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Post by sophie9901 on Jun 22, 2011 16:46:47 GMT
Hey guys, me and my partner have caught the bug and really want to design a cage about the size of a wardrobe with 3 departments (one for the adopted goo's, one at the top for the hamster, and one for the younger blue goo's). I'm stuck though on where to even start by getting the wood. I live in the south of England and would love if someone could help me on somewhere I could buy the wood. I'm also worried about getting the wrong type of wood?! Thanks  |
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Post by missdegu on Jun 22, 2011 17:00:09 GMT
Hi! Don't know anything about building a cage but one thing I know.. just make sure that the metal grid is securely fastened on the inside so they don't break free.. Good luck with the cage |
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Post by sophie9901 on Jun 22, 2011 18:54:02 GMT
Hey, thanks for that bit of advice i'll be sure to bare it in mind when we get to work! Does anyone know where I can find the right kind of wood? I saw that wickes did some plywood sheets. They look reasonably expensive though and aren't very thick?! Thanks  |
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Post by emz on Jun 22, 2011 19:17:38 GMT
You can either buy some furniture and convert it or simply use MDF. It seems I started a painting MDF trend on this forum a year ago and it IS safe to do (just use water based paint). Degus cannot chew a flat surface so as long as any painted edges (like by the door) are covered it's fine. This also means they cannot chew the MDF. The shelves can be edged with pine strips from the store and like I say a lot people forget to realise that almost all commercially sold, mass-produced wood is quick dried in an oven so don't worry about "kiln dried" having to be written on it. I have bought one labelled kiln dried before and found wood knots full of resin so just use common sense with the pine you use. Check the smell, make sure there are no weeping knots and it will be fine. As a note, if you want to metal line anything use steel NOT aluminium. A degu can chew quickly through aluminium (this is from experience.) It is too soft. |
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Post by sophie9901 on Jun 22, 2011 20:37:04 GMT
Hey emz thanks for replying! Yes I have just seen MDF sheets on wickes website, so can I actually use this to build their cage? Which type of wood do you think would be better? Because I've also seen plywood but this is a little more pricey? I have drawn up some plans of how I want it to look as I need to have 2 separate departments for our 2 pairs of goo's as they are yet to get along!! But I am going to include a removable partition so that if they do ever get on I can remove it and have it as one big open cage!! Thanks |
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Post by emz on Jun 22, 2011 21:00:46 GMT
MDF has a nicer surface (smooth rather than rough) and also I think Plywood is slightly heavier to move about. I chose MDF so I could paint my cage with a nicer finish and make it look much brighter. I think MDF is great for it considering the price of MDF compared to buying a smaller cage. I have an inch thick minimum in regards to how thick the wood should be.
Make sure the goos have at least (for 2) a meter length by 50 cm width by a meter high as they are very active. Have shelves that are the length of the cage as these offer a huge boost in floorspace.
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Post by missdegu on Jun 22, 2011 21:37:36 GMT
Sorry but I have to disagree with you, emz.. Degus CAN chew a flat surface.. Mine did it so.. I'm just telling you now, before they break anything.. |
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Post by sophie9901 on Jun 22, 2011 21:37:40 GMT
Hey Emz, is MDF safe for degu's I just worry about them getting their teeth into it haha! I'm glad you say you used mdf because it's much cheaper too!! And the bonus that I can paint it! I read on nightwishravens website that it can be 1.4cm thick at least? Yes I have decided on the following dimensions : 91cm(L) x 61cm(W) x 163cm(H) do you think this will be ok? |
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Post by emz on Jun 22, 2011 22:18:08 GMT
Sorry but I have to disagree with you, emz.. Degus CAN chew a flat surface.. Mine did it so.. I'm just telling you now, before they break anything.. They cannot chew a perfectly flat, hard, smooth surface either horizontal or vertical so like the walls of a box shaped cage (maybe yours are perhaps abnormal in the mouth department and have super teeth! ;D) It is possible the surface was not level or a part of it was exposed but a lot of us older cage builders have never had an issue such as me and nightwishraven. Mine have been in their current cage for over a year and have never touched the floor or walls only the edges of their shelves which are pine. sophie: If you make sure levels are flat and edges are safely edged with steel it is honestly safe. If you mean that size for all 4 goos it seems ok if it has a few good full-size shelves also. But remember, floor space is more important than height when deciding on your dimensions. A picture from the first few minutes inside the cage, obviously it was a little barren as I hadn't finished adding stuff as I was too excited to just get them in lol.  Just to give the an idea of what MDF can do and still look quite nice. |
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Post by listracian on Jun 23, 2011 10:52:23 GMT
My cage I just made was all made from the large MDF sheets from Wickes We bought four sheets of it and we have a huge amount left so we can replace stuff if and when it needs replacing. Everything we got came from either Wickes or B&Q. There are photos of all the items we bought here: www.flickr.com/photos/listracian/sets/72157626882471233/ I tired to a do a step-by step thing when making mine to try and help others! My cage is also in 3 compartments so it works I would recommend either asking Wickes or finding someone who is good at cutting wood to cut it! We did and it was all cut and finished ready for us to put together, the bits we did end up sawing took ages so try and get them to cut it to size for you! Also make sure you have a plan! If we didn't have our plan I think it would have taken forever! |
