Before you get nutria, you should take care of how and where you will contain them. For them, purchased or self-made cells are well suited. Nutria are not capricious in their content, but if you do not choose or build a cage for an animal correctly, you can harm its health.
Primary requirements
Nutria are rodents that gnaw everything in their path, including cages if they are made of wood. By placing nutria in a wooden cage, you run the risk of being left without the animal, as it will simply run away through the hole in the cage gnawed by it. Therefore, to close these animals is exclusively in the cages made of metal rods.
The nutria cage must meet the following requirements:
- The cell walls should be made of metal mesh or a grid with small cells. Such a construction will provide the nutria with sufficient oxygen and will give the breeder the opportunity to observe.
- Coating the base of the cell can be either continuous or trellised. Choosing the last option, make sure that the animals can not get hurt.
- When releasing animals for a walk, exclude all sorts of escape opportunities. This is achieved by fencing the territory.
- The length of the cage should not be less than 250 cm.
- In the cold season, the cage should be insulated. It is advisable that it be disassembled, so you can easily transfer it to a warm place.
- The cage should contain a pool for nutria health and quality fur.
In case of a successful escape of the animal, know that you should look for it at the nearest reservoir. Do not forget to take the bait in the form of juicy fruits.
Types and features of cells
Animals are kept in various climatic conditions, based on which material is selected to create a cage or house. So in the southern regions of the country, brick houses are popular.
Nutria cages are made from wood, metal, slate, stone, and a metal barrel.
Summer cage
Cages for nutria in the summer can be made of brick, metal mesh or grille. They do not require insulation, they are left on the street overnight. It is worth knowing that in the northern parts of the country the nights are quite cool, so they keep nutria indoors all year round.
Cages for animals are placed in a barn or other premises for household purposes. In this case, a tree reinforced with a metal mesh is perfect as a material of manufacture.
During the hot and warm period, the nutria should have access to an artificial reservoir. For these purposes, the cells are equipped with small pools. When the installation of the pool inside the house is not feasible, for example, in the case of a brick house, containers with liquid are installed in the walking area.
An alternative to the pools is a shower, which you can provide to the animals yourself, but at least twice a day. The duration of each water treatment is from a quarter to half an hour.
metal cage for summer nutria
brick house for nutria with a pool
Summer enclosures for nutria
Aviaries are the most convenient way for keeping and breeding nutria, since the animals have enough territory for walking and free movement. In addition, keeping animals in enclosures does not require special care measures. However, in order to separate individuals who are just about to enter into a marriage, from pregnant females, as well as from young nutria, at least three aviaries should be equipped.
The base of the enclosure is often concreted, and then covered with litter for warming and the convenience of nutrias. The best option for making the walls of the enclosure is considered to be a metal mesh, sometimes the walls are erected from sheets of slate or metal.
On the territory of the aviary, houses are placed where rodents can hide in bad weather or heat.
Permanent Cages for Nutria
In areas with a warm climate, ground cages are used for permanent residence of animals. This design is stationary, most often made of brick or stone.
The walking area is fenced off with a metal mesh, which is securely embedded in the ground or concrete base. The house itself can be made of mesh, which is insulated with wood or slate.
The house must have a lid opening on top. This will allow cleaning, observing the animals, moving them from compartment to compartment during breeding.
In the video below, the breeder demonstrates a stone dwelling for his nutria:
Possible designs
You need to know what aviary designs exist in order to determine which one is right for your case. Below we will analyze them in detail.
Ground building
The most suitable dwelling for a whole family of nutria is a ground building, which can be brick, block or stone. Stone structures require internal sheathing with metal mesh. Settle the female with the male and their cubs here.
The house should be connected to a walk from the net, from which there is a slope to the pool, the depth of the pool should be at least 0.4 m. The recommended height of the fence of the walking area should be 0.5 m.
Wooden portable house
Such houses are made of boards, which are characterized by increased strength. The dwelling consists of two sections, in the first section they arrange a feeder, and in the second the nutria can live. The aviary is made of mesh, which is deepened into the ground by 0.3 m to prevent the escape of nutria.
