Why use baby saver wire

[Frosted Rabbits]

How exactly do you install baby saver wire on existing cages?

Baby saver wire, for the most part, is nothing more than 1/2 x 1 inch wire. Cut the lengths and heights you need, and j-clip it to the cage walls. Or- take more of the same wire you have used for the cage walls, and place it so that the verticals and horizontals are half way between the original wall wires-- then cable tie them into place.
Ii noticed Klubertanz sells cage wire with the baby saver 'built in' but that can get expensive! Of course, you can build a cage completely out of the 1/2 by 1 wire---

I was given a bunch of used luan--I will be using that as urine guards and babysaver for a while!!!

 

[Miss M]

I have a partial roll of 1 x 1/2" wire, so I will do this. I guess I'll make it the height of the bottom of the door.

I've seen the built-in babysaver too, but I couldn't afford those cages. I got kits from Bass. Wish I'd know about Woody's Wabbits at the time, though, because their floor wire is heavier. But I digress.

Looks like I've got some J-clips in my near future... :?

 

[BoxerMom]

I had never even heard of baby saver wire until now, but it kind of makes me glad I built my cages with 1/2" x 1/2" wire!

 

[SatinsRule]

One can also go along the bottom 2-4 inches of the side panels with hardware cloth (HWC) and accomplish the same thing, using safetywire to secure the HWC to the cage. Pretty simple, inexpensive, although a little time consuming until you get the hang of it.

 

[Jack]

And satin in for the finish
But I don't like scrubbing walls, and I'm about to go to a closed sided and back cages, cause... I don't like scrubbing wall.
So I have have pee guards, and still sometimes one of them manages to get me.
I haven't had a kit stuck, but I have had ones born on the wire fall through.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

How exactly do you install baby saver wire on existing cages?

im new to raising rabbits but what i did after i had a kit fall out of the cage. i assume momma dragged him out of the nest box. i put a higher front on my nest box. about 4 inches.instead of the 2 inch one it did have.then i purchased sum 1/2 by 1/2 inch coated wire and cut it into 5 inch tall strips with a tin snips. then i just attached all around the bottom of the cage useing J clips and the same tool i used to build the cages.so far so good!my cages are built of 1"x1" wire on the sides with 1/2"x1" for the floors.my growout and buck cages all have 1"x1" floors tho since i got that wire for free.it seems to work fine but ill prob use the 1"x1/2" for any more cages i build for the floors.

 

[Miss M]

How exactly do you install baby saver wire on existing cages?

im new to raising rabbits but what i did after i had a kit fall out of the cage. i assume momma dragged him out of the nest box. i put a higher front on my nest box. about 4 inches.instead of the 2 inch one it did have.then i purchased sum 1/2 by 1/2 inch coated wire and cut it into 5 inch tall strips with a tin snips. then i just attached all around the bottom of the cage useing J clips and the same tool i used to build the cages.so far so good!my cages are built of 1"x1" wire on the sides with 1/2"x1" for the floors.my growout and buck cages all have 1"x1" floors tho since i got that wire for free.it seems to work fine but ill prob use the 1"x1/2" for any more cages i build for the floors.

Shay actually added wood to the nestbox to make the front and sides higher (to over 8"), but the Fluffy's popples got dragged out anyway. So... I've got to do baby saver wire. I just mated Pearl today, so I have 30 days to get it done, at least on her cage. :bunnyhop:

By the way... I don't know if you use the tin snips for anything else, but Shay wouldn't even let me cut chicken wire with his. He bought me some heavy duty scissors. They didn't cost much at Home Depot. I can't remember exactly what they were called. But Shay's tin snips cut sheet metal, and nothing else. He says wire can damage the snips. He did sheet metal ductwork for years, then later was a maintenance man for years... and I messed up the edge on some sort of cutter of his when I cut some harmless-looking wire once.

 

[akane]

I've had entire litters of mini rex kits escape a nest box with sides sized for meat rabbits before their eyes were open. Most of those were probably even without the doe's help. Generally kits won't do that when it's too cold out, these were always inside, but it shows that sides of box really don't solve the problem. They can easily make it over the edge.

Tin snips will get ruined very fast on anything but tin and maybe plastic. They also won't be any good for tin after using them just once to cut hardware cloth. They need a very thin edge to cut tin cleanly which dents on individual strands of wire. Make sure you use wire cutters or something like a good pair of shears.