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Post by sophie9901 on Jun 23, 2011 11:34:51 GMT
Hey listracian - It;s awesome to hear someone that used MDF from wickes because that's what we want to use as it's much cheaper than other stuff. So Wickes will actually cut it to size for you? Do you know if they charge much extra for it? You sure did buy a lot of MDF!! haha, how many sheets would you recommend I buy? I listed the dimensions above? And I want to use a thick strong durable mesh on the fronts of the doors like you did, I also want a small piece on the sides to get a bit of air flow through the cage! I'm only going to make 2 compartments now as the hamster is very happy in his new cage we only got him last week haha! Thanks for your ideas etc, your photo album of the cage building is awesome and really inspiring lol, I definitely am going to get stuck in like you guys did! It's really exciting! missdegu - My goo's have a plastic wheel, a thick strong plastic base to their cage and they have never chewed anything, I think I just got really lucky lol, They do like chewing willow sticks though! My well behaved goo's lmao! |
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Post by listracian on Jun 23, 2011 12:03:26 GMT
I don't know if Wickes will cut it - we got someone my boyfriend knew to do it because I am impatient and didn't want to fuss around waiting for shops! Call them and ask though! If not try B&Q some of their stores have cutting services. My recommendation on the side air vent bits, is to use the wire mesh but make sure the mesh is on the inside of the cage, otherwise they can chew on the MDF! This is the MDF sheet we got - www.wickes.co.uk/mdf/invt/110035/ I would suggest getting that thickness it helps putting it together! We were thinking of getting a smaller thickness but decided it would be better to get the thicker one and were so glad we did! As for how many to buy, draw out the size sheets and then work out how big the back/sides etc are going to be and then see how much will fit on one sheet! The back/top/bottom of our cage took up about half the sheet then we used the bits left to make dividers and doors and shelves. So I recommend drawing it all out and working out all the measurements for everything |
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nubbin
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 237
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Post by nubbin on Jun 23, 2011 12:07:48 GMT
I do love these custom built wooden cages but doesnt the smell of urine become a problem, my degus have one wooden shelf and within days it gets soaked and stinks
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Post by Kins on Jun 23, 2011 12:08:34 GMT
I also used MDF for the cages (we have 2 now) and shelves. We then edged the shelves with wide strips of pine and covered them with self adhesive floor tiles. This stops the MDF getting soggy from goo wee and they are just wipe clean. We had all of our MDF cut to size at B&Q, where they are supposed to charge 50p per cut, but we weren't charged either time we had stuff cut there. The only slight issue is that some of the staff that do the cutting aren't very accurate. Our first cage was perfect but the second one some of the pieces of MDF weren't quite the right size, it doesn't matter, it just means that some of the joins aren't perfect. Our first cage has mesh doors but when we made the second one we used perspex. This keeps all the bedding and poos in the cage rather than on the floor. We have got perspex for the other cage but haven't got round to changing it over yet. I also want to make the pine edging much wider so that I can put more bedding on the shelves as it gets kicked off and the shelves therefore get dirtier quicker. Here are a couple of pics of our first cage...   We also made a little MDF cupboard underneath for the cage to sit on and to store all their bits in. The strip or wood across the top of the cage is much thinner now, but other than that it is pretty much still the same. |
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Post by emz on Jun 23, 2011 12:35:28 GMT
I do love these custom built wooden cages but doesnt the smell of urine become a problem, my degus have one wooden shelf and within days it gets soaked and stinks Look at my picture, you edge the shelves so they are a few inches thick and you fill them with sawdust. So you hardly get any smell. I usually need to clean my cage once a month. |
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Post by sophie9901 on Jun 23, 2011 12:51:19 GMT
Hey kins, I love your cage and the storage cupboard must be a god send haha! Very convenient I bet I just wondered what wood people recommend on the edges of the shelves and doors? and where I would get it from? Thanks!! listracian thank you for your advice etc, The MDF you suggested was actually the one I was looking at so that's reassuring!! I know that nightwishraven suggested atleast 1.4cm thickness on his website so 1.8 is even better! How many sheets did you end up buying in the end for your cage? |
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Post by Kat on Jun 23, 2011 13:02:16 GMT
Hi, Whenever I want wood I go to a local timber shop. They will cut the wood for you and most will deliver for a small fee. Check your yellow pages.
Kat
x
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Post by emz on Jun 23, 2011 17:10:40 GMT
I just wondered what wood people recommend on the edges of the shelves and doors? and where I would get it from? Thanks!! Pine and you can pretty much get it from anywhere, homebase, b&q etc. |
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Post by sophie9901 on Jun 23, 2011 17:44:14 GMT
Thanks for all of your help everyone - It should be built within the next few weeks and I will upload some pics as soon as it's all done! |
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Post by emz on Jun 23, 2011 18:47:18 GMT
Looking forward to them. ;D
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