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Post by creativerob on Oct 13, 2019 21:36:00 GMT
Hi people, I'm a furniture restorer and I get glass cabinets in fairly often. Is there any guidelines for keeping goos in non kiln dried wood?
I'm guessing if there's nowhere for my goo to chew it should be ok? I'm treating 5 year old sandy to a new cage because his sibling died last week, he's getting on ok, I've been playing with him a lot since, but he's very hyperactive, he's always running about and he's really inquisitive. I think he's missing his brother 😢 R.I.P Softy 😞
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 14, 2019 7:24:40 GMT
Hello, CreativeRob. Well . . . that is an interesting question! However, the image that forms in my mind is something like an aquarium, or maybe a terrarium? Can you show us some photos of the kind of cabinet you are thinking of? One of the aspects of glass is that it does not insulate, but if there is sunlight shining in, it can concentrate the heat and become very warm. Degus do not enjoy lots of heat, and it can lead to a swift death. It is also not very good at venting, and that is a consideration that has to be built in. In any cage that is intended for degu use, you need to remember that they are ground animals, not tree or climbing animals, so tall and narrow is not a fun or comfortable habitat for them . . . anymore than we would enjoy living in an elevator shaft. I understand you are saying that you will be converting a piece of furniture, so would have to work to a certain degree, within the limitations of the piece you are transforming. Which is probably why you are asking . . . so that you know what to keep your eye open for. Do I remember correctly that you were thinking of potentially getting a new cage mate for Sandy at some future point in time? Can I point you to our cage size recommendations? deguworld.proboards.com/thread/9396/forums-cage-size-recommendations
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Post by creativerob on Oct 14, 2019 10:28:25 GMT
Yes, I was thinking about it. I mean I'd put sandy in his new enclosure and I'll put the new goo in sandy cage to familiarise the new goo to his smell, would this be okay to do? Or could it cause stress?
Then I'd slowly see how non-physical contact goes down by putting him closer and closer to his enclosure. Hopefully it will go down well. Only problem is, sandy likes to eat other goo's food 😅 he's a bit naughty lol might be hard to get him a mate to be honest.
But anyway, on page 38 on this thread there's a tall glass cabinet converted to an enclosure. If you have a look, that's the type of thing I want to convert.
Edit: Cheers for the link, I'll be definitely looking for somthing with a good floor space area, then a few levels too and sandy will be spoilt 😋 he's not actually doing too bad, he's eating chewing, bathing, gnawing, running on his wheel ect.. But he's squeeking at us more when we go past the room with his cage in it, something he only did when he wanted oats lol.
But he's been getting lots and lots of attention now 😊 not that he didn't before, but I'm spending atleast a good hour with him a day just playing and I go in the room everytime I pass and give him a treat like celery or oats 😊
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 14, 2019 17:02:59 GMT
Yes, you are on the right track, wooden cabinets with glass doors work well, the only inherent problem you need to work out is ventilation, this is usually done by making a good portion of the top mesh and then putting some kind of mesh insert or vent on the sides at every level. And yes, in theory most degus on't chew a flat surface so the flat surfaces can be made of any wood. You must protect all chewable edges that they can get their teeth around, so that means at every route from level to level, where you insert vents etc. We have a materials guide with more information deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17316/cage-materialsA couple of things to consider are that any cage should ideally be at least 100cm long so the degu can run properly, and should usually be at least 45cm front to back so you can fit large items and still have space in front, those dimensions are generally quite difficult to find in a conversion project. I think you would probably want Sandy settle in his new cage before you introduce a new degu, some degus can take a while to settle into a new space. Another thing to consider is the side by side arrangements while you get two degus used to each other. It helps if you have scope to move the cages from far apart to very close so there is just a single thickness of mesh between them in the final stages before living together. It may be worth considering having the new cage big enough to house both degus and having a single shared level with a divider on it so they can get really close together without touching, a double layer of mesh that you can also block with solid wood gives you lots of options. Check out rescues for another degu, if you are lucky they may even be able to let you take Sandy and see if he likes the smell of anyone. Also, do double check he is male. Also, neutering and getting a female can be an option if you have a good vet and Sandy is under 5 ish yrs.
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Post by creativerob on Oct 15, 2019 0:32:37 GMT
Yes, you are on the right track, wooden cabinets with glass doors work well, the only inherent problem you need to work out is ventilation, this is usually done by making a good portion of the top mesh and then putting some kind of mesh insert or vent on the sides at every level. And yes, in theory most degus on't chew a flat surface so the flat surfaces can be made of any wood. You must protect all chewable edges that they can get their teeth around, so that means at every route from level to level, where you insert vents etc. We have a materials guide with more information deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17316/cage-materialsA couple of things to consider are that any cage should ideally be at least 100cm long so the degu can run properly, and should usually be at least 45cm front to back so you can fit large items and still have space in front, those dimensions are generally quite difficult to find in a conversion project. I think you would probably want Sandy settle in his new cage before you introduce a new degu, some degus can take a while to settle into a new space. Another thing to consider is the side by side arrangements while you get two degus used to each other. It helps if you have scope to move the cages from far apart to very close so there is just a single thickness of mesh between them in the final stages before living together. It may be worth considering having the new cage big enough to house both degus and having a single shared level with a divider on it so they can get really close together without touching, a double layer of mesh that you can also block with solid wood gives you lots of options. Check out rescues for another degu, if you are lucky they may even be able to let you take Sandy and see if he likes the smell of anyone. Also, do double check he is male. Also, neutering and getting a female can be an option if you have a good vet and Sandy is under 5 ish yrs. Thank you very much, both of you. I'm waiting to see the perfect cabinet, when I do see it I'll make sure it's got enough depth and I'll have to get myself in the mind of a degu and chew proof everything 😅😜 I'll drop pictures when I start work on one soon!
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 15, 2019 14:43:49 GMT
Great.
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