HOUSES FOR ANIMALS
The sizes and shapes of these houses and cages will depend upon the
animals for which they are built and the places you have to put them.
Frequently they can be built to advantage against the side of a
building, or a fence, or in a corner, and boxes can be utilised in
various ways.
Make the houses, cages, and runways as large as you can afford, for
there is much more danger of the pets being cramped and crowded than of
their having too much room.
Wire netting or wire cloth (held in place by staples) should be freely
used, as ventilation is very important for the health and comfort of the
animals. Special openings should always be made for cleaning the houses
or cages in case all parts cannot be conveniently reached from the
doors, for cleanliness is of the utmost importance in all such
structures. The floors of the larger houses should always slant or have
holes provided for drainage. Covering the floors with sheets of zinc
will promote cleanliness. In the smaller cages removable pans or trays
can often be used (Fig. 190). Houses and cages with wooden floors should
always be raised from the ground on posts, blocks, or stones, to avoid
dampness. Clean sand scattered over the floor and frequently renewed
will contribute much to the cleanliness of the cages. The bedding should
also be changed frequently.
In the case of those animals which use their teeth for gnawing, the
corners and angles can be protected by tacking on strips of wire cloth,
tin, or zinc, but there is no need to do this over the flat surfaces. In
the case of cages or houses (and the runways) which have the ground for
the floor and are to be inhabited by animals that will burrow or dig
their way out, the wire netting should be continued underground to a
considerable depth, or it can be carried down a little way and then bent
to lie horizontally, forming a sort of wire floor, over which the dirt
can be replaced, and the animals will be unable to tunnel their way out;
but in all such cases care must be taken to proportion the mesh of the
netting and the size of the wire to the strength and escaping powers of
the animals.
Houses for animals often look pretty when made in imitation of real
houses, but when you do this choose simple types of good proportions,
and do not try to copy all the little details of the large houses. Avoid
"gingerbread" work, and do not cover your houses with meaningless
jig-sawed scroll work and rows of towers and pinnacles, and do not use
all the colours of the rainbow in painting them.
For houses, hutches, boxes, cages, etc., which are to be kept out of
doors or in some outbuilding, ordinary machine-planed stock of fair
quality is sufficiently good, and planing and smoothing by hand is
usually a waste of labour; but if you wish to make a small cage or box
to be kept in the house, and to be nicely finished or painted, good
clear stock should be used, and the final smoothing done by hand.
In case you wish to make several cages or boxes of the same pattern, as,
for example, like Fig. 178, it is much less work to go through the
process with two or more at a time than to make each separately.
A house for pets should not be built, as is sometimes done, on a
platform or base projecting beyond the base of the house, as this tends
to collect and retain moisture and dampness, but should be clear of any
platform, like an ordinary dwelling-house, so that the rain will be shed
directly upon the ground.
When two or more boards are required for each side of the roof it is
usually better to lay them up and down, as in Fig. 187, rather than
horizontally or lengthways, because a roof laid in this way is better
about shedding the water, which tends to collect in the cracks if the
boards are laid horizontally. For the rougher structures the hinges can
be screwed flat upon the outside (as shown in Fig. 179), but for nice
work they should be fitted in the usual way. (See _Hinges_.)
* * * * *
Before beginning work upon these cages and houses, read carefully
_Marking_, _Rule_, _Square_, _Saw_, _Plane_, _Nailing_, and look up any
other references.
[Illustration FIG. 175.]
[Illustration FIG. 176.]
Cheap and serviceable cages and houses can be built by simply driving
posts or stakes into the ground and fastening wire cloth or netting to
them, much as you would build a fence. This wire-fenced enclosure can be
covered with a wooden roof if desired. A runway and playground can
easily be made in this way.
A more portable arrangement can be made by putting together wooden
frames covered with wire. Very simple forms are shown in Fig. 175. By
putting together four or more of such frames a cage can readily be made
which can be covered with a wooden roof or with wire (Fig. 176). If
these frames are fastened with screws or screw-eyes and hooks, the whole
can quickly be taken apart if desired.
A very simple cage can be easily made, on the principle of the common
chicken coop, with a few boards or slats and a little wire netting (Fig.
177), but a house of this sort is not especially desirable except for
economy of materials and labour. The construction is too simple to
require description.
[Illustration FIG. 177.]
