# Cages, Kennels & Houses A crate, cage, or house works only if its floor, bars, and material fit the pet's size and species, not its overall footprint. A dog crate turns on frame material and size-to-fit; a bird cage turns on bar spacing; a small-animal cage turns on solid flooring and floor space. ## How it works A dog crate or indoor kennel is a den-sized enclosure, wire, molded plastic, aluminum, or soft-sided fabric on a frame, sized so the dog can stand, turn, and lie down but not much more, which satisfies a denning instinct and prevents destructive behavior when unsupervised. An outdoor dog house is a small insulated shelter, usually elevated off the ground, that blocks wind and rain and traps the dog's own body heat. A bird cage contains a flighted animal with bars spaced narrower than the bird's head, sized to its wingspan so it can move and partly extend its wings; material (powder-coated steel vs stainless) resists the bird's constant gnawing and corrosive droppings. A small-animal cage (hamster, guinea pig, rabbit) contains a burrowing or grazing animal on a solid floor rather than wire, because sustained paw contact with wire causes pressure sores (bumblefoot). ## How an expert narrows the choice ```mermaid timeline section 1 · Enclosure type dog_crate_or_kennel : ask Crate material : skip House material, Bar spacing fit, Floor type outdoor_dog_house : ask House material : skip Crate material, Bar spacing fit, Floor type bird_cage : ask Bird size class : skip Crate material, House material, Floor type small_animal_cage : ask Small animal species : skip Crate material, House material, Bar spacing fit section 2 · Small animal species hamster_gerbil_mouse : ask Minimum floor space class guinea_pig : ask Minimum floor space class rabbit : ask Minimum floor space class ``` 1. **Enclosure type.** A crate, outdoor house, bird cage, or small-animal cage? Each type is judged on a different spec, a crate's frame and fit, a house's insulation, a cage's bar spacing, so this fork decides which facet set to ask next before anything else does. If dog_crate_or_kennel: ask Crate material; skip House material, Bar spacing fit, Floor type. If outdoor_dog_house: ask House material; skip Crate material, Bar spacing fit, Floor type. If bird_cage: ask Bird size class; skip Crate material, House material, Floor type. If small_animal_cage: ask Small animal species; skip Crate material, House material, Bar spacing fit. Skip if already known: a query naming 'crate', 'kennel', 'dog house', 'bird cage', or a small pet species, an earlier answer naming a pet species and housing need. 2. **Small animal species.** Hamster or gerbil, guinea pig, or rabbit? Minimum floor space and bar spacing both scale directly with species, a rabbit needs roughly ten times a hamster's minimum floor area. If hamster_gerbil_mouse: ask Minimum floor space class. If guinea_pig: ask Minimum floor space class. If rabbit: ask Minimum floor space class. Skip if already known: an earlier answer naming the small animal's species. ## What to surface ### Enclosure type Which broad kind of stationary pet enclosure this is: an indoor dog crate/kennel, an outdoor dog house, a bird cage, or a small-animal (hamster/guinea pig/rabbit) cage. Each type is judged on a completely different spec: a dog crate on frame material and size-to-fit, an outdoor house on insulation and weatherproofing, a bird cage on bar spacing and wingspan-scaled size, and a small-animal cage on solid flooring and minimum floor area. Asking this first avoids asking about insulation on a bird cage or bar spacing on a dog crate. [1] [5] Values: dog_crate_or_kennel, outdoor_dog_house, bird_cage, small_animal_cage. Question to ask: A crate, outdoor house, bird cage, or small-animal cage? Used as: top-level split, filter. Data: derived from listing fields, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Derive from the product title/category ('dog crate', 'dog house', 'bird cage', 'hamster cage', 'rabbit hutch'). Title keyword match covers nearly every listing; category taxonomy already separates these at the parent level. ### Small animal species Which small animal the cage is for: a hamster/gerbil/mouse, a guinea pig, or a rabbit. Minimum floor space and safe bar spacing both scale with the species: a hamster needs roughly 775 sq in of floor and sub-centimetre bar gaps, while two rabbits need a 3m x 2m x 1m space and a solid floor rather than bars at all. The same 'small animal cage' label covers a 10x range in required floor area. [8] [10] Values: hamster_gerbil_mouse, guinea_pig, rabbit. Question to ask: Hamster or gerbil, guinea pig, or rabbit? Used as: top-level split, filter. Data: derived from listing fields, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Derive from the title/species keyword ('hamster cage', 'guinea pig cage', 'rabbit hutch'). Title keyword match; species is almost always named explicitly since cages are not cross-species interchangeable. ### Crate size fit The dog weight/size class the crate is built for, from the dog's standing height, length, and turning radius. A crate that's too small won't let the dog stand at full height, turn around, or lie flat, the welfare minimum two major animal-welfare bodies set. Too large and a puppy will toilet in one end and sleep in the other, defeating housetraining. Growing puppies need a size for their adult weight, not their current one. [2] [3] Values: toy_under_10lb, small_10_25lb, medium_26_40lb, large_41_70lb, xlarge_71_90lb, giant_over_90lb. Question to ask: What's your dog's adult weight (or current, if grown)? