We're hacking an Ikea table!!

[baby and crumble]

Well, I thought I'd start up a thread documenting our first ever homemade cage project- it's all very exciting! Since reading here I've come to relaise our cage for Isabella is a bit too small, so we've decided to make her a new palace. We're starting with the Laiva desk from Ikea (I had a spare one) and some wood and wire. We got the main construction done today, but still have a fair bit to do before she moves in!

So here's the desk before we started-

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9302&stc=1&d=1337558994

Here's the first floor in- this is going to be the spot for her new 28cm Karlie Wonderland wheel and a climbing wall, and various bits and pieces. (We already took her out onto the new wheel, it doesn't fit in her old cage but man, does she love it! I've never seen her run so fast before!!) The bit on the right side that's cut out is where her ramp up and down is going.

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9303&stc=1&d=1337559043

This is the side view, with the mesh on. It's a nice 1cm mesh so I think if we get robos in the future, it'll be ok for them too, right?

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9304&stc=1&d=1337559348

And this is the front view at the end of day one. Both floors are in, and the mesh on the sides is done. The backboard needs to go on, and the doors need to be meshed up and put on. The stuff on top is a bunch of toys I have made out of coloured lollipop sticks I got at the craft shop (they are non toxic!) made with PVA glue. She really likes the tunnels I made!

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9305&stc=1&d=1337559421

And this is just a gratuitous shot of Isabella coming out of the new little house we got on sale in the pet shop for €3 that we couldn't resist!!

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9306&stc=1&d=1337559605

I'll update as we go, I'm really excited to see how it turns out. I'm pleased with it so far. If I'm honest, my girlfriend is doing most of the construction and design, I'm doing a lot of sanding and holding of things. But hey, everyone has to have a job, right? ;)

[Mona's Humans]

Looking Fab so far :)

[Lynternette]

Its really looking good and interesting to see it being made. :)

[lou1990lou]

IT's really interesting to see how this is being made, and a brillaint idea.

However, isn't it going to be a pain to clean? especially with it being wood, any lil accidents willl start to smell won't they?

If i'm wrong then i apologise...

[baby and crumble]

We're looking at options for the wood shelves in particular, so make them wipable. Luckily Isabella is very clean, and only poops and pees in one spot. Possibly some kind of non toxic contact paper or laminate.

Tonight's job is to secure all the shelves in place and level off the doors and possibly mesh them up...

[AngelAmes]

wow that looks really good :) Cannot wait to see the completed pictures.

[sully]

Very good!

[Kissa]

We're looking at options for the wood shelves in particular, so make them wipable. Luckily Isabella is very clean, and only poops and pees in one spot. Possibly some kind of non toxic contact paper or laminate.

Plasti-kote? Or lino?

It looks awesome, though :D

[Vicki S]

Looks really cool everyone is getting me in the mood for some D.I.Y


Vicki

[baby and crumble]

Plasti-kote? Or lino?

It looks awesome, though :D

Would lino be ok? I'd be scared she's eat it, although she's not generally a chewer. We actually have some lino available to take it if would work- would you guys recommend gluing it down or just cutting it really tight?

The toys have been plasti-koted (well, the version you can get in Ireland which is called rustoleum, I checked a few forums and apparently it's totally non toxic when fully dry), but am hesitant to do the whole thing...

[baby and crumble]

Well, 2nd night is finished, and I've just put Isabella back in cage after some time exploring the new cage and playing on the new wheel.

The shelves are now fully secure, and everything is tidied up a bit. I got the wrong filler for the doors today so I couldn't level them off or mesh them. :(

But tomorrow night should hopefully see us finish it and possibly move Isabella in!!!

So here is the cage as it is- solid, and you can see the rough layout we'll be using, with a wheel on top, and downstairs will be a digging area for her. The ramp needs a bit of reinforcing, or else we might make a new one out of a more solid material.

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9324&stc=1&d=1337639466"]http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9324&stc=1&d=1337639466

Here's a view of the side with Isabella climbing on it

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9325&stc=1&d=1337639553"]http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9325&stc=1&d=1337639553

And her she is hiding behind some of the toys I made out of lollipop sticks...

