FAQ
Q: Where can I find cage pricing?
A: Due to various supply and manufacturing disruptions, our costs (and consequently our pricing) have fluctuated significantly over the past 24 months. This resulted in continuous updates to the website and order form. Accordingly, we have made the decision to remove our pricing from the website. Please contact us to request an up-to-date order form.
Q: Are cages purchased as separate units or can one order a bank of cages already assembled?
A: Cages are shipped as individual units and are framed-in and installed to your requirements on site. (See pictures on our Home page). Our cages are designed to be shipped unassembled; the fibreglass shells fit snuggly inside one another, reducing volume and shipping costs. We provide suggestions for cage-bank configurations along with recommended framing and finishing materials in our 10-page installation guide.
Q: How many layers high can cages be stacked?
A: The Medium Dog and Cat cages (630mm high) can be comfortably stacked three high, although a more workable configuration is two tiers of cages sitting on top of a 400mm high plinth. Three tiers of small cages sitting on a 90mm toe kick total 2m, and, unless your clinic is staffed by Amazons, no one can see (and no one will ever clean or tidy) the tops of the cages. It's also a safety issue; a mad cat at face height is just plain dangerous.
The Large Dog, Large Dog Wide and Large Dog Double Wide cages (960mm high) can be stacked two high, although a more common configuration is to stack Medium Dog or Cat cages on top of Large Dog or Large Dog Double Wide cages.
Q: What size dogs fit in our cages?
A: The Cat / Toy Dog Cage is designed to house miniature and toy dogs up to 10kg. The Medium Dog cage is designed to house medium sized breeds (beagle, terriers, schnauzers, corgis etc.), weighing up to 15kg. The Large Dog, Large Dog Wide and Large Dog Double Wide cages are designed to house large dog breeds from 15kg up to 60kg (Rottweillers, Deerhounds, etc).
Q: What's the difference between the Large Dog Cage and the Large Dog Wide Cage?
A: Simply the width: the Large Dog cage is 960mm wide, while the Large Dog Wide cage is 1090mm wide. All the Large Dog cages are the same depth (750mm), and height (960mm). The Large Dog Wide cage has a wider door which will swing further out into your animal ward. The Large Dog Double Wide cage has twin doors swung from each end and is 1430mm wide.
Q: The big dog cages are quite large; will I be able to get them into my premises?
A: The outer dimensions of the cages (height, width and depth) are displayed on the individual cage pages. We have made our cages to go through standard 760mm wide doors, but older buildings may have narrower doors. You must have at least 760mm of width in all doorways on your premises (take the doors off if you need to). Check corridors that turn 90 degrees also.
Q: I see the module with the portholes joining two cages; how can we do this?
A: A standard 150mm stormwater pipe (160mm O.D.) with a standard stormwater 150mm push-on lid with a handle added are the go! You will need a 6 5/16" (160mm) hole saw to cut through the two cage walls. TradeMart has a Starret Dual Pitch Bi-metal Hole Saw that works perfectly, but we can lend you this piece of equipment if you wish.
Q: Why is there a price difference between white and coloured cages?
A: Pigmented gelcoat costs somewhat more than non-pigmented gelcoat, and our factory runs white gelcoat in its spray gear for most of the fabricating that is done there. To run coloured gelcoats requires dismantling and cleaning all the gelcoat spraying equipment.
Q: Can you give some approximate costs for installation and framing?
A: We have no control over who you employ to install your cages, but typically, costs including labour (2011) average at approximately $150.00 per cage for small cages and $200.00 per cage for large. Costs can vary hugely depending on the materials used to close in the top and end(s) of cage banks. (Seratone / Aquapanel / Alucabond: $130.00/sheet vs. MDF/Hardboard/Melteca: $15.00-$30.00/sheet).
Recently (August 2022) we built and installed a bank of four Cat Condos and four Cat Cages (all with shelves). We built frame for the with a 400mm high plinth for the two tiers of cages to sit on (to improve access/working height). We closed in the top and one end of the cage bank and the plinth with 18mm Melteca. The unit in total was 2.88m long and 1.66m high.
Materials used:
- 30m of 90 x 45 ($7/m)
- 20m of 75 x 45 ($5/m)
- 6m of right angle powder-coated trim around the corners
- 7.2m of slimline plastic jointer between the cages
It took 29 hours to draw up plans and cutting list, purchase materials, cut and assemble/prebuild the frame and then install the cages with the trim, shelves, gates, latches and hinges on site. I expect a commercial builder would be able to complete the job in 2/3 of the time it took me, perhaps ~18 hours for an 8 cage unit. The labour would be similar for a unit of large cages, and in fact it may be faster as there is no plinth below - the unit sits on a 90mm high toe kick.
Accordingly, at current (2022) prices, a ballpark figure of $50 materials per cage and between 2 - 2.5 hours labour per cage is a realistic estimate.
We have consistently outbid the only other supplier of commercially available fibreglass cages, when freight and installation are taken into account (even when shipping to the South island).