New cage, room for improvements?

[robbob]

Hello everyone, 

I made a thread on this forum a little while back, having a lot of trouble getting my hands on a new cage for Hagrid and Lupus, and with a lot of effort I finally made it happen! They very recently moved into a Savic Royal Suite 95, and I'm very happy with both how the cage looks and how much more efficient it is regarding surface area. I have moved all of the goos' stuff over to the new cage and they've lived there for a couple of days now, but I wanted to get the move done asap when I finally got the cage. Therefore I'm thinking the current layout could probably be improved in some ways. I'll try to add some photos here to show how it's currently set up. I have to stock up on their food really soon, so it would be handy to get anything else for their cage at the same time. 

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I am aware the right side of the bottom cage feels a bit barren. I had originally placed their old wooden bridge there (which they had turned into a really cozy nest and sleeping spot in the old cage), but I had to remove it. In the old cage I had a problem where Hagrid would go berserk on the bars in one specific corner of the cage. He did the exact same thing within a couple of minutes of moving into the new cage. Both times it was the corner right behind their nesting bridge. I tried removing it for a bit, and now it's gotten much better. They're still going at the bars, but not in the one single spot, and not for as long and maniacally as before. 

I was considering some food bowls, but am afraid one of them won't let the other one eat. One bowl for each of them might fix this, maybe? Right now they're eating hay off the ground in the right section of the bottom cage. Is a hay rack so important that I really should consider getting one? Any other tips or pointers would be much appreciated!

[randomname]

Hi Robbob, good to see you. How's Hagrid & Lupus doing?
Cage looks great, i think you've set it up well. I wouldn't worry about having a less cluttered area, degus like to run around so space isn't a bad thing. I'm sure you'll see something to put there soon enough anyway As you know, they'll probably rearrange everything no matter where you put it lol. I have 3 degus & I have 6 feeding bowls around the cage, I have 3 water bottles & 2 wheels too (they still bicker though..) so I would say get a few bowls. I also like to hide food around the cage or scatter in in a pile of hay & forage. I find hay racks a bit of a waste of money to be honest. None of mine bother with them, the hay is ignored unless it's on the floor or in food bowls. I do like this one - www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/runs_fencing/73302/83037 'cos they can sit on top of it. Our chinchillas have them but they ignore the hay & sit on top. The degus just demolished theirs so I don't bother now. Plus a lot of them aren't safe, so be careful.

I really like the whole natural theme, lots of wood etc. That's what I try to go for with mine too. Do your guys not chew the plastic bath? I'm too scared to use plastics with any of our animals, I use a giant metal dog bowl for a sand bath. I don't use hammocks or fleece either, just don't trust them not to eat it. They just destroy everything anyway lol.

[bouncy]

Wow! And well done for finding someone who would send a cage to you! The boys look really happy, and I'm sure they've been zooming around all over the place!

I'm aware you have issues with most companies, even Zooplus, so I'll offer some DIY suggestions.

Poster/carpet tube - mine love scuttling through, and often hide in there, as well as chewing.

Dog rope toys - I've got a few different ones. I get chain repair links or clips from the hardware store to fix them, or even just twisted garden wire. They're bridges, perch points, ladders, or even chewing fodder for nest building.

Cardboard boxes - every box or cardboard packaging I get (size allowing) is goo entertainment!

Floors - you could extend one of the half levels to a full one by putting some board in.

An extra wheel - you can never have enough!

A full toilet roll - hours of entertainment for you, and nesting for them!

Regarding food bowls, you could try two. Put some distance between them (one on the top section, one on the bottom), but there are pros and cons. If you are already scatter feeding and it works, I would just leave it. They're then having to work for their food, foraging as they would in the wild.

[robbob]

Thanks a lot for the comments, bouncy and randomname!
I think I'll just let the bowls and hay rack be for now, as they're used to having it spread around the floor and there haven't been any issues.
It's good to hear the cage is looking alright already! I'll probably look for some simple stuff to add/replace old items as they wear out over time.
I've been lucky with the sandbath and hammock, as they mostly chew on the wood. I have to buy a new wheel for them, as they've almost chewed it to the point where there's a gap preventing them from running effectively.
I like the idea of giving them a full toilet roll. I've given them the occasional sheets only, and they go nuts over it. Would love to see how they react if they got a whole roll to themselves.

Thanks again! I love this cage so far and am really happy it worked out(and I'm pretty sure the boys like it as well!).

[deguconvert]

Well done, Robbob!! I think it is looking great! I do have one question for you. Are the "shelves" or levels made out of plastic? If they are, keep an eye on them. Degus love to chew plastic, and once they get a taste for it, they will go at them non-stop. You can protect them with wood or with ceramic tiles . . . or stone tiles if you so choose.

[moletteuk]

I'm really pleased you tracked down a cage and you and they like it


I have a fairly large wooden house in our cage that I feed forage on top of - they always preferred hanging out on top of the house to inside it, anyway, it's sort of half way between putting stuff on the floor and using a rack or bowl. You might find something tempting in garden shops, larger plantpots, 'strawberry pots' with several holes in are good, semi circle hanging baskets are good for hanging in unused areas higher up. Large natural branches.

You should cover up the backs of the ladders between levels because they can have a leg slip through and break. You can wire on some wood or just carboard that you replace regularly, or you can completely replace with wooden ramps/ steps etc.

[robbob]

Thanks! They are indeed made of plastic and I'm already paying the price. Hagrid is an avid chewer and have made a big hole in one of the corners of the bottom platform (took hom long enough!). I'm talking with my dad and we're currently working on a tile solution to prevent it from becoming worse. Now the question is how severe this will become. Both floors and the side platforms are made of plastic. Hagrid has only been chewing on the bottom one, but once we cover it up with tiles, who's to say he won't start again somewhere else. I'll have to figure this out really soon, haha

[bouncy]

If you replace the shelves, even with wood, and edge them, you should stop it from happening again

[moletteuk]

Sometimes it's possible to put wooden edging around the perimeter and then they might leave the base alone IF if is totally flat. If there is any shaping to it they will probably get their teeth around it and the whole lot will need covering or replacing.

Once they discover the shelves are chewable they probably won't stop until they have consumed the whole lot!!

[robbob]

These guys, I swear!
We didn't have any wood available to craft a new bottom altogether, so instead they now have an entirely tiled floor, with smaller tiles around the edge to cover chew able spots. I'll keep observing them for now, but I'll probably completely replace the upper floor and cover it with some fiber mats, cause I know Hagrid won't give up that easy.
At least the initial crisis has been handled!