Tip for using Zip ties?

[AbsLoveSnicks]

Okay, so I know that most people use zip ties for the cages now and less connecters, because zip ties secure better and such. I would like to know how you make the zip ties stay so tight to hold up cages, because I would be scared to make a cage completely out of zip ties because they are never tight enough for me. Also, what kind should i use? I have some thicker medium sized black ones, but previously I had used a smaller skinnier kind and they did not work at all. Any ideas? Thanks

[weta!]

Just pull them tight and they won't come off. Zip ties have little groves so they can only go in one direction. The thicker they are, the stronger, so your black ones sound good.

If you are building a second level, you may need something rigid to support the grids, as zip ties tend to act as a hinge, and you could end up with a collapsed cage. I found that my 3 level cage was too wobbly, so I drilled some holes in a long piece of wood and zip tied that to the cage.

[PixieStix]

In the galleries, there are cages build only with zipties, in some cases multi leveled. To support the cage, they would have to be pulled extremely tightly. I use connectors on my cage, re-enforced with zip ties, and my cage is very sturdy. I'd recommend the thicker zip ties if most of the cage is going to be build out of them.

[GuineaAddict]

I basically have a grid square that sits down inside a little box floor of choroplast. My grandpa had a huge jar of different colored and sized zip ties and I just used that smallest red ones. Now when I'm cleaning the cage all I have to do is take the grid part out and fold it up and either clean it or put it off to the side. I haven't had any trouble whatsoever with the zip ties even though they are the smallest ones and I just pushed the little square in until it couldn't go any farther which really isn't that hard to do.

[tiffanyAtt]

I used a pair of pliers and a flat headded screw driver. I used the pliers to pull the sticking out end and the screw driver to push the grabbing part as I pulled at the same time.

this got them very tight

[crazywiggy]

Easy - overlap your grids!

The connectors I got with mine were totally crap - literally every time I connected one grid the previous one fell off, so my cage uses only zip ties and lots of them.

What I did was overlap each pair of grids by two little squares. Each pair is joined together using 6 ties. I tied the top, bottom and middle square (height wise) at both edges. For the corners, where you can't overlap them, I just used 3 (top middle and bottom again).

This way the sides are all completely solid. It wouldn't hold its perfectly rectangular shape on its own because of the corners, but the coroplast base inside solves this problem.

You probably wouldn't need to use quite so many, but I would say at least 4 - top and bottom on both edges.

Hope this helps. It just means you need a few spare grids and loads of zip ties!

[Karsluma]

I bought the ties at Home Depot -very cheap. And as far as tightening them, you can put them on backwards or not through the right way and then they won't stay tight. I put a bunch of mine on backwards -and my husband just laughed that I could put more than 50% of them on wrong

[Ziggy&Herald]

I used the connectors with zip ties as well. I like the connectors, because it keeps everything spaced and holds the shape of the cage as well. I put zip ties around every connection point with the grids and connectors and it is VERY sturdy. When I had a top level, it still kind of swayed in the middle though, so just to be safe I used PVC pipe supports.

[paula.m.moore]

I use grid connectors and zip ties, but to get the zip ties a secure as possible, I use a zip tie gun thing.

You can get them from a lot of places online but also at electronics stores like Fry's.

This is the exact one I have:


But there are tons out there that will perfectly tension and then most will cut the zip ties for you so you don't have to worry about the security factor.

Cable Management and Wire Organizer Products from CableOrganizer.com has a lot of different options for them.

[Ziggy&Herald]

Wow, i've never heard of a zip tie gun. I bet that would have saved my poor fingers from all the cuts and bruises.

[paula.m.moore]

Originally Posted by Ziggy&Herald

Wow, i've never heard of a zip tie gun. I bet that would have saved my poor fingers from all the cuts and bruises.

Sadly, I didn't discover them until well into my cage-making experience, either, and my fingers suffered for it. Now that I have it, it's become one of my very favorite things.