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Old 08-24-2013, 08:32 PM   #1
BrainGirl
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Default Converting a guinea pig cage.

I've given up trying to find a decently sized bin to make a cage from, and I don't really feel up to the in-depth diy needed by an ikea hack, so I was thinking about meshing a guinea pig cage. Today I stopped at a charity yard sale and spotted a 42" x 18" for only $30! I wanted to think about it so went away and when I got back later this evening she gave it to me for $20!!!

I've scrubbed the whole thing down with bleach and it's drying in the laundry room over night. I won't be able to finish the meshing until Monday because I don't quite have enough on hand. What I have currently is 1/2" mesh but would another size be better? Perhaps 1/2" X 1"?

Can't wait to have it all meshed and start decorating it with toys! Peach is going to be so happy Now to find another ginormous cage for Timmy...
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Old 08-25-2013, 12:39 AM   #2
Bailey
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

I'm not sure about the mesh size, but it sounds as though it will be quite a palace! Looking forward to photos.
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Old 08-25-2013, 04:58 AM   #3
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

Yes this sounds intriguing, can't wait to see how it turns out
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Old 08-25-2013, 05:16 AM   #4
Kiki_3173
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

I have a friend of mine that converted a large rabbit cage (pretty much the same size as the one you found) into a hamster cage. Her LH Syrian hamster LOVES the space! Here is her blog about it. Hope this helps answer some of your questions

converting rabbit to hamster cage | Hammy Happenings
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Old 08-25-2013, 05:58 AM   #5
The Hamster's family
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

For my Robos, I used 1/4 x 1/4. It helps to avoid bar chewing thru the mesh for syrians !!
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Old 08-25-2013, 06:59 AM   #6
BrainGirl
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiki_3173 View Post
I have a friend of mine that converted a large rabbit cage (pretty much the same size as the one you found) into a hamster cage. Her LH Syrian hamster LOVES the space! Here is her blog about it. Hope this helps answer some of your questions

converting rabbit to hamster cage | Hammy Happenings
Wow! That is indeed almost the same size as what I have, only taller and with wheels. I love what she's done, especially those mushrooms, her ham has so much more enrichment thanks to the space

Oh, and I'm going to go out and get the ecobedding crinkled paper for Timmy's substrate since she said it doesn't get caught in her ham's fur. I put a handful of Boxo in Timmy's cage to see what he thought of it and I had quite the job to get it out of his fur last night!

Thanks for the link!
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Old 08-25-2013, 07:02 AM   #7
BrainGirl
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Hamster's family View Post
For my Robos, I used 1/4 x 1/4. It helps to avoid bar chewing thru the mesh for syrians !!
I was thinking that would be one way to go, but on the other hand I want to keep it as visually clear as possible. I'll see what the feed store has (they have a huge selection!) and decide then. Thanks for mentioning the chewing angle, I'll keep that in mind!
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Old 08-25-2013, 07:03 AM   #8
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

For the curious, this is the cage: Kaytee Kaytee Rabbit Home
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Old 08-29-2013, 07:30 PM   #9
BrainGirl
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

I've been very busy this week and more of my time than usual has been taken up with looking after the neighbour's cats, but I haven't forgotten about my cage plans! I've been scanning the local classifieds diligently, late into the night, for another guinea pig cage. I found one, identical to the first, but it sold immediately. Last night I wrote to another seller and picked up my second cage this morning. It's a Marchioro Tommy! 38" x 20". I had to travel all the way to the tip of the peninsula (a fair drive) in my friend's dying car in rain and heavy traffic, but it was important so I gritted my teeth and carried on *raaargh!* On the way back I detoured to the feed store and picked up a whole bunch of wire mesh. Their selection was down from normal so I bought what they had left in both 1/4" and 1/2" mesh. The 1/4" will be on the sides and the 1/2" I'll put on the roof. I also bought a bucket of cable ties. I didn't need 1000 of them but it was an assortment of colours and sizes. The 4" ties alone came in red, green, yellow, and blue! So I'm sure I can make the wiring as pretty as possible

I hope to be finished this before Monday and then I can share pictures with you! Oh, and I managed to find a hamster-sized Shinto shrine. I think it was actually meant to be a bird feeder, but it's really cool!
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Old 08-31-2013, 01:20 AM   #10
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Default Re: Converting a guinea pig cage.

This is a really good idea if using a cage with bars that are too wide. Meshing with panels that `bend` over the existing cage and then using cable ties or metal ties seems to be a better option than paying over the odds for a hamster cage that isn`t as large! Great finds there for the money too. Can`t wait to see your finished cages. x
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