Cages from TSC

Hi All,

I mentioned in my other post about my new cage. I found it at the local feed store & they are trying to order some more for me. They are the same price (or off by a dollar or 2) as the cr*ppy (made in China) cages I got from TSC. On the other 3 TSC cages some wire welds have broken- one on the corner of the door & poses a serious health issue for any rabbit in there since the door opens inward.

These cages are only a month old & they are already looking corroded and falling apart. I am tempted to take them back as they had a "lifetime" guarantee. I threw away the boxes & cut them down a bit so I'm not sure how far I'll get but maybe I can get store credit for feed or something.

It is so frustrating because I needed the cages at the last minute (someone was going to make some for me & backed out the night before the buns came home) and I had looked everywhere or so I thought. I am disappointed that TSC would sell such junk and charge top dollar for it to boot! The nice cage I bought is made a couple hours from here in Jax and sold at teh feed store 5 minutes from my house. TSC is a 45 minute drive.

Anyway, just wanted to warn everyone to avoid the HomeRig House cages at TSC & encourage you to look locally cause you never know what you might find.

Thank you for the useful info! I would definitely try to take those back! If you never ask, the answer is always "no".

I don't have a place locally as far as I can tell that makes cages, so I ordered some from Bass. They aren't in use yet, but they seem nice. I don't like the way the door works on the one Havahart cage we have; the bunnies bump the door and it flies open. So we have a separate clip on the door. Ah, well, at least it was a simple solution, and I do have a working cage. :roll:

I've got a couple of cages from havahart, and some made from wire we bought at Klubertanz. The biggest difference is welded BEFORE galvanizing and welded AFTER. (and the wire gauge, but that's only a strength issue).

The cages that you generally get from "premade" or kits is welded AFTER galvanizing. When you weld after galvanizing, the weld burns off some of the galvanizing...and so moisture can easily get into the steel and start the rusting. Rust can creep from the inside..it's sort of like a mint plant taking root and spreading underground.

It's EASIER and faster to galvanize the wire..and then weld together. That's one reason it's less expensive. They seem to be okay for indoor cages, but outdoors, where they can get sprayed with fine moisture, or in higher humidity and they will rust easily.

Now..rust is not a huge problem if you catchit and want to take the time with it. You CAN spray the cage, rusty as it is, with rustoleum paint. It will actually stop the spread of the rust. heheeee...you could even spray them different colors. It won't be toxic after a full cure (24 hours) and will help stop the rust. Now...bunny may well chew wire and chip off paint...so you'd have to keep spraying maybe once a year?

Thanks Ann, for mentioning the Rustoleum. They also make a galvanizing spray, which I'm sure isn't like the real stuff, but I use it on my wire cuts. I didn't realize it could be used to cover the rust on the bottoms of the cages without being toxic. With all those cages I bought this weekend, it sure helps to know I won't have to replace ALL of the bottoms.

Rustoleum has been approved safe to use on handrails, bedrails, etc. for human kids, so rabbits shoudn't have a problem with it..specially on the floors. Of course, the urine will deteriorate the paint, I think...but it sure beats replacing the floors all at once

That's good to know... I know the cages I got are galvanized before, but we couldn't afford galvanized after right now. It's nice that Rustoleum can help prolong the life of the wire like that.

Let's see... yellow Rustoleum for Thumper, green for Pearl, purple for Squeak, pink for the girls' growout cage, blue for the boys... :lol:

I like woodys rabbits in Oregon; cages are good, prices fair and so far we are happy.

cereshill":1y558j18 said:

I like woodys rabbits in Oregon; cages are good, prices fair and so far we are happy.

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That's good to hear. I'm just about to put in an order for a bunch of premium ones...

I will say, customer service hasn't thrilled me too much... But I'm much more fond of the "little" business feel, rather than someone like Bass Equipment.

cereshill":3s2c07tq said:

I like woodys rabbits in Oregon; cages are good, prices fair and so far we are happy.

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I will have to remember that for future reference... the only thing about the Bass cages was that the floors are 16 gauge. I was wishing they were 14. The Woody's cages are competitively priced and use 14 gauge on the bottom. Thanks!