I had major problem with rabbits and yard rats (squirrels). That was in 2011. Now - 95% control. Here is what I did. Plantskyddî Repellent && Repels All -- I purchased my first bag of Plantskydd in late 2011 and swore off the stuff because it did not seem to work. I then did extensive research on squirrel and rabbit behavior and learned that when the garden is actively growing is not the time to start the repellant use. In 2012 I started applying the Plantskydd in mid-February -- a very light dusting around the perimeter of my garden. The label says the stuff lasts for months but I decided to dust the garden area every 2-3 weeks until April. In April I put a heavy dusting all around the garden. We have a 6 foot privacy fence with a 4x4 post every 8 feet and on top of each post I put a tablespoon of the Plantskydd. I also put down the Repels-All the week after the Plantskydd each time. In 2012 I had ONE ""rogue"" squirrel. That monster was resistant to everything except red pepper and garlic. I mixed 50% red pepper powder and 50% garlic powder in a kitchen squirt bottle with mineral oil and put it on the ground around the little "rogue's" favorite spots to dig. Since it was just garlic and pepper I also put this around the top of each container. By the time my tomatoes and sweet peppers began to color and get ripe I had just about 95% control over these little monsters. I grow exclusively in EarthBox (25+), Containers (15 +/-) and raised beds. I keep all of my containers and EB's on wood pallets to keep them off the ground. I sprinkle the Plantskydd and the Repels-All on the ground around the containers and not on the soil inside the EB's or containers. From my research I have learned that using the same repellant each time is not wise. For my garden a fence was not possible. Plantskydd is expensive and not readily available so this year I have used Organic Blood Meal after the Plantskydd ran out. I alternate it with the Repels-All and so far so good. Not 100% but 95% is OK by me. We love stewed rabbit but in the city we are not allowed to shoot the little buggers. Cheers, DL Disclaimer:: I am not in anyway affiliated with Plantskydd or Repels-All. I only report what works for me.

missingtheobvious - no reason you couldn't glue the horizontal parts together. Whatever floats your boat! My storage situation is in a very low crawl space under the house. Only about 4 ft tall and access is through a small window which is about 1 foot by 3 feet. It's easier for me to break them down and store the uprights horizontally. I've put them back together so often that it only takes me about 30 seconds to assemble each horizontal bit. I pound the uprights into the ground 12 inches deep. Never had one blow down yet. Of course, no hurricanes here in SoCal either. But I did have an email from one guy who did have a tropical storm (a real one downgraded from a hurricane) come through. He had 3 different cages and my design fared the best. The cages are actually quite flexible, but sturdy. I'm not sure what you're asking about the UV-resistance of the pipe. Most of my pipes are over 20 years old and they're holding up well. A few of them don't fit quite as tight as most though. Could that be due to UV damage? I just slap some tape on them to thicken them just a tad.

The original poster's problem was : "But what I don't love is that they sit on the tomato stakes in the garden and crap all over the plants." This is a different issue that also I have to some extent. Apparently some birds have nests in the trees, maybe also have chicks. So the come and go and sit on top of stakes an poo. I find it just a petty annoyance nothing more. But birds pecking on tomatoes is a different issue. The do than mostly to get some juice. By leaving dishes of water, bird bath around you can minimize that. Sey

The cost of garden supplies and tools is a good question. The concrete reinforcing wire made into tomato cages 30+ years ago and the much newer sugar snap trellis panels (a much heavier mesh) were leftovers from our own construction projects. The big splurge for "my" garden is a plastic covered "high tunnel" my husband built using lumber (cheaper and stronger construction than using bent tubes) and expensive 6mm greenhouse plastic. I think the total cost was several hundred dollars just for the plastic which is only guaranteed to last 4 years. But the garden is where we choose to spend time and money. My husband does a lot of Craigslist buying and selling and that is a good place to look for discounted building materials and garden tools.