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Build Rabbit Hanging Cages - Detailed Instructions and Plans

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How To Construct Show, 4-H, or Meat Rabbit Hutches From Welded Wire

all wire meat or show rabbit cage plans

These all-wire hanging cages are not currently in use.

The first and most important decision is whether you should build your own cages or buy rabbit cages
already built. (Click for an article on deciding whether to build or buy cages.) One assumption is that if
you build your own cages, you’ll save lots of money. We did not find that to be the case. For 42 holes, we
spent over $700. Probably with shrewd purchasing and just a little luck, we could have bought just about
the same number of holes for the same amount of money, more or less. It is not financially worthwhile
to make just a few cages because the tools involved are somewhat of an investment. (Note: wire has
gone up in price dramatically since we built our first cages.)

Click for a more detailed article outdoor hutch rabbit care

Click for an article on proper outdoor hutch rabbit keeping

What we did gain clearly was the ability to customize our cages to our barn: we made them just like we
like them and made them to fit our spaces exactly. We also know how to repair our cages or alter them
and we have the supplies and equipment to do that as well.

We spent a great deal of time building our cages, too. Generally, we spent two evenings working on a
three-hole cage, from beginning to end. By the last few cages, we were probably a little faster than that.
But we did have cage-building materials lying around for a couple of months before we were finished.

So, if you are looking to save a ton of money, building cages may not be for you. If you are in a real hurry,
cage building might not be for you. But if you want a state-of-the-art, customized cage and don’t mind
putting a bit of work into it (and want to save some money, perhaps), keep on reading! Also, if you have
any way to get the materials cheaper or free, building your own is the only way to go.

What Size Cages Should You Make for Your Rabbits?

dwarf breed rabbits in hanging cages

Polish show rabbits comfortably situated in all-wire cages

Now that you’ve decided to build your own cage, you’ll need to decide on the size you want to make.
Keep the sizes of available wire mesh in mind when you decide. It’s a real pain to cut 2 inches of wire off
of a 6-foot length, especially repeatedly. Selecting the most convenient dimensions will save a lot of work
in the long run. Our holes are 2 feet x 2 feet (except for the last ones in each row, that had to be cut to
23 inches to fit). For the sake of keeping things simple, that size will be used in all directions. But you can
make adjustments easily, once you understand the general idea.
The USDA recommends that rabbits have at least 3/4 sq foot of floor space per pound of body weight.
That means a 2-pound Netherland Dwarf buck can do nicely in a cage that is only 12″ x 18″. However,
almost all rabbit breeders keep their rabbits in much roomier cages. The smallest size that is almost
ever used by a show rabbit breeder is 12 x 24″, and that only for dwarf breed juniors and small bucks. 24
x24″ and 18 x 24″ are the most common sized cages for single rabbits of small or dwarf breeds, such as
Polish, Dutch, Holland Lop, Netherland Dwarf, and Himalayan. A doe and litter of dwarf or small breeds
should have 30×24″ or 24×24″. Larger meat-type breeds such as Californians and New Zealand Whites
do well in cages that are 30×24″ or 24×24″, with a larger 36 x 24″ used for does with offspring.

Baby Saver Wire in all-wire rabbit hanging cage

Showing baby saver wire along the bottom of the cage sides

You should also decide whether you want to install baby-saving wire around the bottom of the cage.
Baby-saver wire is wire of a smaller mesh along the bottom 3 or 4 inches of a cage, so that babies cannot
crawl through it like they can the standard 1″x2″ mesh for the cage sides. [See photo at left.] Young
babies can already crawl—I’ve found newborns 15 feet from their nests. If they wander into another
hole, they can easily be killed by the doe next door, who is protecting her own space. I highly
recommend it and it’s not hard to do.

You should also get an idea of what you want to use for dividers between holes. We used wire mesh but
are planning to go back and install something more solid. The solid sides keep rabbits from spraying each
other and staining other rabbit’s fur. Our main problem has been ear chewing. We’ve had three rabbits
damaged so far when their long ears have drooped into the next hole. The down side to that is that spray
reflects back onto the sprayer and can soil his fur more. It’s a tradeoff, though.

[After our first set of cages, we built another set with double side walls and a 3-inch gap between
compartments to eliminate biting through the wire. I like this design a lot and use the gap for a hay rack.]

Next, you should give some thought to the front of your cage. Plan your space carefully. You need a door
that is big enough to accommodate your kindling boxes and allows you to reach shy rabbits in the back.
You need space for your watering system—whether it’s an attached crock, automatic waterer or
watering bottle. Think about adding a hayrack. You’ll almost certainly be able to make those for free
from your scraps. And, how about a feeder? Will you want to mount one through the cage wall?
We allowed space for a hayrack on the door, our automatic watering system and a through-the-wall type
feeder. We did not count on space for temporary waterers (such as when we are medicating or when our
normal watering system freezes). Think about these now. We also planned our space for labels for each
hole.