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9326&stc=1&d=1337639607

Come back tomorrow night for the update on doors, backboards and possible lino for the floor!!! :cool:

[Kissa]

Lino gets recommended for covering wire levels, so I don't see why it wouldn't be okay ;)

[souffle]

How are you going to clean a wood cage? If wee soaks in to this it will really smell awful in a short time and it could also soak between the boards of the shelves and even with a lino on top of it it still gets underneath and soaks in? When washing wood also takes an age to dry.
Also hamsters chew wood and it could be chewed through in a very short time.
I really would not recommend wood as a hamster cage to be honest no matter how attractive it looks.
Maybe your hammy isn't a chewer but you do need to consider waterproofing the wood and sealing the gaps.
My friend did make similar using wood bookcases but within a few months he had to get rid of the lot due to the wee soaked wood and they actually had trays fitted in the bottom but it still soaked under these.
I hope for you it works though as it has taken some work.

[Creative Hamster]

You should either cover the floors and wood on the inside of the cage with chloroplast, or a thin plastic like from those plastic school duo-tangs. Or change to wood shelves to this type of wood http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/776109/6598523/0/1218179259/white_melamine_MDF.jpg
I can't wait to see the finished product!

[baby and crumble]

Well, Isabella is all moved in! We have had a few issues, but for a first cage we're really happy.

Here's the side all cleaned up today, before we put the doors on

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9344&stc=1&d=1337897266

This is the climbing wall we've made for her, it's not in at the moment because we need to plastikote it!

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9345&stc=1&d=1337897565

And here is the final article! (well not quite we ran out of wood for the front of the doors, hence the edges of the wire can be seen, but I wanted her in asap.)

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9346&stc=1&d=1337898453

I need to get more carefresh tomorrow, so she'll have a deeper substrate then.

And here's the inside properly...

http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=9347&stc=1&d=1337898578

We'l be putting a digging box in sometime this week, but we haven't got the sand yet. (head like a sieve at the moment!!)

SO there you go! Fingers crossed we've sealed everywhere she could possiboy get out, and that I won't have an escaped hamster in the morning! It's not perfect, but it's a big leap in size from what she had before, in particular her new 29cm Karlie Wonderland wheel. (Which was the most expensive part of the new set up, but so worth it because she loves it!!!)

Anyway, there you go. An ambitious project for 2 women who are waaaaaay out of practice on the DIY side of things, but fun, and great to see her happy in it. :)

[Vicki S]

That is sooo cool me wants one :) and you are allowed to forget thing when your busy building for your hammie ;)

And depending we're you are you can get auboise from Fane Valley for £7 and it's a massive bale too :)


Vicki

[baby and crumble]

I'm in Ireland, and it's hard to even get carefresh here! I haven't ever seen auboise. Isabella sneezes like a mad thing with wood shavings, hence the carefresh. Expensive tastes, my little hammie!! ;)

[Vicki S]

If your close to newry they have a horse shop cant remember the name you can get it in there but then I think its bulk buy or something

But your probably better to stay with carefresh when she sneezes a lot and I know what you mean it's hard to get it over hear as I haven't seen it anywhere the first I heard of it was on here


:)


Vicki

[baby and crumble]

Well, I just posted this in the 'show us your cage' thread but I thought I'd stick it up here too in case anyone was interested. It's a video of Isabella moving in to her new cage, with a bit of a tour and some explanation of the layout etc.

szjD78gIUEg

[Kissa]

Looking good ;) Also she is one gorgeous hammy :D

[baby and crumble]

Awww, thank you. She was 4 or 5 months old when we got her, she was the last one left in the pet shop and had been kind of adopted by them a bit. She's a little sweetie.

[Creative Hamster]

That cage looks really good! I just think that to avoid bedding from falling out of the mesh, you'll have to put some wood, plastic or chloroplast sticking upwards at the edges of the wood platforms to keep the bedding inwards. Like a chloroplast fence around the platforms.

[Pinunpich]

Awesome! Wish I could make things that well.