Zenaida's Enclosure Build

[zenaida]

Lol! We're not personally big on Disney princesses, but that would be just ridiculous!

The Trek and super hero ideas are pretty good, I'll run them by him.

[zenaida]

Progress report: 

Already bought, waiting for:

The running wheel

New lights



Need to fix:

Bigger bolt for the saucer

Use some glue to keep the tiles permanently down

Take down old lights


Need to build:

The hay feeder to cover the wall

A travel carrier
 
Possibly a hutch for them to hide in (if I have the materials on hand, if not I have a bunch of cardboard boxes saved up for them anyway)

______________________________________

I'm spent some time today trying to design a carrier that I would like using pine and mesh. I haven't come up with something I'm satisfied with yet. I might also just buy a carrier this time around. I was thinking about it and although I don't like wire, I would be ok with it on something just for transport. 

The saucer is all fixed, no more wobble. I hit the tiles with some crazy glue and they are good to go now. I hung the hammock and picked up eye bolt hardware that I can hang more things off. 

I also have the hay rack all designed based on something I saw on the rabbit manor website. It might end up being a hay rack, but it could also end up being a nest for them. I don't really care as long as it keeps them away from the repaired wall. 

[zenaida]

I finally feel like I have finished enough of these accessories to show you all:

I've been making "ropes" and a hammock from old blue jeans that I have.



We start with old jeans. I have lots because I wear jeans for work, but need to be professional with them, so when they get a tiny rip (usually the right knee for me) they have to be retired. I sort of have ambitions toward making a blue jean quilt one day so I have like 5 years worth of jeans saved up.



To make rope, I cut off one of the pant legs. I've made two versions, one with the whole pant leg and one where I cut a single leg into front and back. I like the one cut in half better because it is a little more manageable. I hem the end so it won't fray.



Next I fold the pant leg up and get it layered to be less flat and more round. I hold all those folds together with a eyelet.



Once I have three of them, I put the ends together and just braid the whole thing.



Here's three completed ones, if you look carefully you can see the size difference with the whole vs half pant leg ones. Right now I'm using cheap clips to hold the ends together.





This is the hammock I made, I didn't get any "making of" shots, but it was a straightforward cutting a big enough piece of jeans and old tee-shirt. I sewed them togehter inside out, flipped it, and then ran an edge stitch to make it look neater. Just like you would with making a pillow.




I'm really hoping the girls won't chew these too much, but if they do, I'll know they are and can remove the items. I found them really easy to make, but I've been sewing for years.

[moletteuk]

Fantastic!

[deguconvert]

Those are AWESOME!! Well done!

[winic1]

Very cool

[Maravilla]

I haven't read the text, just looked at the pictures. The enclosure looks great! If it works out regarding temperature and ventilation you have to see. You might have to make the holes somewhat bigger if the air inside seems not fresh and cool enough.

What I am worried about are the lights, better said the cables. Do you have plans to protect them in some way? My degus found ways to gnaw on things I could not imagine they were able to reach. Well, they were able to...

Have you painted the walls or is it just pure plywood?

[zenaida]

Mar 21, 2017 6:32:25 GMT Maravilla said:

I haven't read the text, just looked at the pictures. The enclosure looks great! If it works out regarding temperature and ventilation you have to see. You might have to make the holes somewhat bigger if the air inside seems not fresh and cool enough.

What I am worried about are the lights, better said the cables. Do you have plans to protect them in some way? My degus found ways to gnaw on things I could not imagine they were able to reach. Well, they were able to...

Have you painted the walls or is it just pure plywood?

Hi Maravilla!

So your questions were addressed in the text, but I know I'm long winded so I don't mind summarizing. 

So the temperature problem is directly due to the lights. There is no temperature problem when the lights are off. They just put out too much heat. I have the mesh to encase the lights and wires, but I didn't put it on because I can see where this will go. Right now I have ordered new LED lights from IKEA that won't put out the heat and will swap them in when they arrive. Once those tests go well, then I'll cover them.

More ventilation holes are being discussed, along with possibly some PC fans to help with the air flow. I sort of want to see if changing the lights will be enough though. 

The outside of the enclosure is painted, but the inside is just plywood. 

Thanks for the compliments, I'm really happy with the overall result!

[zenaida]

Progress report:

Already bought, waiting for:
The running wheel      It came in the mail today!
New lights

Need to fix:
Bigger bolt for the saucer
Use some glue to keep the tiles permanently down
Take down old lights

Need to build:
The hay feeder to cover the wall
A travel carrier Decided to buy one instead because I pretty much need a jig saw for what I want to do.
Possibly a hutch for them to hide in (if I have the materials on hand, if not I have a bunch of cardboard boxes saved up for them anyway)

[zenaida]

A few new pictures:

First building a "hay feeder" totally not required except to cover that patchwork.











Bonus shot of the new 14 inch tic tac wheel.