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: needs research, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Usually given as a named size (e.g. '36 inch', 'Large') plus a suggested breed/weight range in the title or bullets. Map the listed crate length in inches to a weight band via the brand's own size chart when given; the inch-to-weight pairing is a common sizing convention, not a number drawn from hsus_crate or rspca_dog_env, which set only the stand/turn/lie-down minimum. Chart: position on a size-class axis from toy to giant. ### Bird size class The size/activity class of bird the cage is built for, based on wingspan: small (finch/budgie), medium (cockatiel/lovebird), or large (parrot/macaw). Welfare guidance scales cage size directly to the bird: the cage should be at least four times the bird's wingspan in each dimension, and a wingspan runs from about 30cm for a budgie to 91 to 122cm for a large macaw. Getting this wrong is the single biggest way a 'bird cage' listing undersizes the bird it's marketed for. [5] [6] Values: small_finch_budgie, medium_cockatiel_lovebird, large_parrot_macaw. Question to ask: What bird is this cage for? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: needs research, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Usually implied by the bird species named in the title ('Budgie Cage', 'Macaw Cage', 'Cockatiel Cage'). Keyword-match the named species or size descriptor against the three classes. Chart: position on a size axis small to large, scaled to wingspan. ### Crate material What the dog crate/kennel's frame and walls are made of: wire, molded plastic, soft-sided fabric, furniture-style wood, or heavy-duty aluminum/steel (hybrid aluminum-frame/wire-mesh/plastic builds fold into this last value for the same durability). Wire gives the most airflow and visibility and folds flat, but offers less crash protection. Molded plastic is enclosed and den-like and may be safer in vehicle crashes, but doesn't fold. Soft-sided fabric is lightest but a digging or chewing dog can escape it. Heavy-duty aluminum/steel, including hybrid aluminum/wire/plastic builds, resists chewing and bending for anxious or powerful dogs. [1] Values: wire, molded_plastic, soft_sided_fabric, furniture_style_wood, heavy_duty_aluminum_steel. Question to ask: Wire, plastic, soft-sided fabric, or heavy-duty metal? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Almost always in the title ('Wire Dog Crate', 'Plastic Kennel', 'Soft-Sided Crate', 'Heavy Duty Aluminum Dog Cage'). Title keyword match; default to wire when unstated since it's the most common format. Chart: position on an airflow-vs-crash-protection axis, wire highest airflow, molded plastic highest crash protection. ### House material What an outdoor dog house's walls are made of: molded plastic/resin, wood, insulated double-wall construction, or metal. Molded plastic/resin is light, weatherproof, and needs no maintenance but offers the least insulation on its own. Wood insulates better and feels more like a built structure but needs sealing or re-staining and can rot. Insulated double-wall houses (plastic or wood shells with a foam or air-gap core) hold heat best. Metal is durable but conducts heat and cold fastest of all. [4] Values: molded_plastic_resin, wood, insulated_double_wall, metal. Question to ask: Plastic, wood, insulated, or metal? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Stated in the title ('Insulated Dog House', 'Wood Dog House', 'Plastic Dog House'). Title keyword match; default to molded_plastic_resin when unstated, the most common mass-market material. Chart: position on an insulation axis, insulated double-wall highest. ### House size fit The dog weight/size class the house is built for, based on the dog's standing height and body length. Welfare guidance requires outdoor shelter to be of 'adequate size' for the dog, not a fixed number, too small and the dog can't turn or stand inside out of the weather, too large and the house can't trap the dog's own body heat efficiently in cold weather. [4] Values: small_under_25lb, medium_26_60lb, large_61_90lb, xlarge_over_90lb. Question to ask: What's your dog's adult weight? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: needs research, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Usually given as a named size plus a suggested weight range in the title or bullets. Map the listed house dimensions to a weight band using the brand's own suggested-breed chart when present; the weight cutoffs themselves are a sizing convention, not a figure from wiki_doghouse, which sets only the qualitative 'adequate size' standard. Chart: position on a size-class axis small to xlarge. ### Divider panel Whether a divider panel is included (or sold as an accessory) to shrink the usable crate space for a growing puppy. Without a divider, a crate bought for a puppy's adult size is too big during housetraining, so the puppy soils one end. A divider panel lets the same crate shrink to fit a puppy and then expand as it grows, avoiding the need to buy a second crate. [2] Values: included, sold_separately, not_available. Question to ask: Is this for a puppy who'll outgrow it? