How to Make an Outdoor Cage for Small Animals

Small pets like rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters enjoy and may benefit from being able to spend some time outdoors. Although leashes and harnesses can be made to fit small animals, these items are not the best way to keep your pets outside. To keep your small pet safe and to give it the freedom to run around, build your own outdoor cage. Create an outdoor cage built to the specifications of your particular pet and watch them enjoy their new habitat.

Things You'll Need

  • 2-by-2 inch boards
  • Nail gun
  • Wire mesh or netting
  • Staple gun
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Instructions

    • 1

      Determine the appropriate dimensions for your pet's outdoor cage. Small pets like hamsters may only need a cage measuring 12-by-24 inches but larger pets like guinea pigs and rabbits should have a cage measuring at least 18-by-36 inches. Write down the dimensions you have selected on a piece of paper.

    • 2

      Create the frame for your cage by cutting pieces of 2-by-2-inch boards to size for the top, bottom, and sides. Cut four pieces of board equal to the length of the cage, four to the width of the cage, and four more to the desired height of the cage. If you are building a large cage you may need to cut an additional two pieces to stabilize the sides.

    • 3

      Lay out the frame for the top of your cage by placing two of the length pieces on the ground and connecting them with two of the width pieces. Attach the boards at the corners with a nail gun and repeat the process to create the frame for the bottom of the cage.

    • 4

      Lay the bottom frame flat on the ground and stand the four height pieces in each of the four corners. Nail the vertical supports in place. If you are building a large cage you may choose to position an additional vertical support in the middle of each of the two long sides of the cage.

    • 5

      Attach the top frame of the cage by laying it on top of the bottom frame, lining up the corners with the vertical supports. Secure the top frame to the vertical supports by nailing them together.

    • 6

      Cut out pieces of wire mesh or netting to cover the sides of the cage. You may choose to cut individual pieces for each side or you may wrap the mesh around the cage and secure it in place with a staple gun. Cover all four sides of the cage as well as the top.

    • 7

      Use your finished cage by placing it in the desired location outdoors and putting your small pet inside. If you have a guinea pig or a rabbit that is unlikely to escape over the sides of the cage you may use the enclosed side as the bottom and leave the top side open. If you are using the cage for hamsters or other pets that might climb up the walls, turn the cage over with your pet underneath to contain it within the five covered sides of the cage.