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Post by lohr500 on Aug 28, 2011 12:07:05 GMT
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Post by fred on Aug 28, 2011 12:41:27 GMT
Hello and welcome to the forum! Degus are ground-living and primarily need to space to run. Therefore, from the three cages you mentioned, only the SKY XTRAIL can be recommended for degus. Maybe other members can make some alternative suggestions?
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Aug 28, 2011 12:48:44 GMT
Hello there lohr500 ! Welcome to the forum !
I am glad you ask about housing as this is a most important matter when dealing with animals as active as degus.
Something very important should be kept in mind...degus do not live in trees. Climbing is only secondary, as these animals run on the ground. Horizontal running space is vital, whereas climbing opportunities are more of a bonus.
The second cage you posted would seem more suitable for degus than the first.
For the same price as the featured cages, many have built larger degu cages using wood as primary material. It is cheaper and can be built according to your own specifications. Building your own cage might be a alternative option for you.
We are very glad to hear you have been doing research.
If you have more questions, feel free to let us know !
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Post by degualot on Aug 28, 2011 13:10:03 GMT
firstly welcome to the forum, you did the right thing coming here first and finding out about Degus before you bought them; I like your style.
The first cage you mentioned:
Tall CHINCHILLA RAT DEGU CHIPMONK CAGE NCL
it's height is good but what a Degu really needs even more than height is floor space, in particular the volume matters most. So I would pick a cage which has good height for levels and the biggest floor space. For Degus, the bigger the better. The two other cages both look like but out of those two I would pick the:
SKY XTRAIL LARGE RAT CHINCHILLA DEGU CAGE WITH STAND
but to be honest you are spending over £200 on these cages which are pretty ok for Degus but for alot less you could build your own out of wood which would be huge... I mean I know it sounds like a task but There's been a lot of debate lately and many Degu owners are swtiching to wood cages because they are easier to clean, they can be made a lot bigger and they keep all the mess in. Degus are very messy, CUTE,, but messy.
It's just something to think about.... here's a youtube example: of what can be achieved with a wooden homemade cage...
check out NightwishRaven999's post on this forum and even visit his site to get more ideas on cage building.
I understand you might not want to go for this approach but In the long run it may be something to look at. I have meshed cages at the moment and they are a pain to clean and everything get's everywhere so i'm preparing to build my own. I'm in the proccess of building a wood one and have got the materials from B&Q..
My advice to you, is to go around this site particularly the the cage and accessories portion and see what they are up to.
My cage for example, is 100cm tall but with lot's of levels to stop any clumsy Degu falling all the way to the bottom. Degus are very clumsy at times. 100cm to me gives them enough levels , tunnels, ropes, perches and other obstacles to keep them entertained but I would not sacrafice my floor space which is 162cm length x 60cm depth. To me this creates a massive floor area, Degus love floor space as well as height to climb and hop....
my build materials for the cage came around £150 or just abit less, I used B&Q plywood for the main walls of the cage and I used plywood for the levels which are lined with kiln dried pine wood to stop them chewing the plywood. Kiln dried pine is safe for Degus to chew but plywood is bad for them. The cage walls are made from Plywood because it's cheap and they can't chew on a flat surface..
anyway sorry to ramble on, Just pick the best cage with the biggest floor space you can afford and you can go from there. Degus are lovely creatures but you came to the right place. I would just read everything. Please most importantly get them a good wheel, a decent size with no gaps to hurt their feet. I recommend John Hopewells because they are solid metal and huge, enough for a few degus to get on all at once. but they're expensive... They are 12" big so plenty of room on them.
Good luck
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Post by lohr500 on Aug 28, 2011 15:01:32 GMT
Thanks for the quick replies.
At this stage I don't want to have a go at building a cage myself, so the Sky Xtrail looks like the best option.
I noticed John Hopewell's Degu cages have a deep bottom tray. I guess this helps to contain a reasonable depth of shavings. Do you think that would be an isue with the Sky Xtrail as the bottom tray looks quite shallow? Do Degu's need a thick layer of shavings to bury into and would a thin tray just mean most of the shavings ends up on the floor outside the cage?!
John's cages look great but by the time the carriage is added on, the price for a large sized cage is way outside my budget.
Thanks
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Post by degualot on Aug 28, 2011 15:15:06 GMT
suppose it all depends. you can contact John Hopewell because he does custom work so I'm sure if you give him measurements he will be able to help you out...
