European style cage w Coroplast?

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:10 pm

Anyone try to make a European style cabinet cage using coroplast?

As I was plotting out my next DIY cage, I was thinking about the various pix of the European cages, then it hit me COROPLAST.

Actually I first thought of using coroplast to make the custom size poop tray for my DIY cages, then thought why not also for the cage itself.

Coroplast is like corrugated cardboard but made with plastic, so it should stand up to the birds poop fine w/o need for painting, and it has more structure than the 1/2x1/2 hardware cloth, and it is a lot lighter than wood. You could probably put the cage together with a hot glue gun.

But as usual, the catch is how to attach a cage front?

Once a DIY tinkerer...always one

Kiko · Post by **Kiko** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:09 am

Interesting that you mention coroplast. I love it!

I bought a case of 4 30x18x18 cages, with the intent to dismantle two and use those parts to make a large dividable flight cage.
I am going to make a wood frame of 1x2 (or 1x3 for the sides) and I am going to use coroplast for the back, the divider and the two removable poop trays.

Just recently we got a budgie, with a smaller cage. So to give him a bigger cage I took another 30x18x18 to use it as is, but the tray that came with it is way too small! Cheap cages!
So hubby built a wood frame bottom, and I am making a coroplast poop tray for it.

We also made a guinea pig cage from coroplast and wire cube boxes.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm

So..... having rambled on about MY stuff - if you cut the coroplast so that it has overlapping sides, you can use zip ties (nylon cable ties) that are cheap and available at hardware stores and dollar stores to attach a cage front to the coroplast. You can use them to tie the corners together or just use silver duct tape on the outside back corners.

It wouldn't be quite sturdy enough on its own to hold perches though.
Your perches will either have to be attached to the cage front, or you will have to have a second layer of coroplast or hardboard or something else to help support the perches.

Just some thoughts!

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:16 pm

Lynn
I'm off to the plastic shop this afternoon.
I am planning to make the breeding cage tomorrow.

I came up with a couple designs, but decided to use coroplast for the bottom, back and top, and wire grid for the front and sides. I decided to use wire grid for the sides so I can hang the nest from it, and put lights (if I need to). Once I use it for a while, I can see what alterations I want to make for the next breeding cages.

Also making the poop trays from coroplast. Should work better than the cardboard trays I made.

One thing I figured out about a coroplast and European style cages is, because of the solid back, top and sides, when the bird flaps hard, anything light (seed hulls, feathers, etc) will get blown out the front of the cage. I may need to put some krinolen (sp?) over the front to limit how far out into the room the "stuff" goes.

Update - Got the coroplast. Now to put the cage together.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 11:54 pm

I built the shell of the coroplast cage today. The shell was not difficult.

Tomorrow I make the poop trays and figure out where to cut the openings for the food trays. The openings will be the hardest part. Right now I'm trying to figure out where to put what, to determine where to cut. Then making a sliding or hinged door. I found out from my quarantine cage, that hinged doors can be tricky to use with a bird in the cage, so the bird does not sneak by and out.

Turns out that this whole DiY cage project is not as cheap as I thought. I'm about 2/3 where I would have been if I ordered a set of four 30x18x18 cages. Plus all the work to make the cages. The only advantage for DiY is the custom size I made the cages, to try to stack more cages.

mike · Post by **mike** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:40 am

ac12 wrote:I built the shell of the coroplast cage today. The shell was not difficult.

Tomorrow I make the poop trays and figure out where to cut the openings for the food trays. The openings will be the hardest part. Right now I'm trying to figure out where to put what, to determine where to cut. Then making a sliding or hinged door. I found out from my quarantine cage, that hinged doors can be tricky to use with a bird in the cage, so the bird does not sneak by and out.

Turns out that this whole DiY cage project is not as cheap as I thought. I'm about 2/3 where I would have been if I ordered a set of four 30x18x18 cages. Plus all the work to make the cages. The only advantage for DiY is the custom size I made the cages, to try to stack more cages.

The more often you make them, the easier it will be (less time spent) and as time passes you will start finding cheaper sources for material. The first (prototype) is always the worst. I know that most people get frustrated when they DIY something and it turns out to be more than they expected, but after you've made a few, you're going to look back and laugh at yourself and wonder it took you so long to make something so easy.

Sometimes I look back at past DIY things I've made and wonder what I was thinking.

I've been following your thread and I think I'd like to see pictures of your progress! I have some ideas about how I would make such a cage and I'm curious to see what you've done.

Kiko · Post by **Kiko** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:53 am

ac12 wrote:Turns out that this whole DiY cage project is not as cheap as I thought. I'm about 2/3 where I would have been if I ordered a set of four 30x18x18 cages. Plus all the work to make the cages. The only advantage for DiY is the custom size I made the cages, to try to stack more cages.

I hear you! I have made a new base for a 30x18x18 cage, and yes I didn't choose pine, but the cost and time is higher than I expected.

I just saw a used large flight cage locally and was thinking it would have been a better choice!

--- I want to see pics of your work as well!

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 12:52 am

Finished the cage, and moved the penguin zebra and his new mate in this afternoon.

I finished so late that it was lights out before I got all the stuff cleaned up.
I'll try to get pix tomorrow when there is light.

Final size is 32Lx13Dx14H.
L and D was done to fit on the shelf, H was done to let me stack 4 w/o needing to use a 6ft ladder to work the top cage.

I put only 2 perches in; one high next to the nest, one low on the opposite end on the cage. This gives them max flight length.

