shiny new bin cage made from old cage parts!

[nefosaur]

hi guys! i’m new to the forum :D
recently i adopted 2 roborovski brothers who had been separated due to fighting. they came to me in small p@h cages and my dad and i are in the process of building 2 new bin cages out of the old cage bars and gates. one down, one more to go!

https://flic.kr/p/26GNYA3

https://flic.kr/p/27NFUNR

(these might not open correctly on mobile devices)

the storage boxes are the 62l really useful boxes, light duty version. i chose these boxes because i needed to stack them due to limited space, and they have really smooth sides with no ridges which makes it easy to add ventilation to them, rather than on the lids. they also have locking lids and are made from really sturdy and transparent plastic so i really like the design. unfortunately, although they are described as 71cm long online, they are actually only 61cm, but that’s alright because they will be upgraded in time and are still much more suitable than their old habitats.

i got the boxes in a 3 for 2 deal so i paid £20 for 3, and with the nuts, washers and bolts it cost me only £23 in total for 2 bin cages (and possibly 1 more in the future). we used a dremel drill with grinding wheel to cut the plastic, drilled the holes, cut apart the old cages with wire cutters, and sanded down the sharp edges with a metal file. i’ve attached a bulldog clip to the door to keep it secure.

i will be upgrading their little wheels and adding more hidey homes and enrichment soon too.

i wanted to share because i’m really pleased with how clean looking this one came out and hopefully it helps inspire someone else! :)

[souffle]

Those look really good and nice and roomy. Well done you :)

[dreamtree1234]

Wow, that DIY bin looks awesome! I love that you combined the previous wire cage with your new cage. That was a brilliant idea!!! I'm sure that your two robos will feel very spoiled and loved in their new and marvelous, palace home, lol. Thanks for sharing your creation and have fun with making the second one with you dad. What a special and wonderful bonding experience. :)

[nefosaur]

thank you both! honestly this is probably a little deep for this forum but my relationship with my dad has always been strained and building these bin cages together is really helping. definitely a great bonding activity! :D thank you so much for your kind words!

[dreamtree1234]

I'm glad that this project has had a wonderful impact on your relationship with your dad; hopefully, this will just be the beginning of a thriving, close relationship with him in the future. Best of luck to you all, and GREAT job with the cages - the first one is beautiful!!! :)

[Velle]

Oh wow, that looks pretty amazing :D! You and your dad are doing a pretty awesome job! Congrats on the two little ones <3

[nefosaur]

thank you all for your kind words of encouragement! the second cage is now complete.

https://flic.kr/p/27WKYYj

https://flic.kr/p/25gdqML

i’m already seeing much more of my second boy, kafei, now that he has a bigger cage too. he was quite reserved and seemed to sleep all the time, but now he’s exploring more so i hope that means he likes it! :)

keaton’s cage gets a bit dark in the evening, but it’s nothing major and it’s not like he cares :p

[nefosaur]

because i’m extra, i just made name decals for my cages too lol.

https://flic.kr/p/28aKFDk

[Velle]

I see someone's a Majoras Mask fan with those names!

They look super amazing, congratulations! I'm sure they're really happy in there, Keaton looks like he's made some 'adjustments' with a small valley near his front door. You and your dad should be pretty proud :)

[nefosaur]

haha yes! my guinea pigs are named poe, gibdo and stalfos so i wanted to continue the theme, and that’s my favourite sidequest in majora’s mask :D keaton is for sure the most active. he has done a lot of renovation haha.
thank you so much velle! you are so kind! this forum is full of wonderful people. <3

[Velle]

Weirdly I bought an N64 recently and that's the current quest I'm on in MM! I just got to go to the canyon and go get the sun mask, and quickly tie up that plot line and then go through the last temple. Ah how much I love LoZ!!

Also it's super cool to see some alternate names from the LoZ universe! I see a lot of Zelda's, hardly any links but not really any other names. I think you chose a unique lot :) And no problem, I'm slightly jealous of your set up, it's so matchy matchy haha. Yeah, this forum is really nice, it's super laid back and people aren't so quick to jump down on your back.

[Pebbles82]

Wow they are fantastic - and so neat! Just perfect having a door on the front of a bin cage and bars to attach a wheel to. Can I ask how you "dissected" the cage to get the panels - I've thought about chopping bits of a cage before but thought it seemed difficult to cut and to get rid of sharp edges.

[nefosaur]

velle- haha marvelous! how weird to meet someone else who is playing it right now too! i recently restarted MM 3D and i’m just about to go get the zora mask. ikana canyon is one of my fav places in that game! it used to spook me out so much as a kid and still does tbh. that’s why i love MM so much- it’s so creepy, dark and tense :D if i ever get a female pair of pets, i’ll name them koume and kotake!
and you’re right, everyone here seems so chill. it’s such a difference from facebook pet groups. nobody here jumps down your throat for having cages a few cm below the RSPCA recommended minimum, lol.

serendipity- thank you so much! i used wire cutters to snip the cages apart and get most of the edges off. then i used a combination of a dremel drill with a grinding wheel on it (which eventually got too worn down to use anymore), a hacksaw (which actually broke, hahaha) and a metal file (not very effective but sands the sharpest bits down) to get the last few pokey bits of wire off the sides of the panels. the dremel drill was the best tool for it- if i did this again i’d ensure i had a few spare grinding wheels and just use that. my dad managed to borrow all the tools from his work, luckily. there are so many tutorials for DIY stuff that assume everyone has all these power tools just lying around hahaha.

[dreamtree1234]

Haha, I also love your hams' and guinea pigs' names; I am a HUGE fan of all things Zelda. I own most of the Zelda games in fact. In MM, I just entered the Ikana Canyon a few weeks ago and haven't had the chance to continue playing yet. Hopefully, I will be able to start playing again in a few days if I'm lucky - fingers crossed. I really can't wait! :)

Congrats to you and your dad for doing such an awesome job with creating the bin cages. I only own a hammer, a Phillips screwdriver, and a flat-head screwdriver so I'm definitely not the handygal DIYer, lol. I love that both cages are stackable, and the name decals add a special and personal touch to them. I'm sure your very lucky hams are enjoying their new and wonderful homes so much, too. Have fun with your furry family!!!! :)

[nefosaur]

how awesome is this! hamsters bringing gamers together :D thank you so much! i’m overwhelmed with how lovely everybody is here. wishing you all the best with your hams!