tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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Post by tish on Oct 1, 2017 17:08:30 GMT
Hi guys, Today I picked up a cage in preperation for when I get my goos (hopefully within the next month from a rescue place ) It's a cage someone else custom built for their own goos, and I just wanted to share it and see what suggestions you have for any additional mods for it. I've already been told it could benefit from some lighting, as it is quite dark inside so I will see if I can find some threads on how to do that! I'm not the most DIY savvy person Here are some photos of it. The measurement are approx 120 x 76 x 49 and we'll be making the mesh sections cat proof of course! imgur.com/jZYDvJaimgur.com/D0OIHTXimgur.com/aTHSgJSimgur.com/fO1e1QWimgur.com/idq0L4m
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 1, 2017 18:38:54 GMT
Photobucket is the public enemy of hosting images now. They want you to pay them 500 dollars to have that privilege through their site. Imgur (not sure I have the name right) is a good option. Also these deguworld.proboards.com/post/163642/thread
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 18:41:20 GMT
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Post by misscatafer on Oct 1, 2017 18:41:20 GMT
None of the pictures are working for me! But those dimensions seem too small, the cage is too narrow so they won't have enough room to run. How many levels is it?
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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Post by tish on Oct 1, 2017 18:52:17 GMT
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 20:12:15 GMT
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Post by misscatafer on Oct 1, 2017 20:12:15 GMT
I like the tiled floors! That will be easy to clean. It definitely needs some lights though, how big is the wheel?
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 20:20:39 GMT
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Post by tish on Oct 1, 2017 20:20:39 GMT
The person I got it from built it for his 2 goos, I really like it. Easy to clean definitely! I’ve checked the measurements against different site recommendations and they seem to be ok, I was looking to get either 2 or 3 goos, however many the cage would work for?! I don’t know best way to measure the wheel, it’s 22 x 22 across. It looks quite big but again we can modify as necessary
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 20:40:16 GMT
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Post by tish on Oct 1, 2017 20:40:16 GMT
Another thing to factor is there is actually a fourth level at the bottom, but this has been set as storage (I assume for food/hay). I don’t know if we’d extend it yet but it’s certainly something we could look to work on
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 20:48:12 GMT
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tish likes this
Post by ntg on Oct 1, 2017 20:48:12 GMT
22cm across? A degu wheel should be at least 30cm or 12 inches across or their spines will bend as they're running which is bad for their health.
Depending on what forum you're on, the cage sizes will differ as some are more up to date than others. We go by a bigger cage is always better mantra with a minimum size recommendation of 100cm x 50cm length x width for homemade cages or 90cm x 60cm for bought cages with 2.5 full levels as that's the size that we find our degus displaying a bigger range of natural behaviours, including running at their full speed.
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 20:52:36 GMT
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Post by ntg on Oct 1, 2017 20:52:36 GMT
If you can extend it to 4 levels then it would be better for your goos as it would at least give 2-3 goos a good floor space... Just as an idea - depending on how easy to modify the cage is and how much floor space you have, perhaps you could think about turning it on its side and putting a second level of 120cm length?
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 20:55:41 GMT
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Post by tish on Oct 1, 2017 20:55:41 GMT
@ntg that’s really good to know, thank you. I’ll get that one out and grab a bigger wheel
Can anyone recommend what kind of lights I should be looking to put in?
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 20:58:58 GMT
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Post by ntg on Oct 1, 2017 20:58:58 GMT
No worries help is what we're here for! A lot of people use things like led strip lights from ikea or led rope lights to light up their cages they're cheap to run as well which is a bonus!
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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New cage
Oct 1, 2017 21:01:43 GMT
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Post by tish on Oct 1, 2017 21:01:43 GMT
If you can extend it to 4 levels then it would be better for your goos as it would at least give 2-3 goos a good floor space... Just as an idea - depending on how easy to modify the cage is and how much floor space you have, perhaps you could think about turning it on its side and putting a second level of 120cm length? I don’t think we’d have the floor space but also I don’t know how easy that would be. The cage set up is basically 4 separate units that all link together rather than one big cage, I think I would have more success trying to go into the fourth level than completely redesigning it
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New cage
Oct 2, 2017 7:28:14 GMT
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Post by misscatafer on Oct 2, 2017 7:28:14 GMT
The 100 x 50 is length and depth, not height. So the cage is narrower than recommended at 76cm across. I think if you look at adding some more levels and converting the bottom part into floor space it would be much better for them, you just won't see sprinting or running behaviours as they won't have the length to get up to speed.