Purchasing Cage Construction Tools and Supplies Needed

j-clip pliers for building rabbit cages for Dutch and other breeds

Above: J-clips, pliers and removers for building rabbit cages.

building a door for an all-wire meat rabbit hutch

Above: A finished rabbit cage door.

latch for show rabbit holland lop cage

You can twist your own cage latches, or order them custom done from a rabbit cage supply company.

First, spend the money to buy some nice wire cutters. You will thank me for this piece of advice. You will
be making lots and lots of little cuts. No one cut is that hard, but the strain adds up quickly. Ours cost
about $25 at a local home improvement warehouse and was worth every penny.
Next, buy a heavy-duty tool to remove j-clips (those are the little metal connectors that are the primary
means for building the cages). Do not scrimp on this step. Those suckers are really tough to remove. And
you will have to remove some. Believe me.

You will also need a tool to put those j-clips on with. The standard $5 job was just fine. I don’t
recommend getting fancy with that. It’ll do.

A scrap of 2” x 4” lumber will come in handy. Something about 12 to 15 inches is fine. You can use this to
help bend the baby guards up from the floor.

Needle-nosed pliers and regular pliers come in handy.

What Kind of Wire Should Be Used?

Now it’s time to decide what kind of wire mesh you will buy. There are several sizes and two basic kinds:
galvanized before (which is more expensive) and galvanized after. Actually, galvanized before is also
galvanized after. I would only use the more expensive variety if my cages were more subject to the
weather or if I plan to use a lot of water under the cages, such as for washing away the rabbit waste. Our
cages are in a barn, so we did not spend the extra money.

For the sides, fronts, backs and tops, you can use 1” x 2” mesh. For the bottoms and baby guards, you
can use either ½” x ½” or ½” x 1”. We used the ½” x 1” type. Just make sure that the ½” side is placed up
so that the rabbit’s feet rest on the smoother side.

You will need to purchase j-clips. And it takes more of them than you think it will. I purchased mine
locally so that I could return unopened bags.

Get some plastic, snap-on cage edging for door openings and possibly the top of your hayrack. It will
save you from many scratches and scrapes in the future.
The last thing to purchase is one door latch and wire of approximately the same gauge. Don’t go crazy
trying to find the exact gauge; just get close. Study the latch carefully and learn to bend them yourself.
My husband made two or three that were marginally functional before he got the hang of it. By the end,
he could twist the latch and install the whole door in 15 minutes. It’s worth learning. On the other hand,
he says he wishes we had just bought them all.

Cutting Out Pieces — Instructions

The directions I give here will be for a triple cage, 6 feet long, with three compartments that are 24” x
24”. To make cages with other dimensions, follow the instructions in italics. Click here for a printer-
friendly short version of the pieces to cut.

Floor with baby guards: Cut one piece of your floor mesh (either ½” x ½” or ½” x 1”) that is 78 inches
long and 30 inches wide (your wire probably came 30 inches wide). From each corner, remove a 3”
square, leaving a solid outline (the part that you cut away will look something like a square comb with
teeth in two directions).

To customize, cut the floor the width of the entire cage plus 6 inches by the depth of the cage plus 6
inches.

Interior baby guards: Cut two pieces of your floor mesh 24” x 3”.

To customize, cut pieces the depth of the entire cage by 3 inches.

End walls and Divider Walls: Cut four pieces of 1” x 2” mesh (I’ll call this wall mesh) 24” x 16”. You will
use one on the right end, one on the left and two to divide the cage into three compartments.
To customize, cut end walls depth of entire cage x height minus 3 inches.

Front and Back: Cut two pieces of wall mesh 72” x 16”. You will use one in front and one in back. You will
cut out the doors later. Just leave them solid for now.

To customize, cut front and back width of entire cage by height minus 3 inches.

Top: Cut one piece of wall mesh 72” x 24”.

To customize, cut top width of entire cage by depth of cage.

Doors and Door Reinforcement: I will give the dimensions we used, but remember to make yours the size
you need to fit in your kindling boxes or accommodate anything else you might want to mount on the
front of your cages. Cut three pieces of wall mesh 12” x 14” and three pieces of wall mesh 4” x 14”
(these pieces reinforce the door and hold the latch).

To customize, make sure you cut your doors larger than the openings by 2 to 3 inches in both
dimensions.
Optional Hay Rack: There are numerous ways to make hay racks. Ours are rather large as we feed hay to
our rabbits continuously and don’t mind the large amount of hay lost to their entertainment. From
scraps, cut three pieces of wall mesh 14” x 10” (use the 1” direction for the 14-inch dimension because
you will bend at the 3” mark) and three pieces of wall mesh 3” x 8”.

To customize, use your imagination! Any number of configurations will work.

