safe paint for a wire degu cage.

[lilladylu86]

Hi everyone,

Long time no speak.  I have had a few changes to me degu clan since I last posted on here.  I am now the proud owner of just two degus called Ben and Oni  Unfortunately my last clan died of old age and these guys are now the best of pals

Anyway, the reason I am posting is that I have an old degu cage which is much bigger than the cage they are in at the moment and I wanted to use it again.  However, my last degu Andre, took a fancy to biting the paint off the bottom sides of the cage and it has started to rust.  I was wondering whether there was a paint available in the UK that I could use to paint it back up to pristine condition so that Ben and Oni could have the extra space?

I obviously have to sand away the rust as best I can and then use a pet safe paint.  But I am not sure where to acquire it from?


Any ideas chaps?


Much appreciated.


Lucy. 

[ilikedegus]

I really don't know of one, as surely the beggars will chew it off.

Not saying there isn't one...

The original was painted?

[saddlers]

Could you cover the base with sticky vinyl or replace it with something more suitable? Most water based paints should be okay, but you may struggle finding a water based metal paint.

[deguconvert]

Most wire cages that are designated for small animals are powder coated . . . but I really don't have any idea of what it is, and I suspect that it is factory applied only, so not available to the general public. It is safe . . . just not sure how you can get it. If you know the manufacturer of your cage, perhaps you can send an inquiry to them about it?

[queenroblin]

Yeah they are usually coated with powder of some kind (like vitreous enamel which is mostly glass) then fired at more than 700 degrees C to make them extra hard so wouldn't suggest just buying paint, I don't think there are any that are degu safe.

What I would suggest is buying strips of wood and attaching them to the inside of the cage where the rust is which would give them something to chew on (instead of rust). Make sure to change it when they chew through it though.