Barn-type design
This housing design is suitable for nutria distributors from the northern regions, and even if there is a small space that can be allocated for nutria. In the northern regions, nutria cages are set up in barns.
A hole is made in the wall of the barn, through which the animals go for a walk. The territory intended for walking is fenced with a net and is equipped with a tank with water for swimming. During winter, the door leading to the walking area closes.
nutria cages installed in sheds
hole through which the animals go for a walk
territory for walking nutria with water
Tiered designs
To keep the young, multi-tier cages are most often installed, supplying them with drinkers and feeders in the walking areas, of which there are two for each tier. The frame is made of wood, and the fence is made of galvanized mesh. Such cells significantly save space.
See below a video review of a multi-tiered building for keeping nutria:
Young cattle corral
There is a common practice of placing the young generation of nutria in open-air cages. For this, the base of the aviary is filled with concrete, which is sprinkled with sand. The aviary consists of two parts - the living area and the bathing area, between which there is a closing door.
Other budget options
Sometimes, cages for Arctic foxes or foxes, which are sold in fur farms, are used as housing for nutria. The simplest cells are made of metal mesh, they consist of two communicating compartments. Cells are easily transported from the premises to the street and back.
Building a home for nutria is quite simple. When building, take into account the climate, the number of nutria that will live in a house or cage, as well as the strength and suitability of materials.
DIY step-by-step instructions for making a nutria cage
Despite the complexity of the manufacturing process, you can:
- Save 2/3 of the budget allocated for the purchase of finished cells.
- Make a cage according to your own cage requirements: size, material, insulation, shape, number of feeders, doors for moving rodents for a walk, etc.
Tools and materials
To make a stationary cage for ten nutria, you will need the following tools and materials:
- concrete pipes - 4 pcs;
- metal pipes - 5 m;
- mesh for making the base of the cage;
- flat slate or solid boards;
- cement and sand - 1 bag;
- plywood;
- a hammer;
- nails for fixing the slate;
- Bulgarian;
- welding machine, electrodes;
- nippers;
- galvanized metal sheet;
- screwdriver.
Frame preparation
Prepare the frame according to the following scheme:
- Make a drawing with the indicated dimensions of all components, down to the smallest detail.
- Chip some planks together and secure them with screws. For such a design, it is enough to take 16 boards - 2 horizontal and 2 vertical for each side.
- Fix the concrete pipes in the ground, the depth of each hole should be 1 m. They put the pipes into the holes, and then fill them with a solution of cement and sand. Wait for the solution to dry completely.
Mesh installation
Install the mesh in this way:
- Weld several metal pipes to the supports, then lay the mesh on them and fix the structure by welding. For the stability of the structure, weld a pair of diagonals.
- Attach the cage frame to the metal structure with screws.
- Install the mesh from the inside of the cage using wire cutters and a welding machine. Don't forget to make the doors.
In the video presented, the breeder talks about installing the nets for the cage with his own hands:
Plywood layer
You will need plywood to cover the cage, therefore:
- Prepare three pieces in advance that are suitable for the size of the cage between the slats of the frame - 2 sidewalls and one back. Install them by leaning firmly against the net.
- To insulate the cage, first a layer of expanded polystyrene is applied over the plywood, and then sheets of galvanized metal and the whole thing is fixed.
Instead of a sheet of metal, you can use another layer of plywood.
Ceiling
Don't forget the ceiling. Do it like this:
- Make the ceiling from mesh and secure with a welding machine.
- If the stationary cage is high, it can be covered with sheets of slate or iron on top.
The animal can live in a finished cage all year round, if, of course, you live in the southern part of Russia or at least in the middle lane. In summer, a pool is placed in the cage, for taking water procedures, so beloved by nutria. In this case, it is better to make the ceiling solid so that the animals have a shade and they do not suffer from the heat.
A cage made according to all the rules will please its inhabitants, and you will be provided with healthy, developed and large offspring from nutria. If you are a nutria breeder, with proper organization of housing, nutrition, bathing and walking, in addition to healthy offspring of nutria, you will find dietary meat in demand and luxurious fur skins. If nutria is started as a pet, the cage can be made smaller.