Editing 23a:Cage

{{quality|Exceptional|20:52, 20 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
A '''cage''' is a holding device that can hold one or more creatures.

Both empty and occupied cages are stockpiled in an Animal [[stockpile]] - use the {{k|u}} key to toggle them on/off (lower right corner of that screen).

Cages can be made of [[wood]], [[metal]] or [[glass]] (called a '''terrarium'''), but not stone. Cages can hold an unlimited number of [[animals]] and captured [[vermin]] at once. Placing animals in a cage can reduce lag and traffic in your hallways.  A cage takes 1 [[wood]] log if made by a [[carpenter]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]], 3 [[bar]]s to build if made by a [[metalsmith]] at a [[forge]], or 1 sand bag (or rough [[rock crystal]]) if made of [[glass]].

The cage can be used in a few ways:

:* A [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]] needs a cage as one of its components.
:* As animal restraining devices, where you simply plant it and allocate any animals (except [[pet]]s) you want in it. Females that are caged '''will not''' get pregnant, but animals can bear children when caged.
::*This is also how you go about making a "'''zoo'''".
::*A glass cage (Terrarium) can be designated an [[aquarium]] for holding captured [[fish]]. (see [[captured live fish]])
:* If the cage is made of metal, as a [[jail]], where you designate its location to be used for [[justice]], and a [[sheriff]] will detain any unruly (or [[justice|unjustly accused]]) dwarves.
:* Animals kept in cages will still age, which makes cages a great tool for keeping young animals restrained en masse.

==Moving and Releasing Caged Creatures==

If you buy your first animals via the traders, you may be unsure how to extract them. To remove an animal from a cage, it first needs to be placed via the Build menu ({{K|b}}-{{K|j}}). Once it's placed, use {{k|q}} to examine it, {{k|a}} to assign, and then use {{K|Enter}} to toggle the animal(s) currently inside  (animals assigned to the cage will have a green " + " next to them).  A dwarf will come along and let the animal out of the cage, after which it can be butchered, moved, et cetera. Attempting to release a wild animal or hostile creature using this method will simply cause a dwarf to grab an empty cage, transfer the creature into it, then carry it back to an animal stockpile.

If you already have a cage placed somewhere, a faster way to release bought animals is to examine this cage and assign the animals to it. A dwarf will fetch the animals from the stockpile after which you can release them by again examining the cage. This can also be done with a [[restraint]] if you simply wish to tie the animal up somewhere. Assigning a creature to a cage when it is already in another built cage will generate 2 jobs - one to release the creature from its old cage (which will trigger the above behavior for wild animals), and one to place the creature into its new cage.

Moving untamable and/or untamed occupants utilizes the Animal Training labor, which allows you to assign stronger, more capable dwarves to the task, which (may) reduce the chance of escape. It is unconfirmed whether this is the case with untamed, tamable creatures.

Remember that some creatures ([[megabeast]]s) are too powerful for your dwarves to safely lead around by the nose, and some others such as invaders may also escape while being transferred.

==== How to disarm hostiles in cages ====
The only way to effectively disarm a caged hostile creature is to enter the Stocks screen (provided you have a [[Bookkeeper]]), locate its equipment in the proper category (it will be listed in red) and mark it for [[chasm]]ing. While it is easy to identify goblin/kobold clothes because they will always be described as "narrow"/"small", it is difficult to make sure you have found the right weapons; you can verify that you are targeting the right items by using the {{K|z}}oom function; it should point you to the cage. Since this will normally result in the equipment being destroyed, you may wish to lock all available paths to the chasm once the items are picked up so that the chasm jobs will be cancelled, allowing the items to be retrieved (after going into the Stocks screen and unmarking them).

==Uses of caged creatures==

You can find a list of imaginative uses for captured creatures [[captured creatures|here]].

===Zoo===
A [[cage]] can be defined as a {{K|r}}[[room|oom]], and is then commonly called a '''zoo'''.  (More than one cage can be so defined, but overlapping such [[room]]s reduces their value, so there is no need except for style points.)  [[Dwarves]] like to hang out at a room made from a built cage (without an owner) and will be comforted by any animals in the cage they like ("she was comforted by a wonderful creature in a cage recently"). They will also throw [[party|parties]] there. Take care not to cage animals inside which one of your dwarves finds disgusting! 

The happy thought will also be triggered if no room is made from the cage.

A [[restraint]], while holding only one creature, works much the same, except not giving the happy thought from seeing a favored creature.{{verify}}

===Arena===

If you link a [[lever]] to a (built) cage with trapped hostiles, you can release them by pulling the lever and let animals or your soldiers have fun with them. Make sure you have disarmed them first. The design of this "arena" is really up to you but a somewhat contained area or room is advisable. This is also a creative way to get rid of unwanted pets, if you can manage to trap them in the arena. Make sure your dwarves won't [[tantrum]] from unhappy thoughts! Dwarves attempting to move certain creatures between cages (goblin champion, colossus, skeletons, etc) will merely result in freeing the creature.

===[[Unfortunate accident]]===

Caged beasts are a reliable way to relieve the [[noble]]s of their duties. Install a cage with a wild [[lion]] in the noble's quarters and pull the [[lever]] to let the king of the beasts <s>consume</s> attend meeting with the [[king]] of the dwarves. The noble will surely <s>die</s> have [[fun]]. Just make sure to seal off the entrance. You want the meeting to be private, don't you?

{{Military FAQ}}
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