Cage OK?

[monkeygibbon]

My friend has a large old hamster cage it is about 30+" x 24" x 18" (hxwxd). It has 3 levels with ladders and large gaps for the openings. It has wire sides and a tray in the bottom. I know I may need to accessorise and add to it. But is the basic structure OK for a degu?
Any advice will be taken into account.
Thanks.
Monkey

[ra]

Do the three levels have solid floors or are they wire ? If they are wire you will want to provide solid flooring for your Degu to stand on or risk your Degu developing bumble foot.
For adult Degus wires spaced 3/4 - 1 inch apart are ok. If your Degu(s) are youngsters you may have to wrap the cage in screening or hardware cloth to keep from having escapees. The size of your cage sound sufficient for one, maybe two Degus.

I have two Chinchilla cages stacked vertically to make my Degu Condo. There are pictures and dimension in my post about the Condo.

Is the base of your cage metal or plastic? If it is plastic you will need to replace it. Degus can chew through a plastic base in no time! I ended up having plate glass cut to construct a glass base for my cage.

[monkeygibbon]

The floor levels are solid, but made of plastic. Could that be a problem because i know degus like to chew?
It has a metal base tray though (i think), but I will check just in case. The bars are quite close together (1-1.5cm).
Thanks, I will look at the cage in your post for ideas.
Monkey

[monkeygibbon]

I have just looked and that is a great cage. Yours is obviously a lot higher than the one i have looked at. Will that be a problem?
I will add some hammocks and stuff in mine when I get it. I'm hopefully going to get a pair of Degus in the summer holls, but that seems such a long way off! i have to wait until after my exams so that they don't distract me when I should br revising.
Monkey

[ra]

My shelves are the heavy plastic type too. The Degu Girls have chewed the edge off of one. I ordered two to keep as back up but haven't had to use them yet and they've been in the cages for almost a year. I tend to go over-board at times. Your cage should be sufficient for two Degus, especially if you can get them out and let them run about in a safe play area like your bathroom daily. I have to admit I let mine out to visit for treats and get them to sit on my shoulder a couple of times a week but don't let them out daily for exercise thus the oversized cage.

[monkeygibbon]

I will have a lot of free time in the holls to let them and watch them run around freely.
Thank you for all the help. I will keep you posted if i get them. Which hopefully i will!
Monkey

[monkeygibbon]

I've got the cage, but my mum told me to put it in the shed, obviously i have no degus yet! Im worried she is going to say no pets in the house again. I was told degus can catch colds/hyperthermia if caged outside or in sheds. I really want to get a pair, but now i'm not sure whether i am allowed. I did tell my dad that i was getting the cage, but i don't think he took me seriously until i actually got it!
Can anybody give me any advice please.
Monkey

[monkeygibbon]

nevermind. I will still keep the cage for later on. Thanck you for all the help and at least I know that the cage is suitable for in the future.
Thank you again,
Monkey : )

[ra]

I would not keep Degus outside or in a shed for the very reasons you stated.

Why do your parents object to pets in the house? I understand (though I've always had them) some people don't like shedding animals or barking or the animal "accidents". Degus do shed but that's easy to sweep up. Don't leave their dust house or dust box in the cage like I do. That creates a lot of fine dust particles which I'm sure your mom would not appreciate. Just put the dust bath in for and hour or two when you are with your Degus then dust up any loose dust after taking the bath back out.

If you keep their cage clean - once a week really clean it out - they are clean little animals and have little or no odor. (If you don't keep the bedding changed and the shelves wiped down there is a slight urine odor but nothing like rats or mice.) With my large Degu Condo I clean thoroughly every other week taking the shelves out and scrubbing with white vinegar & hot water. Change all the bedding and wash any urine off of their play things. Daily I vaccuum the Degu poo off of the shelves and the counter where the Condo sits. I wipe up and pee spots when they are fresh if I can.

They aren't noisy. If you leave an exercise wheel in the cage 24 hrs a day and it squeaks (most do) that can get annoying. You can avoid this by only putting the wheel in when you are home to supervise them. Other than that they make such sweet little chirping noises. I love to sit and listen to them. Once in awhile Mocha will get to throwing things around from level to level but that's not annoying to me.

