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Post by moshev on Jan 15, 2007 2:02:21 GMT -4
I am already thinking about a larger cage area for Ebony and Ivory. One of those huge bird cages that are on stands.I want to install a small light at the top of the cage where it is pointed and well out of reach.It will only be a 4 watt bulb and its main purpose will be to act as a source of lighting when I am cage cleaning.My question is: I am thinking about having some stainless steel 'runs ' made to replace the wire mesh flooring and wanted to know if this idea was feasible. Keep in mind-the large cage will have no floors in it until I put some in there as well as ladders. At the bottom of the cage I will have a slide out pan to make cleaning easier. With exception to the ladder devices I wanted to have the rest of the inside flooring made in stainless steel. Any comments or suggestions on this from anyone?
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 15, 2007 19:17:41 GMT -4
Stainless steel runs sound good, and certainly better than wire mesh. I was going to mention an idea such as cutting a doormat and using that for a temporary floor instead of mesh - I use that in a cage for guinea pigs, but what you plan sounds better, although, of course, bedding would go on top of the runs once installed. As I mentioned, I had great experience with rodents previously - except rats, which started with the appearance of four fancy rats (for the first time in memory) in a well-known pet store. The males were dark and white and dark; the females both champagne. It was a very close call, but I picked the females - boith of whom turned out to be pregnant, of course! Which I now find perfectly OK as I've discovered the rats are great! Moet had four babies; Chandon had twelve (or was it fourteen?! I lost count!). Moet's I am keeping; I will keep all the remaining females (each is a different color - four of them). I would like to thin out the males a bit though - but only to people as responsible as you; I found one, but she is in the process of moving and I have to wait a while. Anyway, rat habitats is a topic I need to research more, especially as they do love to climb. I have a big wooden parrot perch with many levels: I will put a rat on top and see how long it takes for he/she to climb down - some are if not smarter more confident and get down fastest. So, flooring made of stainless steel sounds good to me. And I will add in this forum more ideas on rat habitats. BTW, in the Hamster forum I posted a few pictures of one gnawing out of a plastic habitat - thick plastic too! I have seen gerbils gnaw through heavy PVC pipe. Clearly, rats could do and even better job! So steel is the way to go. More on habitats soon. . .
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Post by moshev on Jan 16, 2007 23:09:00 GMT -4
The cage itself will be one of those floor models with the legs that have it suspended a couple of feet from the floor.It will prevent low level drafts in the cage area and also a storage space under the cage for items that I use the most frequently. For now my current cage is ok but I will more than likely end up donataing it after I get the larger cage built. The inside of the cage will be gutted and I will start out from scratch and design the insides of it myself. The stainless steel runs will be custom built and tack welded into place. I think there will be more than ample room for them after their new home is done. It will also allow me to put several other items around for their recreation-i.e.,I plan on putting a little slide up for them,etc.
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 16, 2007 23:26:37 GMT -4
Wow. The girls are lucky indeed.
Photos, please, when it is finished.
BTW, I put a link about habitats in the other thread. More as I find it.
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Post by moshev on Jan 17, 2007 23:37:45 GMT -4
I don't know if the slide will ever get used the way I imagined it but at least it will be something for them to climb on. Plans for the cage will be started when they get a little larger. I want to design the levels so they can climb up there instead of using the ladders if they want to.
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 17, 2007 23:47:17 GMT -4
Sounds very very cool.
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