# Buying NIC Cage



## JuneBug3 (Oct 1, 2012)

I am not able to make a nic cage myself. Has anyone bought one online? I found one on ebay i like. Just was wondering if anyone knew of any other ones for sale online.

Here is the one im thinking of getting

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rabbit-cage-Indoor-BUNNY-CONDO-deluxe-hutch-pet-pen-large-smooth-soft-floors-/350574446559?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item519fdd87df


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## CosmosMomma (Oct 1, 2012)

It's about four times what you'd pay for all those supplies, but it looks nice.


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## ldoerr (Oct 1, 2012)

I know that Lisa (agnes's mom) bought her NIC cage. I remember looking at the site she got it from and it was MUCH cheeper than the one you are looking for.


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## agnesthelion (Oct 1, 2012)

Hi there. Lauren is right. I did buy our NIC cage. It was about $220 including shipping and bigger than that one (a whole other floor) 

Here is the link. We got the purple one on their home page. Except we got steps instead of ramps (takes up less space and doubles as tunnels) you can see more pics of our cage on my blog. Also, they have other sizes on their website too.

http://wonderlandcages.com/WONDERLAND_CAGES_GUINEA_PIG.html


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 2, 2012)

thank u lisa! I will check that one out.


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 2, 2012)

thank u lisa! Is the coroplast slippery? How is the quality? I like the one on ebay bc it has carpet, wood floor bottom and casters. But it is a bit pricey.


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## Imbrium (Oct 2, 2012)

mine don't mind plain coroplast... you can also get some fleece and use binder clips to attach it to the coroplast (walmart has cheap fleece blankets for under $3 that fit a 2x3 grid floor perfectly)


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## ldoerr (Oct 2, 2012)

My rabbits are housed on coroplast and are just fine. I buy these bath tub stickers (you can get them at the $1 store). They provide traction. Like Jennifer said, you could also use fleece.


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## agnesthelion (Oct 2, 2012)

Yes the coroplast is slippery so you will need something to cover it. I use baby blankets but fleece would work good too.

It also is chewable. Agnes has chewed a couple parts which freaked me out but she stopped it was only when she first moved in.

There are pros amd cons to both. I also looked at the one you are talking about. It probably is a bit sturdier but it is pricier amd cleaning would be a pain.

Coroplast is super easy to clean and you can remove the whole floor for cleaning and obviously launder the blankets.

It just depends on what you are looking for. Weigh the pros and cons of both.

Good luck!


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 2, 2012)

you all have been very helpful. Thank you for info. Its gonna be a tough decision. I know June would love to have a bigger condo.


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## CosmosMomma (Oct 2, 2012)

I still suggest just buying the panels and paying a child/hubby/wife/grandkid to build it for you  so you can buy more toys for Junie.

But regardless, that does look pretty nice. I'm making a bottom for Cosmo's cage with masonite board and a cheap tablecloth, since the tarp I'm using is a b*tch to clean D:


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 3, 2012)

I was thinking about that too. Id love to save the money. Hopefully i can find a friend to help.


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## Imbrium (Oct 3, 2012)

they really are super easy to make (if you use coroplast, the only tools you need are box cutters or an exacto-knife and a pair of scissors (in case you need to cut a misplaced ziptie)).

if you go the DIY route or sucker someone into assembling it for you, the best deal anyone has found on grids lately is sears - http://www.sears.com/stor-floor-sta...p-00913332000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
(order online for the sale price/do site-to-store to avoid outrageous shipping fees).

you could do a 2x4x2 condo with a partial second level using two boxes of grids. a basic condo complete with flooring and fleece should run you $80-$100 tops. mine cost about $150, but I paid a little more for the grids, had to buy four dowels for stability due to all the levels, spent $39 on shiny purple coroplast and bought a 1000 zip-tie pack for $18 (ended up with plenty left over, but was still cheaper than buying the dinky little 100-tie packs and I was able to renovate the condo a few times ).

you could probably pay a neighbor kid to put one together and still come out ahead compared to buying one (especially since shipping's gotta be brutal! - shipping on the ebay one is over $50 to San Antonio)

here's my mansion of a condo that cost less than the ebay one and is a heck of a lot bigger:


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## ldoerr (Oct 3, 2012)

I agree that you should make one yourself. I have made 2. Each one only took 1.5hrs to build. I did it mostly myself with a little bit of help from my mom. I think that you can do it yourself even. The thing that takes the longest is zip tying the pannels together. I think that I spent under $50 to build BOTH of mine. I already had all the pannels that I needed. I just had to buy coroplast (found at Home Depot near the plexyglass). 1 8'x4' sheet cost $10-$12. The only other thing that I needed was zip ties for 1 of the condos. (We had most of the stuff laying around at my parents house.) I find it fun, easy, and relazing to build these.


