Degu housing - how to build a cage

HOW TO BUILD A CAGE
Cages made by, this text written by and pictures taken by Petr Svoboda

Cage by Pavel Dvorak
made with help of this page and slightly changed

• netting is 1 m wide, spaces between wires 25 x 25 mm, wires diameter 2 mm (price 269 CZK/m)

• bottom is glued-up from boards of beechen laminate 18 mm thick

• aquarium bottom is made in glass shop. Attention, prices differ a lot (from 8 CZK/l to 16 CZK/l). Aquarium for this cage, size 102 x 49 x 14,5 cm (60 l) cost 480 CZK

• bottom construction from laminate (prices around 240-270 CZK), cutting cost around 10 CZK per 1 cut (not matter on the length), edges are beplastered creased edge (price about 7 CZK/m), about 8-9 m was needed

• strips to connect bottom part with top part of the cage are made of dural, bought in shop with metallurgical materials

• small material, like screws and hinges, you can buy anywhere (here were used wood screws 4 x 20, about 40 pcs and small hinges, 1 about 12 CZK)

• recommended to add small wheels for moving, the cage is quite heavy

Introduction

I searched for suitable cage for our degus a long time in pet shops. I wanted to be big enough and correspond with degus' needs I wanted to be able to clean it easily and put it to the place where I needed. Unfortunately I found out that it's "mission-impossible". The cage was either too small or too big or it had too low bottom part (and bedding would be around the cage) etc. And another problem was also the price of bigger cages.

Then I started searching some domestic maker who would make cage like piecework, but I didn't find any. When I asked in pet shops I came to know that cages are made only by big companies an dnot by smaller manufacturers. And because I don't like going after the shops and I don't like answers "we don't have this", "this is not possible" or "this would be too difficult", I decided to make the cage by my own from common materials.

The top part of the cage is from wire netting which you can buy in hardware store (I bought mine in OBI - garden goods). The bottom part is from wood and inside is plugged-in an aquarium-drawer which they made for me in the glass shop, but you can also made it at home with no problem.

The cage like this made at home cost me about 1/4 to 1/5 of the price of the cages sold in pet shops, the production lasted about 8 evening including the thinking and I don't have any work-room, I made it in common panel-flat just "on my knee".

Another way is to make bottom from metal plate. Thus you can't see degus that well but it's lighter, almost unbreakable and it's also cheaper.

The whole cage without aquarium-drawer and the bottom

View to the whole cage with aquarium-drawer out and the bottom of the cage with grate
Here you can see, how the wooden bottom of the cage is made. In this bottom the aquarium-drawer is plugged in. All wooden parts are connected with glue and also screwed together. Sides and back side are from small boards 20 cm wide and 2 cm thick. Grate and top edge are made of laths 2 x 2 cm.

Aquarium-bottom and the door

		Door originated by cutting out the opening in front side of the cage. Then I cut out from another part of wire netting another piece of the size of the opening and let to overreach 3 wires on it. Then I connected this part with the cage by tweaking those overreaching wires.
Aquarim bottom is sticked together by glue from 5 mm thick glass. You can get it made for you in any glass shop.

Side view and connecting all parts together

Side view and the detail of connecting side and middle parts of the wire netting
The keystone was to bend the part of wire netting to the shape of inverse figure U, which is marked with red on the picture. I let wires to overreach a bit on the side parts of wire netting and then wrapped them around sides of the middle part, how you can see on the picture. Then I all cleaned with rubber, so the degus can't get hurt.

Closing the door and hinges


Detail of closing the door Footing is same the like in connecting the sides of the cage in previous case, so that you can move the closing.	Detail of the hinges of the door I think that it't nothing needed to say, it's the same as with closing the door.

Connecting of wire netting and bottom wooden part, fixation of the floors

Connection of the cage with wooden bottom and how to add the floors
Wire netting is connected to bottom part with help of strips (made of dural) 2 cm wide and 1 cm thick. Floors are added by strips 1,5 cm wide.

General views

In the beginning I made the cage with wire netting which had wires too far from each other so the degu babies could get through. Then I made another cage with more dense netting. Here is how both cages look together.
	Dimensions of the cage (width x height x depth) - 44 x 50 x 38 cm Wire netting - mesh 14 x 14 mm, diameter of the wire 1 mm
This cage is sitable only for adult degus Dimensions of the cage (width x height x depth) - 104 x 70 x 38 cm Wire netting - mesh 22 x 22 mm, diameter of the wire 2 mm (too far for babies)
	With this tube both cages are connected. Degus can freely move from one cage to another, but there are door on both sides so I can easily divide the cages if needed.

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