Build Your Own Tote Cage!

Need a new cage? Going on vacation or to the vet and need a travel cage? Trying to quarantine new babies? Here's your answer!

I did a little research on the Internet I found some pictures of homemade rat cages made from plastic tote containers. I also asked some people who have made them before, for some suggestions on materials and sizes. Then, I came up with my own design. It's easy to make, cheap to get all materials, and with the proper tools and a little time you have a new cage!

Here are the step-by-step instructions, with pictures, for how to build your very own tote cage.

**Please note**: This project requires some tools that may harm younger rat owners. You may want parental assistance in the construction of the cage.

Materials and tools required:
1 Large Tote Container
Wire
1/4" Hardware Cloth
Drill
Jigsaw
File/Sandpaper
Tin Snips
Needle nosed Pliers

You can purchase your tote container at Zellers or Walmart for a cheap price. The bigger the tote you get, the more space your ratties have to play and the more toys you can add for them. When I built my cage, I used a 122 Quart Sterilite Storage Tote. You can see a picture of the tote with the dimensions here.

I started by drawing the lines for the holes that I wanted to cut out of the tote to make the windows then a friend helped me to cut out the holes. We began with a drywall knife but soon realized that it was difficult and then got help to use a jigsaw. The saw made the cuts very quick and much easier. I wanted the rats to have a lot of light and good ventilation, so I cut the front and top out as well as 2 windows on each side of the tote. I left enough room at the bottom of the front window so that no litter can escape through the hardware cloth and make a mess.

Once the holes were cut to size, I used some sandpaper to smooth the cuts and remove all little plastic shavings that had stuck to the edges. After all edges were smoothed, I used some tin snips to cut the hardware cloth to size. For all windows, I cut the hardware cloth large enough to allow roughly an inch extra for attaching it to the tote. I made sure to cut all sharp edges off so the ratties won't cut themselves.

After all pieces were cut to size, I laid them in place over the holes, on the inside, and then made holes along the edges of the hardware cloth. You can use a drill with a small bit on the end to make the holes. I unfortunately didn't have a drill at the time so I had to punch the holes using a screw and screwdriver. This made for slow work, but the drill will speed up the process for you.

Once all holes were made I used some wire to attach the hardware cloth to the inside of the tote. I used a pair of needle nosed pliers to pull the wire through the holes so I wouldn't hurt my fingers. I pulled the wire as tightly as I could without breaking it, and then pushed the wire in with the end of the pliers so the rats will not tear their toenails on it. I threaded the wire through as if a sewing machine had sewn it in. I made sure that all cut ends of the wire were on the outside of the tote to prevent any cuts on the critters. All sharp edges were then pushed in close to the tote so that hands would not get injured when the cage is moved.

You will want to clean the cage out thoroughly before adding any rats to it in case there are any pieces of metal or plastic loose inside the cage. You can then add toys, hammocks, and hidey-houses for them. I used paperclips to attach a hammock to the lid of the cage. The water dish was then attached to the front window. If you don't use a water dish like mine, you can simple cut a couple of the squares out of the front window to put the nozzle of a water bottle through. I suggest attaching all toys to the windows to that there aren't any holes in the plastic walls that the rats can begin to chew at.

Your rats should not chew at the cage as there are no edges for them to gnaw on. All holes cut for windows should be completely covered by hardware cloth as seen in the above photos. The rats cannot chew at the windows and make larger holes if you use the 1/4" hardware cloth as the holes in the cloth are too small for them to get their noses into. A rat can chew at any hole that allows enough room for their noses.

I hope you enjoy making your own version of my cage. The rats love it, I love it, and it's so easy. This cage is also completely pee-proof and easy to clean. Feel free to make any adjustments that you see fit in the design. This is simply a guideline for you to follow.

HAPPY BUILDING!!

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