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Post by populatetheplanets on Nov 16, 2020 14:37:24 GMT
Hello All!
We just adopted Carrot and Fluffy, two sisters about 9 months young. They are in a 10 gallon take + topper. Already done with that set up after 12 hours. Impossible for easy cleaning and all that jazz.
I am tempted to just buy the critter mansion for $250 and go for it, but it is large for my house and not as much fun as building our own. I have a corner of my daughters bedroom that would be a triangle of 2' x 2' and go floor to ceiling. I really want to do this so I can add a pvc tunnel system along the perimeter of her ceiling, i'd cut lots of wire mesh windows and some sort of easy access if the little gals get "Stuck".
If I do a custom build I am very interested in offering a natural area at the bottom with dirt and rocks and such.
1. Is that a decent foot print?
2. How hard is it to manage a natural feature
3. are water features a bad idea? Small pool and waterfall? Or moisture just bad idea with bedding and wood and all that?
4. Do I remove the bedding each day from the section with the bedding?
5. PVC is plastic of sorts, but I get the sense its ok for these critters?
6. lighting?
I'm bored working from home and have the kids 3 days for home schooling, so a fun engineering project sounds terrific.
THANKS!
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Post by bouncy on Nov 16, 2020 17:08:33 GMT
Hi, The minimum footprint we suggest is for 3'x2' (or 100x50cm), or as near to it as you can! With degus, running space is very important. We have a guide for cage sizes in our housing section. There's also threads in there for cage layouts, and self-builds. Mine is also in there under degu palace. There is no reason why you shouldn't use as much natural habitat as you can. Whatever you build your enclosure from, degus have ferocious teeth, so plan well. Any edges they can get their teeth on will spell its death! Oh, and we LOVE degu pictures  |
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Post by populatetheplanets on Nov 16, 2020 18:07:39 GMT
Oh, and we LOVE degu pictures Howdy, Thanks! I just got a ferret mansion for $50 (1-level). So starting there, but it will end up at my moms house for the couple of months we spend there. How about PVC pipes, is this safe for these cuties?  |
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Post by winic1 on Nov 16, 2020 20:06:29 GMT
They can chew pvc pipes. If you are thinking of pieces inside to make tunnels and play things, probably okay. If you are thinking of pvc pipe as outside tunnels and accessways, I wouldn't recommend it. Even if they leave it alone for a while, all of a sudden they will get it in their furry little heads to chew throw and be free.
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Post by winic1 on Nov 16, 2020 20:11:16 GMT
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 16, 2020 22:32:36 GMT
Hello Populatetheplanets, and welcome to the forum! Sounds like you are HOOKED! Degus are great! Whatever you do, it is of primary importance that you always keep access in mind, not just for rescue but for cleaning. So with your cage, you want to have something that you can open right up (doors that open so that you have full unfettered access to the interior), because having to reach in with your arm while your face is plastered against the side at an awkward angle is painful and totally no fun. It gets old REALLY REALLY FAST. Something like the tank did.  Also . . . being able to have bedding/substrate in all areas is actually quite helpful as it will absorb their urine and help to control odors. Which brings me to a very important bit of info about degus . . . degus memories are all tied to their scent marking . . . which is done with urine . . . and that means that when you clean, it is best if you can just do one level or area at a time. Preferably a few days apart from each other. This means that you are not wiping out all their scent marks, and this helps to keep vital info fresh in their minds. Information like who is dominant, what their health is, where each one is in the colony hierarchy, who is my friend and who isn't, and so forth are all contained in these scent marks. If you remove these by removing all substrate and/or undertaking a thorough washing of all surfaces, your degus have a high potential for falling out with each other and fighting. Not just a bit of a tiff, but ugly and often constant fighting, which at it's worst can be fatal. This is because having forgotten the above info, they now have to figure it all out again, and that means dominance fighting. If your cage allows for substrate that is 3-4 inches deep, cleaning doesn't have to happen weekly. You can do it more like every three to four weeks. (You will want to have ways of containing that bedding though . . . degus KICK and FLING with gusto! We can help with that.) I'm sure I had something more in mind to say . . . but I've lost my thread. LOL! It is lovely to meet you! |
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Post by moletteuk on Nov 17, 2020 12:11:35 GMT
They really need the 3' plus length in a cage. You are looking for a minimum of around 2000 square inches of running area, which is combined shelf and floor area, more is always better. You might also want to think about a playpen or safe play space out of the cage, even better if this can be attached to the cage so they can come and go. Natural features are really tricky and in the end most people abandon or adapt them in favour of things easier to maintain that provide the same function. Basically what they enjoy is a deeper area of substrate that they can dig to make a cavity for a nest or storage. It's not really the digging they enjoy, it's more a drive to create safe hidey holes. So you can do that with a deep box or deep section of cage part filled with substrate with branches and smaller boxes within and providing lots of cardboard and/or tissue paper so that they fill and make spaces as they wish. Water feature won't be practical or appreciated. Bedding where they nest should stay clean for ages, if you have a large enough cage and they have enough room to pee away from the nest. Most degus will choose latrine areas that you can change more frequently. They will poo everywhere but the poo is harmless as it dries completely, they will also pee everywhere somewhat, but again if you have a big enough cage with plenty of substrate you should be able to go a minimum of 2 weeks between full cleanouts. No to any plastic unless you have a good reason. Metal and wood and pottery are better and safer choices. Lighting should be low voltage or battery and entirely wired from the outside and all inside fittings preferably out of reach and protected. I suggest forum search for ideas on lighting, it's not my expertise. Lots of wood and natural branches is the one thing I would recommend, mine spent hours chewing wood and rearranging it. Do have a good look round the housing section of the forum, the 'show us your cage' thread will give you lots of ideas (start at the end and work back), there are guidelines for cage building, lots of help with side projects and search function should help with more niche things, or do ask  |
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