Altering lids on bin cages

There are many cage options but the safest cage for a hedgehog is a sterilite bin/tote. Simply because they cannot climb the sides or get their legs stuck like they could if they were in a cage with bars. 
One question we get asked a lot is if they can use the lid of a tote cage. Some people like to use the lids to protect their hedgehog from other pets or for placing the heat lamp more securely. Lids can absolutely be used, but they must be altered to provide proper ventilation.
There are a few different ways to alter a lid and a few people have very generously allowed me to use their photos as examples so that you can see the different ways to make your lid.

This cage was done by cutting the entire center out of the lid and replacing it with hardware cloth. The hardware cloth is zip tied to the remaining lid frame. Depending on which wheel you have and the height of your tote cage, you may need to leave a section of lid open for the wheel to fit. This Carolina Storm Bucket Wheel fits perfectly in this tote.

This cage is similar to the first cage but has a spot cut out for the wheel to fit. This cage was created using the following tools:

• Dremel with a cutting disk - to cut the sections of lid out
• Soldering iron - to melt holes for the zip ties (can also use a drill)
• Hardware cloth 
• Tin snips - to cut the hardware cloth (can also use heavy duty wire cutters)
• Good quality zip ties

These cages were done using wire storage cube grids. The middle section of the lid was cut out and the grids were zip tied onto the remaining lid. Notice the photo on the left has cut out a section for the wheel to fit. It still offers protection from cats but it leaves just enough room for the wheel to fit through.  
 
These are just a few examples of altered lids but it gives you a good idea of how it can be done.