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Post by michellelouise on Sept 14, 2015 11:25:49 GMT
Thank you they are made from white melamine coated boards so they are really easy to wipe clean!
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Post by degumomofmany on Sept 20, 2015 3:53:16 GMT
I modified a double Critter Nation cage to create 3 full levels. The first pic is my basement setup. The first cage on the left is for the rats. The next cage is a Prevue 495 and houses two degus. The cage facing the camera is the cage I modified for a colony of 6. I had to leave the bottom level as one level because my wheel is so big. The aquarium on the right is where the 6 degu have lived for their whole lives. small basement4917 by theborginco, on Flickr Here is the bottom level small bottom4916 by theborginco, on Flickr There is a 16 inch chinchilla wheel, a cardboard tube with a peek a boo window, a rope bridge, various branches, and three steps up to level 2. Level 2 has a wooden hide, various branches, another cardboard tube, and a way to get to the third floor. This picture shows both the 2nd and 3rd levels small top 2 4912 by theborginco, on Flickr Here is a close up of the tube on level 2 from behind small tubeback 4905 by theborginco, on Flickr Here is only the 3rd level. I've only put one branch up here and a tile for cooling. Tonight I actually added a saucer type wheel to the 3rd level that is not shown in the picture. small top floor4897 by theborginco, on Flickr The top floor is the only floor where the front scatter guard is connected to the door. I wanted the other two front scatterguards NOT connected so that I could easily remove them for easier cleaning. I don't plan on using a bedding substrate on the 3rd floor. The wheel is so big that I had to spread out the force on the bars. Here is a picture of that: small wheel 4906 by theborginco, on Flickr I wanted to put pictures in my post, but I could only figure out how to add a link to the picture on Flickr.
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ema
Newborn Degu
Posts: 3
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Post by ema on Oct 17, 2015 9:43:07 GMT
Here are some pictures of our cage.. 3 girls live here. Dimensions : L x W x H = 110 x 88 x 185 [cm] A pair of chinchillas used to live in so it is not new, but it is really solid and in good condition. It still looks quite empty (some of the accessories are currently out of cage due to cleaning )and needs a lot of work.. Still need to get at least one more wheel, some terracotta bowls, rocks and big branches... I don't like any plastics or paper in their cage, I like to keep it as natural as I can. Still looking for appropriate material for their sleeping nest and idea for digging pit. In lowest part there are two drawers - one is for their bedding, and the bigger one is just to keep some extra mesh, wood and so on. Any suggestions and critics are welcome . (Sorry for some mess )
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 17, 2015 10:24:35 GMT
degumomofmany the extra photos are great, we can really see everything you did to really get the most from the cage and how you attached everything, it looks great ema wow what a massive space, you could do anything with so much space! I think I would be tempted to put more large or full shelves in there to make the most of the volume, but it depends what the cleaning access is, how much of the front opens? More shelves would also make it safer, they could potentially fall quite a long way. You can buy planks of kiln dried softwood to make nest boxes and a digging box. (see materials guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17316/cage-materials) Some of us have made digging boxes deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15992/digging-box We have lots of accessory ideas here deguworld.proboards.com/thread/18716/accessories-bedding-toy-ideas I can recommend a running saucer and a 'strawberry pot' for a big space like yours. Overall it's a great space and I think you are going to have loads of fun making it perfect for your degus
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ema
Newborn Degu
Posts: 3
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Post by ema on Oct 17, 2015 10:54:11 GMT
Thanks for advices, I will look at those links Yeah , I was also scared if some of them fell off the highest shelves, that is the main reason I want more branches and shelves. Front opens only on the right side (there are two doors) so cleaning is more tricky ( I guess it takes me about 45 minutes- 1 hour to clean everything - from removing all shelves , vacuuming, cleaning all wooden areas , etc..), but nevermind that - most important thing is they are happy and having fun This cage is so bigger than the last one so it looks like they don't have anything in it , except space They got one flying saucer with this cage, but it is a plastic one, so I'm not so sure about it.. Also they never had one (they love their wheel although), I don't know if they will know how to use it haha . I guess I will have to make it myself since in Croatia there is almost nothing / wheels, saucers, even cages / suitable for degus. It is really great to look at all of these cages in this topic - so inspirational
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redheaddegu
Burrowing Degu
red hair is a warning sign
Posts: 180
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Post by redheaddegu on Oct 25, 2015 19:49:47 GMT
OK, take 3..... am going to get the photos of the new cage up somehow........ I learnt a lot from the old cage (on page 25 of this chain) and the new one has longer floors, is more open, but not so tall (I can now clean it without having to stand on a chair to do the top section!) I've used toilet waste pipes to let the degus move between levels, double sided sticky tape and coco liner provide a grippy surface, that can be easily replaced if chewed (they can't get at the tape as it's too flat) or it gets dirty. I can actually see the degus in this cage, and interact with them too, and they seem to love running along the floors, rather than just bouncing up and down the ramps. The wheels are 30 cm cake tins put on the old silent spinner bearings. They love them!
