The natural cage theme thread- questions and suggestions

[FelicityAnn]

Pine cones (suitably cleaned and sterilised) are a great addition to a natural themed cage, and are good for hiding sunflower and pumpkin seeds in.
If Esmeralda can't get them out, she rolls the pine cone until they drop out!

[Crystalroborovski]

Unfortunately, the natural cage theme will be postponed. As some of you may know I had to separate my boys. That whole ordeal wore me out, and I'm sure the boys are flustered too. I also put a limit on my hamster budget because I've been spending a little too much on them since I got them. Doing a new cage theme right now is just a little too much. Maybe in a few weeks I'll be ready to get all of the cage theme things together. Thanks for all of the advice tho Someday I'll do a natural cage theme, just not soon.

[Drago]

That's completely understandable. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to have a sort of jar where you put a bit of money in each time you receive it in order to save up for a really awesome theme? Either way, I'm sure both key lime and tangerine will be just as happy without a new theme

[Crystalroborovski]

Well, I've seen some more natural cage themes once and I've decided to re-open this thread! I've been saving some cash for awhile, and although I'm not ready for the theme quite yet I wanted to start getting some items together.

I would like to add a platform into Key Lime's cage. Not too large- I'll draw out a plan and post it once I'm done. Has anyone ever added a platform to a glass tank? I would want it to have legs rather than just gluing it to the glass with silicone. I'm sure it's possible to build one. I'd love to see any glass cages with platforms And I've heard that kiln dried pine is suitable for wood platforms- is that the only kind that's safe? Thanks!

[Drago]

Glad to hear you've revisited the idea of a natural theme! They really are so fun
I've never added a platform with legs nor to a glass tank, but I'm sure someone here has. They'll be able to help you better with that. To answer the wood question, yes kiln dried pine is safe to use. It's also the best wood you can get, but poplar is another popular species. Here's a list of some of the safe woods- just ensure it's untreated and kiln dried

Pine
Poplar
Willow (not white)
Apple
Pear
Ash
Aspen
Cholla (not true wood)
Bamboo
Arbutus
Cottonwood
Crabapple
Grapevine
Hawthorne
Black currant
Dogwood
Elm
Hazelnut
Magnolia
Quince
Pecan
Sycamore
White birch (popsicle/lolli sticks)
Acacia
Ribbonwood
Chinese gooseberry
Chinese fir
Loquat
Longan
Lychee
Horse apple
Sicklebush
Cork

[AmityvilleHams]

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures,but I'm sure there will be some great examples later on.Using wooden dowels is a very cost effective and safe method to get legs onto platforms so they can work with a tank,and they just need to be glued on with Elmer's glue.Using aquarium sealant would not be a good idea anyways,since it would take at least 48 hours to cure properly and then you could never move it while the Elmer's glue and dowel approach means you can always move the platform(good for cleaning,changing layout,etc).

Kiln dried pine is one example of a variety of safe woods,and while there are other safe options it is the one you're likely to see.The other types just aren't commonly seen in many places including the US,but you could make a kiln dried pine platform with dowel legs.You'd need edges of some sort for safety reasons,plus it makes it possible to keep sand baths and water bowls on platforms as many hamsters would love to dump them out onto their substrate!Popsicle sticks work good for this,or if you have any safe wood sticks lying around such as willow or apple sticks they could be used too.

For a bit of a bonus tip,you can seal wood items with a natural homemade wood seal.Make sure the recipe you choose uses only hamster safe ingredients,but there are quite a few recipes on the internet.This is much better than any storebought wood seal,since you'd actually know what is in the product rather than having to take a huge risk and assume safety.

[Crystalroborovski]

Wow, thanks for the list of woods! I'll see what's available near me Our neigbor/friend is a woodworker so he may just have some safe wood available! I would just have to check what kind it is. I've got my platform blueprint drawn out.

[Crystalroborovski]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures,but I'm sure there will be some great examples later on.Using wooden dowels is a very cost effective and safe method to get legs onto platforms so they can work with a tank,and they just need to be glued on with Elmer's glue.Using aquarium sealant would not be a good idea anyways,since it would take at least 48 hours to cure properly and then you could never move it while the Elmer's glue and dowel approach means you can always move the platform(good for cleaning,changing layout,etc).

Kiln dried pine is one example of a variety of safe woods,and while there are other safe options it is the one you're likely to see.The other types just aren't commonly seen in many places including the US,but you could make a kiln dried pine platform with dowel legs.You'd need edges of some sort for safety reasons,plus it makes it possible to keep sand baths and water bowls on platforms as many hamsters would love to dump them out onto their substrate!Popsicle sticks work good for this,or if you have any safe wood sticks lying around such as willow or apple sticks they could be used too.

For a bit of a bonus tip,you can seal wood items with a natural homemade wood seal.Make sure the recipe you choose uses only hamster safe ingredients,but there are quite a few recipes on the internet.This is much better than any storebought wood seal,since you'd actually know what is in the product rather than having to take a huge risk and assume safety.

Thank you for your reply amity! I'll be getting some dowels for legs

Is there any place you would recommend getting kiln dried pine? I've looked on lowes.com but the pine isn't specified as "kiln dried"- I only see regular pine and primed pine.

[AmityvilleHams]

Untreated pine should also be fine,at least for platforms and such.If you can't find untreated or kiln dried pine from a chain hardware store such as Lowe's or Home Depot,try searching for lumber yards near you or any sort of local lumber store or hardware store.

[Drago]

Originally Posted by Crystalroborovski

Thank you for your reply amity! I'll be getting some dowels for legs

Is there any place you would recommend getting kiln dried pine? I've looked on lowes.com but the pine isn't specified as "kiln dried"- I only see regular pine and primed pine.

I myself am into woodworking and I can tell you that most woods you see are in fact kiln dried even if not specified. Kiln drying the woods makes it easier to work with and leaves less room for problems