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Stated in bullets ('includes divider panel'); otherwise check the accessories list. Keyword match on 'divider'; default to not_available when absent from title and bullets. ### Insulation Whether the house has a dedicated insulating layer (foam, double wall, or air gap) beyond the base wall material. Welfare standards for outdoor housing call for shelter that is weatherproof and insulated, not just a roof over the dog's head. An insulated house keeps the dog's own body heat in during cold weather; a non-insulated house (most basic plastic or single-wall wood kits) relies on bedding alone and is riskier in freezing climates. [4] Values: insulated, non_insulated. Question to ask: Does it need to be insulated for cold weather? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Stated in the title or bullets ('insulated dog house'); otherwise assume non_insulated. Keyword match on 'insulated'; absence of the word defaults to non_insulated. ### Cage material What the bird cage's frame is made of: powder-coated wrought iron/steel, solid stainless steel, or (for small-bird cages only) a plastic/wire composite. Parrots gnaw constantly, and zinc-coated wire or chicken wire can poison them over years of exposure. Powder-coated steel is the mass-market standard and is safe if the coating stays intact; solid stainless steel costs more but resists corrosion from droppings and outlasts powder-coat by several times, which matters most for large, long-lived parrots. [5] Values: powder_coated_steel, stainless_steel, plastic_wire_composite. Question to ask: Powder-coated steel, stainless steel, or plastic? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Usually in the title ('Stainless Steel Parrot Cage', 'Powder Coated Bird Cage'). Title keyword match; default to powder_coated_steel when unstated, the mass-market standard. Chart: position on a durability/corrosion-resistance axis, stainless highest. ### Cage construction style The cage's overall build: a wire-top cage on a plastic base, a modular C&C (cubes-and-coroplast) setup, a glass/acrylic tank, or an all-wire hutch. Wire-top cages ventilate well but the base is usually too shallow for deep burrowing bedding. C&C modular setups (wire storage cubes clipped to a corrugated-plastic coroplast floor) are the cheapest way to get a large, deep, solid-floored footprint, mainly for guinea pigs. Glass/acrylic tanks hold bedding and heat well but need a secure, ventilated lid and are heavy to move. All-wire hutches are for rabbits kept partly outdoors. [7] [8] Values: wire_top_plastic_base, modular_cc_coroplast, glass_or_acrylic_tank, all_wire_hutch. Question to ask: Wire-top, C&C modular, a tank, or a hutch? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Usually clear from the title and photos ('wire cage', 'C&C cage kit', 'glass terrarium-style tank'). Title/photo keyword match against the four styles. ### Floor type What the small-animal cage's floor is made of: a solid base, a wire-mesh floor, or a mix of both. Sustained contact with a wire floor concentrates the animal's weight on a few points of its feet and causes bumblefoot (ulcerative pododermatitis), a painful foot infection seen in hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits alike. Welfare guidance for all three species calls for a solid floor covered in bedding, not wire, as the floor the animal actually stands on. [7] [8] [10] Values: solid_base, wire_mesh_floor, mixed_solid_and_wire. Question to ask: Solid floor, or wire mesh? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost medium. Look for it as: Visible in product photos; 'solid bottom' or 'wire floor' sometimes named in bullets. Requires a photo check for older/generic listings that don't name the floor material. Chart: position on a foot-safety axis, solid_base safest. ### Door count How many doors the crate has: one, two (front and side), or three or more. A single door only allows one placement in a room or car. A second door on the side lets the same crate fit a different space, or lets two people load or unload a large dog from either end. Multi-door crates matter most for show and working dogs needing flexible access. [1] Values: single_door, double_door, three_or_more_doors. Question to ask: One door, or two or more? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Stated in the title or bullets ('2-Door Dog Crate'). Default to single_door when unstated, since it's the base configuration most crates ship with. ### Foldability Whether the crate collapses flat for storage/transport or stays a fixed frame. A folding crate stores flat and travels easily between rooms or the car, but adds moving hinges a strong dog can sometimes work loose. A fixed-frame crate (most molded plastic and furniture-style crates) is sturdier and more secure but has to stay where it's assembled. [1] Values: folds_flat, fixed_frame. Question to ask: Does it need to fold flat for storage or travel? