Zenaida's Enclosure Build

[moletteuk]

If you know the similar thickness is fine then it will probably be OK for you. I think the best thing to attach it would be 'pan head' type screws that are flat on the underside of the head.

I only just saw the photos of the chewed areas today, somehow I had missed them on the other thread, I don't think they look too bad, I think you might get away with some patching. Also, most of the screws and fixings in our cage have some investigative nibbles around them, but they haven't seriously attacked any of them.

[deguconvert]

I just saw those photos today as well, and I didn't think they looked bad either. Not at all bad!! I'd probably just circle the spots with a marker and that way they are easy to find, and easy to see if they are rapidly changing.

[zenaida]

I'm making slow but steady progress on the new play pen. I have one panel done. One picture shows how it is latched directly to the cage using some eye hooks and dowels I picked up at the hardware store.







I still have another seven panels to do. Another three panels and I have enough to do a test run with the girls. Also we got a new area rug for the living room. Keeping them from "digging" up the apartment carpet isn't easy and we're trying to be good tenants.

[misscatafer]

This looks fab!! I may have to copy

[zenaida]

Good luck! You might need different materials, I (hopefully) can use coroplast because it sits in the metal frame. I'm banking on them not being able to chew it because of that. We'll find out if that's true in a couple hours...

I'll post more pictures of how it works once I have more done.

[deguconvert]

That's really great looking!!

[zenaida]

I was able to complete 4 panels today, including the door which is more work than any other panel. Together they are a little smaller than the current pen, but it is enough to test out if the whole thing is going to work.Besides, I'm too tired to continue for today.





First step trace the frame:




Second step: cutting. To do this I use a rotary cutter from sewing (probably ruining the blade, but I think it is worth replacing it). Nothing else was precise enough for me. Scissors got caught up almost immediately. An exacto knife or box cutters were ok, but often went off the line. The rotary cutter was really the only thing that I could control to keep it on the line and cutting exactly is of extreme importance.



Third step mark and drill holes for the wire. The power drill is a bit of overkill, but again getting precision was a priority.



Forth, wire it on. I got a wire that is about at the limit of bending it with my bare hands and can still control it. It is so strong I didn't feel like I really needed to twist or anything, should be enough to just have it bent over like in the photos.



I haven't done any glue yet. After some research, coroplast is made of a certain type of plastic that doesn't allow for most adhesives to be used with it. There's one or two specialty adhesives, but I need to look into them more. The whole thing is very simple, just time consuming because of the precision.

Nico and I are about to let them out and try it. I'll let you know how it goes!

[zenaida]

Success!

They were hesitant about the whole thing at first, but before long they were digging and chewing like they always do. Only now it goes nowhere! They paid lots of attention to the gaps in the panels, but it really does nothing because it is solid metal. They did some digging at the plastic with no effect. They also dug and chewed at the new carpet, but that's what it is there for. It is a tight weave so on this first day they didn't get far enough for it to be noticeable. I didn't even see one attempt to chew at the little bit of wire that's on the inside.

We'll have to put it to some longer term use to see what curve balls they try to throw, but we're in good shape right now!

[deguconvert]

WOO HOO!!! Well done!!

[bouncy]

You've thrown down the gauntlet now. You realise they'll be trying anything they possibly can?  

I honestly wonder if there is such a thing as "goo proof" lol

[deguconvert]

ROFL, Bouncy! I didn't think of it like that . . . but you are right. Degus love a challenge. Hopefully they will be SO impressed with the beautiful of Zenaida's enclosure that they wouldn't dream of changing a thing.

[lucy]

Hi zenaida,
I just wanted to compliment your cage, looks awesome! And what a helpful post!

We've built our cage about three months ago (actually looks almost exactly like yours) and I am already thinking about what fun would it be to build another one. And fix the errors we've done with this one (our ventilation holes look like someone just chewed them into the wood ). And we are also already planning to upgrade the sliders for the glass. At least to metal ones, because Girls are chewing through them .

[zenaida]

Thank you so much! I try to show the "how" of what I did in addition to the result. I hope that others can use that information and improve on it.

I would love to see pictures of what you built if you have any. I know exactly how you feel about seeing all the flaws in your own work.

Do you have a source for metal sliders? I'm in the USA and I haven't found a source for any metal sliders that don't have a wheel system. My girls also chewed at the plastic and I ended up finding metal strips to lay along the inside edge to stop that behavior. I'd have to look, but I'm sure I posted pictures somewhere about it, probably in the middle of this thread.


By the way, I had a very busy day yesterday, but I was able to make time to finish another 3 panels. Just one more to go! Also the girls got to try the seven panel pen because I needed to do a cage cleaning. All went well! 

[titchycatnipsandwich]

How heavy is the coroplast?

[zenaida]

Aug 19, 2017 12:53:14 GMT titchycatnipsandwich said:

How heavy is the coroplast?