[Illustration FIG. 178.]
[Illustration FIG. 179.]
A much better form is that with upright sides, or with one slanting
side. Figs. 178 and 179 show an excellent arrangement, easily made. It
can be made any desired size or proportions and is suitable for quite a
variety of animals. If small, 1/2" stock will be thick enough, but if
large, 7/8" stock should be used. The construction is similar to that
of a common box (see _Box-making_, page 219). One corner of each end
should be sawed off slantingly (Fig. 178), and a rectangular piece cut
from the opposite corner, as shown, before the box is nailed together.
The bevelling of the edges of the top and front boards can be done after
the box is put together (see _Bevelling_). For making the door, see
_Doors_, in Part V. The hinged board at the bottom gives access for
cleaning. If for indoors, and to be finished or painted, clear stock
should be selected and the outside carefully smoothed. (See _Plane_,
_Scraper_, _Sandpaper_, _Finishing_, and _Painting_.)
[Illustration FIG. 180.]
For something more like a house, the design shown in Fig. 180 is good
and of simple construction. This can be made of any size from that of a
small box to a small house. For the latter, see _Part III.
(House-building for Beginners)_.
To make a little house of this pattern first get out the bottom of the
required dimensions, and then the ends, which are alike and to be nailed
to the ends of the bottom. Take pains to be accurate in getting out the
pieces, or the house will be askew when put together. The construction
of the sides is plain. The door can be made as in Fig. 180 (see
_Doors_), or the sides can be entirely of wire and the door placed at
the end (Fig. 181). The roof is simply nailed down in place, one side
being got out as much wider than the other as the thickness of the
stock, so that one will lap over the edge of the other at the ridge. If
the angle formed at the top is not a right angle, however, the edge of
the narrower roof-board must be bevelled according to the angle (see
_Bevelling_).
[Illustration FIG. 181.]
A house of this sort can be made with one end closed, while the other
remains open (Fig. 182). This is a good arrangement for many animals.
First get out the floor, then the pieces for the closed end, cutting out
the doorway and a window, if one is desired. These openings can be cut
as shown on page 122. Next get out the framework for the open end and
fasten it in position. A door can be fitted wherever desired and the
roof put on, as just shown.
[Illustration FIG. 182.]
[Illustration FIG. 183.]
A house or cage, chiefly open-work, with two sleeping-boxes or nests
(Fig. 183) is similar in general construction. This is suitable for
indoors (as in an outbuilding). If to be left exposed to the weather, a
solid roof can be added, or it can be covered with canvas or something
of the sort when necessary. The construction is similar to that of those
already described. This cage can be used for pigeons and other pets, and
can be made of any size, according to circumstances. For the door, see
_Doors_ and _Hinges_, in Part V. The box attachments can best be made at
the same time, just alike (see _Box-making_, page 219), and fastened to
the sides of the house, the doorways having been cut in the sides before
the house was put together. If these boxes or nests cannot be readily
reached for cleaning, they should be hinged to the main house, or have
special openings with lids or doors, so that they can be kept clean. The
ridge-pole is simply a strip of board placed horizontally between the
upper ends of the rafters.
* * * * *
=Rabbit Hutch.=--A simple rabbit-house, or hutch, can be made by putting
together a good-sized box, partitioning off one end, to be closed by a
door, and leaving the rest open, except for the necessary wire sides
(Fig. 184).
[Illustration FIG. 184.]
* * * * *
This is made just like a box (see _Box-making_, page 219), the other
details being similar to those already shown. A sliding-door (Fig. 185)
can be inserted, if desired, to cover the hole between the closed and
open parts. The hutch should be raised from the ground to avoid
dampness, and proper arrangements for cleanliness made, as referred to
above.
[Illustration FIG. 185.]
* * * * *
A more elaborate hutch (Fig. 186) can be constructed in a similar manner
to the houses already shown. Access to the open part can be had by means
of the doors or lids on top. For the doors, see _Doors_ and _Hinges_.
The slides for the door at the end can be made by cutting a rabbet at
the edge of a square stick, as shown, or the rabbet can be formed by
using strips of different widths, letting the wider lap over the
narrower so as to form the rabbet. Both doors can be made to swing in
the usual way, of course, if preferred. Where the two sides of the roof
meet at the top, the edges must be bevelled (see _Bevelling_).
