The Big Degu Cage Build

The Big Degu Cage Build - Part Six

Only 7 more days before my new furbabies move in and there isn't that much of the cage left to build… just time consuming things and a few shelves.

This afternoon we fixed the 13mm x 13mm pet enclosure mesh to the kiln-dried pine wooden frame that was attached yesterday to create a ventilated roof. We used 15mm netting staples.

I also managed to get the 2 internal levels cut ready to be attached after I've sealed the inside against degu pee. I've read mixed reviews about pee protection. Some people leave their MDF or plywood bare and rely on copious amounts of dust-free wood shavings to do the soaking. Others are a little more dubious (and so would I with MDF) and have used vinyl tiles on the bottom and the levels but left the sides bare. A few brave souls have painted and / or varnished everything.

The way I see it is like this. A degu can't chew through a flat surface so as long as you end up with the same flat surface after you've primed and sealed the inside it should be fine. To be extra safe you should use non-toxic paint or varnish with a low VOC. Plasti-kote is great for this but very expensive so I'm looking for an alternative. I've already started to paint the inside white with ordinary water-based emulsion which will be varnished. The white is too brighten the cage on the inside as it is a little dark in there. I will hopefully be adding some LED lights at a later date if possible.

Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can get the doors started and more of the paint work done.

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Dozing Degus

I can't believe I've had my degus for a month tomorrow. I've been a little busy with work this past week but I thought I'd take time out to share a little video my brother took of the girls chillaxing on Saturday afternoon. About 30 seconds in I open the door for a better view. Enjoy!

Degu Versus the Wooden Wheels

When I bought wooden exercise wheels for my 3 girls I knew I was taking a gamble. Degus love to chew wood but in the back of my mind I was hoping that they'd realize that wheel destruction meant no running. After all, they are rather intelligent little rodents. Close up of damage After 6 months of little to no interest in chewing the wheels I thought I was on to a winner and had the only non-destructive degus in the world. This afternoon, after a morning out walking I came home to wheel destruction. Degu damage to Wooden Exercise Wheels 4 hours earlier they weren't particularly bad. Just some light gnawing around the edges and on the stands. Now they resemble something that's been, quite literally, blown apart by a grenade. It's like they woke up this morning and thought, "Right, degus. We're going to start chewing these wheels and we're not going to stop until they're gone!" It's a good job I didn't pay full price for the ...

The Degus Have Moved In

This morning 3 little degus became the newest members of my family and they're the 3 cutest girls ever! I was up until midnight filling and dressing their cage ready for them to move in and they are loving it. 2 of them still think that there are only 2 floors and not 4, and all 3 have spent most of the day running in their wheel. Just before I settled down to write this they were all in a 'goo pile' on top of their cabin. It's a little dark in the room for a decent photo and I don't want to use the flash so I'll have to wait until there's a little more light to get a photo of them huddled together. They are all still a little flighty and scared of the camera but I managed to get a few decent photos of them. Don't have any names yet as I'm waiting to see what kind of personalities they have. My brother wants to call them Penny, Amy, and Bernadette… The Big Degu Theory! UPDATE — Here's a little video my brother recorded. :)

The Degu Diaries

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