When I started looking around for an indoor cage for my two bunnies, I wanted something portable, easy to assemble, and cheap. Seemed like a reasonable request, right? I’m afraid it wasn’t that easy. I found lots of small cages at large prices, in pet stores and online. But nothing that worked for me. Then one day I stumbled across the best DIY cage ever! This type of cage is great for rabbits, guinea pigs, small dogs, kittens, and other small animals. Here’s what I found…
WIRE STORAGE CUBES
On Amazon.com (or any number of other stores online) you can find wire storage cubes. The kind you build and take apart to fit your space and storage needs. They are durable and easy to put together. I saw pictures on Pinterest that made me want to build my own custom cage with storage cubes, too. (Check out my album here).
I purchased three packages with four cubes in each (12 assembled cubes total), and designed my own cage – stacking two grids high. Since I first set it up, I have changed the cage around at least seven times (or more, according to my husband), and every time it’s different. My bunnies seem to love the change of scenery – and it’s fun for me to experiment. I have pictures below of the first set up, and several after that. My current design is smaller (4 grids x 4 grids), but incorporates two levels, a lower and higher one, which they enjoy jumping up and down to reach, and taking naps on.
My first indoor storage cube cage. What fun! My current cage setup with two different levels for variety. To enter, I open one of the grids with hinges on the front.
SETTING UP YOUR CAGE
You may find you like to change things up with your cage every few weeks, or simply set it up and leave it as is for longer. What I like about this cage are the many options you have to customize, and the ease of cleaning it – just spray the floor of the cage and wipe. I found a vinyl flooring remnant and use that on the bottom of the cage to protect the floor. It works great – as long as there aren’t any seams for your curious pet to chew on. One of my cage set ups had a seam showing, and the bunnies made quick work of finding and chewing holes in it. I had to put some bricks over the seam to keep them from getting to it. No seam showing is best.
FUN CAGE OPTIONS
With this type of cage you can hang a water bottle from the side of the grids, or use a gravity water bowl like this one at PetCo. I use a heavy ceramic dish for my rabbit’s food, and scatter toys throughout their cage, or hang them from the grids.
For a door into the cage, you can use large binder clips or zip ties for hinges to open one or two stacked grids.You can enclose the cage on all sides, or leave the top open so you can easily step in and out of the cage.
Depending on what kind of pet you have, you can lay old towels or soft blankets on the floor of the cage for bedding. Just make sure your critters don’t eat them!
I’d love to hear your ideas for storage cube cages, and please send pictures if you can. If you find a good deal on storage cubes, it will be even cheaper. I use my cage for my two rabbits, but you could use it for other small animals like guinea pigs, kittens, small dogs, and more. Have fun being creative!