Very light. Comparable or maybe a little lighter than cardboard. It is essentially a plastic version of cardboard and has the same construction. It is a little more sturdy than cardboard, but still bends or dents fairly easily. It also is a little "floppy" when dealing with large pieces like this.

[lucy]

We also lined the the sliders with metal strips (like everything we didn't want to be chewed to bits) but it wasn't wide enough, so they chewed the tops of the sliders anyway. Haven't researched the metal sliders yet, I just believe they must exist. At the end it's just a metal with two slides, right?

This is our cage, right after Girls moved in, looks a bit empty:



Later we removed the mesh divider on the third floor, transformed it into a mesh wall (dividing unitroduced degus) and used that vertical space for branches and shelves.



And we followed this awesome blogpost thedegublog.blogspot.cz/2014/12/how-i-built-my-degu-cages.html?m=1

I'd honestly go straight to building a new better one, with all the experience under my belt! It was ton of fun but also the most exepensive thing we've ever built

[zenaida]

Looks awesome! I know that blog, I also used it for inspiration.

I remember following your thread with the introductions. How are they going?

I completely agree with your last statement. So expensive, but gosh darn it, I could do it better this time!

[zenaida]

Quick update: The new pen is glorious!

It is exactly what I hoped it would be, maybe more. It is much bigger and so far it is completely chew proof! The first few times they tried to chew at the metal joints, but more recently it seems like they have given that up. They focus their effort more on digging at the rug, but I don't really care about that. The new rug only cost 80$ and so far they have only done cosmetic damage. So far there has been exactly zero coroplast chewing, if they can't get that, then I know they can't get out.

It is so good, that I'm confident about letting them get playpen time without direct supervision. I wouldn't do it for super long, but they are fine in the pen for upwards of an hour or so with us on the couch next to it. I do notice that the girls don't come out much at all unless we are in with them though.

It does take a little longer to set up because of the individual panels, but the difference in how much it weighs and how sturdy it is makes a HUGE difference. We're setting it up way more often and letting the girls out for longer periods when it is set up. The panels make storage easier and now it is in a corner of the living room completely out of the way instead of obstructing a hallway.

Nico and I are able to spend more time inside there with them because we can lean against the walls without issue. The walls still can move, but they can't open gaps, it would just pull the next panel. We're sometimes bringing in a tablet or a laptop because we know we'll be in there so long that we want a little something for entertainment. It is so nice to have the girls running around us while we do a little something else.

Again, I can not stress how great it is to have a dedicated door too. And the advantage of having the foot guard at the door. Tonight, Nico was going out the door and just as he did, one degu ran straight in that direction. I didn't even have time to warn him, but it didn't matter because she didn't notice or whatever and just ran along the edge. Being able to go in and out of the pen makes a huge difference because it isn't an all or nothing "I'm stuck here until it is put away".

As to the cost: the dog pen cost something like 85$, Coroplast was 45$, wire was something like 5$, misc hardware for attaching it to the cage: lets say 15$. Rug cost 80$. So at the end of the day, the pen only cost about 200$. Obviously prices might be different for you guys in Europe, but I think it is relatively cost effective. Later, we will likely invest in a second pen. We have room for more, and a second pen will attach right on to the first one and just make it bigger.

Oh and the priceless factor: stress for Nico and I has noticeably decreased. The girls REALLY ARE emotional support animals that improve both of our moods and stress levels. Even without a pen, they make our lives better and we just feel better. The exception is anytime they might escape something (like the wall chewing) my stress goes way up. The previous playpen was ok, but the fear and worry about knocking the pen loose from the side of the cage. Similarly they would chew at the walls of the pen and would attempt to destroy the carpet installed by the university. In that context, being close to them was nice, but didn't help stress because we had to constantly tell them off for doing normal degu things. Within 15 minutes of trying the new pen, my stress levels started coming way down. The first 15 was a nervous watching to see how they would destroy all my hard work, but then as they consistently failed I could physically feel a weight being lifted and started to just plain enjoy spending the time with them. That has only continued and improved and now I have so little fear and stress that they can be out without me being RIGHT THERE. I almost never have to tell them off for doing something in the playpen anymore. The last few times we have been in the pen, I have watched Nico and commented that he is literally the happiest I have ever seen him, just sitting there and enjoying being with his girls without concerns for the world. In the past, I have wondered if we just "used" his depression to get some pets, but having the girls, they make such a huge impact for both of us in the mental health department. At this point it doesn't matter, they ARE emotional support animals.

TLDR: Playpen is bigger, easier to set up, used for longer, safer, and just better in every way! Nico and I have lower stress now that we are using it. Experiment was a success!

[misscatafer]

Really pleased for you!!! Thank you girls the great review, I'm looking forward to doing something similiar with my adopted pen soon.

[deguconvert]

Wonderful news all around! Well done, Zenaida!!