Bin Cages for the Non-Technologically Minded/Equipped?

[Catherine Spark]

Apologies if this comes across as an incredibly ignorant question.

Hypothetically, could you make a bin cage by

1. Cutting the ventilation spaces with a craft or kitchen knife
2. Cutting the mesh to size with wire cutters
3. Securing the mesh on the outside over the spaces, using packing tape, duct tape or some other strong but thin tape?

I ask because certainly when packing tape is used to secure some things down flat on a rigid plastic surface, it takes considerable strength to prise it off with human fingers. On the outside of the cage, the hamsters would not be able to reach to nibble at it, and it would cover any gaps snugly, and also provide fixture all along, instead of at intervals, unlike washers and bolts.

Just curious as to peoples' thoughts.

[Charley101]

I would say yes to questions 1 and 2 (a heated craft knife would be better) but no to question 3. Personally, I don't feel duct tape along is secure enough (even though you do have some valid points). Cable ties or nuts and bolts are a lot better in my opinion :)

[cathface]

I used a Stanley knife for cutting the ventilation spaces (heated up with a lighter), so I'm sure a craft knife would work. not sure if you'd want to risk blunting a kitchen knife though! you can get a Homebase own Stanley knife for 99p. :)

I used wire cutters for the mesh, not sure what else you would use?! xD remember to make it slightly bigger than the vent spaces though, I made the mistake of cutting the wire to the same size as the vent and then was like "o." when uh I couldn't attach it to the bin haha.

I wouldn't suggest using tape. I don't know about your mesh, but mine wasn't completely flat. when I made a slap-dash bin cage because it was really late at night and I couldn't get the drill out at 10pm on a weekday, I thought using aaaaall the tape in the world would do. nah - Badger figured out that pushing one corner hard enough will pop it open (because the mesh isn't flat against the side of the bin) and he managed to get out twice. then when we re-affixed the tape, he realised pulling off his water bottle meant another corner could be popped open, and he escaped again. this is when I lost him for a few hours! as soon as I found him though, I went straight to fixing the mesh on with nuts and bolts!

[Wisper]

I wouldnt be happy using tape, if it got wet from a leaky bottle or something it could easily loose its stickyness plus it wouldn't look very nice.
Easy way would be with some cable ties, make a hole in the plastic box then thred the tie through both the hole and the wire mesh and that should be pretty secure. Then do the same all the way round the ventilation space. Only problem there might be if the hamster started to chew the cable ties.

[Catherine Spark]

Thanks everyone :) All good points. In that case, does anyone have any suggestions for securing nuts, bolts and washers that doesn't require a drill? I think that would be my second preferred option if possible.

[cathface]

I didn't use a drill for my first bin cage - I just used the heated Stanley knife to poke a hole through where I'd drawn, and then turned it in circles to 'carve' a hole big enough for the bolt to fit through. :)

[Charley101]

I used a heated kitchen knife (sharp) to make the holes in my bin cage. It worked really well :)

[Catherine Spark]

Thanks - this is all really useful! Makes the whole idea seem less massive :) And one last question (sorry to be a pain), how do washers and bolts attach? Hands, spanner or some other way?

[Mona's Humans]

i made the holes like cathface did, then cable tied it on, then duct taped the edges on the outside of the bins to make them less sharp!

[HorseyMandz]

Cable ties are the best bet if you're not that techno savvy- we picked up a huge bag in a DIY store the other day and they're just so simple to use :)

[Catherine Spark]

Ok - thanks! Will look into it :D They don't chew through plastic ones or anything, do they? Do they have to be metal?

[Mona's Humans]

mulan's chewed through one of her plastic ones since the beginning of may, as long as you check them every few weeks, and there's lots there, then they are easy to replace :)

[Catherine Spark]

Ok :) Thanks - I think that's all my questions for now! Thanks for everyone's help :)

[RockinHammies]

We used 5/8" machine bolts (so they are flat on the one edge) and the length of them are perfect for bolt, washer, mesh, plastic, washer to fit on (we used a washer on each end). That way there are no sharp edges for hamster. Also I would suggest putting the mesh on the inside of the cash (file off all the sharp edges) - that way your hamster can't chew the plastic where you've cut.

[kyrilliondaemon]

As I've explained before, we make bin cages with two penknives (the saw, knife, scissor and pokey-thing attatchments), a ruler, a permanent marker and some pliers/wire cutters. Not exactly much technology required there :)

[Knotty]

kitchen knives heated in the hob, a screwdriver and wire cutters are the only tools we used:)

[cathface]

with nuts and bolts and washers, you shouldn't really need a spanner or anything. I managed to get them on pretty tight just by hand! and yes I agree with what someone said before - mesh on the inside so they can't chew the plastic where you cut it, but remember to use the wirecutters to clip off the extra sticky-outy bits from the wire if there are any, so they can't scratch themselves.

