How to Build a Rabbit Cage

Learning how to build a rabbit cage is very easy, if you've got a little experience working with wood and tools. It's inexpensive to make a rabbit cage, and you can choose the size, which is helpful if you need a cage for one of the larger breeds of rabbits.

Materials
To build a cage, you'll need enough 2 x 4s to make the frame. The amount you need depends on the size of the cage you are building. You'll also need enough wire mesh to cover the top, bottom and sides of the cage. The top and sides of the cage should be large mesh, so that plenty of air can circulate. The bottom should be ½-inch mesh, so that it does not hurt the rabbit's feet, yet is large enough for droppings to fall through. You will also need 1 x 1 stock for the door, plus a set of hinges and a latch.

Building the Cage
You will need four frames for the sides, a frame for the top and a frame for the bottom. Each frame will be a complete square or rectangle. Cut the 2 x 4s into the size needed. If you are making a three-foot by three-foot cage, cut the boards to three feet in length.

Lay the boards on the work table with the two-inch side down, making a square. Screw each corner together with one screw. To make sure the frame is perfectly square, measure diagonally from the top left to the bottom right and the top right to the bottom left. Both measurements should be the same. If not, adjust the frame with your hands until the diagonal measurements are even. Once the sides are square, put two additional screws in each corner so that they form a triangle. Make three additional frames for the sides. Leave one frame free of mesh; this will hold the door.

Cover each of three sides with the mesh wire. Stand the frames up and screw them together, keeping the mesh facing toward the middle.

Each piece of 2 x 4-inch board is around 3 5/8 inches wide, so the top and bottom frames need to be about 7 1/2 inches smaller than the sides. Measure the depth and width of the open space at the top and bottom, then create frames to fit these spaces. Cover the inside of the frame with the wide mesh for the top frame. Cover the bottom frame with ½-inch mesh.

Fit the top and bottom of the cage into the side frames and screw them together. The box frame should be sturdy.

Creating the Door
For the side with the door, measure from the inside of the left to the inside of the right and the inside of the top to the inside of the bottom. Build a frame of 1 x 1-inch boards to fit those measurements. Cover the inside of the frame with the same mesh used for the other three walls. Screw the hinges onto one side of the door and the latch on the other side. Fit the door into the opening. It should just fit. If it is too tight, use a hand planer to take about 1/16^th of an inch off the top and one side of the door.

Use something thin to create a space between the bottom of the door and the frame. Mark the side for the hinges and the latch. Attach the latch and hinges to the outside of the open frame. The door should open and close easily. 

Elevating the Cage
A rabbit cage should be kept at least three feet off the ground to discourage predators. You can create legs for the cage by screwing 2 x 4s to the sides of the frame and cross-bracing them with pieces of strapping.

Alternately, the cage can be set on a shelf or table. If you choose to do this, screw 2 x 4 stock to the bottom of the cage on three sides, leaving the fourth open so that you can easily remove a plastic tray or pan that will catch droppings.