Hi, All,
The archives may have some good info on building cages, but I've done it
several times and can pass along a few tips.  If you want a 'dress pattern'
approach- sorry!  So far, my homemade cages have been all wire, 6'x3'x3',
with 1 or 2 shelves, 1-4 interior sections and small, lockable doors between
sections to change the space available.  No two are exactly the same, and I
doubt if I could get even the basic graphs under the line count requirements
for the FML.
 
Tools & Materials: J-hooks and J-hook plyers, tape measure, galvanized 1"x2"
'double dipped'/'birdwire' wire, hardware cloth, wire cutters, plyers, a
file, springwire hooks, and a colorful vocabulary.
 
Things worth remembering:
Wire is *sharp*.  You will scratch yourself while building a cage, and for
ever after if you do not file down the edges you create while cutting the
sheets of wire.  My ferts don't seem to be as stupid as I am- they avoid the
scratches I get reaching around their cages.
 
There is more strength in a ridge of bent wire than a row of J hooks.  Where
possible I bend the edges of a sheet- interior walls are bent over at top,
bottom and sides, and the same for shelves, roof and floor.  This makes a 6'
long cage very rigid.  It also makes the math a bit trickier- my cages are
actually 34" deep, rather than 36", and everything must be figured to match
that odd width, but it is a major quality difference when you are done.
 
Uncut lengths of wire are stronger.  I wrap 1 long sheet all the way around
the roof piece to start, and J-hook walls and roof together.  The floor is
added last as a single piece, but all interior shelves and walls are hooked
together outside of the 'chassis', and lowered in together.  Getting that
large interior frame lined up and hooked in place is where most of the plyer
work and colorful language is required.  I hang drainage pipe in the top
sections as permanent 'hammocks', and these are placed before the interior
frame.
 
Ferrets escape thru doors.  I make the doors hinge to the side rather than
the bottom, because ferts mob me in the first cage I built and stand on the
door to keep me from closing it.  Doors should be as large as possible, so
you can reach around inside a cage easily, should have springwire hooks on
all 3 non-hinged sides, and the outer door should be at least 4" wider than
the portal it covers (2" overlap on the unhinged edges).  The springwire
hooks are available from feed or hardware stores that carry cage wire.  I
always keep a few extras around for emergency use.
 
Fert feet- I haven't mentioned how I use the hardware cloth?  This is 1/4"
highly galvanized wire that can be cut w/ heavy shears.  I cut it into
sheets a few inched smaller than the floor areas, and cover the floors that
would otherwise have 1"x2" holes in them.  This leaves the corners uncovered
for easy cleaning.  I don't use J-hooks for this, but bend the free wire
edges of the 'cloth' around the heavier wire.  I used to use 1/2"x1" wire
for flooring, but it is weaker and more expensive than 1"x2" plus hardware
cloth, and harder on ferret feet.
 
The design is up to you- our needs probably differ.  For instance, my large
cages are outside, and do not have litter boxes.  They stand 2 1/2 feet off
the ground on PVC pipes, w/ lawn clippings and wood chips underneath.  The
best of them is approx. 6' long (which is Florida's requirement for 1 or 2
ferrets), and divided into 4 sections w/ 2 shelves in each section.  These
sections can be isolated or connected by opening a door, and are 18"x34"x
32" w/ 3 levels, for a total floor area of about 11 squ.  ft.  During
breeding season each section is a 1 hob cage, but I'll crowd 2-3 ferrets
into it during the winter.  The top level is only about 8" tall, and they
nest up there in carpet remnants, etc.  I think 18" wide is a bit narrow, so
the next cage will follow the same design, but have 3 sections that are 2'
wide, and a total of over 16 sq.ft. per section.
 
Oh, it's a good idea to place openings between levels (I've stopped using
ramps) at opposite ends of the cage to avoid long falls.  I usually leave
the lower shelf open across the entire front of the cage to a depth of about
6", and have a 4" square hole in the back leading to the top level.
 
I've seen some very cute design tricks such as sunken floors the size of a
litter box.  However, I'd recommend simplicity for your first efforts.
Somewhere during the process of designing your cages you should go by a pet
shop or feed store to see what is done on the commercial cages.  A 100' x 3'
roll of galvanized wire will run over $100, and birdwire about a third again
that price.  The birdwire lasts at least twice as long, however.  If money
is not a consideration use PVC coated wire.  Last I checked PVC was running
over $300 a roll.  So far, I've built cheap and patched as needed, but my 1
PVC cage sits there unaffected by ferret poop and weather.
 
Enuff!  I hope other people will add their comments.  What I do is really
pretty basic, and I'd like to hear other methods and ideas.
 
Paul
[Posted in FML issue 2067]