on the design... at an absolute minimum, you'll need two (some designs can take as many as 4-5). If you want to do 2 grids wide x 3 grids long x 5 grids high with three levels, you'll need 3 boxes (assuming you don't want to make a "floor" of grids on the ground level, which isn't necessary but makes things feel sturdier to a novice builder - I went that route with my 2 x 3 x 5 condo but left the floor out with my new 2 x 4 x 5 and it's plenty sturdy. If you want a ground floor made of grids, you'll need four boxes and end up with a lot of leftover grids).
Click to expand...

Oh ok I see what you mean yes 2 grids wide is fine. 2 x 3 x 5 that would be perfect. I wouldn't want to grid the floor. I want to do plywood, what are the pieces called that you use to hold the shelves up & boarder the floor? What size should the grids be for this plan?
Do
 
The grids are about 14'' x 14''. Plywood can work well, but requires you to have a saw or stand around at the hardware store getting it cut, can be harder to haul home and isn't water-proof so will need to be covered with something else. 1/4'' would be ideal if you do use plywood; definitely no thicker than 1/2'' because of the weight it adds.

Coroplast (corrugated cardboard) is, imo, a better alternative - easier to work with and a little less expensive when all is said and done. All you need to cut it is a $1 utility knife. Home Depot sells it in 3' x 6' sheets for around $14. If you've got a car (rather than a truck or SUV), it can be loosely and carefully rolled up and then stuffed in the backseat to take it home.

What you hold everything together with is known as zip-ties or cable-ties. The shortest ones are 4'', which is more than long enough for a condo. I don't know if you read the post I linked to earlier that had additional info in it, so I'll re-post a little bit of it:
Imbrium said:
Also, dowels can really help add some stability to a big cage (they stop the floors from sagging) - Home Depot charges $3-4 each for dowels, which is a rip-off. You can find 3' long dowels in a large enough diameter for cage support at Hobby Lobby for under $1 each.

Home Depot (or Lowe's, etc.) is also not the place to buy zip-ties. HD is like $5 for 100 of the 4'' ties and $18 or so for 1,000. If you're lucky, you can find some in a dollar store (Dollar Tree, for example) that are $1 for 100. Failing that, you can find way better deals online than at hardware stores - for example, I sell 500 for $3.80-4.05 (natural is cheaper than black for some reason) on my website; shipping for just the zip-ties wouldn't be more than about $2.
Click to expand...

Since it sounds like you're trying to put this together ASAP and won't want to wait a few days for shipping (assuming you can find grids in stock, anyway), that rules out getting cable ties online - hopefully you have some sort of dollar store chain in your area where everything is actually a dollar (99c store, Dollar Tree, etc... as opposed to stuff like Dollar General). Many of them carry zip-ties at $1 for 80-100 of the 4'' ties, which beats the pants off of hardware store pricing.

For a 2 x 3 x 5, you'll need a bit less than 300 if I remember correctly, accounting for a little waste if you mess up or change your mind somewhere. Each seam between two grids should be secured with two zip-ties (I like to put them 2 squares from the outside of the grid on either end) - it may not seem that way when you're first putting it together, but the more you build, the sturdier it gets. I suppose do like to reinforce the corners where four grids meet with two extra ties sometimes... if you want to be overzealous with the zip-ties (I certainly was the first time I built a condo), you may need as much as 400-500.
 
koolaidsmiiles said:
Oh ok I see what you mean yes 2 grids wide is fine. 2 x 3 x 5 that would be perfect. I wouldn't want to grid the floor. I want to do plywood, what are the pieces called that you use to hold the shelves up & boarder the floor? What size should the grids be for this plan?
Do
Click to expand...

For supports of the upper levels you can use 1x1 wood in whatever length you need (based on your cage size). I would encourage a 2x4 base if you can fit it. Then you can make it as many grids tall as you like.

The photo I posted on the other thread was a 2x4x3. That pic is clearer but doesn't show all the door openings since the other doors were closed when I took the pic. (You will want those other openings for cage cleaning access). The pic below is fuzzy (old photo of a photo ;) ) but if you look carefully you can see colored binder clips that I used to clip doorways shut. Those show where I had door openings.

The grid sizes are usually 12-14" square. It doesn't matter which ones you get provided there are 9 square openings across each grid (ie. the square openings are about 1.5" )

big cage.jpg
 
Imbrium said:
The grids are about 14'' x 14''. Plywood can work well, but requires you to have a saw or stand around at the hardware store getting it cut, can be harder to haul home and isn't water-proof so will need to be covered with something else. 1/4'' would be ideal if you do use plywood; definitely no thicker than 1/2'' because of the weight it adds.

Coroplast (corrugated cardboard) is, imo, a better alternative - easier to work with and a little less expensive when all is said and done. All you need to cut it is a $1 utility knife. Home Depot sells it in 3' x 6' sheets for around $14. If you've got a car (rather than a truck or SUV), it can be loosely and carefully rolled up and then stuffed in the backseat to take it home.

What you hold everything together with is known as zip-ties or cable-ties. The shortest ones are 4'', which is more than long enough for a condo. I don't know if you read the post I linked to earlier that had additional info in it, so I'll re-post a little bit of it:

I just checked online for home depot I don't know which coroplast to get lol can you take a look for me please? Also how would I attach the coroplast to the grids & how often do you need to replace the coroplast?