[moletteuk]

Excellent

[deguconvert]

WELL DONE!! I love your design!! Your degus will love to chew the holes, too, LOL!

[winic1]

Could you measure the size of the wheel for me--I'd assume it's 14" wide, but how tall and how deep, so I can see if it would fit in the existing wheel space we have? My guys desperately need something better than the substandard wheels we can get locally.

One of those is not in the budget, but with Mother's Day coming up, and knowing my rotten family will do nothing for me, I'll just buy myself a gift and to heck with them even taking "me" out to their favorite restaurant, if the even bother to suggest that this year. My furry children will appreciate what I do for them, and to heck with the hairless ones.

[Emziedee]

They should appreciate you more Winic.. this will be my first Mother's Day without my mum and I'd give anything to have her back here. We didn't get along around the time she passed and I regret that deeply

[winic1]

So very sorry, G&T. I know it hurts when the "if only" becomes the forever.


We get along. They're just currently too lazy and self-centered to bother, as is hubby. I used to be the one making the fuss for holidays and birthdays and special days. I loved all of that, the decorating, the planning, finding and hiding gifts until it was time. Then life and an a-hole on his cell phone while driving took the ability to do it away from me. And they don't care, not that it doesn't get done, not that I miss it, nothing. So, last two years I said I didn't want bought gifts for Christmas, I wanted help doing things around the house I can't do anymore. THAT they listened to, I got nothing. But no help, either. Last year, day before Mother's Day the kids come up to hubby and me, late afternoon, together in that way they do when they've been plotting together, and ask if they can go out to the mall & stuff for a few hours. No special reason, just because, they say, mysteriously. I get all excited inside, They Remember!!!! I even gave them $20 for whatever they might need it for.

They used it for food. They got me nothing. Not even a card.

So, I now buy my own gifts. And, come Mother's Day, if I can find a way to go out without them and do something, I will. Even if it's just calling a cab to take me to the mall where I sit in McDonalds eating french fries for an hour.

[zenaida]

winic1 Internal wheel diameter is 14", external wheel diameter is more like 14.5". The height on the stand is about 17.25". I got a 5" deep one, but the stand is wider than it both front and back. The stand is about about 11" deep and 11" across. 

It doesn't quite fit on my highest level so I'm going to have to keep it on the bottom level.

[moletteuk]

I was sorting our accessory links a couple of weeks ago, how does this American wheel compare price wise?
www.chinchillas.com/estore/detail.aspx?ID=246 Maybe it depends if you get caught by customs on the Tictac?

Zenaida, do you have the option to take if off the stand and fix it straight to the wall, so it would fit on the top shelf if you wanted it to?


My mum used to cry nearly every year on mother's day, we always bought a gift, but she would hear of other kids doing the breakfast in bed and other stuff like that and always be disappointed. My brother and I just aren't good at 'occasions', we figured we were good kids all year, so what more does she want? Winic, maybe your kids have a similar thing going on, they feel utterly secure in and surrounded by your love so they just completely take it and you for granted. Not even a card is pretty mean though. And the christmas thing. Nice people can be surprisingly selfish, especially with their time.

[zenaida]

I think the silver surfer and the chin spin are just about comparable or a little cheaper, it would depend on shipping. I also looked at the metal flying saucers, but I read that the Germans did some of their motion testing and the results were that they don't recommend those. After shipping I tic tac was a few dollars over 100$ but considering this has a stand and those don't, it made a difference for me because I'm indecisive about the final positioning of the wheel. So the tic tac at baseline was like 10$ cheaper, but after shipping it was more expensive. I don't think I paid any import fees unless it was included in the shipping cost.

I think the tic tac could be attached directly to the wall if I wanted. It has a relatively simple nut and bolt assembly on the back. If I were to try it, I might need to find a way to distribute the load so it didn't wobble too much though. I haven't tried it on the top level, but based on measurement, it should fit up there without the stand. Honestly, if I were to do that, I would probably just get a second wheel for one at top and one at the bottom. The lady I'm getting them from said she has 3 wheels for them right now and they use them almost constantly. She was highly encouraging me to get another one even with having a saucer and the 5" tic tac right now.

Incidentally, it looks almost like the tic tac also uses a rollerblade wheel for the bearing mechanism. I don't feel like taking it apart to be sure, but on the back of the large wheel it has a smaller disk that covers the bearing assembly, inside I can see and just touch it with my fingers that it is a hard plastic/rubber disk like a rollerblade wheel. Either way the construction is really nice and I'm pleased with the wheel. It is dead silent when it spins.

[moletteuk]

The tictac's do use a skateboard or rollerblade wheel.

I think they would benefit from another wheel, but you'll find out soon enough when you get them Now you have one tictac to look at, maybe it wouldn't be too hard to make your own?

[zenaida]

I did want to DIY a wheel, but I was having a very hard time finding a pan of the right size. I found the baking pans you guys use in the UK, but my google-fu failed me to find something comparable stateside. Maybe someone else can point one out to me.