mel
Foraging Degu
Posts: 100
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Post by mel on Mar 14, 2012 11:19:58 GMT
Unfortunately a cage with a plastic bottom is no good for degus as I found out when I bought mine about 6months ago. They can easily chew through it. I'm also sorry to say that the cage isn't anywhere near big enough for them. Please see this thread deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=9396 which explains about necessary cage sizes.
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 14, 2012 14:43:43 GMT
I really feel I have to agree with Mel . . . the plastic base is an easy thing for degus to chew through, and that cage is very small. Or else the bars are very widely spread and giving the illusion of small size. May I ask . . . why this cage? You sound urgent for it to be OK for your degus?
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 14, 2012 17:40:55 GMT
I think Liyah just got the cage yesterday (she mentioned it in another thread, it's 30x18x16H inches). Perhaps you could return it to the shop and swap if for something bigger, Liyah? We recommend a cage roughly three times this size if at all possible. Do you have any state regulations or animal welfare rules for cage sizing for degus where you are? If so, you might be able to say they mis-sold you that cage so they would have to swap it. Sorry it's not the best news for you.
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mhb
Burrowing Degu
Mystified and Entertained on a daily basis
Posts: 173
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Post by mhb on Mar 15, 2012 10:55:51 GMT
As I finally got round to sorting out my pictures for my soon to be published blog I thought I'd post our current set up which is two Thickets cages joined together. I was quite proud of my work at the time as it made the girls settle down but having spent time on here and knowing that my partner and I are going to get more Degus in the future I wanted to build something that will accommodate four. So before this becomes outdated and cannibalised for parts I thought I'd stick it up.
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 15, 2012 13:04:43 GMT
BRAVO!!! On both counts . . . for the work you have done, and the work you will be doing. Looking forward to it!!
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Post by liyah512 on Mar 16, 2012 21:11:08 GMT
The night I bought the cage, I noticed that next morning they had started chewing on the corners and the clips on the side that hold the metal part to the bottom. They dont seem to focus on chewing on the cage as they have a wooden hideout they love to gnaw on :-)
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Post by feathers on Mar 17, 2012 2:09:19 GMT
they might not be chewing it but that doesn't mean the cage is any good for degus. it is way too small for them to be comfortable.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 17, 2012 11:06:38 GMT
Just keep a close eye on them and the cage until you can get them something bigger Liyah, they can be a bit sneaky in secretly chewing stuff they shouldn't when you're not looking How are they getting on? They might enjoy playtime out of the cage if you have somewhere safe?
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Post by liyah512 on Mar 17, 2012 13:42:58 GMT
moletteuk, they are doing great and coming around alot more! I hasn't quite been a week yet, but they are eating snacks out of my hand and then being curiouos when there isn any more. I do not feel comfortable letting them out loose right now as I do live in an older home. I am about to move to an apt next month which will be more secure.