Since it sounds like you're trying to put this together ASAP and won't want to wait a few days for shipping (assuming you can find grids in stock, anyway), that rules out getting cable ties online - hopefully you have some sort of dollar store chain in your area where everything is actually a dollar (99c store, Dollar Tree, etc... as opposed to stuff like Dollar General). Many of them carry zip-ties at $1 for 80-100 of the 4'' ties, which beats the pants off of hardware store pricing.

For a 2 x 3 x 5, you'll need a bit less than 300 if I remember correctly, accounting for a little waste if you mess up or change your mind somewhere. Each seam between two grids should be secured with two zip-ties (I like to put them 2 squares from the outside of the grid on either end) - it may not seem that way when you're first putting it together, but the more you build, the sturdier it gets. I suppose do like to reinforce the corners where four grids meet with two extra ties sometimes... if you want to be overzealous with the zip-ties (I certainly was the first time I built a condo), you may need as much as 400-500.
Click to expand...

I just checked online for home depot I don't know which coroplast to get lol can you take a look for me please? Also how would I attach the coroplast to the grids & how often do you need to replace the coroplast?
 
When I checked the other day, I couldn't actually find the right coroplast online anymore... but I saw it in the store just last week. Don't ask an employee where it is - they'll almost certainly give you a blank look. Ask them where the plexiglass is - coroplast is always kept with the plexiglass. It's in white sheets... a couple smaller sizes and - hopefully - a BIG sheet (3' x 6'). You want the big sheet - the little stuff is a rip-off.

If your Home Depot doesn't carry it in big sheets, you can get it from a sign shop (they sell it in 4' x 8' sheets and usually offer a wide variety of colors, like the purple in my condo pic above), but the prices are higher (I paid around $18 for a 4'x8' sheet). Failing that, you could just do plywood with something over it to protect it.

How often you need to replace the coroplast depends on how destructive the bunns are - mine chew the sides to bits, but they leave the floors intact (which is what matters). They also pee it up something fierce, but most bunnies aren't so naughty. With really, really naughty bunnies, coroplast may need to be replaced every six months but if they don't pee up the floors and leave residue that you can't seem to scrub off completely no matter what, coroplast could potentially go YEARS without needing to be replaced. It's completely waterproof and can be cleaned with pretty much any bunny-safe cleaner.

You don't actually attach the coroplast to the grids - it just sits on top. This website shows how to do coroplast floors so that they've got a bit of a sidewall - you don't have to do that, you could just have it flat on the grid floor for each level... however, the side walls help prevent stray pellets, hay and poops from getting flung out of the cage as bunnies skitter around.
 
Imbrium said:
When I checked the other day, I couldn't actually find the right coroplast online anymore... but I saw it in the store just last week. Don't ask an employee where it is - they'll almost certainly give you a blank look. Ask them where the plexiglass is - coroplast is always kept with the plexiglass. It's in white sheets... a couple smaller sizes and - hopefully - a BIG sheet (3' x 6'). You want the big sheet - the little stuff is a rip-off.

If your Home Depot doesn't carry it in big sheets, you can get it from a sign shop (they sell it in 4' x 8' sheets and usually offer a wide variety of colors, like the purple in my condo pic above), but the prices are higher (I paid around $18 for a 4'x8' sheet). Failing that, you could just do plywood with something over it to protect it.

How often you need to replace the coroplast depends on how destructive the bunns are - mine chew the sides to bits, but they leave the floors intact (which is what matters). They also pee it up something fierce, but most bunnies aren't so naughty. With really, really naughty bunnies, coroplast may need to be replaced every six months but if they don't pee up the floors and leave residue that you can't seem to scrub off completely no matter what, coroplast could potentially go YEARS without needing to be replaced. It's completely waterproof and can be cleaned with pretty much any bunny-safe cleaner.

You don't actually attach the coroplast to the grids - it just sits on top. This website shows how to do coroplast floors so that they've got a bit of a sidewall - you don't have to do that, you could just have it flat on the grid floor for each level... however, the side walls help prevent stray pellets, hay and poops from getting flung out of the cage as bunnies skitter around.
Click to expand...

Great thanks so much. How would I add the levels with the coroplast?
 
You make the floors for the levels out of grids and zip-tie them to the walls, then place the coroplast on top. To prevent sagging, you can run a round dowel down the middle of a level (either width or length wise, it doesn't matter) *below* the grids and zip-tie it to the bottom of the grids.

Here are old pics of my first condo before it was finished - there's no coroplast on the top level, so you can actually see the grids and dowels:



links to full-size versions:
http://s1183.photobucket.com/user/mareimbri1/media/DSCF01742.jpg.html
http://s1183.photobucket.com/user/mareimbri1/media/DSCF01752.jpg.html
(let's hope those actually work this time instead of just giving thumbnails again... freaking photobucket/chrome/RO... they're ganging up on me about pictures today!)
 
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Well now I broke the pictures and can't fix them because I hit the 5 minute mark... guess I'll try reposting... I think I'm gonna give up on it after this though, lol.





Now they don't show up at all in the post, though they show up in the preview. Yeah, it's giving up time. (And as I say that, one of them appears in the edited post)
 
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