The Degu Diaries

Wednesdays are usually a day where I never seem to get a lot done for some reason but not today. The degu cage build is moving along at a steady pace. This morning my brother, and myself, nailed and glued the back and sides of the top section together and then began work on the kiln-dried pine frame which will eventually become a wire mesh top. Top section half complete The pine we used is 32mm x 32mm. The frame isn't all that great a fit because we thought a hand saw would do the job, but no. I think we spent about 2 hours just trying to get the ends straight. With a little bit of filling and sanding it should be okay. The screws we used were overkill too. It was cheaper to buy a bag of 100 x 75mm screws for the doors than it was to buy 2 packets of 10 so we just used them. Ideally they should have been about 50mm but if it works don't fix it. The finished frame was then attached flush with the upper edge of the top section using some shorter screws which we had to ...

The cage is progressing nicely. The bottom section is almost complete. Still have the vinyl tiles (for extra protection against pee) to put in, one level to cut and attach, and some small platforms which will help form a ramp up to the top section of the cage. I have a deep 30cm mess guard which will form the basis of a makeshift digging pit and landscaped area. There will be one level and you can see the hole for access to floor 2 which will be in the top section. It was supposed to be in the back but it was going to be a nightmare to do because of the build being in 2 parts so it can be taken apart for easier moving. This means that I now have to rethink my first level. It was going to be set back slightly from the front but I may have to bring it closer to eliminate the massive drop and reduce injury should there be a fall. I'm going to have a look at some other DIY cages for some ideas but the main priority tomorrow is to get the main construction of the top section comp...

The weather held out for most of the day so the cage is progressing nicely. I have all of the pieces which make the shell cut (minus the 2 mess guards) and the bottom section pieces are partially assembled. I still have all of the internal shelves to cut. MDF pieces which make the bottom outer section of the cage. There was a little bit of weather drama early afternoon. 2 pieces left to cut and it was approaching 1PM so work stopped for lunch as the weather predicted thunder storms after 4PM. Not so. By 2PM it started to rain but thankfully a half hour dry spell before the real rain started meant the remaining side panels could be cut. Bottom section outer shell assembled (minus mess guard) . For a pair of novices with next to no carpentry skills (and a little fatherly help) the cage isn't looking too bad. MDF, while relatively inexpensive, is notoriously hard to join as it can split when screwing down into the edge. To combat this we nailed and glued the panels togethe...

Made a start on the cage yesterday. Attempts at using a jigsaw to cut my 18mm MDF failed so my brother ended up resorting to a handsaw. The cuts were straight enough but the edge ended up off at an angle rather than flat. We got the base, back, and sides cut for the bottom section and then tried planing and sanding to bring the edges flat. Didn't work out so great. It doesn't matter so much with the edges which will be facing outwards but the ones that butt up on the inside need to be as flat and straight as possible. This morning it was down to Argos for a circular saw to see if I could get a better cut. A bit of practice on some scraps of chipboard and things were looking good… then the heavens opened. Hailstones, thunder, lightning, and massive raindrops put a stop to plans for the rest of the day. Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow. Then all I need is to figure out how to cut across a 4 foot MDF sheet with the circular saw?

Let's hope the cage build goes easier than getting the materials delivered. Ordered before 6PM on Wednesday for next-day delivery. It got to 7:15PM before the driver called to say he'd be about 10 minutes. 10 minutes later he called again to say he'd broken down and everything would be delivered Friday. Friday came with the expectation of the delivery arriving early morning. Wrong. 6PM the driver called to say he'd be about 15 minutes, then he got lost, and then when he finally turned up I was short of 2 lengths of timber. Nightmare. This weekend is pretty much the last chance I have of making my cage before the new Pets at Home store opens. I used to have to travel an hour by public transport to the Metrocentre but one is opening in South Shields on 17th August and it's a lot closer. I'm planning to have the cage built, almost furnished and the bedding / substrate in so I can get my 'goos' and a few last minute items on open day. I basically have this...

Building a cage to house my degus is starting to take over my life. I've spent weeks jotting things down and thinking of ways to make it as degu proof as possible. The problem is that I could probably spend months just making sure I've thought of everything so I've decided to go for it. This morning I worked out how much material I would need for a basic cage structure to the one below (allowing extra for adjustments) and popped down to my local Wickes to order it all. I will also be adding 2 sets of mesh doors and a mesh roof but I haven't drawn these on the diagram. I've gone for mesh doors as the room it will be in is a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house and it will allow for better air circulation. The RSPCA recommends a minumim CARA (cumulative available running area) of 12,000 sq.cm for 2 degus. Owners recommend a CARA of 17,000 sq.cm so I've gone for a happy medium of around 15,000 sq.cm. Ideally I should have at least 2 levels measur...

Not a lot has happened in the past 10 days. I've been mentally visualising the cage I want to build and I've found a great website with a day by day guide detailing how someone built their cage . In fact, I like their cage so much I may have to borrow a few ideas. While the cage seems relatively easy to build now (I hope) my newest problem is actually getting my new degus home from the pet store. I'm jumping the gun a little, considering I haven't even built the cage yet, but I just want to make sure that I can source everything I need. Where I live is pretty rubbish for just about anything. Degus are destructive and you can guarantee that I'll be given my new furbabies stuffed in one of those cardboard carry boxes. I don't have a car so the short 20 minute journey home will be made by train and knowing my luck they'll probably chew through the box in seconds. I don't particularly want to be running down the street chasing 2 over-sized gerblis! A...