nubbin
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 237
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Post by nubbin on Jul 27, 2011 21:16:04 GMT
my 3 boys have been chewing the plastic base of their cage so i got my dads friend to make me one out of metal to replace it, I was expecting it to be stainless steel but hes made it out of what I think is aluminium, so far they have mostly left it alone but occasionally they give it a nibble and it doesnt break apart but does seem to scratch a little, is there anything dangerous about aluminium, is it poisonous or should they be fine? any opinions would be great
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Post by emz on Jul 28, 2011 17:57:28 GMT
I doubt he is aware enough of the differences between the varying grades of aluminium to deduct that degus can chew through it especially seeming as degus are not very well known about. It would probably depend on the thickness of the base. My two chewed through around 2 mil aluminium in under a week.
Aluminium is a soft metal regardless of it's grade - I asked someone who is into their metal work and they said as far as they are aware there is no real defined "strong" Aluminium. But let's not bother getting into the details about it their question simply was about if the degus could chew through it and the answer is a definite yes.
Just keep an eye on it nubbin. If necessary you can by some steel strips and attaching it so it overlaps where they are able to chew it.
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Post by emz on Jul 28, 2011 18:19:08 GMT
Well I asked someone I know who is very into metal work for about 10 years so I value their opinion (someone I know in real life). Even if it is a harder grade it may still be chewed through if it is thin and a base probably is as that much metal would be expensive thick - the end of the day Aluminium is much softer than steel. My degus chewed clean through the aluminium like it was nothing - thin aluminium can be chewed through and that experience is really proof that they should still be careful. Like I said before the guy who made the base may not know about degus and their teeth, so they may not have been thinking about that when they chose their material. In fact, the fact that they didn't choose Steel is really proof of that though I am happy to admit I may be wrong as it's just a guess based on the small facts we know. It is always best to be safe and not to tell someone they shouldn't worry about it when really they should definitely keep a diligent eye on it. Chances are they may never chew it, and they hopefully won't, but it is always better to cover all the bases for the sake of the degus safety.
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Post by emz on Jul 28, 2011 18:42:25 GMT
Most of my point is that Aluminium is nowhere near as hard as Steel depending on the grades. An example is something like a self supporting Steel structure - if you made that out of Aluminium and it was the same strength then it'd be lighter in turn meaning it would need to support less weight which then in turn means you can use thinner metal meaning a cheaper expense. Aluminium strength in general is just not comparable to Steel. I am not sure why you would ever disagree with that. There will always be stronger grade Steel. (edit: thought I'd just add that the Aluminium you get from the store is probably very soft and I am talking about the average stuff you can get anywhere. Hence why I say "in general" it is not comparable.) I may also add that this topic is not about that. So we should really stop ruining this poor person's thread.
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Post by emz on Jul 28, 2011 19:15:37 GMT
I do wish to clarify that some grades do match each other in strength (without bringing rigidness into it) but this stuff is not readily accessible by the average person at a price they'd like to pay. There will always be better grades of Steel in comparison though, when I said soft I more meant softer than Steel. I do tend to word things badly sometimes. I did wish to note that even though I said we shouldn't continue mucking up this thread. In certain circumstances fred is correct but for this circumstance it's safe to say that the Aluminium used for the base will almost definitely be too soft if they take a liking to it. We're talking about something small-scale and probably metal bought from a DIY store. Like smux said, this is about cage building. Cage builders chose Steel because the stuff available to them at the right price is much stronger. At the end of the day we're talking about pet cages here and not large construction projects. I am happy to talk about it through PM's if anyone really does want to continue it. I just feel arguing here is disrespectful to the topic owner. I am extremely busy with work though since I got my new job so not sure how long it'll take me to reply though. ;D
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Post by poandcc on Jul 28, 2011 21:01:37 GMT
Put it this way... No-one actually knows for certain but it's probably not the best thing to use! You should ask the person who made it what he actually used as it may well be galvanised steel!!
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Post by emz on Jul 28, 2011 21:10:09 GMT
Got to agree with that it would be best to simply ask the person what metal they're using if it is a concern. Thanks for that poandcc think we were all getting to carried away lol. ;D
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Post by emz on Jul 28, 2011 21:20:46 GMT
Oh you do like to flatter yourself. I am quite tired and missed you saying it too. You can get a cookie too then.
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Post by malteser60 on Jul 28, 2011 22:41:15 GMT
Hi nubbin, to answer some of your question, the only risk the degus pose from biting on metal is if they manage to break chunks off and ingest them then it is the physical aspect of having a sharp piece of metal going through their system. It won't be poisonous though. I was on the degutopia forum the other day and somebody's degu had chewed through copper wire and had a belly-full of it! Their degu was acting lethargic and not wanting to eat. So trip to the vet, one x-ray later, and said belly is exposed! Poor thing, not much they could do but keep it at the vets overnight to monitor and let nature take it's course. Which it did Degus can pretty much chew through lots of things, and you do need something strong... whether it is a stronger grade of aluminium, or steel, it doesn't matter. Ask your dad's friend what he used. And just keep an eye on your googles.
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nubbin
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 237
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Post by nubbin on Jul 28, 2011 23:55:21 GMT
im pretty certain it isnt galvanized steel as it doesnt have that 'marble' look, they still seem to be leaving it alone and concentrating more on nibbling their bars and wood as usual
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Post by w8152 on Jul 29, 2011 9:12:05 GMT
you will probably find they will scratch at it trying to dig but wont chew downwards, more outwards if you catch my meaning. Aluminium is created in different alloys for different jobs and unless its created specifically for this i'd highly doubt it will withstand even cursory attempts at chewing. Like people have said keep an eye on it.
Different alloys are used for structural work (fred is right on that) but the mixture of different metals make it hard to distinguish as aluminium in the end, it just starts out like it and gets added to until its stronger than steel for the same job, ie motorcycle and car parts (usually sing arm on the bike and suspension parts as a rule.) chassis' are almost always steel.
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