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## Blue eyes (Oct 4, 2012)

I like to keep things simple and cheap.:biggrin2: I never purchased coroplast for NIC cages I made. Neither did I purchase plywood. I figured I really wouldn't be moving the cage so why not take the easy route. I just bought a length of rolled linoleum, laid it over the carpet, and voijla!, a cage floor. For the upper levels I just used scrap carpet. So, yes, it was really easy to make. A 2x2 could've been used to hold up the middle level (you just slip it through the squares). I happened to have a metal shelf thingy, so I just used that.
Here's a photo:


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## luvthempigs (Oct 4, 2012)

www.guineapigcages.com click on the store tab at the top of the page

They sell all the things needed to make a cage and also give helpful tips in finding supplies locally as well.


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## luvthempigs (Oct 4, 2012)

Suzette, Your cage and the area it's in look nice


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## Blue eyes (Oct 4, 2012)

*luvthempigs wrote: *


> Suzette, Your cage and the area it's in look nice


Well, thank you. 

That was actually a number of years ago. We no longer live there and those bunnies have gone to rainbow bridge. 

I'm glad I took photos of the cage though.


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## agnesthelion (Oct 4, 2012)

I agree Suzette awesome cage! I've been considering a different floor other than coroplast. Scrap carpet is a great idea. 

Might have to do a cage redecorate soon!


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 6, 2012)

sorry it took so long to reply. After seeing jennifer and suzettes cages i think im going to try and make one myself. You have convinced me . I'm going to go check out sears this weekend and see if they have the cubes. I think it will be fun now!


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## Imbrium (Oct 6, 2012)

it's tons of fun! don't get discouraged if it seems a little shaky or awkward when you're first getting started - you get the hang of it quickly and the more you build, the sturdier it gets


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## ldoerr (Oct 7, 2012)

I agree that it is wobbly at first. When you only have the walls up it is very wobbly. When you add a roof or shelf it gets solid as a rock. Also when you attach it to the base it gets really sturdy. 

Take pictures and have fun


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 7, 2012)

i ordered the cubes from sears. said it would be like a week before they got to the store. I designed a simple 2x3x2. I think that will be big enough for now, i can always add. Its bigger than what she has now. Im still not sure what to do about the base though..and the flooring on the upper level.


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## Imbrium (Oct 8, 2012)

I used coroplast since I didn't have the tools to cut wood. if you're lucky, you can buy the 4'x8' sheets of coroplast at home depot really cheap... some carry them/some (like mine >.>) don't. other people have used wood, linoleum, etc. carpet is possible *if* your bunny isn't interested in chewing on it.


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## ldoerr (Oct 8, 2012)

I got a sheet of coroplast from home depot 2 different times. Do not bother asking the people who work there. They will look at you like you are crazy. I found it near the plexyglass at my homedepot. It is really hidden. You have to look long and hard to find it. I think that it was between $10 and $12 for 1 8'x4' sheet. You can also call around to sign stores and ask if they will sell you a sheet or 2. Mention that you are building a rabbit cage with it otherwise they might not sell it to you or they will jack the price up sooo much. 

How many boxes of the cubes did you order from sears? I assume that you ordered the ones that have enough to make 6 cubes.


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## Imbrium (Oct 8, 2012)

I'm still jealous of that - I had to get mine from a sign shop because home depot only had 18''x24'' and 24''x36'' sheets of coroplast... they checked the computer and said the 4'x8' could only be ordered online in packs of 10


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## ldoerr (Oct 8, 2012)

On the plus side of going to a sign shop you could get different colors. I called all the sign stores in the area (6 of them at least) and the only color that any of them had was yellow and white. The 1 store that had a color that I was interested in had a $60 minimum, which obviosly a single piece of coroplast will not cover.


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## Imbrium (Oct 9, 2012)

yeah, I did get purple by going to a sign shop... and they gave me colored for the cost of white (about $1.50 a sheet cheaper) 'cause I bought two sheets, hehe. plus they cut it for free, which saved me having to do so myself... and more importantly, saved me having to figure out how on earth to get a 4'x8' sheet into an RX-8 (which I really doubt would be possible since the 4'x3' ones barely fit into the back seat).


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 11, 2012)

I think i want to use wood and linoleum flooring on bottom level and carpet on top. If not ill use coroplast. i bought 3 boxes just incase i wanted to make a bigger one. They are the ones that are all the same size squares.


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## Blue eyes (Oct 11, 2012)

Be sure to post pictures when it's done!


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 11, 2012)

i will :biggrin:


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## JuneBug3 (Oct 11, 2012)

i will :biggrin:


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## sugarbunnies (Oct 30, 2012)

How many grids are needed for a level two?


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## Imbrium (Oct 30, 2012)

you could build a 2x4x2 condo with a roof, bottom floor made from grids and a partial second level with 44-47 panels if my math is correct (the variance being whether you have a 4, 6 or 7 panel second floor). the best deal on grids these days is at sears - http://www.sears.com/stor-floor-sta...p-00913332000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1 - and they come 23 panels to a box so you could do up to a six panel second floor with two boxes.


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