Size of Cage??

[amzziix]

Hi I was looking on the P@H website yesterday, and i saw this cage:

www.petsathome.com/shop/chinchilla-and-degu-cage-by-thickets-house-15966?DisplayProductList=true

Is it a good size cage, and if so how many degus would comfortably live in it?? Or is it just too small??

thanks xx

(hope the link works)

[fred]

Hi Amie, welcome to the forum! With degus there are no stupid questions

The P@H is much too small. Degus are mainly ground-living creatures and need therefore need space to run around. Ideally the cage should be about 1 m long and 0.5m wide and should have two upper levels that cover much of the cage. The cage must have a solid base and not contain any plastic. Unfortunately there are not many cages around which come suitable for degus and at the necessary size they are quite expensive. However, if you don't mind a second hand cage, there are great bargains on sites like preloved and gumtree. Whether new or second hand, why don't you look around and when you find something you like post the link here and we can advise you on the suitability.

[w8152]

I have to disagree,

The Thickets cage is a bit on the small size but it is not completely unsuitable. We would all prefer to give them more room but at the end of the day use as much time space and money as you can afford to ensure their health.

I think people on here need to be a little more understanding and reasonable about keeping these animals and the advice given to new members. there is the ideal and then there is the reality.

[fred]

w8152 - I am a bit confused. In the cage calculator thread you agreed with a CARA of 12,000 and the Thickets cage as it comes has at best half of that. The reality is that the RSPCA recommends a cage with a minimum of 100 x 60 x 60 cm. I therefore do not think it would be reasonable advice to new members if we said that the Thickets cage were suitable. I am trying my best to make the calculator as flexible as possible in order to be understanding to those who got their cages before coming to this forum. Now Amie is doing great asking for our advice before getting the set-up (she herself asked whether the Thickets cage is too small) and I believe that I have given her appropriate advice.

amie - I am so sorry, this must be confusing to you. We are currently having a discussion here what the minimum requirements for a cage should be. Irrespective of how suitable / unsuitable the Thickets cage is, I don't think that anybody here would disagree that it is poor value for money. Just look at few websites offering cages to get an idea yourself.

[amie]

I think Fred is completely correct. The thickets house cage is much too small. I'd say, that cage would a nice home for degus if you attach two of them together and put some more levels in.

The thickets house cage is ok for two baby degus, but as soon as get a little older, you'll be finding yourself spending more money on a bigger cage, so in my opinion, I'd just buy the bigger cage straight away.

You can find some great caqes on Ebay that are a good size for a reasonable price. The thickets house cage is REALLY expensive for what it is. Just make sure whatever you get, it has a metal base as degus love to chew!

[w8152]

the key point is the wording, the RSPCA RECOMMENDS, not a requirement. We may recommend however those cages are enough for 1-2 degus to be happy, not the ideal size and definately not what i'd recommend but we cannot say it is unsuitable.

In the CARA thread i agree 12k is the ideal however that is all ideal for a calculation for people thinking about building a cage, that was my understanding. We are not the police and none of us truely understand the behaviour of these little creatures so none of us are qualified to make those decisions. We can make up numbers that sound ideal but realistically they should be in the wild not in a cage so theres your ideal...

My point is that the cages are sold for people to keep goos in, the question is how many can live in it and the answer is 2 at most by current calculators. No matter what we think, that is the current thinking and that is the answer.

I'm not trying to be funny. yes bigger would be better and yes they would be even happier but they can and will be happy and comfortable in the thickets cage, they adapt to their surroundings and provided the owner allows them out to run "free" they will get plenty of exercise.

[philbailey1806]

I'm going to have to agree with W8152 on this one sorry peeps! I think that the thickets house is by no means ideal, and that more than anything it should really only be temporary, but it's what I bought when I got my degus, as I didn't know any better and they've always been fine with it.

I know that the R.S.P.C.A website says it should be 8cm longer and 13cm wider, but there's no mention of "out time" or even exercise ball time at all on there, and if I remember correctly, it even says that degus don't like to be touched or handled, which makes me think they're setting their guidelines bearing in mind that they aren't going to leave their cage at all.