Well deep shavings are more enjoyable as they get to dig more, just fill it as much as you can. I have a deep tray from John Hopewell in one of my cages and they can be filled quite deep without it overspilling. However make sure you can physically get in your cage first..
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Post by fred on Aug 28, 2011 15:24:57 GMT
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Post by lohr500 on Aug 28, 2011 18:28:32 GMT
Hi Fred, I could be mistaken but I think the Explorer has plastic trays, whereas the Sky Xtrail / Degu Andes versions have metal trays. I have found an Xtrail for £167.50 delivered, but the shallow trays do worry me. If I modify the trays to give more depth, then I could struggle to slide them out for cleaning. Difficult to say without seeing the cage in front of me, and nobody stocks them locally  |
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Post by fred on Aug 28, 2011 18:40:51 GMT
Stupid me, I thought there should be a difference but couldn't find it I think with the trays you should be able to just have a frame you put on them to keep the bedding in (as far as I can see from the pics with open doors). |
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Post by lohr500 on Aug 28, 2011 19:15:09 GMT
That's a good suggestion Fred. Looking at the pictures I am sure I could get some raised sides in through the front doors to enable me to bulk up the bedding. Perhaps if I made them out of timber it would give them something extra to chew on as well  |
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 28, 2011 19:36:20 GMT
www.justcages.co.uk/ferret-cages/liberta-the-explorer-rodent-cage#v_73This cage is out of stock for now, but it might be worth checking out when it might be in. It has two opening doors on each level so that with both open, you have complete access to the cage interior, which is VERY nice to have. Secondly, because of this wide open option, you can put in a full extra level in each portion of the cage, which dramatically increases their running and moving space. Since you can DYI these added levels, use a light weight plywood for the base that is cut to the size needed to slide into the cage. Then if you nail kiln dried pine 2 X 4 around the top edge, you will enable yourself to load it with shavings, but reduce kick out mess. Naturally you will have to engineer an opening and a ladder of sorts so that the degus can access the upper levels you add. In order to support these levels, again cut kiln dried pine into lengths that match the inner measurements of the three non-opening sides of your cage. Then using wood screws and washers that are large enough to span the width between two cage bars, you can make a three sided ledge that will support the levels you make, and which will allow you to simply slide them out for cleaning purposes. I hope I've made that understandable. ;D Is this a workable option?
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Post by fred on Aug 28, 2011 19:44:53 GMT
Hmmm, how shall I put this, DC? This is the cage I suggested for £25 less  But you and I would both be wrong because this would be the model with plastic trays whereas lohr500 already found the corresponding model with metal trays at an even lower price But the rest of your suggestions are impeccable as usual |
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Post by lohr500 on Aug 28, 2011 19:45:54 GMT
Hi there Deguconvert,
Understand exactly what you describe.
I think the cage you have identified in your link is very similar to the xtrail I am considering.
Is it OK to make additional shelving out of plywood as I thought I had read somewhere that the glue is toxic? Or is it the case that they can't get their teeth into flat surfaces, so it isn't an issue?
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 28, 2011 19:48:00 GMT
No, you do need to be cautious of the glue, but that is why I specified that you should place a kiln dried pine lip around the top of the level. That will attract the chewing attention of the degu and they will simply walk and run on the shelf floor/plywood like they are intended to.
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 28, 2011 19:50:27 GMT
Just looked again at the Skytrail, but either it is my eyes, or only one half of each level opens, not both halves.
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Post by fred on Aug 28, 2011 19:58:39 GMT
Just looked again at the Skytrail, but either it is my eyes, or only one half of each level opens, not both halves. That's true. So it would be better to go for the Explorer and put tiles on the tray? |
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Post by lohr500 on Aug 28, 2011 20:00:09 GMT
Stop the press. Just spotted a serious flaw in my thinking! Looks like the Xtrail doors don't open on both sides  Only one half opens. www.theonlinepetstore.co.uk/product/Xtrail-Rodent-Cage-659So the Exporer may be the way to go with a liner to protect the plastic bases. If I need to build up the sides anyway to give a deeper bedding, then I suppose I can protect the plastic at the same time. |
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Post by lohr500 on Aug 28, 2011 20:01:07 GMT
Beat me to it guys!!!
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 28, 2011 20:17:07 GMT
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Post by Ady on Aug 28, 2011 21:14:22 GMT
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But you and I would both be wrong because this would be the model with plastic trays whereas lohr500 already found the corresponding model with metal trays at an even lower price 