As a pet owner you must be responsible for not only your pet's welfare but you must assure your pets don't disturb others in the household. If you present the idea of keeping two Degus, of caring properly for them and cleaning up after them to your parents they may find your request acceptable. Good Luck.

[monkeygibbon]

I don't know why they object to animals in the house, they can never give a reason other than they just don't want animals in the house.
I am going to keep working on the cage in the summer holidays anyway. It is a little smaller than I expected, but we have an old tank in the shed, which i am going to try and attatch to the bottom like I have seen on another web page. This will also deal with the problem of the dustbath and bedding going everywhere.
The cage (in inches, hxwxd) is about 19x16x11
The tank (in inches, hxwxd) is about 17.5x23x11
I am going to link them using a rope ladder is this OK? Also the levels are not solid as I thought, but I am going to use wood to cover them is MDF Ok or do I need to buy a different type of wood?
I hope my parents will change their minds after seeing the time and effort I am prepared to put in for for the Degus

[monkeygibbon]

Would MDF be ok for the shelves? Or do i need to buy a different kind of wood? Also would a rope ladder be suitable to link the tank and cage together. Could you put a degu in a runaround ball that is suitable for ferrets and rats?
Monkey

[thegrouchybeast]

I definitely wouldn't use MDF in a pet cage -- the wood fibres in it are bound together with resins which can give off toxic gas (formaldehyde). Even if that particular MDF is labelled as formaldehyde-free, there must still be some kind of resin in it to bond the wood, and it might not be safe for your degus to chew. Kiln-dried pine (kiln-dried to get rid of phenols from the wood) is a good choice.

I have a ramp linking the top and bottom of my cage, but you could certainly try a rope ladder. How long it would resist chewing is a different question :-)

[ra]

Yes, you can put a Degu in a runaround ball suitable for rats and ferrets. I tried two different sizes. A large and a giagantic size ball. Neither Degu really cared for the balls though. I didn't like the fact that Degu pee runs out the vent slits onto the carpet or flooring and worse, the Degus are running in both pee and poop in those balls. YUK! I bought a pet playpen to let them loose in. Still have to guard against escapees.

[monkeygibbon]

I had no idea what MDF was made of. I have seen some Chinchilla shelves so i think i will use them instead. Does anyone know what other woods are suitable for Degus?
If i let them in the runaround ball for just a short space of time would they still pee and poop in there?
monkey

[thegrouchybeast]

The is a list of tocix woods on Degutopia:

www.btinternet.com/~p.long/degutopia/degutoxic.htm

There are also some bits about safe woods on the FAQ there:

www.btinternet.com/~p.long/degutopia/deguhome.htm

[monkeygibbon]

cool. Thanks.
Monkey

[ra]

I'm sure the pee and poop doesn't hurt them. If my girls seemed to like running in their ball I wouldn't worry about it but since they don't seem to enjoy it I just don't bother.

[monkeygibbon]

OK. Do you think chinchilla shelves would be OK because I think I will cut out the old wire ones and replace them. Any ideas on how to fix them to the cage? Also the cage looks a bit grubby even though it has been washed. Is there any special paint that i can use because I have seen other cages in the shops that they are coated in anti-chew paint? I know normal paint is toxic to them.
monkey

[Hanlou]

Hi. There are two paints that are non-toxic (both can be bought at B & Q) - Japlac is a non-toxic laquer that can be used. It's meant for childrens toys and comes in a range of bright colours. It's also very hard wearing, as I have used it for the sleep n' ledges in the degus' cage and it makes cleaning a lot easier.

You can also use Plastikote sprays, which are non-toxic, but these are not so hard-wearing, though easier to apply.

Please remember that both paint types need a couple of weeks to 'cure' after painting on, otherwise they will still give off fumes that could be harmful to animals.

If you are cutting off wire shelves, you have to be really careful to sand down any rough edges. You may find, in all honesty, that it's easier to get a new cage by the time you've bought shelves, paint etc. Cage shelves usually come with their own fittings if you do buy some. Otherwise you could buy kiln dried pine to make your own shelves and use screw-into-wood screws and large 'Penny washers' to affix them.

Remember to keep life easy for yourself by making sure all the shelves are accessible for cleaning etc too.