How to Build Indoor Rabbit Cages

If you plan to keep your pet rabbit indoors all year as a part of your family, you need to build an indoor rabbit cage. Most rabbit cages are simply single-level, rectangular areas. Given that rabbits can be litter trained, make your cage large enough for a litter box, sleeping area and feeding area to minimize the amount of time you must spend cleaning your indoor rabbit cage.

Instructions:

Building the Frame

1. Build two frames using the 30-inch-long and 22-inch-long boards. Place two of the 30-inch boards parallel to each other, 12 inches apart. Place two of the 22-inch boards in between to create a frame that is 30 by 24 inches. Repeat to make a second identical frame. These will be the top and the bottom of the rabbit cage.
2. Nail these frames together using two of the 1 1/2-inch nails through the 30-inch boards into the 22-inch boards on each corner.
3. Place one 1- by 1- by 22-inch board between the corners of the two frames you just built and nail it into place from the outside of the frame. Repeat this step in each corner until you have built the entire frame for your rabbit cage.
4. Build a frame for the cage door using two of the 24-inch and two of the 22-inch boards. Place two of the 24-inch boards parallel to each other, 22 inches apart. Place two of the 22-inch boards in between to create a frame that is 24 inches square
Finishing the Cage
5. Staple one piece of the 25- by 25-inch woven wire to one end of the frame, completely covering one end of the cube and overlapping the 1-inch frame on each side to prevent escape.
6. Do the same for the 24- by 24-inch frame that you built for the cage door, again overlapping the sides.
7. Stretch the 76-inch-long piece of woven wire over the top and down both sides of the frame, creating the sides and top of the cage. Wrap the slight overlap on each end around the corners. Place a staple every 1 inch on the cage's wooden frame.
8. Nail the 30- by 24-inch plywood to the bottom of the cage using the 1 1/2-inch nails, securing it to the frame.
9. Attach the door to the cage frame using two 1-inch hinges screwed into the door frame and the cage frame on one side. Attach the eyehook to the opposite side to lock the cage door.

Tips & Warnings

• Place a plastic or wooden strip about 3 inches high around the bottom of the cage to prevent bedding and waste from falling out of the cage onto the floor.
• Avoid using toxic paint or treated wood, because rabbits sometimes chew on wood.

Source: ehow
Author: Julia Fuller