VW camper in the making

[ianpallen]

I am making a hide / home for one of my hamsters. I have already made a teardrop caravan. The camper has been made out of pine and plywood. The front and back are pine so it can be shaped. The sides and roof are plywood. To curve the corners and roof, I used a dremel tool with danding drum on it. I think I have breathed in that much sanding dust, I will be sneezing trees for the next week. lol.

[DexterChloe]

They look fab! Looking forward to seeing it finished be sure to post pics!

[humfry]

That looks great! You'll have hams queuing up for a place in that camper!!

[ianpallen]

Thanks. Its getting there slowly. First coat of paint drying on it.

[ianpallen]

I have painted the camper and have drawn in the windows and doors but painted the lights and number plates. I put the entrance hole in the roof so it would not get too hot in there.

[Esmy]

Looks great! Fancy woodworking there.

[dave123791]

Your camper looks amazing. Are the paints you using non toxic? If yes what are they. I'm also into woodworking but mostly furniture. I might make something for my hammies

[ianpallen]

Hi, Thanks for the comments.
The paints are non toxic.
I paint some things with watercolour paints which are acrylic. Sometimes without mixing water with them so they go on thicker and cover better. Some paints are virtually see through and when mixed with water, they are very see through and you see everything under neath. Leaving out the water keeps the paint thicker. The paint does not take long to dry and takes about 24 hours to fully harden. The trouble is the tubes do not last long, especially when you squirt quite a bit out and only use a small dab of it. A lot gets wasted.
Sometimes, I like to leave things in natural wood.
The camper will not be having wheels on it as the bottom edge sits on the floor of the cage. There is no base to it so bedding will be easier to change. I hope the hamsters will use them.
I was going to cut the windows out but I snapped my last jigsaw blade. I might paint the windows light grey. Not too sure yet.

[souffle]

Just a little thought on these houses - I think they need more air holes in the roof and also a side access Ian because a hammie could expend a lot of energy trying to grip and pull out the roof if it was getting older. They do breathe out quite a lot of moisture should they sleep in there and the wood could retain this and make it quite stuffy inside so it needs good ventilation. You also need to ensure all edges are sanded very smooth and that there are no chewing going on that could raise splinters Hamsters who pee on wood make it smell terrible and you cannot clean it so watch for this.
Very cute though

[ianpallen]

Originally Posted by souffle

Just a little thought on these houses - I think they need more air holes in the roof and also a side access Ian because a hammie could expend a lot of energy trying to grip and pull out the roof if it was getting older. They do breathe out quite a lot of moisture should they sleep in there and the wood could retain this and make it quite stuffy inside so it needs good ventilation. You also need to ensure all edges are sanded very smooth and that there are no chewing going on that could raise splinters Hamsters who pee on wood make it smell terrible and you cannot clean it so watch for this.
Very cute though

Thanks for this. I didnt realise the wood would have held in the condensation so much. I will have to get my drill out with a smallish drill bit to start drilling holes in the roofs. I wonder if this is why some hamsters sometimes sleep in the tubes either inside or outside the cages as they are full of air holes.
I will have to put a hole in the side of the camper. On wooden edges, I usually plane the edge off and sand them down smooth. Although the caravan has a wooden floor, the camper doesnt.
Ian