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Post by butters on Jul 25, 2012 15:55:47 GMT
I'm in the process of making a digging box, but now I'm wondering what bedding or other material to put in the box so degus can dig and make burrows in it. Any suggestions?
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Post by cherrysparkey on Jul 25, 2012 16:51:32 GMT
Hi there! I tried making a digging box a while ago but I think the soil was too wet (even after putting it in the oven for ages) and it went it bit mouldy when they hid food in it So I'm now using just a big tub of sand, they can't make tunnels in it but they seem to love digging in it (Totoro tries to see how much he can throw out before I notice, naughty goo!) I think someone suggested a combo of clay, soil and straw. Or using coconut husk mulch stuff. I think its probably best to try different mixtures to get the right consistency you want (strong enough so the tunnels wont collapse but not too tough to dig in). I'm sure there are a few posts about what other people use which are probably worth looking through. Let us know what you use in the end, I'm still looking to make a proper digging pit.
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 26, 2012 18:41:54 GMT
I'm making one too, I just need to make a lid, so I'll report back when I've tried a mix.
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Post by butters on Jul 29, 2012 10:01:27 GMT
We just made a mix of cotton litter, paper shavings bedding, straw and some branches.
Like now it looks like more then a sleeping box then a digging box ;D
Try to post some pictures soon
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Post by butters on Jul 29, 2012 10:20:43 GMT
There had to be a building inspection first Second inspection, waiting...... and waiting.......
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Post by cherrysparkey on Jul 29, 2012 11:19:43 GMT
Oh that looks really cool! are you going to make the front see though so you can see what they're up to?
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 9, 2012 3:07:46 GMT
LOL . . . don't want to mess around with that second inspector!!
Something that has also been suggested at other times for the purpose of a digging pit is old socks, cut up and then put in fairly densely, but still with room to move through the fabric. I know our goos love going through pieces of fabric, and there is no fear of a cave in, suffocation, or strangulation!!!
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 13, 2012 12:26:53 GMT
I thought I'd add a bit about the digging box I made into this thread. The bottom is melamine board, the back is plywood, and the sides and top are kiln dried pine. The front is two toughened glass kitchen cupboard shelves stacked. I cut the pieces of wood with a jig saw, then screwed together the sides and base, used battens to strengthen the joins. The kiln dried pine wasn't wide enough, so I just joined two pieces with a bracket. I made a channel with pine battens down the sides of the front for the glass to sit in. I measured and carefully attached battens to the underside of the two roof pieces so that the roof wedges firmly into place, but just lifts off for easy access. There's an access hole in the top and on one side, cut with a jigsaw. I made the ladder and made it removable, it just has two brackets that hitch onto two screws sticking out of the box. I drilled a few holes in the sides for ventilation. I filled it with megazorb, hay, straw and woodshavings. Ta daaa! So my goos really like it but haven't done a whole lot of digging yet. They absolutely love to sit on top of it, it gives them a great vantage point and they can dive inside if they sense any 'danger'. I put a tile on top because they started weeing up there a lot. I put some tubes in so they would get the idea and a couple of them did some serious digging for the first couple of days, and since then they only have the occasional explore. I took the tubes out a couple of days ago, so they could make their own routes, and they have shown some more interest since then. I'm thinking about putting a way in near the bottom, I think that might encourage them to use the whole box more, but no doubt more of the filling will escape everywhere.
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Post by Lrak on Sept 13, 2012 12:33:32 GMT
I really need to do something like this soon, great pics
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Post by jenowuk on Sept 13, 2012 13:00:00 GMT
Fab digging box Butters - very impressed with your handywork, and I'm sure the goos will love it!
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 13, 2012 14:04:32 GMT
Wonderful work, Moletteuk!! I love that all you can see of the goos in the picture of the finished product, is their tails. LOL! Clearly they love it! Do you keep it out of the cage for when they are out having a run?
