What Gauge Wire For Cage Walls?

[Bad Habit]

Okay, so I desperately need to redo my cages. Now that the meat rabbits are (mostly) gone, I want to redo the shed with new cages, smaller in area but taller, fewer rows but more cages. The main purpose of this is to make the cages in such a way that solid wood dividers can be placed between them to prevent spraying, but will not be destroyed as quickly as putting them IN a cage.

So, really, I have 3 options from what my research is telling me.

24" x 25' of 1x2, 14g wire @ $46 (would need 3 rolls, so 160 w tax)
24" x 15' of 1", 16g wire @ $30 (would need 5 rolls, so 170 w tax)
36" x 25' of 1", 19g wire @ $20 (would need 3 rolls, so 68 w tax)

Ideally, I'd love to get the $20 a roll stuff, since it's cheaper and closer. I'm just concerned that 19g wire won't be thick enough(the higher the number, the smaller the wire, right?), that a rabbit may be able to chew through it.

If I can get away with the 19g wire, I can buy all I need tomorrow and have new cages installed in a week or two. If I go with the more expensive stuff, I would need to buy a roll at a time, which is okay, but will be a lot slower going.

Opinions?

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

My "opinions":

I think 16-guage is too lightweight. But then I raise meat rabbits. Maybe with your breeds that would be less an issue but I'd still think the sides and top would be flimsy. Gotta stick with a 14-guage floor. I only use 14-guage wire - top, bottom, and sides.

You're gonna have these pens for a long time (hopefully) so it might well be worth the wait and only do it once. Would hate to spend time and money putting together something I later decided wasn't strong enough and had to be re-done.

My spray guards are all metal. 12" high and 24" long (deep). They're just zip-tied onto the inside of the pen so they can be removed if needed. If you're thinking about something you can slide in and out between pens, and if you can afford it, use some kind of plastic.... especially something heavy enough that you can put it in the dishwasher. Not only does that clean it but it should sterilize it as well. I power wash my metal ones and set them in the sun. Does the trick. Over time, they will rust some.

I have this love/hate thing with the spray guards. They help to keep the rabbits much cleaner. (I love that part.) But they cut down air flow and vision. (I don't love that part.) Because the rabbits don't always see me coming, I will sometimes startle them when I come around the corner - if I don't forget to give my usual greeting before I get there just to warn them I'm coming.

Not sure where you're getting your wire but keep in mind that freight charges can be murder. In some cases, with some kinds of wire, it can nearly double the price. Anyway, good luck on the work ahead of you.

 

[Bad Habit]

Well, I don't want to ship it, that's why my choices are so limited, lol. Someone told me I should talk to the people at the local hardware stores, and see what they can get, not just what they have.

I prefer the 1x1 wire, myself. I raise small breeds, and have already decided that the cages will not be hanging - I will support them all around with shelf brackets(2 at the back, 2 on the front corners), and the floor itself is super duper floor.

This is the only photo I can find that shows the flooring. It's flat metal, my mom calls it stretched steel, I've always called it metal lattice. Excuse the mud on the side of the nest box. I wanted to make sure she could get out of the rain, and didn't clean it very well, lol.

I was planning on using corroplast. I always have all sorts of little bits of it left around from other project, so not that difficult to find a couple 18 x 24 pieces.

 

[craneman54]

The flooring in your pic is actually called expanded metal. I would go with 14g if I were you. It cost more but you wont have to change it as often and will give better support.

 

[Rabbitdog]

19 g won't work for anything except maybe a hay feeder. 16 g will work but 14 g is much much better. It's a case of pay me now or pay me later ..... with interest, and lots of it.
I'd opt for do it right the first time but keep us posted on outcome.
Best wishes!

 

[MaggieJ]

Bad Habit, we made the mistake when we were starting out of using the 16 gauge 1"x1" welded wire from Roma for the sides and tops of the cages. The cages were far too flimsy and we had to reinforce them in various ways.

We had proper 1"x1/2" 14 gauge wire from TSC for the floors and yes, it was expensive but it holds up so well that even if you can't afford to do all the cages at once, it is well worth considering for the whole cage.