[Illustration FIG. 186.]
* * * * *
=Kennel.=--There are many kinds of dog-houses, and the style and size
must, of course, depend upon the dog and the situation.
* * * * *
[Illustration FIG. 187.]
A good kennel (Fig. 187) for a small dog can be made very much as you
would make a box (see _Box-making_, page 219). If for a very small dog
the ends, sides, floor, and sides of the roof can each be made of one
piece, but ordinarily these parts will each be made of two or more
pieces. Matched boards are suitable. First get out the bottom, then the
sides and ends. If you use boards with square edges you must of course
use pieces of different widths, so that the cracks between them will not
meet at the corners, or put posts at the corners. This is the best way
to do with matched boards, if the house is at all large. Nail these
parts together. It will be easiest to cut the slant at the top of each
end--the gable--so that the sides of the roof will meet in a right
angle. This looks well and saves the need of bevelling the edges of the
roof-boards. An opening for the doorway should be cut in one of the ends
before the roof is nailed on. If you do not use matched boards, a strip
should be nailed on the inside at each side of the doorway, to keep the
boards together. The roof-boards for one side should be as much longer
than those for the other as the thickness of the stock. The same applies
to the width of the saddle-boards which cover the extreme top. If the
roof is not made of matched boards, battens should be nailed over the
cracks as shown in Part III.
* * * * *
For a large dog a kennel should be built more like a real +house+ and
not so much like a box. A structure with a frame (Fig. 188) can be
built of any size suitable for a kennel, and will be more durable than
the preceding form.
[Illustration FIG. 188.]
* * * * *
For the frame, small joists, or strips of plank of any size from 1-1/2"
× 2" to 2" × 3" can be used. First get out the sills or bottom pieces of
the framework, nailing them together at the corners to form a
rectangular frame, as shown in Fig. 189.
Then get out the corner posts and fasten them in place, and on top of
them fasten the plates (a second horizontal frame like that at the
bottom); and see that all this framework is rectangular and free from
winding. The sills and plates can be halved at the corners (see
_Halving_), but this is not really necessary in so small a house, as the
boarding adds strength to the joints. The frame can be temporarily held
in place until the boarding is put on by nailing on as many diagonal
strips (Fig. 189) as may be required. Two rafters at each end should
next be put in place, their ends having been cut at an angle of 45° (see
_Mitreing_) and the upper ends being nailed to a strip of board which
serves for a ridge-pole. An intermediate rafter on each side will add
stiffness to the roof. The floor should next be laid, as it will be
inconvenient in so small a house to do this after the sides are put on.
The sides and ends should be boarded with sheathing or matched boards
laid vertically, cutting out the doorway and a small window in the back
gable for ventilation. The roof can next be laid with the boards running
horizontally, or lengthwise, as this house is to be shingled. The
shingles can be dipped in creosote stain or paint to good advantage
before laying. After the roof has been shingled the saddle-boards can be
put on and the house will be ready for painting (see _Painting_).
Another form of doorway is shown in Fig. 189_a_. For the various details
of a framed structure of this sort, see _Part III. (House-building for
Beginners)_.
[Illustration FIG. 189.]
[Illustration Fig. 189_a_.]
* * * * *
The author of _House and Pet Dogs_ gives the following suggestion:
"The best device is an ordinary single kennel forty-eight inches by
thirty-three inches, with an A roof, but with a detached bottom of
the same size as the outside ground measurement of the kennel. This
bottom is hinged by two stout strap-iron hinges to the side of the
kennel, and is provided with two wooden axles, to which are fitted
four wooden wheels, say four inches in diameter. When closed it
looks like any other kennel on wheels. It can be easily moved by one
person from damp spots, etc.; and by turning the kennel back upon
its hinges the bedding can be daily sunned and aired and the kennel
washed and purified without trouble. The wheels also serve to keep
the bottom clear of the ground, and allow of a free circulation of
air beneath."
=Squirrel House.=--The small squirrel house, or cage, shown in Fig. 190,
is made like a box (see _Box-making_, page 219), with the exception of
the roof. The construction is similar to that of the houses already
described.
[Illustration FIG. 190.]
* * * * *
It can be made of 7/8" or 3/4" stock. The dimensions of the bottom can
be made to agree with those of any baking-pan you may have, as shown.
