|
|
Post by DegutasticJen on Apr 24, 2010 7:43:22 GMT
Of course :-)
As soon as the building starts which will be later on today I will get some pictures up for you to see
:-)
|
|
|
|
Post by alyssaliss on Apr 24, 2010 15:18:45 GMT
had a measure today my figures were wrong it will be more of a rectangle with a tiny bit missing out of the corner
100 L x 50 D 125 H on one side 80 H on the other and 75 long on the top
do that sound ok ? it will be bigger than it is now
|
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on Apr 24, 2010 19:17:25 GMT
Yes, that looks fine.
When you posted you wanted to make an L shaped cage, I thought you wanted to do something similar to the video...something very thin. But I am glad the cage will be a lot bigger.
You should be able to add a few levels to the cage.
This will give the degus even more surface area to perform day to day activities.
You should get an idea of the price of wood and other items at your local hardware stores. Remember that you dont need expensive wood. Plywood is very cheap and very easy to find and it will do nicely to build the cage structure.
You should try to get an idea of the money you will need...even if its an estimate.
Your degus will appreciate the added space this cage will provide them with : )
|
|
|
|
Post by alyssaliss on Apr 25, 2010 11:25:22 GMT
if i am using plywood for the cage structure what wood would be safe to use for shelves?? i wish i had a magic wand and then it would be made  |
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on Apr 25, 2010 16:42:16 GMT
I wish i had a magic wand and then it would be made Nonsense....then you would miss all the fun ;D I would go for Kiln dried pine to make the levels and ledges. Unless you have many wood branches, the degus will gnaw on the levels. Kiln dried pine would be the safest wood for this purpose. I know many people who use plywood for the levels as well, but they do so because their cage is filled with birch brances and other chewing toys. Go for Kiln dried pine. Try to find medium sized sheets of it. |
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on Apr 27, 2010 23:00:11 GMT
The website has been updated with new topics, photos, a poll and even a blog for comments/questions/ideas and suggestions. At the very top of the webape, you will see the option to go on another page entitled "how to build a degu cage Q/A"...this is the blog I am reffering to.
I have asked a few people permission to use their degu photos for the webpage and am still awaiting replies.
|
|
katelills
Burrowing Degu
Indiana and Pippin when they get on :p
Posts: 274
|
Post by katelills on Apr 30, 2010 15:48:26 GMT
NightWishRaven please may I ask how big your cage i please, purely out of curiosity? and how many degus in it. If it says ont eh link i apologise i did read it but a few weeks ago. The top picture int he link is your cage isnt it? thanks xx
|
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on Apr 30, 2010 16:49:23 GMT
@ katelills My six girls currently live in a cage measuring 130 x 55 x 220 cm in dimensions (Length x Depth x Height) Their current cage setup includes three levels that are as long and nearly as deep as the cage base. So they have about four times 130x55 cm of running space and they have a few smaller levels and ledges on top. I change the cage setup every month to make it interesting for them. You can see photos of my degus and their cage here: deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=world&thread=5741&page=1 |
|
|
|
Post by Philip on May 2, 2010 16:19:00 GMT
i love the cage with the tv, and the absolutely humongous one! i thought that plywood has glue in it, although i suppose they don't chew straight/flat things so won't be a problem anyway, wondering whether to build another extension...
ah! a little late posting this, haven't been online for ages, anyways...
|
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on May 2, 2010 16:37:39 GMT
Hello Phillip
Nice to hear from you.
Yes, plywood is basicly layers of wood held together by glue.
However, this is quite safe to build a degu cage. The degus shouldnt be able to chew on the cage structure...so it doesnt really matter what kind of wood you use, as long as it is not painted or coated with some varnish or other toxic product.
