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Post by deguconvert on Oct 8, 2022 2:38:45 GMT
Or you might consider making a wooden frame to sit the bottom cage in and rest the top cage on.
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Post by flibbertigibbety on Oct 9, 2022 1:55:49 GMT
Oh, very exciting! The main thing to keep in mind is that some cages are not very sturdy in any other position than standing upright. So you'll want to check out that the cages can support their weights on their side before you start stacking them. The cage in your picture, for example, does not have a sturdy frame around the edges, so I would expect there to be a large amount of give and bending when you put them on their sides. If it looks like they're not holding up well, you can probably reinforce them sufficiently by twisting metal wire around the edges/corners so that they hold together. Yeah... I assembled the second cage and checked how secure it was. It's actually got it's thicker bars going across horizontally when it's upright, and gives it very good support when on it's side. It would only bow outwards a bit with no inner supports... But the platforms secured in place prevent that from happening. I also made sure to put anything heavier in the bottom to minimize the strain on the lower cage. Attachments:
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Post by teemu on Oct 9, 2022 2:00:39 GMT
That's looking really impressive! It sounds like you've thought things through well. If it looks like things are a bit wobbly at some point, using wire is a good way to add a bit of extra support. Can you reach inside both cages fine to get furniture out or put it in? I find that when customizing cages, it's sometimes hard to clean them easily, so that's good to check before the degus go in. But all in all, this is looking really, really impressive. I would recommend adding another feeding station and a water bottle to the lower part of the cage so they don't have to go as far. Great job in any case  |
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Post by flibbertigibbety on Oct 9, 2022 2:53:08 GMT
That's looking really impressive! It sounds like you've thought things through well. If it looks like things are a bit wobbly at some point, using wire is a good way to add a bit of extra support. Can you reach inside both cages fine to get furniture out or put it in? I find that when customizing cages, it's sometimes hard to clean them easily, so that's good to check before the degus go in. But all in all, this is looking really, really impressive. I would recommend adding another feeding station and a water bottle to the lower part of the cage so they don't have to go as far. Great job in any case Yeah... will see how it plays out. Might add a wood support frame to it, but it's holding up fine. It always wobbled a tiny bit, even before I did the double cage thing. And I actually have 3 water bottles around the cage at different levels. But might put another feeder. I had to think a bit more about where I was placing the different levels, because yes, some are now difficult to access with the doors all along the same height. Most are pretty easy, but the bottom cage's upper platform is very difficult to get to. I might remove one of them (it's made of 3 platforms), and put it below next to the wheel. Think I need to get more wood ones to allow easier movement since the cage is so much larger. And need to get more "stuff" to fill it up. Lots of open bare area. |
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Post by flibbertigibbety on Oct 9, 2022 2:54:23 GMT
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Post by teemu on Oct 9, 2022 10:41:21 GMT
The amount of space there is really lovely, and you've done a really good job with setting it up! The cardboard will probably get messed up pretty quickly, but that's just how it is. Your goos will be very happy with this much space |
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 9, 2022 20:35:07 GMT
As you see your degus use the new space, you will be able to observe their use of it. Don't be afraid to change it around if you see things that you begin to think can be improved. I started with a single wire cage, added a second a few months later. Then changed the configuration to a stacked TALL monstrosity, which was a total mess, so then changed it to a side by side with the center wire walls opened to make it one large space. THEN I built a HUGE wooden cage, that the degus absolutely LOVED. It was a lot easier to work with as well, because I made it so that the doors could open the front up completely and I could reach everything so much more easily. After that, I build a second wooden one. Building is kind of addicting. LOL!
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 178
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Post by laiyah on Oct 10, 2022 15:19:03 GMT
For the cardboard, depending on your goos, they could start tearing up to put small pieces in the nest. ^^; My degus did that when I got scared of their sudden litter eating. So don't hesitate to layer them up, it could be very fun for them !
You can also buy hemp mat if you can't get enough cardboard. (It does get hard at times to get enough cardboard.)
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Post by flibbertigibbety on Oct 10, 2022 20:25:43 GMT
For the cardboard, depending on your goos, they could start tearing up to put small pieces in the nest. ^^; My degus did that when I got scared of their sudden litter eating. So don't hesitate to layer them up, it could be very fun for them !
You can also buy hemp mat if you can't get enough cardboard. (It does get hard at times to get enough cardboard.)
Yeah... the cardboard is kind of multi purpose. It's ok on their feet, but they also love to bit it and rip it up when they're bored with other stuff. They spend a lot of time doing that. and use some for their nest as well. I also put straw pads in some different spots. They love to rip them up as well. And when they rip up a good portion of the cardboard, I just slide a small piece under that. They seem very happy over all. |
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 11, 2022 10:33:53 GMT
Looks good. I would recommend some larger shelves (half to full area) if the access doors allow for it.
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Post by flibbertigibbety on Oct 12, 2022 1:43:42 GMT
Looks good. I would recommend some larger shelves (half to full area) if the access doors allow for it. Well, they now have 2 full levels, a 2/3 level, and several small levels up top to jump around. So they seem to be very happy, and certainly love running around their new space. |
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