Making your own degu running wheel.

[butters]

Some manual with pictures how to make a degu running wheel from a cake tin.

www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=101049615449912&set=a.154303603457846

www.facebook.com/people/Lily-Wheel/100066601699207/

[laiyah]

Hi, I'd love to know where you buy the bearings ? I didn't know to get those so I ended up making my own with a rollerblade wheel (and then I covered it with a metal bowl to avoid gnawing).

[moletteuk]

Nice instructions

Ebay is the best place for bearings, although I don't recall seeing that exact type.

[laiyah]

I actually browse through several shops and ended up giving up.

Mine has a back that more like this :
media.discordapp.net/attachments/899781346623389728/901888169358819339/IMG_20211023_165120.jpg
media.discordapp.net/attachments/899781346623389728/901888167140024330/IMG_20211023_170954.jpg

Which is why I'm envious of her beautiful bearings. x)

[moletteuk]

Did you manage to get it working with the roller blade wheel?

See other wheel making ideas here deguworld.proboards.com/thread/18716/accessories-make-buy

[laiyah]

Yes, it works. My "feet" isn't perfectly straight though, so I have to secure it better with metal thread.

youtu.be/Tzi2QHItKI8

[moletteuk]

Looks great!

[butters]

That wheel looks perfect Liayah. You can get those bearings in the hardware store. They are castor or furniture wheels. If you click on the pictures in that manual you can find more info.

[laiyah]

Hi everyone, so I would like to make a second bigger wheel for the degus for the playpen. Since I had another roller wheel lying around, I am going to use the same wheel and do the stand like butters did.

My only question is... Did I buy the wrong wood ?

I was planning to add some metallic edge to prevent chewing and use varnish to protect the wood from their pee, but one of my rodent-lover friend thinks it's a bad idea. Apparently, kiln dried pin only takes away its essential oil but not the tanin ?

So if you don't mind looking at the wood plank I bought and tell me your opinion on it.

media.discordapp.net/attachments/625035860055949313/945756182486863902/IMG_20220222_191621.jpg

Basically, if it's a bad idea, I have some melamine board lying around and I'll use that instead.

[moletteuk]

Looks ok to me, if it's kiln dried softwood, then it's OK. Degus cope with tannins pretty well, I think they are in higher levels in hardwoods like oak, which are fine for them.

[laiyah]

Tbh. My biggest issue is I can't find the details on whether or not it's kiln dried... I remember reading most of the wood that's meant to be used indoors are kiln dried.

www.leroymerlin.fr/produits/menuiserie/panneau-bois-tablette-etagere-tasseau-moulure-et-plinthe/tablette-bois-tablette-melamine/tablette-pin-noueux-lisse-l-200-x-l-30-cm-x-ep-18-mm-82025628.html

This is basically what I used. I'm getting confused due to different country's labeling I guess...

[deguconvert]

I think it looks OK . . . the only thing is that the knots in pine or spruce can hold the resin more stubbornly than the smooth wood, so if you are uneasy, just give the knots a good sniff to make sure that any that can be reached do not smell strongly of pine resin. If you don't smell any, you are good!!

[moletteuk]

Any wide plank like that will be kiln dried. More or less anything for internal construction is kiln dried because it helps stabilise the wood and stop it warping and this is really important for construction.