Let us know what you decide to do.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on May 3, 2010 15:23:11 GMT
Are you sure that it's 2.2 metres, that's really high, about as tall As a room!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on May 3, 2010 16:27:32 GMT
@ Philip I wrote a website to help people build cages...I hope I can atleast measure my own cage correctly. Yes 220 cm = 2,2 meters. Yes its almost as high as the ceiling. In fact, the top of the cage is only 40 cm below the ceiling. And yes, I know how to use a measuring tape, lol. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just to give you an idea of what I mean.  The cage is on a 35 cm stand. The stand will be modified to provide them with a digging pit. So I count this in the cage height. In the photo you can see the main cage. (which is a meter and a half in height). If you look at the top of the photo, you will see that the cage seems to continue upwards. The cage extension holds additional levels and reaches almost as high as the ceiling. |
|
|
|
Post by emz on May 3, 2010 16:49:47 GMT
Ah I am so envious every time I look at that cage nightwish. ;D
I got to see the house I am moving to soon and I chose "the degu room" and made sure it has the space for a 150cm wide cage and there is a nice position for it also near a socket for any lighting.
Made me very excited to see the room it would go in. I have been there before as it is my boyfriend's parents second house and his older sister use to live there before she got divorced and wanted to move and have a "fresh start" - I couldn't afford a house that size at 22 otherwise.
It will really improve Steve and Felix's quality of life as if I get them out now they have to have the pen set up. I could get them out daily with ease once we move I can't wait. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip on May 3, 2010 18:35:26 GMT
haha, sorry, i know that you know how to measure and stuff, i was just surprised, that's a big cage!!! It's just that it looks smaller on the pics because you can just see the main cage...
I'm fairly sure that for the degus birthday (in two weeks) i'm going to make a little extension burrowing/nesting box room thing! Or if not, then just a small nesting box to go inside the cage but anyways...
|
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on May 4, 2010 7:46:13 GMT
Something worth sharing ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If anyone is looking for more inspirational photos or ideas related to building a degu cage, check out this link. This may give you ideas about different materials you can use and setups you can create for the degus. This page is filled with photos of home-built cages and has proved very inspirational to me in the past. Hopefully this will be equally helpful to you. www.degus-online.de/kaefig_gaeste.htm |
|
|
|
Post by emz on May 4, 2010 13:11:27 GMT
Ah yes, I think that link is actually also posted in the website links section of the website. I was inspired to do my own by that site also. I've always loved this one.  |
|
|
|
Post by DegutasticJen on May 6, 2010 14:01:50 GMT
were making an emergency cage today, we started at 9am, and were still going.
Im calling it an emergency cage due to the fact, weve got a very preggers mummy about to burst and daddy and male baby need to be seperated from the females now. As We dont want the father and the baby male coming to blows over competetion for the females.
Anyways the new cage Im building the big 5ft one is not complete as of yet, we have had to build an emergency cage to house the females, just untill the bigger cage is complete. Dont get me wrong this emergency cage is still very big, dimention wise, states I can house 2-6 degus, so they will be fine in here, However I just wanted something bigger so they have more space and a digging space at the bottom. Which the new cages which we are making have :-)
We are just waiting for the glass to be delivered for them. This emergency cage we are building today, we have have used our old water dragons vivariam and have converted it into a degu safe cage :-)
We have taken the top off and moved that to the back which makes the frame much stronger, we are then covering the top in wire, so that the cage has enough ventilation.
This is ideal for the mean time, because it already has glass doors for the front. We have deguproofed the inside and put a number of shelves inside.
We thought the glass for the new ones would be here by now, and as the male is starting to show signs of trying to hump the 6 week old baby girl, they need to be seperated NOW!
The 2 babies turned 6 weeks old on tuesday.
So for the moment all my girls will be rehomed to this new made emergency cage which me and my hubby have made today.
We have made the shelves out of kild dried pine so will be safe and have doubley made sure all is degu proof inside.
Will get some pictures up when all is finished. (sorry if I have mumbled lol)
:-)
|
|
|
|
Post by emz on May 6, 2010 14:06:14 GMT
Looking forward to those photos. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by DegutasticJen on May 6, 2010 14:09:57 GMT
Ive just had to re write what i originaly typed...so excited and tired from hammering lol!
|
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on May 6, 2010 14:38:15 GMT
So exciting! I'm looking forward to pictures too!
|
|
