Post by winic1 on Oct 14, 2011 18:57:30 GMT
Our degus' cage has a solid floor, but the second level, which is a full-sized floor, and two half-levels are wire mesh, as well as the ramps up to them. To protect their feet, we get pieces of coconut mat and cut them to size. Here, we get it at garden centers, you buy it by length off a roll, and it's not too expensive.
It lasts a long time, and you can actually periodically pull it out and wash it through, let it dry and re-use it until it just gets too worn or dirty. Occasionally one of the goos gets it in his head to rip it up in pieces to pad and stuff their house, then of course, it doesn't last as long. Though I've found that if you put lots of stray chunks around for them to find and use, they are less likely to attack the flooring layer. Putting a food bowl or something else on the edge or corner where they're ripping at it can also help.
We also use the coco mat planting box/wire basket liners for huts for them. Take the round basket liner out of the wire basket, cut at least one door hole and one window (on different sides seems to be the preference, they like a variety of exits) and put it in the cage upside down so that it forms a little house for them.
Just got a planter-box shaped one, cut it in half cross-wise, and cut a door in the end and a window in the side, and shoved the open end up against a wall for another hut. Use a few of the branches to wedge it there and keep its shape. Sometimes I sort of sew them into shape, this time I was lazy. They don't seem to care.
Have also hung the entire wire-basket and liner in the cage for them when I found one small enough.
But the coco mat makes an excellent cover for wire shelving.
It lasts a long time, and you can actually periodically pull it out and wash it through, let it dry and re-use it until it just gets too worn or dirty. Occasionally one of the goos gets it in his head to rip it up in pieces to pad and stuff their house, then of course, it doesn't last as long. Though I've found that if you put lots of stray chunks around for them to find and use, they are less likely to attack the flooring layer. Putting a food bowl or something else on the edge or corner where they're ripping at it can also help.
We also use the coco mat planting box/wire basket liners for huts for them. Take the round basket liner out of the wire basket, cut at least one door hole and one window (on different sides seems to be the preference, they like a variety of exits) and put it in the cage upside down so that it forms a little house for them.
Just got a planter-box shaped one, cut it in half cross-wise, and cut a door in the end and a window in the side, and shoved the open end up against a wall for another hut. Use a few of the branches to wedge it there and keep its shape. Sometimes I sort of sew them into shape, this time I was lazy. They don't seem to care.
Have also hung the entire wire-basket and liner in the cage for them when I found one small enough.
But the coco mat makes an excellent cover for wire shelving.