IKEA diy cage

Geewhiz · 10-12-2016, 07:02 AM

I've recently been looking for a better cage for Zero. Goose is happy in her Duna, but Zero is very active and loves space, so I've been looking at plenty of options to improve. She's currently in a fairly small bin cage.

Erinsanimals on YouTube made a video using Lack sidetables, but I've found that the main table design would fit in my room better, (90cm by 55cm) but I don't really know how I would put it together. Is there any way I could have a glass panel on the long side, if so where could I get glass that would fit?

chesca_27 · 10-12-2016, 01:48 PM

If you have the space, this Ikea cage would be better as it is bigger, and allows digging. The Ikea Lack cage is ok, but cannot have deep substrate, which is a problem. Another option is the Ikea Billy, which I have for Jasper and can be extended. ErinsAnimals currently has four of these attached together for Potassium.

Geewhiz · 10-14-2016, 03:43 AM

The space I have available for this cage is very awkward. The cage you linked looks amazing, but it wouldn't be stable balanced on the shelf I have. (

) What I meant about the table is how it might be best to fit a panel of glass in the front, and wood on the sides, so it would hold plenty of substrate. A Billy cage is nearly a good fit, just long enough, but i decided against it as it doesn't make good use of the extra width, which, times the length, makes a massive difference to the size of the cage.
I think Erin used Aquarium sealant for her tutorial on the Billy cage, but it doesn't seem like it would be secure for a table instead of a shelf.

CMB · 10-14-2016, 11:29 AM

The wooden back and two sides will need to be screwed onto the legs of the table. The glass can be fixed using the brackets shown in Chesapeake 27's video. The silicone sealant it to fill in the gaps mainly. But would help hold thing in place.

velma · 10-14-2016, 11:50 AM

It might be an idea to look into using a sheet of plexi-glass too if possible. It would reduce the weight and might be safer to try and install. I've seen videos using aquarium sealant being used to attach it. You'd need some clamps to hold everything in place while it dried. It's not something I've attempted myself though so no idea if it's easy or not.

AmityvilleHams · 10-14-2016, 11:58 AM

Aquarium sealant alone would hold glass,but not acrylic.However,acrylic can be safely drilled through as well as screwed into place while glass cannot.

The reason why aquarium sealant alone doesn't hold acrylic is very simple,and that is just because it doesn't bond properly with acrylic strong enough to hold a bond for large areas.It will seal against urine and liquid,but it will not be enough to hold things together

Kiki_3173 · 10-14-2016, 02:19 PM

I've built multiple DIY cages, including a Billy cage and a Lack cage. I built my Lack out of the midsized Lack coffee table. I stacked two Lack tables on top of each other and added acrylic sides (with only aquarium sealant), a substrate barrier, & a track & acrylic doors, but from what it sounds like, you want to flip yours upside down & add sides, like a tank...correct? I'd love to help & answer any questions that you have...if any!

My hams no longer live in either of these cages...I wanted one enclosure that housed them both, so now they live in the DIY hack below: