Crazy cage Idea?

[winic1]

Still trying to figure out how to give our guys a better space within the limits of our little house and existing arrangement.

Keep looking at the top of one wall in the living room. There is at least a 5 meter run, free and clear, up at ceiling level. Smaller area at one side where bookshelf could be moved to let cage come down to people level, at most a meter wide, if that.

Would it be such a crazy idea to have a smaller cage down the wall, with a long long cage run across the top of the room? Would they enjoy the long run so much they'd never come down to see us?

The long run would be up to 5m long, probably only about 30cm wide (as it crosses the header of the opening into the dining room, and wouldn't want it sticking out too far for both aesthetics and support reasons) and could be as much as 30cm tall. Would make the front half height or all plexiglass, so we could see them, if half-height then rest would be wire mesh, top could be wire mesh, front would have to be series of sliding sections so we could open it to clean (which I realize would have to be on a step ladder, as this is 7 feet above floor level).

Cage section coming lower down wall would be wood & wire mesh, or adaptation of existing wire cage, with multiple levels.

Am I crazy to think of this? Seems like it would be fun for them to have the length of the room to run, and we could put all kinds of tunnels and ramps and things in there, but it wouldn't be very wide. But this would allow expansion with minimal disruption of the rest of the house, which just isn't possible as life is very complicated right now. I feel bad I can't give them a better home than what we have, which was never supposed to last this long, but stuff happens...

[fred]

Unusual certainly, but crazy absolutely not! I like the idea and could see it work very well. Obviously your guys would spend some of their time in the long run section and therefore out of your sight. However, if nest, food, water, wheel etc., as well as the interactions with you, all happen in the tall section, that's were I would expect to see them most.

[Maravilla]

Your idea sounds interesting and would provide a lot of running space for your degus.
Your concerns of never again seeing your degus is understandable, but it is easy to avoid by putting all the important things (bowls, running wheel, dust bath etc.) in the normal cage (which nevertheless should be deeper than just 30 cm).
I see one "problem" with this long running area: why should degus really use it? Mine use their whole cage, but it is like a circuit with two holes in every level. I am not sure if a degu would run "just for fun" the whole 5 metres and coming back the same way without any incentive. At the very end there must be something very special to attract them. Do you see what I mean? Any chance to put another smaller cage at the other end of the room and using the 5 m as a kind of bridge?
I think you just have to try it out as I assume that there is no experience with such kind of cage. Maybe your goos enjoy it, maybe they will ignore it. But you never will know if you didn't try it out.
In any case, I would make the hole front with plexiglass as the top out of mesh is just enough.

[winic1]

Think of the long run as a very long, narrow cage. It would have substrate (hence the need for solid front, that and their poo-flinging talent), hidey-huts, tunnel pieces, branches, maybe little ledges or bridges for variation, just like a more-normal cage. a great place to hang out, if you're only six inches big and have four feet and a tail. Would be visible, pretty much, from the couch on the other side of the room, unless they were back against their back wall.

there's no room for something at the end. that part is over the opening into another room, living room and dining room make an "L" shape, furniture is in the way at this open end, just wouldn't work.

Current cage could be adapted to be the lower part easy enough, food, water, wheel could stay there, especially since I can't climb up a step ladder to feed them every day. Guess if they had to come down for food and water, they wouldn't ignore us completely enjoying their bigger, if linear, habitat.

Figure since this is just a big long box, which could be built in sections, and held up by shelf brackets, this is easy to do. We've had our little guys a bit over 2 years. Took in the first one, Chester, as a rescue from a 5 gallon (less than 20L) glass fish tank with a 17cm wire rung wheel and food and water bowl and nothing else. Quickly got him a companion, and what we were told was twice the cage they needed. (Not even close, and even despite the ramps and levels and features we have added, you'd yell at me if I told you how big it is. Which I had realized without finding this site, just from watching them.)

