Cage Upgrade

[deguconvert]

There is some information that says that the linseed oil must be RAW . . . no processing, cooking, nothing added into it, in order for it to be safe for humans to use on things like cutting boards. Anything that will be used with food. I am still not sure about using it in the cage. It has quite strong vapor, so I would also be concerned about the safety of their lungs.

Thoughts? Would the vapor be a problem?

[bouncy]

Personally, I've only ever used linseed oil on my old school lacrosse stick, so I'm not sure about using this within a goo cage

[moletteuk]

Found this, which seems to make sense: gimmethegoodstuff.org/is-linseed-oil-toxic/
which basically says that raw linseed and pure boiled linseed oil are safe but regular hardware shop linseed oil is not safe as it can contain heavy metals and all sorts of nasty things. Another point is that it is pretty flammable. Common sense says that pure linseed oil must be safe because linseeds are perfectly safe and commonly fed to degus and they are mainly constituted of the oil.

[shomoca]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I would probably not use the oil.
Moving forward with the cage upgrade I have created the doors. I went for a design that allows me to open them downwards - like bouncy said in a previous post.
I have also created some small shelves for them to climb on. Only attached pictures with those.

Pic 1
Pic 2

[bouncy]

Those little shelves look great! I also LOVE the edging you've put around the access holes!

[shomoca]

Thank you
Progress is slow.. If the day had 40 hours maybe I would've had more to show.

[bouncy]

What matters is the end result

[deguconvert]

I love the look of those shelves as well . . . almost too pretty for a degu cage. The angle of your photo makes it look like there is a lot of space between them, LOL.

[shomoca]

Everything is in a test phase for now. I will change the heights to suit their needs.

[shomoca]

Hi all,

Coming back with an update on the cage.. The back side will be the last piece I will mount, until then I am thinking on how to ornament the interior.
I have added some cocoliner (I think this is how you call it around here) as main substrate and beneath it I put an absorbent (the one you give your puppies to poo on). I ran out of cocos roll so that's why you will see at the bottom level only half of it. This gave me an idea. For the other half I may create like a separate zone of the cage .. I have a lot of free space to play with.
Anyway, here are some pics:

Front
Back
Side
Shelves
Shelve

Hope you like it   

[misscatafer]

Wow, I really like it!! Well done, you are talented. The wheel is funky. So lovely to see how spoilt your degus are

[deguconvert]

It looks huge but it is really hard to give it context for size. What is the width of the door frame behind your cage, and what is the width of the cage itself? It's looking really good! Just have a question . . . how do you open it?

[bouncy]

I love it! Well done, love. You've built a goo home to be proud of!

[shomoca]

Hi, that wheel is a failed project. The plastic is thin so when my goos are running it starts to woble and it becomes unconfortable for them. I will have to change it.

So the outside of the cage is 100cmx50cm. The doors have something like 95cm width. They will open downwords. The hinges are not mounted yet that's why you got confused avout how to open the doors.

[moletteuk]

It looks great

See how they use the space, but I think a couple of big shelves would be great, maybe full length but half depth, or full depth but one side only.

[shomoca]

I will add 2 big shelf full length half depth at the back of the cage and after that I think I will let the girls enjoy the new home. Like you said I will see how they will use the space and then make changes accordingly.

[shomoca]

So this weekend I finally finished the new cage and just now I found some time to share this with you.
Hope you guys like it

Full Cage nighttime
1st Floor
2nd Floor
Full Cage daytime

I made them a separate area for sand baths and I hope they will also pee there.. I read on this forum that they usually choose a toilet spot but these 2 goos poo everywhere.. especially where the running wheel is..

I am also curious how long until I will need to clean the cage - major cleaning I mean: removing the coco substrate ..etc

[moletteuk]

Great

How are they enjoying it?

[deguconvert]

Must feel great to have it done! That's great! Love your photos . . . I only see a degu in one of them though. Are they hiding somewhere in there? Which wheel do they love the best?

Degus identify their territory by their pee trails, so they tend to pee all over the place for marking purposes, and as they become familiar with the place, they will often then choose a location for peeing repeatedly. It doesn't meant they will pee only there, but it will get more use. You will have to watch and see that your degus do.

I'm not familiar with using the cocomat, so am not sure how frequently it needs care. I believe that you can take it out, shake the poo out, and then blast it with water to wash it out though? Of course you will have to let it completely dry before putting it back in. So . . . blasting it with water may not be very practical. I'm sure there is someone that can help with this question with a more experienced basis than what I have.

[misscatafer]

Looks great, well done! When I had cocomat in my cage I would do a full cage clean every 5 weeks. I'd shake it out and hoover it. Any super saturated bits I'd ruffle up or remove. They do have their favourite pee spots which will get pretty soaked over time, so what I would do is put wood shavings or carefresh over these areas to maintain the mat. You can spot clean as and when needed. The great thing about cocomat is it maintains scents, so you are less likely to cause disruption to your goos when you clean them out.