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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New cage
Oct 2, 2017 7:45:20 GMT
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Post by tish on Oct 2, 2017 7:45:20 GMT
Ok I’ll look at modifying the bottom section so it can be used too, I don’t see it being too difficult to do with basic diy so I’m sure I can get it done quite quickly. I have no time constraints for getting them so I just want to be sure the cage is ok first!
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New cage
Oct 2, 2017 7:55:32 GMT
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Post by misscatafer on Oct 2, 2017 7:55:32 GMT
You have a good base to work with so I'm sure it will look fab when you are done! We have all been there with the wrong cage so don't worry. I originally had a Blenheim extra large rat cage: www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk/blenheim-extra-tall-rat-cage-with-accessories-140cm-white/But soon noticed they just were not able to get active and they would just sit and bar chewing all day out of frustration. I doubled the cage size by buying a second one, it made such a difference! The speeds they can get up to now when dashing about is incredible and so lovely to watch. If you are not able to increase the length at all by turning it on its side, are you planning on giving them time out of the cage to be able to stretch their legs? You can make a cheap play pen for £30 with this: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016DY1MD0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_fdF0zbBH4WM0B, for an idea!
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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Post by tish on Oct 2, 2017 8:18:08 GMT
It seems there are a lot of cage options so it does get quite confusing!! Because I own cats I can’t have an all mesh cage, which is why this one was perfect for us. I’m sure I can add some more shelving throughout too They will definitely have time out of the cage every evening to have a run around, I know this also helps with bonding as well as exercise so it’s a must
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2017 9:54:29 GMT
Hello! You say the cage comes apart? Could you put them in a grid of four rather than all on top of each other? It would increase the width and therefore help you with meeting the minimum size recommendations. Those recommendations are minimums, so exceeding them is always great. I definitely agree it needs lights. It's hard to find a good wheel that's big enough. Most of us all have tictac wheels - www.tictacwheels.co.ukYou need to get 12inches or bigger. Bigger is always better. I always buy 14inch ones for my degus. If you want to ditch that cage altogether if you aren't very good at DIY, these are the two cages that meet those bought cage recommendations: www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk/products/metal-aventura-huge-metal-rat-ferret-chinchilla-cage.html?utm_medium=googleshopping&utm_source=bc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu--35NTR1gIV7bftCh0YzwNDEAQYASABEgKGCPD_BwEwww.worldstores.co.uk/p/Liberta_2nd_Edition_Explorer_Rat,_Ferret_and_Chinchilla_Cage.htm?product_id=546848&utm_source=pla&affiliate=WS-google-shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInuTi79XR1gIV9DLTCh3-gQ8hEAQYAyABEgK89fD_BwE You might want to think about the cost of making the cage you've been given workable vs the cost of buying one of those two cages.. exclude filling with toys and so forth as a cost because both options need that - the one that you've been given needs filling as would a new one. So think about what tools you might need to buy, materials etc. Soon adds up. We built an extension on our first cage which was too small (hence the extension) and the extension cost us just as much to build as the cage did (£110), so in total just the shell of that cage cost us £220 nearly. We may as well have bought a new nice cage that met requirements. Just a thought! I also have two cats - the mesh or bars aren't really an issue, like anything, keep an eye on your cats 😌 x
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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New cage
Oct 2, 2017 10:11:25 GMT
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Post by tish on Oct 2, 2017 10:11:25 GMT
Hi Emily! Hm I may be able to make that work, I think I need to look at all the parts separately to see what could fit where and what mods I’d need to do. I definitely don’t want an all mesh cage; my cats are quite relaxed but I wouldn’t trust them with that many holes!!! The cage is in the living room where the cats have full access, I simply feel more secure with a wooden base rather than mesh so if I hadn’t got this one I would have made one (or got someone else to make one!!!) I found a link to the tictac wheels through a thread so I’ve got that saved
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 2, 2017 10:17:28 GMT
I think it's a great idea to arrange the 4 sections into 2 up and 2 accross and then open up the side by side internal walls. Or you could extend one level to be much longer and fulfill the length requirement that way.
If you like the idea of converting the cupboard layer into cage space and doing the two by two arrangement, then I would recommend putting the whole thing on a table or bench or some other means of lifting the degu living space off the floor, even bricks or blocks would work. Degus usually prefer being above ground level and it should offer a little more protection from the cats having them raised up a little.
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tish
Warbling Degu
Posts: 33
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New cage
Oct 2, 2017 12:14:25 GMT
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Post by tish on Oct 2, 2017 12:14:25 GMT
The only issue I may have is space, right now the cage is sitting in a cubby area so I’ll have to measure up. The suggestion to have one section long would be very easy, we could simply take the bottom storage area and fit it next to the second lowest cupboard instead of under. It’s already got a top to it so you could simply remove one side board of each unit to make them link - would doing one lower section long be good enough?
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