But, just 3 months after we got them, my family, including one of my kids, were involved in a massive car accident. Still going through after effects, surgeries and complications and problems. Making a better life for little goo-bies just had to get put aside. We do the best we can with them. But I feel bad, so am still trying to figure out some way that is do-able right now, or at least as soon as husband gets use of his right hand back after latest surgery a couple of weeks ago. gotta be simple and easy with minimal disruption of rest of house, or just won't happen. Wood is relatively cheap here, the plexiglass will be costing me much more. So a simple long box is all I can think of managing right now. We could put it lower, but then it would have to be shorter, probably not quite 3 meters, and a bunch of stuff on top of computer desk hutch would have to find a new home, which starts complicating things...

[deguconvert]

Would you be willing to post some pictures of the upper wall area(s) where you are thinking of placing this long run? I really think you have a very unique and great idea, and would like to encourage you as much as I can. If you are willing to post picts, then maybe we can see potentials to augment your ideas that you haven't thought of?

I am so sorry about the injuries and the accident that brought it all about. The damage physically, mentally, and emotionally is so extensive!! You are doing a great job of doing what you can, not just for your degus, but for all your family. You ARE!! Wish I could have you over for a coffee and a build you up/ encouragement afternoon. You're doing well!!

[winic1]

thank you.

I know I can be in Montreal in, what, six hours, I believe? (been there once, as a teen, passing through to a friend's summer house in St. Donat. That's when I found out that 5 years of middle and high school french were worthless in the real world.) If I leave before breakfast, I can meet you there for lunch....

will try to get to pictures, tonight was school holiday concert, then it's Christmas dance recital/show week for my daughter, 4 hour dress rehearsal tomorrow night, two shows this weekend, then Girl Scout service project, then we still don't have a Christmas tree up for the kids yet (and a piece of the sofa has to move out to fit it in), seems like a perpetual race to keep up with life. both hate and love Dance recital weeks, so much work and time and disruption, but then there's my little one up there, so confident, so beautiful (she's not quite 10, yet this is her 11th recital, she was 3-1/2 for her first one!).

Anyway, there's not much to it, really, on the left is a doorway, open to the ceiling, then an approx 8 foot section of wall, covered to about 5 feet high with bookshelf and built-in computer desk, then an approx 10 foot opening where the room makes the 'L' with the dinign room, and this opening has a header across the top that's about 13-14" high, and there's a big shelf unit at the far end against that wall. The 5 foot long/5 foot high parakeet cage sits in this opening kinda like a room divider, with a gap between it and the header that has track lighting to light up their cage. The long degu cage section would run pretty much end to end along the top of this wall. That would keep them above the parakeets, without blocking light from their cage, and leave the top of the desk & shelf available for use as is already.

will try to get to pictures when sanity returns and events are over.

[deguconvert]

Aww, love!! I hate to disappoint you, but your drive would be SO MUCH LONGER!! I am not located in Montreal ( although NightwishRaven999 is near there and might give you lunch ) but rather am on the prairies in the province of Alberta. A six hour FLIGHT might get you here though. I used to have family out in Nova Scotia, but they have moved back to Alberta as well now. So, I've no plans for going out east for a while. Plans have been known to change however . . . . ;D

I look forward to seeing your pictures, WHEN time allows you to breathe a bit first. I've got a better idea of what you are describing, but have to admit I don't think I've fit it all together quite right.

I hope the recital and the service project go very well for you, with as minimal headaches as possible. As for getting a tree up for the kids . . . lol . . . we are in the same plight! In fact, the people we share driving duties with for school have been daily asking the kids of the tree is up yet this whole past week or more. Their "no" is becoming more gloomy with each day that passes, I understand. LOL!! My poor little people!! I wonder which of us will get a tree of first . . . ;D LOL!

Anyhoo, I'll be thinking of you over the next 10 days, and hoping it all comes together to a peaceful and happy conclusion.

[winic1]

Didn't think you were, but that's the only place in Canada I've been to, so I know how far it is to there. Sorry, I don't fly. Motion sickness like you can't believe. A million years ago I went to college in Oregon for a couple of years, that six hour flight is pure misery (and a lot of barf bags. and I do mean a lot). But anyone coming near New York City, I can jump on a train that will have me there in an hour.

Tree has been in the basement since early November. First year of an artificial tree, since going out to cut our own & all the set-up isn't possible with Dad's arm in a cast. Just haven't had time or capability of moving the couch and setting it up. Hopefully this weekend, second ballet show is over by 9pm tomorrow...

ugh. sleep. i need sleep.