NIC Cage Plans & Questions

[rhianna]

This is going to be a long rambly post, just to forewarn you :biggrin:

I've been through several cages with Bear and I've only had him since Halloween. He came to me in a 26x14 guinea pig cage, then he was moved to a 48x36 dog crate with a second level (which I soon found was a nightmare to clean, especially when he wasn't litter trained), he then got an xpen extension to that for about 2 weeks, and now for about the last 3 weeks he's been in just the xpen (with 7 24" panels). I currently have around $200 and was deciding between using that money to neuter him or to finally build an NIC cage. I decided on the cage and put off the neuter until I get another bunny. So alas, the plans began. :sunshine:

The NIC cage is going to have to be in the same corner of my room that his current xpen is in. However it's going to be configured differently to give him more usable space in the cage and more floorspace outside of the cage (in what was my bedroom but has quickly become the bunny room). It's not going to be a condo, because I'm moving soon and there's no sense in building a condo and then taking it down again to move. So I'm holding off on building the condo until I'm settled into a new house. So here's the corner I'm talking about:

Currently my plans are for a 2x3 cage with a 1x2 "bedroom" extension. I'm going to close up the little "bedroom" area and have a little doorway, and then it will be filled with fleece (he loves laying on fleece and soft pet beds). Then I'm going to put a couple of cubbies on top of the extension thing for storage.

I might be able to do it 3 grids wide instead of 2, but I'm not sure yet. I'm just going to play around when I get the grids and figure out what works best and what I'm most comfortable with. Bear isn't really one to play when he's in the cage, and he has free range of my room all day, so I'm not entirely worried about size.

So that makes 23 grids for the structure (or 31 if I do it 3 wide) and then I'll need extra for closing in the bedroom thing, storage on top, and then just to have some extra ones on hand. I already have one of the 4 cube packs and I'm ordering a few 6 cube packs from Kmart tonight. So now for the questions...

How many grids come in the Kmart 6 cube packs? I think they're the 23 grid packs but I'm not sure.
Is this going to be a good size for Bear? He's only 3.5 pounds (though I know size really doesn't matter) and he has my whole room all day, plus I'm upgrading him to a condo when I move. I think it's good for him but I just want to be sure others agree.
What's the best way to go about latching the doors?
Should I use flooring, and if so are there any recommendations? Currently I use a shower curtain on the bottom of the xpen but I hate it. He's been 100% litter trained for a month or so but you never know how he'll react to a new cage.
Is there a way to make levels that are sturdy without using wood and tools and things? (If anyone has any ideas I might do a makeshift condo)

Anything else you can suggest or recommend would be excellent. It's my first time building an NIC cage, though I've researched tons and I think it shouldn't be too hard. Thanks a bunch if you've read all of this BTW inkbouce:

 

[Magick_mogwai]

I'm part way through building my own condo and I've used cortex/coroplast for the base. It's used for sign making but is light weight and easy to clean. I know other people have used lion or wood for bases too.

For shelves if you want no tool ways perhaps a wooden broom handle to support a shelf made of the cubes covered with wood/correx? Mine will be covered in cortex then carpet I think.

 

[PaGal]

Most people use wood dowels for support for levels. They are inexpensive and can be found in the craft section in many stores. I'm not exactly sure the length they come in but I'm thinking 3' so they might be long for your project.

Coroplast can be a good flooring but can be a problem with buns that like chewing everything. To cut it to fit all you need is a box cutter. You can purchase it from sign stores. If you tell them what it is for they may charge you less. I got a 4' X 8' sheet for $13.

You could also look for some shelves of the right size for flooring for a level.

Usually what I do if I'm looking for an item for the buns that cannot be purchased from a pet store or such is to just think outside the box as I wander around stores until I find something that will work.