That's just my opinion though, I do realise that bigger is better, but for some people a cage bigger than a thickets house is just not manageable.

[amie]

I agree that's it's a good temporary cage for degus, but I don't think it's suitable in the long run UNLESS the degus get loads of time of the cage. My opinion obviously! lol. I went massive with my cages because it's not ideal in my house to let them run around all the time. Moving soon though, so that won't be a problem anymore as they'll be having their own room.... hehe.

[philbailey1806]

I agree Amie, I think it's swings and roundabouts, and the person and their house should be taken into consideration, obviously it's best to get as big a cage as possible, but if you can't get one thats massive due to space issues, then they are going to need more time out of their cage, and if you haven't got much room for them to spend time out of their cage in, or you don't have much time to spend with them supervised, then you will need a bigger cage.

[fred]

OK, I have to admit to not being clear enough. I went out of my way to use accommodating language to soften the blow to those who suddenly find - because of incorrect advice - that their cage is not suitable to keep degus in. I obviously should not have used the word RECOMMENDS. The RSPCA says “two degus will need a multilevel wire cage of at least 100cm long X 60cm wide 60cm high with a solid floor”. In other words, it is a REQUIREMENT. I would suggest that the RSPCA trumps whatever we may consider “current thinking” and I hope you will be able to agree with this at least.

[amie]

Well, we agree on that! lol. I think I'd sum up my opinion with exactly what you said. Still not a huge fan of the thickets cage though, but if the degus are getting loads of time out, then I'm sure they'd be happy with that

[philbailey1806]

I don't think any of us are a fan, I think I can speak for everyone when I say we'd like a bigger cage if we had the room and money (Which I'm saving up for, as you know, I now need 2! lol) but I do understand and feel the frustration of people who only have enough room for a thickets house.

[fred]

Phil, I don't think either space or money are really an issue here. If you have a cage with the length and width dimensions of the Thickets cage but is 80 cm high and three tier, you can get to a CARA which matches that of the RSPCA requirements. That's just 20 cm higher and I can't see that this should be a space problem for anyone. As far as costs are concerned, one can easily get two second hand Thickets cages at not more than £ 80 (Kins posted a link to one at £15 earlier). I am sure that if one doesn't mind second hand, great cages can be had at the price of the Thickets cage).

[amie]

So, amzziix. Mixed opinions on the thickets cage as you can see I'm going to step out of this one now and remain nuteral! lol.

[deguconvert]

Perhaps a new thread needs to be opened to further discuss the thickets cage? Hint, hint.

I am not a fan of the thickets cage. Yes, I do think it is small, and it is quickly out grown by the needs and growth of the degus that inhabit it. I also think it is poorly designed and very quickly proves itself to be difficult to maintain/clean etc. I would suggest looking at other cages for these reasons. Knowing that degus need more space that your average pet rodent is going to help you as you look about for cage resources and ideas.

[amzziix]

ok... so loads of opinions here... just a little confusing!! (or i may just be being stupid!!!) most people think its too small... am i right??

is it too small in height or width or both??? because i have two of the thickets cages and wondered if putting the two side by side would work??

i want them to be happy and healthy, so i'm quite happy to buy a new bigger cage, but since i already have two of the thickets, just thought i'd ask.

(hope that makes sense!) xx

[amie]

I'd personally, put one on top of the other

[fred]

With two Thickets cages your goos will be absolutely fine. Most people who have two or more have put them on top of each other but you can also put them side by side, just what fits better into your room. They are predominantly ground-living so it would be good if you could replace the ledges in one cage (you can use them in the other) by a large shelf that covers most of the cage. By doing so you can optimise the space they have available for running.

And no, you are not stupid!!! , the discussion has been confused

[listracian]

As a little bit of advice - for the same amount of money you can generally get larger cages then that on ebay which will be delivered. It may be worth a look on ebay as that was where most of my cages came from before I made one so personally I would recommend looking about a bit before deciding what cage you want

[darkhorse27]

I think the cage is ok as a starter and as a temporary cage , along as they get plenty of exercise outside the cage. But they realy do need more space