stacking cages

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Chalyce

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I decided to redo all my cages and turn them into stacked cages. I bought all new wire and now I have decided I have no idea what I am doing. :)
I have seen pictures of stacked cages that are made completely out of wire and they stand up on their own. Does that actually work? I don't really like the idea of making a frame, mostly because anyrhing other than wire will somehow get messy and I don't want to deal with that. I also dont want want to buy the stacking kits because they are expensive. I realize it is probably not all that sturdy, but if I use 14 gauge wire I feel like it really will work. i will be putting them in a barn, and I can wire it to the walls for extra stability if needed.
But I would like suggestions, pictures, tips, anyrhing ro help get me started. My cages are going to be stacked 3 high. They are 24"x30". I have small rabbits, I'm not sure if that makes a difference. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)
 
Welcome to RT, Chalyce!

I don't have stacked cages myself, but one thing to make sure you consider is the finished stacked height. After putting in poop pans under each cage, the third cage could be awfully tall, making it tough to get into.

Good luck with your project, and I hope to see more details and pics as it goes :)
 
Thanks! I'm making them 60" tall. That will be 16" tall per cage with 4" under it for a tray. I think it will work out that way. Think I have it all figured out. I only worry that maybe it will collapse under its own weight. But the wire is so stiff that it shouldn't.
 
14 gauge wire will work nicely for stackers without needing a frame. You can either make the sides all one piece with 4" gaps between the floor and 'ceiling' for the trays or you can build separate cages with 20" long sides and back and 16" front so you can have the option of changing configurations later if need be.
 
Chalyce":1evc1cc1 said:
Thanks! I'm making them 60" tall. That will be 16" tall per cage with 4" under it for a tray. I think it will work out that way. Think I have it all figured out. I only worry that maybe it will collapse under its own weight. But the wire is so stiff that it shouldn't.

Based on this, it sounds like the bottom cage pan is going to be on the ground. I would be reluctant to do that for two reasons- my aching back bending over every day, and because of the possibility of predators- like rats, or maybe dogs or cats getting into the barn. At the very least, I would want to be 100% confident the barn was always inaccessible to critters, and the idea of rats would still concern me.
 
I'm going to have them raised up on blocks of some sort. There's nothing that can get into there though. I think I'll be ok with them being low to the ground. I'm fairly short so it shouldn't be a problem.
 
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They are 24X36X14. The wire is strong enough to support the weight.
 
Last fall, I built stackers 3 units high in the area that is an addition on our
garage. They were tied together by upright posts. I salvaged the corner
posts off metal shelves for the corners on some of them. I made 21 holes
like this.

Because of a mink attack last winter when I lost 3 rabbits and 3 hens in
one night, that were attacked from under the cages, I decided to redo my
units. I now have 20 holes that are completely independent units.
Which means they are 20 inches high total and the bottom opening
is 4 inches where the pan slides in. Some are 24 by 24 floor and a
few are 24 by 30 floor. I have a bottom wire panel that is under the drop pan
so this means I can lift one cage off at a time, and it is a complete unit as is.
Most of the new units are 1 by 1 inch on the sides.
The mink never got into my cages but ripped and teared at the bottom of
them. One of the units that this happened to was a hanging 3 hole cage.

I use a small pallet under the bottom unit of the stacker. I am 5'4" tall, so
I had to be carefull on how high my finished units are. I have four, 3 high
stackers from last year that I have to redo. I was going to tear them apart
and redo them entirely but am now thinking just put new floors in them,
and leave as is. I started with all used units last year on a shoestring budget.
I recently sold off 9 used cages at $ 5 each. The fellow only came for 4. I only
wanted to break even on them. He said I sold them for too cheap. I said I
had used them for almost a year and that was my profit. He said to let him
know when had more :)

I bought all my plastic drop pans online. It was cheaper than buying locally.
I have 2 heavy metal ones that I custom built the cages to fit them.
The stainless steel pan needed a 24 by 31 each floor to fit it.
 

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