What Gauge Wire For Cage Walls?

[MamaSheepdog]

I know that Maggie has mink in her area and possibly other small weasels... but you are in a more suburban area, aren't you? Do you have those types of predators there? Rats are still an issue, of course, but I have never (to my knowledge) had any trouble with them here and my cages are the standard 1" x 2" wire.

 

[Bad Habit]

I don't know that we have mink and small weasels in my area directly. There are occasional reports of coons, coyotes, skunks, foxes, possoms, fishers and groundhogs near me, and the VERY occasional bear or cougar sighting further out. They're in a shed, which is closed all winter, but open the rest of the year(best airflow). My biggest threat, however, is the squirrels and chippies that like to go in the shed and raid the food dishes.

I can understand not using the 19g 1x1(oh but was I ever hopeful!), but is the difference between 16g and 14g that big?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

is the difference between 16g and 14g that big?

It isn't that huge, but this is from BASS Equipment:

Our Cages are constructed with 1" x 2" 14 gauge wire tops and sides, and 1/2" x 1" 16 gauge floors.

They believe that 16g is better for the rabbit's feet because it "gives" a little. I would think that if 16g was sturdy enough for the tops and sides, they would just use that. :?

In fact, maybe my feed store wire is 16g and that is why the welds are popping! :evil: I'll go look at them, and get back to you on that...

 

[Bad Habit]

This would be so much easier if I just bought first, asked questions later

So I have some cages with proper cage wire for flooring.

One of them is solid, the floor doesn't really sag or wobble. The other one, the floor is very saggy. Can I reuse the saggy floor wire and hope for a better fit with stronger wired walls?

 

[coyotejoe]

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.

Yes, that was my post. Funny thing is the wire I had used previously was from Tractor Supply, a company which does not have the best reputation for quality, but the wire from True Value was much softer and cages made from it needed reinforcement. Not only did floors sag badly but the sides even bowed outward. My cages are all 36" long and are supported only at the ends where they slide on angle iron guides. They are stacked three high so if the top cage isn't rather rigid there is danger of slipping off the guide and dropping onto the the drop pan which sits atop the next lower cage, which could then cause that cage to collapse onto the bottom cage. So far nothing like that has happened but I have added reinforcement to the floors.