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 13, 2012 14:10:57 GMT
I don't think they are in the pic, that's a forked stick poking out the top lol! It lives there in the playpen, it's too big for the cage, it's something like 45 x 35 x 45 cm, but they have access to the pen all day. When I open the cage in the morning, the first thing they do now is trot out and have a sit on top of the box
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 14, 2012 3:44:19 GMT
Wouldn't ya know!! That is too funny! I was thinking they must be sleeping on their heads, bum up, like how male humpback whales position themselves to sing. Which would be a novel sleeping position indeed!! Well, RATS!! LOL!!
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Post by jenowuk on Sept 14, 2012 11:46:04 GMT
I think it's a great idea to put a hole at the bottom, so they have to go through the inside to get to the top - that'll keep them busy for a while!
I'm not sure this will work, but a thought for how to (perhaps) decrease the amount of mess - attach about two inches of old soc (with the toe cut out), over the hole. They will be able to get through easily, but the sock might keep too much of the hay from getting out?
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Post by butters on Sept 16, 2012 14:19:02 GMT
Nice box Moletteuk, they really can dig deep if they want. Oh that looks really cool! are you going to make the front see though so you can see what they're up to? It's a plexiglas front but to use a front from a glass kitchen cupboard shelves like Moletteuk did is also a very good idea. I just made a second one for our other group. I had to use more protection because degu Mala likes to destroy everything ;D digging/sleepingbox in use
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 16, 2012 16:44:58 GMT
Hi Butters, how's it going, are you moving soon? I hope you don't mind me adding my digging box to your thread.
Have you found yours do much digging or re-arranging in there? Do you have the box permanently in the cage now?
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Post by bammx70 on Mar 18, 2013 21:57:43 GMT
please build me one and i will buy it
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 29, 2013 16:00:56 GMT
Sorry Bammx, I don't have any more glass or plexiglass and they would be pretty bulky to transport. I guess you could place a wanted ad in the For Sale area. I've been meaning to update this thread, so I might as well do that now Goo on top of box So the goos continued to not take too much interest in the inside of the box until I gave in and put an entrance into it near the floor. Result: What a freaking mess! They were steadily working away at getting rid of all that pesky loose material at the bottom of the digging box i.e. emptying the whole digging box onto the floor :-O So I decided I needed to protect the lower entrance, so I attached a thick cardboard tube as a tunnel to slow them down dragging all the mess out: This helped, but next I decided to try putting a cardboard false floor in to keep the loose material away from the bottom entrance: At the same time as this change I decided to change the fill material from a mixture of megazorb, shavings, straw and hay to just straw and hay, thinking the longer strands would knit themselves together better. I have to say, they still make a right old mess pulling stuff out, but I'm fairly happy with the set up now, well, I've given up trying to improve it! As soon as I put the lower entrance in, they loved the digging box as a hideout and they built a nest in there and nap quite a lot in there during the day (they don't have access at night as it's in the playpen). They take loads of paper and cardboard in there for improving the nest. They always keep the route between the digging box and the cage swept clear, see the path? View of whole box They love to sit on and hide by the old skirting board trim in front of the box Yes? Anyway, I'd encourage anyone to have a go at making a digging/ nesting box, ours really love theirs
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Post by ntg on Mar 29, 2013 16:24:51 GMT
Lol! At least they keep a small area clean ours would probably use a digging box in the playpen as an opportunity to go on an out-of-bounds adventure
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Post by saddlers on Apr 1, 2013 22:45:48 GMT
This is something we have done.....I found that we were getting some food left over mainly through individual choice I think, so I got a large plastic tub (about 24" x 18")and put about 4" of sawdust into it, I have then started to pour the left over food into the container every day and mix it up. It is then just left out for when they all have playtime, and it is getting some attention. Many have started looking for the bits that they like that the other goos have left behind. I have also giggled watching them dig something out then carry it to the other corner of the tub and re-bury it!! There has been quite a bit of digging in it and at least the leftover food is getting recycled!!
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