The slide in the roof can be made of zinc or tin. That in the side can
be of either zinc or wood. After the wire cloth has been nailed on a
strip of wood can be nailed around the front edge as a moulding. The
little sleeping-box in the upper corner can be readily reached from the
slide in the roof and connects with the floor of the house by a little
door and a flight of steps (Fig. 191). The latter can be made as shown
in Fig. 173. The most difficult part of this house to make nicely is the
joining of the roof-boards. These must be bevelled at the ridge and the
tops of the ends must also be bevelled where they join the roof (see
_Bevelling_). For other details, see the houses already described.
[Illustration FIG. 191.]
* * * * *
A more +elaborate+ affair, shown below, can be made quite large and will
give room for a whole family of squirrels. This house is, however,
considerably more difficult to make than the others shown in this
chapter, and if you have not already acquired some skill as a workman
you had best be content with a simpler design.
* * * * *
Four or five feet by about three feet will not be too large for the
ground dimensions of the main part of the house. Regular sills can first
be nailed together for the bottom of the main house and ell in the way
shown in Fig. 189. These sills can be from 1-1/2" × 2" to 2" × 3".
Perhaps an easier way is that shown in Fig. 192, in which three cross
cleats or sills are laid and the floor nailed directly to these. When
the lengthways boards shown in Fig. 192 are nailed to the floor boards
and the sills the bottom will be sufficiently stiff for a squirrel
house. The sides and ends of the ell can be made of boards nailed
together like a box, the openings for the doors, windows, etc., being
first cut out; but the main part of the house should have posts at the
corners to which the boarding at the ends is to be nailed. Rafters
should also be put in at each gable. Plain sheathing will look better
for the outside of this house than that with beads. After the outside
has been boarded and the upper floors put in, the roofs and the cupola
can be added. If the cupola is too difficult it can be omitted, as it is
a luxury to which the average squirrel is unaccustomed.
[Illustration FIG. 192.]
The stairs, the openings in the floors, the doorways, the sleeping-box,
the revolving wire cage, the tree, and the swing in the cupola, are
shown in Fig. 192. The stairs can be made as shown in Fig. 192; strips
nailed vertically at the outside corners of the house, as in a real
house, will give a more finished appearance. The window casings can be
made by nailing strips on the outside. The glass can be held in place by
strips, or small rabbets can be cut as in a window sash. For the
shingling of the roof, see _Part III_. (_House-building for Beginners_).
Each door can be made of a single piece of board, cleated (see _Doors_).
For any other details, see the houses just described and also _Part
III_. (_House-building for Beginners_), and _Painting_.
* * * * *
[Illustration FIG. 193.]
Several cages of various sizes can readily be built together, as shown
in Fig. 193, which is merely a suggestion, for, of course, the shape,
size, arrangement, and number of compartments must depend on the number
and kinds of animals and the situation. Various combinations will
suggest themselves as occasion calls for them.
If you have such creatures as frogs, turtles, lizards, etc., a
water-tank should be provided. This can easily be made by taking a
tightly made flat box and caulking the cracks, or pouring hot tar or
pitch into them and also tarring or painting the whole surface of the
outside. A board can be fitted slantingly from the bottom to the edge,
at one or both ends, to form an incline by which the users of this
miniature pond can crawl in and out of the water. The box must, of
course, be sunk in the ground inside of the cage.
For larger houses, as for hens, etc., see, also, the principles of
construction of somewhat larger structures in Part III. (_House-building
for Beginners_).
* * * * *
=Travelling Cage.=--A small box (Fig. 194) in which to carry a kitten, a
squirrel, a bird, or any small animal, when travelling, is often very
useful and much better than the bags and baskets so often used for the
purpose.
[Illustration FIG. 194.]
* * * * *
All that is necessary is to make a small box of 1/2" stock (see
_Box-making_, page 219), with one side open (to be covered with wire
cloth or netting), and the opposite side made in two parts, the upper of
which is hinged to serve as a door or lid. Strips of moulding can be
nailed on with brads along the edges where the wire is fastened, the
door can be fastened with hook and screw-eye or catch, and a handle
fastened upon the top. It is a good plan to round the edges of a box
which is to be carried around. If this box is neatly got out and put
together and carefully smoothed and finished it will look well and serve
for many years.