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Post by moxximayhem on Mar 21, 2012 17:27:40 GMT
A bit late to the party, but I'm working my way around haha.. The cage we have is a ferret/rat cage originally but as we only have two degus the size is perfect for them, they can run around the base, climb the bars and they never chew at the bars (probably cause we've got alot of things to distract them with haha) Enjoy I understand that most people say that plastic bottomed cages aren't ideal for degus, and that sizes come into play with this, but you can see in the photos where they degus are, and in fact, the generic chinchilla cages that are sold in most pet shops (PaH included) is smaller than ours, so it's nice and big. We have our eyes on bird cage which is 1.5m x 0.5m x 0.5m and it seems delightful, it's got 5 or 6 different levels with plenty of room for modifications, which will undoubtedly get done. Currently, my little sweet hearts are thoroughly enjoying themselves and even come to greet me
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Post by smithomatic on Mar 21, 2012 19:27:21 GMT
I know you have already expected such responses moxx but I am afraid that even if the enclosure is slightly bigger than a thickets, its still far too small. Although the cage may seem good now, you will soon note a difference as your degus grow. I can tell from the pictures that your degus are still young, this will be one of the reasons they have not started biting the cage. Because they are young they are still interested and learning their environment. As they grow they will quickly loose interest in any toys you provide them with. I guess the most important comment is that as your degus grow they will want to be able to be apart on their terms. In such a small cage this cannot happen. There is an uncanny relationship between pairs of degus that begin fighting and cannot be re-introduced and small cages. I have spoken to so many owners where this has happened. I really hope you consider getting them the bird cage or an equally larger home as soon as you can. Perhaps you can even build one? Please also check the cage size recommendations here: deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=9396I can tell just from looking at your cage that it does not meet the minimum recommendation for 2 degus. It will do for the time being; I'm not trying to tell you off but for you and your degus sake, please get a bigger cage soon! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Josh
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Post by moxximayhem on Mar 21, 2012 19:59:03 GMT
I did state in my previous comment that we have our eyes on one, and can assure you once pay day is rearing its pretty head it shall be done. Yes, our degus are only babies so they are comfortable for the time being and we haven't had them long and we were told they will be more than happy in that cage until we can get a larger one, which we obviously will.. I am still learning as I go, and I understand having degus is one long lesson haha. I just quickly measured the cage and I couldn't understand the SQcm. thing (I'm not by any means bright in mathematics) so I googled it.. Degutopia listed minimum requirements and they are: "A typical cage for a maximum of two degus that are let out once or more a day for at least one hour should be a minimum size of: 70 L x 70-100 H x 45 W cm. " Mine is 48cm W x 78cm L x 60H Unfortunately the height just falls under the minimum requirement for two.. I don't want to come across as arguing, but I know the cage isn't as small as it looks in the pictures, it's 10cm under the recommended height of a normal cage (not great I know ). I also checked on the degutopia website as they have a calculator, the results are in the image. I would like to reiterate, I do understand minimum requirements are just that, they are not totally comfortable. Thank you for your advice, it will be taken into account
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 21, 2012 20:10:52 GMT
I agree with Josh, a new cage is going to be needed before too long. Degus do love to climb, and they like to see their world from a bit of height, but their greater need and constant habit is to be on the move, whether that is running or foraging, they are more often moving forward than upward. Because of this, degus require a great deal of surface area which often must be supplied through several full cage levels, so as to not over take our homes. Adding in a second full level to the cage you have now, will help the wait from this cage to larger cage be less stressful for you and your two little furry loves. Do have a look at the link that Josh as provided, as it will help you to see what kind of surface space is needed. Then look at your cage now and any cages you investigate creatively. There are ways to add in nearly full additional wooden levels, which can then add to the collective total of surface area available to your degus. PLEASE ask questions about what you see, and get opinions and creative ideas from other owners here. I would venture to say that a good 90% of us started out with a cage too small for the degus we came home with, and ended up having to look for and purchase something new shortly there after. We can TOTALLY relate to being in this position, and we empathize with you.
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Post by moxximayhem on Mar 21, 2012 20:17:54 GMT
Thank you DC, and Josh for your helpful advice I really do appreciate it.