Silicone sealant does not stick very well to coroplast. For the poop tray, I used a hot glue gun then clear tape to cover the edges and to help hold it together. Even the hot glue did not stick too good, which is why I had to use the tape also.

Making the cage divided was a problem. It splits the front wire mesh, and I had to make 2 poop trays (1 on each side of the divider). I would like to figure out how to make it dividable w/o having to use 2 poop trays. I only want the divider when I need to catch a bird, so I can restrict the bird to a smaller area, making it easier to catch.

Now that I've got this one done, I'm starting to think about the next 2 cages (for goldians and for societies as fosters) and what changes to make for the next cage.

Lynn,
I saw a small flight cage on CraigsList, and I waffled for so long making up my mind that it was sold when I finally made up my mind. I snooze, I loose. Although given the limited floor space I have, the breeder cages on the shelf works out better.

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:25 am

As far as the poop tray just make one, in the center of the tray fasten a piece of wood in center of tray so that when you slide the divider in it sits on the wood in the poop tray

Post by **Sally** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:07 am

B CAMP wrote:As far as the poop tray just make one, in the center of the tray fasten a piece of wood in center of tray so that when you slide the divider in it sits on the wood in the poop tray

Brilliant idea, Bill!

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:33 pm

Bill
Great idea, and simple too. I like simple.
Then I don't have to make 2 smaller trays for the cage.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 11:42 pm

Got pix of my coroplast cage, and thanks to poohbears instructions I was able to post the pix.

This is version 2 of my DiY cages, I learned a few more things that I will try to fix on version 3.
- And one of these is to go to a single poop tray using the idea that Bill mentioned above.

Version 1 was an all wire mesh DIY cage, which was not stiff enough on a 32" cage and will be scrapped, hence my use of coroplast on version 2. Although it was stiff enough for a smaller 17Lx12Dx12H quarantine/isolation cage.

Coroplast is on the top, back and bottom.
1/2 x 1/2 plastic coated wire mesh is on the front and sides.
The front is split to allow a divider to be inserted, using a piece of metal coat hanger wire to secure the wire mesh to.

I copied the side lighting method from Tiffany (thanks Tiffany).
The weight of the bath with 8oz of water causes the wire mesh to flex, and tilts the bath. I have to stiffen the wire mesh to keep the bath level.
You can see the 2 poop trays split by the divider supports. I have a small piece of coroplast inserted in place of the divider, so they won't poop between the trays.

I have it on a wire shelf (from Target) 36x14 shelves, 4 levels. Only levels 1 and 2 are done, 3 and 4 are not done (one of the vertical posts needs to be replaced)

This is the nest in the left back corner.

This is a close up of how I attached the perch to the coroplast back surface.

It is a small square of coroplast (about 2x2), hot glued to a longer piece (so the perch sticks into 2 layers of coroplast, about 1/4"), which is taped to the back surface using clear packing tape. I used tape for a couple reasons; #1 it keeps their toes from getting caught in the coroplast, #2 the tape sticks to the coroplast quite well. The hole is drilled then reamed out to fit the perch. The hole is only on the perch support, the back surface is not drilled. This lets me move the perch later w/o leaving a hole.

The birds are Snowpea (male silver penguin) and Buttons (female gray).
My wife named them, I did not have a say in their names

Buttons may be going back to be replaced. When I put them together, I realized that she is BIGGER than the male. So I plan to replace her with a smaller stature female.

This is a close up of how I attached the lower perch to the coroplast back surface. Might be easier to see this with the way the light illuminates the perch support.

CandoAviary · Post by **CandoAviary** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:24 am

Hey, good job. It's great to see the pics of what you have been working on. Looks good

The birds are nice, don't be alarmed that the female is larger than the male. Large females usually are good breeders. They rarely get egg bound, have large clutches and are just all around more robust than small hens. Just change her name to Big Momma

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:02 am

CA
Not knowing genetics of zebras and if size will be passe on, I did not want the off-springs of this 2nd pair to be BIG, compared to dad.

My first clutch from another pair, the pair are about the same size as the female gray, and all the chicks are "chunky." In fact the 2 boys look overweight, compared to the father. But like teenagers, they just eat, and hog the feed trays...until mom gets ticked at them and chases them off so she can eat.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:51 am

It figures.
Success with one cage leads to overconfidence.

My 2nd coroplast cage was going along fine. I got the basic cage done (coroplast top/back/bottom and wire mesh front/sides). But then I set it down to check it...and it is lopsided (it rocks, one corner is high). Dang, I knew it was going too smooth. I spent over an hour trying to figure out the problem, even doing a partial rebuild, and I finally gave up.

Tomorrow I have to do a complete tear down and rebuild, checking for square CAREFULLY at each major step.

I think the problem is cutting and folding the coroplast to be square to each other. Have to go pick up a large carpenters square tomorrow.

A bookshelf cage is beginning to look a lot better/easier than a coroplast cage.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Fri May 01, 2009 1:43 pm

2nd cage is rebuilt.
I squared up the 3 pieces (bottom, back, top) and lost about 1/2inch on each piece, and reassembled it. And this time it was not lopsided

Another lesson learned.

I built this one like the first, to use 2 poop trays. That way I can treat each half like a standalone cage, keeping the birds separated. I moved the disruptive juvenile zebras into half and a pied that I'm trying to get to regrow his plucked feathers into the other half. They don't seem to understand the wire mesh that keeps them apart.

I called Tap Plastics to get another sheet of coroplast...and they are out. They have it on order and "maybe" in a couple weeks they might have it.

I need it soon, cuz I have my societies in quarantine now, and need a cage built for them when they finish quarantine in a few weeks.