i want to improve my cage!!

[rugoo]

i’ve been working on introducing my degus and i think they’ll be able to share a cage soon so i want to spice it up. my eldest Scout cant jump very well (he’s a rescue and is pretty old) and my youngest, Kirby, is a violent destroyer. nothing is safe and he gets stressed out easily when he doesn’t have enough variety of things to destroy. They both currently have fleece and kirby has a dig box. both have lots of nesting material and vertical space around their cage. Their cage was a last minute set up since they were practically surrendered to me last minute. i’ve pretty happy with how far i’ve come with it but now that i have a stable job i want to perfect it! photos and links appreciated!!

[teemu]

One important thing is that degus also need horizontal space (that is, large surface areas that allow them to run around). I've generally attempted to make the levels in my cages as wide as possible. It's very easy, at least for me, to accidentally minimize running space and make things feel really cluttered. Finding a good balance between toys, recreational things, nesting places and space is important, but can be tricky as well.

[rugoo]

i’m making a pinterest board of some inspiration for cages that fit with the current cage i have now. i would love to build my own one day but here is one that i think looks very nice. i would like another opinion. (i would have two bins with substrate for digging since my boys like to bury their prizes) pin.it/6grsZFO 

[winic1]

Here--this post in the Cages and Housing section starts off with a bunch of links to some very well done cages.
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/18717/choosing-improving-metal-cage

The one you show is kind of like a great playground for young degus, but if you have an older one who is not so agile anymore, many of the things in that photo will be difficult or impossible for him to use.

With degus, think Ground Squirrel, like a chipmunk, not Tree Squirrel. While they can climb and jump, things they can RUN up and down are more natural for them.

[teemu]

That's a great point, Winic. With young degus, you can be pretty sure that they'll get anywhere in the cage even if it requires some jumping or climbing. My experience is that the youngsters will often even flat-out ignore the easiest way for the fastest, even if it means climbing up a sheer cage wall. But an older degu, or for example one recovering from a vet visit, may not be able to jump at all. The fitness of the animals in the cage should definitely be considered when furnishing it. And I'd say that even if young degus can (and will, honestly) do all kinds of crazy jumps and climbs, it's never going to be a *bad* thing to make sure that they also have an easier route.

One thing that you'll also want to consider is cleaning. However you furnish the cage, I can tell from experience that making small spaces that are hard to access (this is especially tough if you have a bird-type cage, which often have small doors and thus cut your reach pretty badly) is a great way to give yourself endless amounts of grief.

[bouncy]

Degus like to think they're expert climbers, but it often provides us hoomans with great entertainment!

A lot of Regus can be destructive, or ignore something we've spent time and money on for the first six months! Like a toddler, the boxes often provide more entertainment than the contents, so use your imagination. One of mine fell in love with a cardboard box filled with paper from the shredder!

If you have any macramé skills, you might like to make some rope bridges or hammocks from sisal or cotton.

There are some eBay sellers who make great wooden shelves that are robust, have edges, and also offer good packages.

I created a "Chelsea extension" by turning the cage stand into another full level that doubled as a digging area with no mess!

In the future, you may be adventurous enough to build your own cage. Have a look at:

deguworld.proboards.com/thread/6918/show-cage

I also have a thread on here somewhere about building my degu palace.

[laiyah]

My degus absolutely love toilet paper and never seem to roll themselves into it. So I make sure the floor where the toilet paper dispenser is to be as mess-free as possible because they're so focused on pull the paper that they might trip. Overall, I find they like to hang at the messiest areas.

I usually try to change some toys when I do the full cleaning and my degus would pick the "new" toys as a sign of changing their place to hang. For instance, I own a wheel in metal, one in plastic and one in wood. They have permanent access to the metal one and will enjoy any different material wheel I offer when I switch them.

If you have any sewing skills, I found that sewing my own hammock is great. The degus enjoy the different hammocks I switch around too. My personal favorite is the corner hut, but it's just me. My degus like the other ones. www.ratropolis.com/Rat%20Tutorials/RatTutorials.htm That's more of a case to case situation with degus though. (I mean, for fabric)

[rugoo]

My eldest has been able to climb everywhere easily in his current set up, so i won’t move around his ramps and platforms too much. i think i have a decent understanding of what he can and cannot do. but you guys are 100% right about my youngest. he thinks his ramps are in his way and would rather climb the wall lol!

[moletteuk]

We might be able to make specific suggestions if you could show us your current setup.