DIY Cage - Ikea Regissor Bookcase

[DanniDorrito]

The final update! Its completed! (Dun dun dunnnn)

After the three day wait for the sealant to dry we just drilled holes in the back plexiglass for more ventilation. We also added handles to the sliding doors, added u-channels to the sides and a panel so the substrate wouldn’t fall out. Also added hooks to the ceiling of the bottom tank for a platform, used the large wooden bendy bridges as a platform.



Finally done! Just needed to give it a good clean and decorate the inside tanks, then move the hammies inside!
Overall it was a wonderful project to do, it didn’t feel like work at all and was so much fun to work on!



It’s great to watch the hamsters run around and play at night!



Close up of the bottom tank, this is where Marbles will live!



Close up of the middle tank, this is the home of Maizie.



This is a close up of the third tank, empty at the moment but will be home to an adorable little baby hamster in February 2015 from a wonderful breeder at .
Can't wait to meet the HC member Hekomi in person, shes absolutely wonderful and has been a great source of information for hamster care



Marbles wasn’t so sure of his new home to begin with, he was running around like a complete lunatic!



Maizie loved her new home! She settled in almost immediately, exploring and foraging for food. She eventually settled into the plant pot, overnight she created her nest inside her house.



I have videos of the project which I will be posting later on (Video editing was never a strong skill of mine…).
I also recorded the hamsters reactions to their new homes so be sure to keep an eye for updates! I plan to post them on my blog where I also posted a step-by-step process of the entire project too ^_^

[Piebald]

That is amazing! I've been following the project and I would like to know more about the lights you used? Also a little more detail on how you put the channels for the doors in. Well done! Let us know how it works out and if you learn anything you would have done differently as time goes on.

[cypher]

Looks just amazing! You've done such a great job with this & Maizie looks as though she's loving it!

[DanniDorrito]

Originally Posted by Piebald

That is amazing! I've been following the project and I would like to know more about the lights you used? Also a little more detail on how you put the channels for the doors in. Well done! Let us know how it works out and if you learn anything you would have done differently as time goes on.

Thank you!
We used some multicolored LEDs which had sticky backs so we were able to just stick them right to the back of the bookcase. Although be warned, don't get sealant all over the bookcase like we did haha. The LEDs would not stick to that at all so we spent a good 10-20mins trying to scrape off as much of the sealant from the very back as we could.

Here's a photo of the LED's we used. We needed two boxes to get right around the entire bookcase.



As for the u-channels we just cut them to size (checked by placing them in the bookcase and filing down if needed) and did the same for the plexiglass doors. Once we got around to doing all the sealing of the inside corners we fit the u-channels and doors in at the same time all in one. It made it a little easier for some things (Like we didn't need to figure out how to get the doors into the u-channels) but the problem we faced after is trying to fit the handles on the doors whilst they were fitted into the bookcase haha. Cleaning the center part was a huge pain too, we had to use an air compressor to blow as much of the crap out as we could then use a credit card and some wet kitchen towel to clean up any fingerprints.

[DanniDorrito]

Originally Posted by cypher

Looks just amazing! You've done such a great job with this & Maizie looks as though she's loving it!

Thank you, and she really did. This is like double the space she had before (temporary cage while we built this) so I bet it was a huge relief for her to get all this space. She was so happy to run around munching on all of the food she could find, it was so cute. First thing she started on as soon as she got into it was that small dragon shaped whimzee xD She loves that thing now haha. It was the first time she got a millet seed spray too so she went crazy on that lol

[Piebald]

Thanks Danni! And thanks for the "lessons learned" too! (Note to self: put handles on doors first and clean center as much as possible before installing channels). Your hammies are adorable and I'm sure happy in their new super home.

[velma]

That looks amazing you must be so proud of yourselves Looks great with the LEDs against that brick wall. Such a nice touch.

[DrKMcK]

I cannot get over how perfect that spot is for the setup! The lights just take it so over the top. What a gorgeous job you guys did on that. People who walk in your home have got to be blown away by it.
One question, can Marbles fall off the Bendy Bridge over by the wheel?
Maizie looks adorable in her plant pot.

[DanniDorrito]

Originally Posted by DrKMcK

I cannot get over how perfect that spot is for the setup! The lights just take it so over the top. What a gorgeous job you guys did on that. People who walk in your home have got to be blown away by it.
One question, can Marbles fall off the Bendy Bridge over by the wheel?
Maizie looks adorable in her plant pot.

Thank you so much! I'm super happy with how its turned out and the hams seem to enjoy it so far!

Marbles is a pretty careful guy, one of the main reasons we gave him a platform. He doesn't jump or climb off of edges unless he can see a bottom (one or two inches below him). He's taken interest in the vent on the left side though so we've removed the tube for now until he's settled in a little more. He had a pretty bad habit of bar chewing which we solved until we got Maizie and he started back up again lol, so he's currently going cold turkey.

[moocow123]

Wow that cage looks amazing !! I wish I could create a cage like that but sadly I don't have the DIY skills.