Building a cage ~ - Page 3

Pebbles82 · 01-08-2017, 01:04 PM

Forgot you lived in Norway! If you think about cages, they have through air ventilation on all four sides. If you have three solid sides and the front with ventilation holes, the top is the only places for a good ventilated area - they do need it really. Mesh is like being open to the air but just escape-proof. With four solid walls - even with lots of ventilation holes, there could be a condensation build up and not good air quality.

Sorry! Most tanks and terrariums have a mesh lid as it's the only real way to have good ventilation/air quality.

Rhine · 01-08-2017, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Even if you had lots of holes,it wouldn't be the same as mesh,since there would still be less airflow.Another bonus of mesh is that if you get a good size you can hang toys off it(just make sure there's no chain etc)but this could never be done with the plexiglass.The same applies to side vents as well,they'd also have less ventilation.

Of course, a bit less airflow is it going to be, but.. i'm trying to figure out if it's
still good with the plexiglass

I really don't think it's going to make that big of a difference..
But i'm not going to do it if people is going to be mad at me,
telling me i'm irresponsible.
Not giving my hamster enough air.

Edit: There is no mesh on the 'Living World Green Eco Habitat', but a lot of people is using it

AmityvilleHams · 01-08-2017, 01:15 PM

It would make a massive difference,since most of the plexiglass would be exactly that.Mesh wouldn't trap humidity in the same way,since although there would be holes in the plexiglass there would still be a lot of solid surfaces to trap moisture which in turn would be very unhealthy for the hamster and could impact how quickly your cage starts smelling as well.

Pebbles82 · 01-08-2017, 01:15 PM

Aah yes I was thinking about the eco habitat too! The lid is wood, which breathes a bit - and the ventilation slots are 2cm wide and cover the whole lid. I see what you mean - something like that in plexiglass. If it was wood it would be ok with large vents like that. The problem with the 2cm vents is people sometimes have to mesh the lid as the vents aren't escape-proof! No-one will be mad at you! We're just passing on things learned about how much ventilation is needed

This also has solid lid with ventilation slots, but again the lid is wood. Perspex doesn't breathe and neither does melamine so you need one breathable, airy surface.

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/nagarien...0x50x50cm.html

Rhine · 01-08-2017, 01:16 PM

Oh well..
I guess ill be using mesh, and throwing away my plexiglass..
Not going to risk people yelling at me, or my hamster not having enough air flow.
Been using a lot of time on this.. i need it to be good for my hamster

It's just really annoying when the people i asked told me it was going to be fine!
Gonna tell them that tomorrow

AmityvilleHams · 01-08-2017, 01:19 PM

Don't throw it away if you haven't already put all the holes in it!If you can still use it you could always extend the cage you made later on

Pebbles82 · 01-08-2017, 01:20 PM

How about wood?! Like the rodipet one? That might be nice. It is annoying though when you've already got plexi. Don't throw it away - you could make another hamster cage with it!

Rhine · 01-08-2017, 01:25 PM

It might work for another cage, it's been cut down a bit.. but it should be fine!
Now i just need a place to store it.. haha

I already got the lid ready, i just had to make holes in the plexiglass!
Now i got my mesh here!
After it's on the lid, ill take a picture

Rhine · 01-09-2017, 04:31 PM

It's going to look something like this!
I just need to cut the 'mesh' (wire shelf), so it fits the hole!

One wasnt enough, so i had to buy two.. but it's going to work out just fine!
I need them to be the same size, so they join together at the middle

But that shouldnt be too difficult

Not too sure about the handles though..
Hm.

Pebbles82 · 01-10-2017, 02:30 AM

Oh wow - love the grid roof! I see what you mean about the handles. That style would probably look better the other way round on the side wood pieces - but that might not help open the top easily.

I was just looking at these - they don't have handles I think - but they are hinged at the back. Is yours hinged at the back? If not, and the roof just lifts off completely, I would put the handles on the side pieces of wood. If it's hinged at the back maybe you just need a centre knob?

Hamster Homes Shop - Homes & Accessories for Small Pets