I do agree that nothing larger than 1"x1" be used. Rats can get through anything larger than that and even if you don't have a rat problem at the moment, that could change.

 

[Miss M]

I don't know about the TSC wire, but another consideration is that not all wire is created equally, even of the same gauge. I remember someone saying that wire from the hardware store was inferior. Then I ended up needing a cage NOW, and so I went to the hardware store. Whoever said that was right. The cage is an inferior cage, and I can't wait to replace the floor (16 gauge, since that was all they had). It sags badly, in spite of clipping every 2". The rest of it should be okay, but I expect my Bass cages to last a lot longer.

My original Bass floors (16 gauge) sagged badly and even broke a couple of wires, but MSD's (Bass 16 gauge) haven't. I figure they changed wire between mine and hers. I replaced the floors with Klubertanz 14 gauge, and they are way heavier and very stiff. Yes, you are right, the higher the number, the thinner the wire.

1" x 1" is really good, as it will keep out predators 1" x 2" won't. Having it in a heavier gauge will help even more.

 

[Bad Habit]

Shoot, and here I was hoping I'd get off easy on this project... Knew it had to be too good to be true!

I was planning on it being about a $200 project minimum anyway. The cheaper wire was going to be a bonus, not something I could rely on, lol.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I remember someone saying that wire from the hardware store was inferior. Then I ended up needing a cage NOW, and so I went to the hardware store.

I was too impatient to wait for good wire when I built my slant fronted growout pens, and bought wire from a feed store. The welds are popping all over the place, and I need to redo them at some point. Thankfully, the floors are made out of my aviary panels, so that part at least will last forever.

 

[Big Tom]

I wouldn't use the expanded metal for a floor. It's to easy to catch toes in the little v's of the diamond. Ooooch!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I am going to pitch in with the others and say, go for the 14G. It will last years and be much more sturdy.

 

[Miss M]

I wouldn't use the expanded metal for a floor. It's to easy to catch toes in the little v's of the diamond. Ooooch!

I think Bad Habit has been keeping rabbits on that expanded metal for quite a while now, and hasn't reported any problems.

 

[Big Tom]

I wouldn't use the expanded metal for a floor. It's to easy to catch toes in the little v's of the diamond. Ooooch!

I think Bad Habit has been keeping rabbits on that expanded metal for quite a while now, and hasn't reported any problems.

That's good to know

 

[Miss M]

I wouldn't use the expanded metal for a floor. It's to easy to catch toes in the little v's of the diamond. Ooooch!

I think Bad Habit has been keeping rabbits on that expanded metal for quite a while now, and hasn't reported any problems.

That's good to know

In general, though, your caution is quite right... expanded metal usually comes with sharp edges and rough spots that can be hazardous to a rabbit's feet. And you would think those points would be a problem, like you said. They just haven't been for her. :shrug:

 

[Bad Habit]

Nope, not a single complaint to report about that flooring. No rough edges, no caught toes... Occasionally one of the small breeds slips a leg through, but they just pull it up and go back on their merry way.

I did have one young buck I recently lost, who was missing a toe. When I found the toe was missing, it had long since healed, so I have no idea how it happened.

I bought these cages used, though. Perhaps the original owner coated them with something or removed all of the potential rough edges.

I can honestly count the number of foot related issues on one hand, with fingers left over(large vlop doe had chronic sore hocks, the NZ buck with a missing toe and a holland lop doe I bought who had callouses on her feet that have since healed up).

 

[shawn]

I would go with 14 gauge as well.

 

[Bad Habit]

Okay, so the 14g 1x2?

I thought 1x1 was better?

 

[Miss M]

1x1 is better because it can keep out rats and weasels. 1x2 is what most of us use, though. I'd say if you can get 1x1 at a good price, go with that, definitely!

 

[Bad Habit]

My choices are 14g 1x2, 16g 1x1, or 19g 1x1

 

[Miss M]

Ooooooooh. Well, I'd definitely nix the 19 gauge 1x1, as rabbits can chew through that and coons can rip it.

14g 1x2 or 16g 1x1. I don't know.