Most dog cages and kennels are made with a plastic pan on the bottom to make cleaning easier. But your dog may not be comfortable sitting in the cage debris. Installing a grate in the cage will allow debris and hair to fall through and give your dog a cleaner living space. You can buy a grate online or at a pet store, but it's relatively easy to make your own.
Measure the length and width of your dog cage pan. Double the measurements. Your new dimensions should be twice the length of the cage and twice the width. Record your measurements. Order from a hardware store 20-gauge stainless steel hex mesh cut to fit your measurements.
Put on your protective gloves. Remove the pan portion of your dog cage. Wrap mesh around the plastic pan. Bring the ends of the mesh together on the bottom, as close to centered as possible. Bend the mesh around the edges of the pan. Try to conform the mesh and shape it to fit as closely around the plastic pan as possible. Do not allow any overlap of the mesh on the sides.
Use as many zip ties as you need to secure the mesh wire on both sides of the bottom of the pan. Pull the mesh to fit as tightly as possible so your pan will still fit back in the cage. Slide the new grate back into the cage as it was before.
Items You Will Need
- Tape measure
- Paper
- Pencil
- Protective gloves
- 1/2-inch 20-gauge stainless hex mesh
- Large zip ties
References
Writer Bio
Traci Bridges is a veteran newspaper editor and reporter. She earned her bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in print journalism from The University of Alabama. She began writing for the "Morning News," a daily newspaper in South Carolina, in 1998. Since then, her work has appeared in several other publications including the "Winston-Salem Journal," "Tampa Tribune" and "AARP Magazine."