I'm hoping to take down or seriously prune the ornamental cherry tree in the garden come spring, so I will be able to add lots of climbing bits then. I've put in lights, and have them on a timer, as my hours are very irregular, and this way the degus get a proper day - night cycle. They also seem to love basking under the light on the top section......
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redheaddegu
Burrowing Degu
red hair is a warning sign
Posts: 180
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Post by redheaddegu on Oct 25, 2015 20:06:15 GMT
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 26, 2015 0:38:54 GMT
Well done!! I love the decorations inside and out!
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 26, 2015 10:24:28 GMT
It looks fantastic It must be great using your previous experience to get exactly what you want this time. Is there some sort of Ikea frame in there?
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redheaddegu
Burrowing Degu
red hair is a warning sign
Posts: 180
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Post by redheaddegu on Oct 26, 2015 10:54:09 GMT
Oops, yes ikea Ivar shelving system is the frame, the 50 cm deep one, with one section 84cm lengtth, the other 40 cm. ideally would have had 2 of the longer one, but space was limited! I did put that in first attempt to post pictures, but kept having a problem with the links ?. I feel like a Luddite! The decorations on the outside are also ikea, they distract from the fact that my DIY in reality is not as good as in my head!
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gizmo
Foraging Degu
Posts: 55
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Post by gizmo on Oct 28, 2015 14:17:28 GMT
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 29, 2015 14:09:54 GMT
Hahaha you really went to town on the stair-ramp! You could still make some of the smaller shelves bigger, maybe add some pottery pots, planters, strawberry pot, cardboard boxes, a semi circle hanging basket attached to the side, more things you could hang from the top, branches angled around, cabin/ table/ nest box wooden items, the world is your oyster. Watch how they use the space and make changes if they ignore some areas or if something looks awkward for them, you've got a great space to go forward from
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gizmo
Foraging Degu
Posts: 55
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Post by gizmo on Oct 29, 2015 18:36:43 GMT
hi thanks for your reply, we was woundering about the wheels if they would be ok attached to the cage? just woundering due to the kick boards, we have got another nest box and tunnel , rope, hanging things , but where would i get tiny pots from ? all the pots we have seen are full size for the garden, i will try and make a table we have some apple branch from a friend i see what i can find in the woods , glad you liked the stairs
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 29, 2015 20:14:15 GMT
If you attach a wheel to the side of the cage it needs to be on some kind of big bracket to spread the load otherwise the constant flexing on the cage can damage the cage bars. Do look out for solid sided wheels if you can at some point, they are much safer.
Pots can be anything, from small, like a mug, to outdoor planters, you can get garden pots in all sizes.
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gizmo
Foraging Degu
Posts: 55
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Post by gizmo on Oct 30, 2015 7:39:24 GMT
hi thanks for your reply we have 2 11" wheels we was thinking of attaching the wheels to the cage by 2 strips of metal 1 either side of the cage bars and bolting it to he cage but would the wheel still be able to spin round or is there another way to attach our wheels, we thought that pots had to be tiny, now we know they can be any size but not plastic , with the hammock do you think it is in the way where it is we are just thinking of other things we could hang in the cage thanks for your advice
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 31, 2015 18:06:39 GMT
I've posted about the wheel in the other thread, do keep an eye out for larger ones with a solid back, 12" is the minimum recommended.
Just try the hammock and see if they like it. You could fit a semi circle hanging basket alongside it attached to the side of the cage. If it doesn't work out, you could put a bigger shelf at that level.
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gizmo
Foraging Degu
Posts: 55
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Post by gizmo on Oct 31, 2015 20:52:15 GMT
I've posted about the wheel in the other thread, do keep an eye out for larger ones with a solid back, 12" is the minimum recommended. Just try the hammock and see if they like it. You could fit a semi circle hanging basket alongside it attached to the side of the cage. If it doesn't work out, you could put a bigger shelf at that level. hi thanks for your reply and advice in the picture there are 2 wheels so it looks like we bought the wrong one's , is there anywhere in the uk that sells solid back wheels we have a look on ebay but the price is a bit steep £40+ each including p and p , thanks
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 1, 2015 6:14:55 GMT
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gizmo
Foraging Degu
Posts: 55
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Post by gizmo on Nov 1, 2015 14:08:43 GMT
hi thanks for your advice yes thats the same wheel we was saying about the price , we have now bought a solid wheel 13" just waiting for it to arrive , when i asked about wheels before a user said about metal wheels so we thought any metal wheel would have done but not so , we hope the new wheel wont take long to arrive then we can try and finish of there place before xmas , thanks again for your help
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 1, 2015 20:29:33 GMT
Well rats! When that wheel was first posted on here, it was several pounds less, I think it was 25 pounds. Then it went up to 30 pounds within a couple of days. Now you are being charged 40 pounds plus!! So why the increases I wonder? I'm sorry it keeps getting higher. We do have some tutorials on how to make your own wheel using cake tins/metal candy tins/dog dishes, and the bearings from skateboards. Does that interest you?
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