[Catherine Spark]

So, really the only specific tool needed is the wire cutters! Much simpler than I was imagining! :) Oh, just one other thing - what exactly are the washers for? Are they absolutely necessary and if so, why? Oh, and thanks for the re-affirming as well, kyrill - just wanting to explore all the options :)

[cathface]

yup the only actual tools I used were the Stanley knife and the wirecutters! I actually had no idea what the washers were for so I ended up buying ones that were too small. turns out they are to secure the mesh, as the bolt head may be smaller than the mesh hole. this was the case with my 13mm mesh, whereas my bolt heads were only maybe 9mm or so in diameter? so I went back to Homebase and got washers bigger than 13mm (I couldn't find the one slightly bigger so ended up with like 20mm ones haha), which go on top of the mesh. if you have the 6mm mesh, you probably don't need the washers! hopefully that all made sense...?

[kyrilliondaemon]

You can cut wire with scissors too depending on the size of the wire. We have two sizes of mesh and one is more easily done with scissors than the wire cutters :)

[Catherine Spark]

What is the size of the one that can be done with scissors?

[kyrilliondaemon]

6mm square, the wire is thin enough for scissors to be easier than wire cutters. Isn't easy but is definetly doable.

[Knotty]

we used 6mm mesh and used wire cutters, scissors would probably be okay as long as they are really sharp... ours weren't so had to ask the OH's dad to borrow some:D

[Catherine Spark]

Thanks, that gives me lots of options! 6mm would be preferrable then, but would 13mm be too big? I ask because I seem to be able to source everything from B & Q so far, which is very convenient given the store location. But the smallest mesh they have is 13mm.

[Vectis Hamstery]

I'm not a DIY/power tool type person and I've managed to make bin cages! I use:

a soldering iron: I love my soldering iron which was about £10 from B&Q and melts plastic so easily (make sure you're in a well ventilated area away from the hams!). I also use it to poke holes through which I thread the cable ties:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/e9452379.jpg
(sorry - someone wouldn't keep his nose out of the photo! I got enthusiastic poking holes so some have no ties as they weren't needed)

wire cutters: for the 0.6mm mesh to cut it nice and close and avoid pokey bits. My scissors were too puny! 13mm is ok for Syrians and non-baby dwarves, but can be chewed.

Scissors: to cut the ends of the cable ties

and a felt tip pen for marking where to make the hole.

[HorseyMandz]

This thread is soo useful to me as I am making a bin cage this weekend with Dad (inbetween going to some Harbour Festival and Bath Hamster Show!) ;D

[Catherine Spark]

Another question! If sharp scissors can cut through 0.6cm mesh, as kyrill and knotty say, doesn't that mean that sharp hamster teeth could gnaw through too and escape? In fact, come to that, how come hamsters don't just stick their noses through the wire and gnaw at the plastic edges until they chew a big enough hole?

[kyrilliondaemon]

6mm mesh is too small for them to get their teeth through. Its why we use it on Fwirls rabbit hutch - she was a bar chewer until she got this :D

[Catherine Spark]

Brilliant - thanks! She must have been indignant at the changeover :D But it's for her own good...

[kyrilliondaemon]

She gained a lot of space from it so I think she accepted it lol
The chewing meant she'd been put back down to just a zz2 (we had little choice) so the rabbit hutch was a great upgrade - even if it had 6mm mesh there too. She's found other ways to attention seek now instead :)

[Catherine Spark]

Such as chewing the water bottle? :D Well I know that's not always to get attention but Oakie used to do it sometimes when he wanted to come out.

[kyrilliondaemon]

lol nah, if she did that we'd change to a water bowl :p
She's got a little dance type thing she does to beg for attention. She appears one place, puts her front paws against the bars, goes a bit further back and stands on her hind legs again, then moves to another spot to try and get our attention, then moves to the top of her hutch and repeats it in one place there... Then goes back to the first spot lol
She knows I can see her and will get her out asap if she keeps reminding me.

[HorseyMandz]

Wow! It's pretty easy to do, but I wouldn't attempt it unless you have something to heat the blade up with as Dad cracked the plastic in the process of cutting without heating the blade :) Best practice? Just shove the blade on the hob for about a minute, then start cutting until it becomes difficult again, then repeat. (But only do it outside because plastic fumes are very dangerous). This also works for something pointy and the holes.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Or just get a saw! Saws work without anything needing heating :D Even I can saw them and that says a lot lol

[Catherine Spark]

I think we have a saw somewhere. Not a hack saw, just a normal one though. How does it cut into the lid? It's not overly urgent anymore at the moment due to a wonderful cage being donated...but I'd like to make a robo bin cage, just in case, some time in the future...! And the homebase DOES have suitable bins, as well as nuts, bolts and washers, and 6mm mesh. So very happy :D I don't think I'm human, as I didn't think and tried heating a blade and cutting inside. No effect. Still I will not tempt fate again and will observe better safety precautions...

[kyrilliondaemon]

We just poked a hole to get the blade through, shoved the blade through and sat there sawing. Might be hard to get the hole at first though - our saws (or the ones we used...) are quite small.