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Stated in bullets ('folding wire crate', 'collapsible'); molded plastic and furniture crates are fixed unless stated otherwise. Default foldability by material: wire folds flat, molded plastic/furniture wood is fixed frame, unless the listing says otherwise. ### Cage shape The cage's overall shape and layout: rectangular, dometop/rounded, or a horizontal flight cage. Rounded cages have fallen out of favor because corners give a startled bird somewhere to retreat to, while a dometop just adds headroom at the top of an otherwise rectangular cage. A horizontal flight cage is longer than it is tall so the bird can actually fly a few wingbeats rather than only climb, which finches and canaries need more than parrots do. [5] Values: rectangular, dometop, flight_cage_horizontal. Question to ask: Standard rectangular, dometop, or a flight cage? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost low. Look for it as: Usually clear from the title or product photo. Title keyword match on 'dome top' or 'flight cage'; default to rectangular. ### Minimum floor space class The minimum usable floor area the cage provides, relative to the welfare minimum for the housed species. A single hamster's welfare minimum is about 775 sq in of unbroken floor; two rabbits need roughly 3m x 2m x 1m of combined shelter-plus-exercise space, over ten times as much footprint. Most mass-market small-animal cages sold as a single SKU meet the minimum for a hamster but fall well short of it for a rabbit or a group of guinea pigs. [8] [9] [10] Values: below_species_minimum, meets_species_minimum, well_above_species_minimum. Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: needs research, backfill cost high. Look for it as: Compute from the listed cage dimensions divided by the species' published welfare-minimum floor area. Requires both the listing's length x width dimensions and a per-species minimum lookup; rarely present as a single structured field. Chart: position on a floor-area-vs-minimum axis. ### Bar spacing fit Whether the cage's bar/wire gaps are narrow enough that the bird can't push its head through and get stuck, matched to the bird's head size. A bird that can fit its head between bars but not its body can get stuck and injure or kill itself trying to back out; a bird small enough to slip fully through can escape. The safe gap narrows as the bird gets smaller, so a cage built for a budgie is not safe for a finch and a cage built for a macaw is not safe for a cockatiel. [5] Values: matched_to_bird_size, too_wide_for_this_bird, unspecified. Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: needs research, backfill cost high. Look for it as: Rarely a structured field; bar spacing in mm/inches sometimes appears in the description for larger cages. Requires matching the listed bar-spacing measurement, when given, against the bird species' known safe maximum; most listings omit it. ### Roof style The shape of the house's roof: flat/removable, peaked A-frame, or dome. A peaked or dome roof sheds rain and snow instead of pooling it, and the slope also gives the dog more headroom to stand near the center. A flat, often removable roof is easiest to lift off for cleaning but needs a slight pitch or drainage built in or it will pool water. [4] Values: flat_removable, peaked_a_frame, dome. Question to ask: Flat roof, peaked roof, or dome? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost medium. Look for it as: Visible in product photos; sometimes named in the title ('A-Frame Dog House'). Requires a product photo or description keyword; not reliably in structured fields. ### Elevated floor Whether the house's floor sits raised on feet/a base above ground level, or sits directly on the ground. A raised floor keeps the dog off cold or wet ground and out of surface runoff, which matters directly for the 'weatherproof' half of the welfare standard for outdoor shelter. A ground-level house is simpler and more stable in wind but puts the dog's bedding in direct contact with whatever the ground is doing. [4] Values: elevated_on_base, ground_level. Question to ask: Should the floor sit raised off the ground? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost medium. Look for it as: Visible in product photos; sometimes called out as 'raised floor' in bullets. Requires a photo check when not named in the listing text. ### Tray or grate Whether the cage has a seed guard/skirt around the base and a pull-out tray or grate for cleaning. A seed skirt catches hulls and droppings that would otherwise scatter onto the floor around the cage. A pull-out grate and tray let you clean the droppings-covered base without lifting the whole cage or disturbing the bird; cages without one require removing perches and dishes just to wipe the floor. [5] Values: seed_skirt_and_tray, tray_only, neither. Question to ask: Want a seed skirt and a pull-out tray? Used as: filter, shown on the card. Data: on the listing, backfill cost medium. Look for it as: Usually shown in product photos; 'seed guard' or 'pull-out tray' sometimes named in bullets. Requires a photo check when not named in the listing text. ## What you give up - Wire crates give the dog the most airflow, let owners see in from any angle, and fold flat for storage, but offer less protection in a vehicle accident and can be bent or chewed open by a strong dog. [1] Board branch: "More airflow and visibility, less crash protection". - A wire floor or wire-heavy cage ventilates well and lets bedding and droppings fall