Gluesticks

How do you fasten a hardware cloth wire mesh to a hole cut in the lid of a polypropylene plastic bin?

It was so difficult to find a commercial cage large enough for a young Syrian hamster that I will be acquiring later, that I decided to make my own out of one of the largest semi-clear plastic bins I could find at Wal-Mart. It's a Sterilite and has about 30 inches by 12 inches of floor space, with a height of 12 inches. which I think should be enough headroom that the hamster doesn't feel crowded and enough that the hamster shouldn't be able to escape easily, especially if the long sides of the lid are fastened to the sides of the bin with velcro straps to remove slack that might be pushed up by a determined hamster. I will be cutting out a huge hole in the bin's lid and placing hardware cloth wire mesh over it, but it's been again very difficult to figure out exactly what sort of adhesive will stick to polypropylene. Searching for hits on the subject has popped up a hint that some hot-melt glue is made of a kind of polypropylene plus other substances, which leads one to think this might work. I'd like ideally to completely cover the raw edges of the cut hardware cloth wire mesh with smoothed adhesive, both for safety and for ease of cleaning. I guess the question is how best to permanently affix the hardware cloth wire mesh's raw edges to the edges of the huge hole cut in the polypropylene lid (which is white, by the way, for whatever it's worth), and in a way that doesn't emit harmful fumes later for the hamster. Those are terrific suggestions! I'd still like to find an adhesive, but it appears to be a good idea anyway to fasten the screen to the lid with a few dozen small plastic ties. I've got a large bag of small plastic ties ideal for the purpose, for which I'd never actually found much use previously. It should be possible to glue over those, with the plastic ties taking up the strain. It's not as if a cat or dog will be tap-dancing on the screen, so none of all those little holes should tear. I think I'll check the dollar store for baking cooling racks. If they're small, two of them should do well. If all else fails, I guess it shouldn't be too much trouble to use a Dremel tool to smooth over the scratchy bits on hardware cloth wire mesh. I think the work will be worth it for a large tub that is really easy to clean and offers plenty of room for such additions as a sand bath and multiple toys.

Public Comments

1. Drill holes and use zip ties to fasten the hardware cloth with those. Many folks use metal strapping bars to cover the pointy bits of the hardware cloth. I avoid the hardware cloth situation entirely and use a wire shelf instead. http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/2/Super-Pet-Corner-Look-Out-Shelf-and-Ladder-Set/ Wire shelves are unsuitable to stand on, but make great ventilation in bin cages! I also have three kids, so the last thing I want is something that could poke one of them and require a band-aid (which I never seem to have). You could also use a panel from a "playpen" http://www.petsmart.com/cmsTemplates/pet_family_4.jsp?s=A-StorePrice-PET&categoryId=2769317&fbc=1&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2769317&view=all&fbn=Taxonomy%7CHabitats+%26amp%3B+Cages&pg=1&searchSort=TRUE or part of any old cage if you can find one. Another option is looking at the baking cooling racks at your local walmart! I've a couple of wire grids that came with the bunny litter boxes that are unsuitable for that purpose. Saved them incase I ever needed to make an emergency cage and didn't have any of the normal shelves we use on-hand. They aren't the best solution for us, because we have dwarves and the spacing is too far apart (although truthfully, I've never had a dwarf climb to the top of a bin cage), but would be workable for syrians. If you have a local rabbit rescue they may be throwing them out. Those are just a few of the options that avoid the pointy bits, all of which can be secured with plastic zip ties. Think outside the box and you may find something easier than the hardware cloth. Just be sure your pet can't fit through the wire spacing of whatever you use.