Melamine Vs Wire cages- Opinions?

I think I pay about $15 for a 4 x 8 sheet of the 1/4 inch melamine... much better option.

I have 8 melamine cages and 3 wire cages, and I have to say, I wish they were ALL melamine. I just don't ever feel like those wire cages are clean enough for my liking. No matter how long I scrub and steam. Also, I feel like my melamine cages are safer then the wire ones, and they look nicer.

I've had melamine before and they wern't bad, but the lack of airflow was a major concern for me.

Okay, So i've looked at lowes and home deopt around here and they only had the 3/4 inch stuff. Where did you guys find the 1/4 inch melamine?

They don't know what the have half the time. I've seen it under proprietary names like "Sharkboard", so the staff probably doesn't know it's melamine. It will usually be in the bathroom aisle.

So this melamine is basically the stuff in our bathrooms walls (where the tub is)?
Are there alternatives to possible building materials besides melamine?

Sure, anything that will keep it's form and is impermeable to water. How about a plexiglass (as long as you have a solid wooden frame and adequate ventilation)? Pretty much anything used in a shower or bath is fine, as long as they can't catch an edge.

You could line a plywood or something, too.

I think Plexiglass would be a cleaning nightmare. Possibly also hotter if in a sunny area?? With any of these materials, like shouts said, you need to make sure they can't get ahold of an edge with their teeth, or they will take advantage of it.

What kind of screws do you have to use for the 1/4" melamine? I'm assuming they have to be quite small.

I used 1/2 inch aluminium wood screws and countersunk them. Then I realized I should have used liquid nails - no holes in the melimine! I also used 1/2 inch CDX plywood, [which made everything weigh a ton,] and probably could have gotten away with 3/8 or even 1/4! [combined 1/2 inch] I guess we live and learn!

Yes, about $100 for the first one. I highly recommend using bathroom caulking to seal the corners and shelves. That helps keep urine out of the cracks, and prolongs the life of the melamine.

So this melamine is basically the stuff in our bathrooms walls (where the tub is)

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No, that's tileboard. It's lighter and more like cardboard though you can find the pvc varieties (more expensive).

Melamine is traditionally used to build shelves. For a DIY'er, I strongly recommend buying a shelving unit for your first cage building experience and converting it.

Actually, it is covered with melamine. The stuff most people use is particle board covered with melamine. It's the same nasty stuff that's easy to clean. Nothing people use is PURE melamine.

ABBY W. said:

Yes, about $100 for the first one. I highly recommend using bathroom caulking to seal the corners and shelves. That helps keep urine out of the cracks, and prolongs the life of the melamine.

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What if they chew this?

When I caulk the shelves, I smooth the caulk into the creases with a wet finger. This keeps it down into the cracks, where they can't chew it, but it seals off the wood part of the shelf so it can't be soaked by urine.

Also, I would not recommend plexiglass, as it is VERY hard to work with. If you try to drill into it, it cracks and splits very easily, and it tends to be quite expensive.

I am also interested in where to find the 1/4" melamine, as when I build more cages, I might try to use that.

I see! Thank you.

I have one melamine cage and I love it and am working on plans for my second one. It's really easy to clean and I use the eye hooks too to hang toys and other things. Yes, it was heavy to move but we used a dolly to get it into the chinchilla room and I guess we'll use a dolly again when/if we have to move it in the future. I will look into that lighter melamine for the new cage.

As far as the air flow goes, I'm fortunate to live in a moderate climate and I've also chosen a room that's downstairs and faces to the north. The temperature is always between 65-68 degrees and when I'm visiting with the boys in the evening, I always have to wear a sweater and slippers. If I lived somewhere warmer or had a warmer area in the house, I think I would be more inclined to go with something like a Ferret Nation for more air flow.

I haven't been able to get 1/4" melamine here. I use 3/4 and a dolly. A 2x2 cage at $100? I make 4x2 stacks(2 cages each 2'x2'x28") for about that. I also have made a few singles that are 2x2x28 and I can usually get 2 out of 2 sheets and have enough left over for most of a third cage. I also would like to see pics of a melamine cage with a run.

I don't use melamine for shelves as I have a few chewers. I use KD Pine 1X6.
THe L brackets are a dream and shelves are super eay to clean. No screws on outside of cage.

Yes, my cages are two units stacked vertically, each one measuring 32" x 34" x 24".
Each unit of two cages ran me about $150 to build. But a large part of that expense was the hardware, like screws, hinges, etc. So, I figure it will run about $100 for someone building just one cage unit.

ABBY W. said:

When I caulk the shelves, I smooth the caulk into the creases with a wet finger. This keeps it down into the cracks, where they can't chew it, but it seals off the wood part of the shelf so it can't be soaked by urine.

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Do you also caulk the holes where you screw the ledges or toys in. I would think that urine could run down behind the ledges and soak into the various screw holes too. Or do the actual screws or fasteners keep the urine out?


I currently have a wire cage made up of various cage parts, and I absolutely hate it. My husband and I are going to build a huge melamine cage this summer for our two girls!

I have not noticed a problem with urine getting into the screw holes. I think because the screws are in brackets under the ledges and the ledges are sealed on top at the back and side creases, so urine doesn't run down from there.