A collapsible air-permeable animal container enclosing a volume between 8 cubic inches and 768 cubic inches in its expanded state is disclosed. In one embodiment, the container can be assembled from a plurality of nesting tubular frusta, one frustum serving as a base tube and another frustum serving as a top tube. The top tube can nest substantially inside the base tube when the container is in a collapsed configuration and the top tube can be locked into place relative to the base tube when the container is in an expanded configuration. The container may also include a base cap attached to the base tube that can be opened to add or remove an animal stored in the container and closed to prevent the container contents from escaping.