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Post by smithomatic on Mar 21, 2012 20:53:41 GMT
Yes DC is right, I too was sold a cage far too small for my degus, as soon as they started to grow they stopped getting along.. So we have been there too. In summary, you are looking for something that is atleast: 100cm H 100cm L 50cm W 3 full levels (no more than 40cm apart) Hopefully this helps you if you do not fully understand the sq.cm. The description above will provide your degus with adequete space. Have you yet had chance to view the many home made enclosures? Check my guide here on how to build degu enclosures. deguchronicles.weebly.com/You can often build your own enclosure that is more suitable for both you and your degus and is the same price as a retail cage (if not cheeper!). Unfortunately degutopia is not the most trustworthy of degu sites. Although it is advancing and getting closer to the ideal degu keeping conditions founded by the german community, most of its information is still unfounded. You are much better of learning from this forum and the following sites: deguchronicles.weebly.com/degus-international-forum.degusnorge.com/www.degus-international.org/index.htmlGL with your degus! Im glad to see you have a positive attitude towards constructive feedback, this attitude will take you a long way in your degu keeping career! Josh
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Post by butters on Mar 21, 2012 21:35:56 GMT
Just one question, what's the best space between 2 levels? (the hight between each level)
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Post by smithomatic on Mar 22, 2012 0:11:53 GMT
I recommend anywhere between 30 and 40cms. I use 38cm, I like to be able give my degus lots of high branches and logs to climb. Any higher is potentially dangerous.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 22, 2012 11:18:46 GMT
I think degutopia are still a good source for health and medication information, but they are out of date for cage information, I don't think their recommendations even meet RSPCA guidelines now They should be fine for a few weeks while they are little while you save up, Moxxi, as Smithomatic and DC said, nearly all of us start out with a smaller cage and have to upgrade or extend. We are here if you would like to run any potential new cages past us The bird cage you mentioned might not be your best option, as it's best to have a wider area - 2 or 3 good size levels are better for degus than 5 or 6 smaller ones. Something like this is a good choice: www.equinecaninefeline.com/catalog/metal-aventura-huge-metal-ferret-chinchilla-cage-p-6680.htmlYou get square centimetres by multiplying the length by the width. So, 100cm x 50cm is 5,000sqcm. So if you get or make a cage with this floor area, you need approx two and a half levels of this size to reach our recommended size of 12,000sqcm. Does that make sense? Just ask if you would like help working the area out for a particular cage I think depending on the degus you could potentially go up to 50cm, Butters, but something like the 38cm Smithomatic mentions is more usual. It can be handy to have the shelves unequally spaced - you might want a big one to fit a big wheel allowing for substrate under the wheel, and then you might want a smaller one that is a bit darker for sleeping.
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Post by hedrush on Mar 22, 2012 19:41:16 GMT
I finally finished Ratchet and Clanks cage today. It took me 3 weeks but I got there in the end. As I posted in the "how to build a cage thread" it's 120cm x 110cm x50cm and is bigger than I thought it would be. It's made entirely of MDF with dry kilned pine protecting the edges and has 2 large air vents in the roof, I may add another 2 on either side at some point. The front is 2x toughed glass with polished edges. I painted the outside with an MDF primer and top coated it with a nice cinammon coloured eggshell paint, both have minimal VOC. The boys are loving it although when we transferred then to there new home a bit of a battle ensued, thank goodness for toughened glass. I have one issue tho and that's how to attach there water bottle to the inside. Ive put a small bowl in with a little water for now but would prefer them to have there bottle back. I could do with some ideas on how to sort this little problem. Anyway here's a pic of the finished cage, my first ever DIY project. Feel free to advise on what else can be added or taken away for that matter. Thank guys/girls. http://instagram.com/p/IfIP0vq6F3 Edit: Also Ratchet loves a right good run in his wheel (that's him in the pic) he's the degu equivalent of Usain Bolt. He goes so fast at times he falls out it on occassion lol. But has anyone any tips on how to stop there wheel from sliding about, so far it's been at both ends of the cage and facing the wrong way round at one point lol.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 22, 2012 20:48:06 GMT
It looks absolutely fantastic Have you got the wheel on the freestanding stand? All I can suggest is some sort of heavy duty staple on the base. There are a couple of options for making a metal wheel yourself, and then you can fix it direct to the wall of the cage, or I think I saw someone selling metal wheels on degutopia forum a couple of weeks ago. I have a glass water bottle that I attached using a couple of cup hooks and the spring thing it came with. One cuphook (dodgy rusty one in pic) to poke the water tube through and take the weight, a screw with a snap hook to fix one end of the spring to the wall (corner of vent) and a cup hook (top left) to fasten the spring in the wrapped round position. That probably doesn't make sense, so here's a couple of pics:
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