Building the cage isn't quite as hard as you might suspect, but it is
hell on the hands and the hardware mesh scratches us humans pretty bad,
so certain steps should be taken to reduce this, such as: Have husband /
dad / brother build it. Hehe! But here is basically what I did, I can't
include precise plans and you'll see why in a second:

First, you have to find a plastic "under the bed" style storage bin.
Once you find a large enough bin THEN you have the dimensions for your
cage. These bins (as shown in the pictures on my site) can be found
anywhere from K-Mart to Eagle Hardware. They come with a lid, but you
won't be needing that... just get the size you want. The one I'm using
for the boys was at Eagle, $13.98. Be sure you also have wire cutters
and needle-nose plyers available or pick up some new ones while you're
there. A thick pair of gloves is also a good idea, if you're delicate.
Me, I don't care - scratches heal. :}

Next you will want to decide how tall you want your cage. The boys' cage
is four feet tall, and while that really doesn't sound like much, it's a
bit unwieldly. Trust me, I don't move it around often. Say you want your
cage 3 feet tall, then measure the width of the bin, to see how wide
(thick) your cage can be:

Top View:
_________
|       |
|       | 
|       |    Mine ended up being 13.5 inches wide. So I knew I needed
|-width-|    at least 13.5 inches of mesh for the TOP of the cage.
|       |    Then you add 3 feet onto that for both sides, Front and Back.
|       |    3 + 3 + 13.5 inches = 7 feet, 1.5 inches. Round it off to
|       |    eight feet just to be sure you have enough.
|       |    You will notice most of these bins are tapered, larger at
---------    the top. In which case, you will need to measure the very
bottom part so you will be sure that your cage fits nicely inside it.

Top View:
_________________
|               |
|               |    As for the length, they sell the 1/2 inch Hardware
|   -length-    |    mesh in a couple different flavors. If your bin
|               |    is 3 feet long, and you know the sides need to be
-----------------    13.5 inches long (same as bottom of bin) then you
will need to either get the 3 foot long stuff and get extra wire so you
can make the sides yourself, or get the 4- or 5-foot stuff and bend the
wire in an L-shape to make a front+side or back+side combination piece.
When I built my first cage, I busted my hands by cutting the wire then
bending every one of those little pieces around the 'side' piece that I
was attaching it to. I got smart this time, though, and picked up a roll
of galvanized wire. It doesn't have to be too thick, just so long as
it's sturdy. That way I could just cut the wire pieces I needed, then
connect them together with the galvanized wire as needed.

So if you needed eight feet, and the bin is conveniently three feet
long, and so is the hardware mesh, just make sure to add on two 13.5
inch long pieces. Essentially you're looking at around 10 feet of
hardware mesh, and at $1.58 per foot or so, that ain't bad. For $29.78
($13.98 bin and 10 feet of wire) you'll have a nice cage that the rats
will enjoy, will be easy to clean, and will be larger than most cages
that they sell for over $100.

You can get extra wire to make "shelves" with, line them with cardboard
or whatever you have that is easily replaceable and won't hurt ratty
feet. The cage is pretty sturdy after adding a couple shelves. You can
see how much wire you have left after making the cage, and add shelves
with the excess, or you can always go get another foot or 2 of wire for
shelves. You will likely be surprised how much wire you have left over,
so unless you want a lot of large shelves made of wire you don't really
need to plan for it. The bin I got came with little shelves inside.
Fortunately, turned sideways, they fit just perfect into the cage. Go
the extra money for shallow plastic shelves in a bin instead of
forgoeing it, it's better for the ratties and you won't be scratching
yourself up much trying to add shelves made of wire to your cage - and
little ratty raisins won't be falling from the shelves to your floors.

You can of course put "doors" into the cage anywhere you want. The trick
is to cut out the door as big as you need it to be, but cut so that
there is still wire left on the cage (inside the door hole) - then bend
those ends back over, around the wire it's meshed with, and you will
greatly reduce scratching of the rattie fur or your hands. You can see
what I mean about bending the wire back in this (cute!) picture of
Cinder looking out her door:



To make it as easy as possible, I would suggest just cutting the wire
exactly as long as your bin is (if it's not the same size already), then
making a great, upside-down U with it, to create the front, back, and
top all in one fell swoop. Then cut your side pieces, and using the
galvanized wire, just wire them suckers into place. If you want to risk
a little confusion (grin) you can attempt to cut it so there's one side,
the front, back, and top all in one fell swoop, but that does require a
little measuring and planning ahead, so it depends on what it's worth to
you.

PROS:
1) It's less cumbersome than aquariums. Try washing one!
2) It allows the ratties to have circulated air.
3) It's much more affordable than store-bought cages.
4) It allows for more ratties in it than an aquarium - and we KNOW
that everyone needs more ratties :} (or at least you have the room for
when that rescue-rattie comes along)!


CONS:
1) The 1/2" hardware mesh doesn't allow you to pet the ratties through it.
I'd suggest getting wire you can put your fingers through, but we didn't
find any like that in our area.

2) The hardware mesh does like to snag on my clothes and skin (at the
corners). The bent-back wire is a lot smoother. It's a pain bending
all those little pieces back, but worth it. I bent every one on Cinder's
PlayCage, but AlcatraTz would have had me bending for weeks (and probably
with a good case of carpul-tunnel at the end!) so I decided against it.

CLEANING:
I place newspaper on the couch then lift the cage part out of the bin.
I put the ratties into their cage, to keep them under control while I
wash the bin in the bathtub with hot water and mild soap. 

Good luck,

        -Cinder's Mom.