through for easier cleaning, but sustained contact with wire causes bumblefoot, so welfare guidance pushes toward solid floors that need more frequent manual cleaning instead. [7] [8] Board branch: "Better ventilation, worse foot safety". - An insulated, double-wall outdoor house holds the dog's body heat and meets welfare guidance for cold-weather shelter, but costs more and weighs more than a single-wall plastic or thin-wood house built mainly to block direct rain and sun. [4] Board branch: "Warmer in winter, heavier and pricier". ## Words you will meet - **Bumblefoot**. A painful foot infection (ulcerative pododermatitis) in small animals, caused by standing on wire or another hard, unpadded floor. - **Wingspan**. The tip-to-tip width of a bird's open wings, used to size how large its cage needs to be. - **Dometop**. A cage shape with a rounded, domed top above a rectangular base, mainly for extra headroom. - **Powder-coating**. A durable, non-toxic painted finish baked onto a metal cage frame; it's what most mass-market bird cages are made of. - **C&C cage**. A modular small-animal cage built from wire storage cubes clipped to a corrugated-plastic (coroplast) floor panel. - **Coroplast**. A corrugated, lightweight plastic sheet used as the solid floor panel in C&C cage setups. - **Soft-sided crate**. A dog crate made of fabric stretched over a collapsible metal frame, lighter than wire or plastic but easier for a dog to chew or dig through. - **Divider panel**. A removable interior panel that shrinks a crate's usable space, so one crate can fit a growing puppy and then expand as it grows. - **Seed skirt**. A flared guard around a bird cage's base that catches dropped seed hulls and droppings before they scatter onto the floor. - **Flight cage**. A bird cage built longer than it is tall so the bird has room to fly a few wingbeats, not just climb. - **Hutch**. A small, often wood-and-wire enclosed shelter traditionally used to house rabbits; too small on its own to meet a rabbit's full space needs. - **Denning instinct**. A dog's natural drive to seek out a small, enclosed space to rest in, which is why a correctly sized crate feels safe rather than punishing. ## Where we made a call - Wire-top hamster cage bars should be no wider than about 12mm for Syrian and 8mm for dwarf hamsters. (confidence medium). Single independently-fetched source (Wikipedia's hamster_cage article); its own citation is an offline specialist book we could not fetch directly this run. [8] - Two medium rabbits need a minimum 3m x 2m x 1m combined living space. (confidence medium). Single-sourced to RSPCA's rabbit housing page; a second welfare body's page with the same figure was not reachable this run. [10] ## References 1. [Dog crate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_crate) (primer). Supports: Crate material types (wire, plastic, aluminum, soft-sided, hybrid, decorative) and trade-offs; Soft-sided crates unsuitable for digging/chewing dogs. 2. [Crate Training 101](https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/crate-training-101) (specialist review). Supports: Crate must be large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in. 3. [Creating a Good Home For Your Dog](https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/environment) (regulator). Supports: Crate/container must allow the dog to sit, stand at full height, turn around, and lie down naturally. 4. [Doghouse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doghouse) (primer). Supports: SPCA welfare standard: outdoor shelter must be structurally sound, weatherproof, insulated, and adequately sized; Materials include hardboard, wood, plywood, plastic; smart dog houses add temperature control. 5. [Birdcage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdcage) (primer). Supports: Powder-coated wrought iron vs stainless steel cage material and longevity; Wingspans: budgie ~30cm, cockatiel ~41cm, large macaw 91-122cm; Bars must be spaced so birds cannot stick their heads out and become stuck. 6. [Housing and Environments for Pet Birds](https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/birds/environment) (regulator). Supports: Aviary space must be at least 4x the largest bird's wingspan in each dimension; Cage size should increase 5-20% per added bird depending on weight class. 7. [Guinea pig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig) (primer). Supports: Wire mesh cage floors cause bumblefoot; solid-bottom cages typically used instead; C&C (cubes and coroplast) cage style described. 8. [Hamster cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamster_cage) (primer). Supports: Minimum cage size ~110x50x50cm Syrian / 100x50x50cm dwarf, ~775 sq in floor; Wire-top bar spacing ~12mm Syrian, ~8mm dwarf, max ~1cm; wire floors cause bumblefoot. 9. [Hamsters as pets](https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/small-pets/hamsters-as-pets) (regulator). Supports: Minimum cage size 100x50cm, citing a veterinary welfare association; Bedding depth of at least 25cm/10 inches recommended. 10. [Creating a Good Home for Rabbits](https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rabbits/environment) (regulator). Supports: Minimum living space of 3m x 2m x 1m for two medium rabbits; Solid, non-wire flooring required; wire floors cause sore feet.