Rusty panels

[ldoerr]

I am planning on building a new NIC rabbit cage on Sunday and Monday. I have access to a couple of boxes of the cube panels. The only problem with using them is that they are very rusty. We used them as out door pens for my bunnies when they lived in the barn many years ago. Would power washing/scrubbing with a metal brush be enough to get them clean enough to use? Even if I could not get all of the rust off of the panels would they be safe to use?

 

[mdith4him]

I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking that rust wouldn't be good for bunnies to be exposed to. Our bunnies chew on the bars every day, so they would be ingesting little bits of metal each time if the bars were rusty. I would buy new boxes and get rid of the old ones. Kmart (around my area at least) sells boxes of 23 panels for $18.

 

[ldoerr]

I will check into that. I am in need of at least 40 panels for 1 cage and 8+ as an addition on another. I have never been to Kmart. (I think that there is one close to my parents house in Spring [there is everything close by there]). I am trying to do this as cheaply as possible.

Just a weird little question, Do you think that pink or purple or turquoise corplast would look good with white or black panels? (pink purple and turquoise are my FAVORITE colors).

EDIT: just checked, no kmart anywhere nearby.

 

[mdith4him]

Bummer on the Kmart. I've also gotten the same 23 panels at Sears, but it was closer to $21. You might be able to order the panels off their website, too (Kmart or Sears). Not sure about shipping charges.

I think either color would go with either panel (white and black match anything), but I would probably match the turquoise with the white and the pink/purple with the black. I'm going with the idea that you like bright versions of these colors, instead of darker shades. But again, I think any combo would work!

 

[LakeCondo]

If you've smoothed the rust down, I'd think that would be ok. After all, rabbits chew the enamel off spots of new panels & if the rust isn't easier to chew on than enamel, then the bit of rust that's left would be better than using Rustoleum or whatever to cover the rust.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You could try using CLR to get the rust off or some other rust removing product. There are also paints you can buy to cover rust, but I don't know how bunny safe they would be.
If you clean them really well and put the rusty parts where your rabbit can't get at it (like if one edge is rusty, have it face the bottom). As long as your rabbit can't get at the rust, then it should be ok. Putting the coroplast on the inside will help too.

While and black panels would look good with any colour coroplast really. I'd probably go for purple, but that is me. I don't really get those colours here. You could try taking a panel of each colour with you to a hardware store and see what looks good.

 

[ldoerr]

As it turns out all of the panels that we had laying around were the ones with the 3" holes. I also called all of the sign places around and only 1 of them might have had any other color besides white and they had a $50 minimum purchase required. I just ended up going to Home Depot and getting a sheet of white for $12 counting tax.

Hopefully tomorrow I can go to Sears and get some panels. (hopefully my mom will let me).

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

You could get a sheet of thin lace or some other sheer fabric and glue it on the outside where the buns wont get it.. or cover in stickers? Home Depot has bright colored zip ties pink, blue, florescent yellow. Super cute colors.

If i had the time and patience I would decorate the outside of my buns coroplast, but I dont... so I wont lol

Good luck with your cage! The only advice I can offer is to cut the ties after you're done, not while you go. I got covered in nasty zip tie scratches. You live and you learn.

 

[ldoerr]

We just mostly built the cage. I ended up getting the multi color zip ties. The cage is 3.5 cubes long 2 cubes wide and 2 cubes high. We have not attached the roof, devidor, or shelfs. I will finish putting it together when I get it in my apt in brenham. This way it will fit in my car and it will not kill me to carry it up to my apt.