Assembling the Cage

The Floor

Make sure you have the correct side of the floor mesh up. It’s the side where the wire is closer together.
You can tell the difference easily by standing barefoot on each side. You can see why the closer mesh is
easier on their feet and might save some sore hocks in the future.

Use the lumber scrap to hold down the bottom of the floor (I held it down with my feet) and begin
bending up the 3-inch edges a bit at a time. I found it easier to work my way around the outside edge
twice. The second time, the wire more easily stood up straight.

Now use two j-clips to connect each corner, making the bottom look like a large, shallow box.

From the crease you made by bending up the wire, count or measure over 2 feet and 4 feet (check it by
going from the other direction as well). You will attach the baby saver strips across the cage bottom here.
Connect to the bottom every few inches and to the sides as well. When you finish, your flat box will be
divided into three, evenly spaced shallow compartments.

Adding the Walls and Top

Add the end walls and middle dividers next. They are installed on the baby-saver dividers and the end
baby savers. Just use a j-clip every few inches. After that, you can add the front and back panels. Be sure
to measure on the panels two feet where the walls should meet—don’t depend on it “looking right.”
Until the cage starts to take shape, any number of places on the panel will look right. Once the walls are
all on, you can add the top. Here is where you may have trouble with things lining up. It’s a good idea to
use the pliers, especially the needle-nosed, to hold the wire together before putting on the j-clip.
Another pair of hands can come in handy here, too.
The All-Important Front

It’s a good thing that you thought about what you want on your cage front, because now it’s time to cut
out the door opening. Once it’s cut, you are stuck. We cut ours 11” x 10” and put it near the left so that
we had room for our water and feeder on the right. Remember that the opening must be smaller than
your door for the spring to work correctly. You can also cut your wire and mount your feeder at this time,
if you are going to use one. Just make sure you’ve calculated everything before you cut the front

Doors and Latches

Assemble the door before placing it on the cage. The spring latch must be attached to the door so that it
misses the vertical wires on the wall. In other words, check to see where it will hit and make sure that’s
the right place. After the spring latch is attached to the door, securely attach the reinforcement panel
over it and check again to see that the spring latch will hit the right place. Then attach the door to the
cage with j-clips, flush with the “hinge” side of your opening. Make any final adjustments to the spring
latch so that it will latch with reasonable ease and puts the appropriate pressure on the door to keep it
closed.

Assemble the hay rack by bending the main panel three inches from each end, making a U-shape that
will be the front and sides (the door or cage wall serves as the back). Attach the bottom piece to the
lower rim of the sides and front. Now you can attach your hayrack to the door (or other place), if you
like. Cut your snap-on edging and attach it to the rim of your door opening and possibly to the top of
your hayrack (you will save a lot of scratches on your hand when you are stuffing hay into the rack).

Hanging: A Tricky Job

Finished hanging rabbit cages

Finished hanging show rabbit cages with full hay racks

Make sure you have two people available to hang cages. The cage isn’t all that heavy, but the hooks have
to have constant pressure while you are putting on the other hooks—if not the first come off and you
have to start over.

We screwed eyehooks into the rafters of our barn and added s-hooks to that. We hung a chain from each
of six hooks for each three-compartment cage. We placed another s-hook on each chain, level with each
other, at the height we wanted the top of the cage to be. Then we hung one end of the cage first and
pulled it out from the wall to maintain tension. We then hooked the remaining two back hooks followed
by the remaining two front hooks and then slowly released the cage into place. At that time, we adjusted
any hooks that were on the wrong link (too tight or too loose). If the chain were just a bit too loose, we
twisted the eyehook in the rafter to make any fine adjustments needed. Then we cut the chain and went
on to the next cage, starting it on the end s-hooks of the previous cage. In some cases, we used j-clips to
bind together cages that refused to hang flat against each other.

It is imperative that you measure for the last cage in a row before you build it, if there is an obstacle (like
a wall) on the end. Even though our barn is 24 feet long, we could not fit four six-foot cages because the
cages are somewhat rounded and have double walls where two cages come together—they don’t lie
perfectly smoothly against each other. We took one inch out of the last three holes to make them fit.

Your cage is now finished: just add water, food, hay and your Holland Lop rabbits!

What About Underneath?

Even though we’ve been talking about building cages, I can’t help but take a second to talk about what
goes underneath. Obviously we did not include pans to catch the rabbits waste. In our barn, we have
placed plastic buckets to catch the hay, manure and urine. I empty these every few weeks into the
compost pile or around our orchard trees or wherever it’s needed in the garden (rabbit manure is a cold
manure and can be used fresh, without composting). We will be building wooden bins (one long bin
under each of our four rows of cages). In these bins, we plan to grow earthworms, harvesting the
castings for our gardens and using the worms for fishing and perhaps one day, to sell.

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