DIY Cage - Ikea Regissor Bookcase

[DanniDorrito]

My boyfriend and I decided to start a DIY project for the hamsters. With our latest addition and a planned one next year, we needed to start planning some better homes for them.
I've been looking at all the DIY cages I have come across to get as much research and information on them as possible, its going to be a big project but will be totally worth it in the end.
We were originally going to go with the Ikea Kallax/Expedit shelving unit but when we saw the small and medium size in person it didn't seem as big as we wanted. The large was too wide for the space we wanted to fit it in.

My main concern throughout the the project will be ventilation and ensuring it is completely hamster friendly.

After a bit of browsing we came across this gorgeous bookcase called the Regissor. Its a little more pricy than the Kallax at $199, but definitely worth it.
The overall size is H 203cm (79 7/8") x W 78cm (30 3/4") x D 38cm (15") so its a pretty awesome bookcase!



The plan is to use three shelves for three Syrians (One home each) and the other shelves as storage. Its roughly around 420 square inches of space per shelf, not bad!
We plan to not use the back panel and instead use plexiglass and some LED lights.

So the first day we brought:
The bookcase
Storage boxes
Metallic adhesive film
Non-toxic sealant
Plexiglass
Screws
U Channels
Air vents
Plastic cutter
Came to around $500 in total so far.

-=-=-=-

We started with setting up the storage bins, Marbles wasn't so impressed by them.



Then we started on the bookcase by covering the main inner shelf walls with the film, it will keep the wood waterproof and better protect it.



Again, Marbles wasn't much of a help here either. He would just sit in his ball and watch us do all the work.



Took us a while to get all the foil on both panels, but it looked great at the end. Where the lines are will be where the shelves will go. We decided one of the shelves will not be added so there's more space for the other shelves.



We also cut the U Channels for the sliding doors on the front, also need some shorter ones cut yet though.



That was one nights work, we ran out of Metallic Foil so couldn't continue anymore. The foil is pretty expensive too at $20 a roll, but will totally be worth it.

We've actually picked up two more rolls of foil so I can work on the shelves some more tonight or tomorrow! I will be posting my updates as the project progresses!

[velma]

I can't wait to see the progress of this & the finished result. I think it's going to look great

[LadyPikachu]

Wow quite the project! I think this will look fabulous! Looking forward to seeing progress and eventually little fluffs enjoying the new home!

[Pebbles82]

I am really impressed and it looks like you work well together as a team! My only observation would be the height of it, as it could fall over, but I expect you are planning to fix it to the wall to prevent that.

[Pygmypuff]

Oooooh wow! Exciting! That's going to be just amazing.

[DanniDorrito]

More work has been done tonight! Was spread over 2 days.

Added Metallic Adhesive Film to the shelves so the top of each shelf is covered. Added clear adhesive film to the bottom of the shelves where the cages will be. Also added Metallic Film to the sides of the U Channels.

Next on the to-do list is build it up and see where the filters will be, then drill holes for them to be slotted into. Also need to cut the plexiglass for the doors and back board.



Just built up the bookcase and added the shelves! It's looking great

Bottom shelf will be storage, 3 middle shelves will be cages and top shelf will be another small storage area. 11 inch Wodent Wheel for scale.

[Chi]

Wow looking great so far! Looking forward to the finished result ��

[Kiki_3173]

This is a fantastic project Danni!! Can't wait to see the finished product. I am a huge fan of DIY!!!

[DanniDorrito]

Thanks everyone for the encouraging posts! Really enjoyed working on this project so far! The hams are going to love the extra space in their little apartment blocks hehe.

Plexiglass is on the back now, just cutting holes into the sides for vents as we speak. Only obtained one splinter in my finger so far so I guess that's good news haha. Will need to drill holes into the plexiglass for more vents.

Hoping we'll have enough plexiglass for the sliding doors and little bar to stop substrate from falling out. Large sheets of thick plexiglass is pretty expensive!

The bottom shelf is big enough for a platform so will do that at some point too. Ordered a second wodent wheel in lavender for the girl to enjoy once she grows out of her silent spinner. I'd usually clean their cages today but I might hold off and do the cleans when we move them into the bookcase ^_^

[Thin Lizzy]

Wow! This is going to look absolutely amazing!
I, like the others can't wait to see the finished result!

Have you thought about afterwards, after it's finished and in use and given the thumbs up by Marbles and Maize about making it a hobby and maybe making them and selling them?
It's something to think about!