cage setup?

SunShine05 · 08-07-2005, 12:56 PM

how should i set my cage up? it is really big and has 5 levels. any ideas?

Solarsis · 08-07-2005, 12:57 PM

do you have any pictures of it? That might help us get a better idea of how it could be set up. Or maybe a brand name or something?

SunShine05 · 08-07-2005, 03:11 PM

well i dont have a picture but i know the dementions of it they are, 4' 8" H, 3' L, and 2' W. that is how big it is. and i got it off e-bay so i dont know wut kind it is.

McCaille · 08-08-2005, 12:57 AM

I would section off half of it to begin with. Your girls will be young, and won't be used to a cage that tall.

Any chance the ebay auction had a photo?? It also depends on how the shelves are layed out. We usually do Houses on the bottom and any larger things close to the bottom as possible (shorter fall when they push it off the shelf). I assume there is a full shelf in the middle? If not I strongly recommend creating one, which you can make a solid one yourself with wood and a few bolts. It's fairly easy and inexpensive.

SunShine05 · 08-08-2005, 08:30 PM

ok then so if i go to the hardware store then i get a cirtin kind of wood. how so i attach it to the cage???

SunShine05 · 08-08-2005, 08:33 PM

i just went shopping for accesories and i got these lepping ledges they are called and they atach by two round disk and a funny bolt thing i bet that mite hold it up, cause that is how the leeping ledges are held to gether. maybe.

duster · 08-09-2005, 01:45 AM

I go to ikea and home depot for chin shelving. Ikea has this bookshelf that has metal squares on the sides and then you hook the wooden shelf onto the metal. I just buy the accessories for ataching the shelves. Works good on wire cages with large spaces between the bars.

kreenish · 08-09-2005, 10:23 AM

Leaping ledges are quite useful, but not the same as a full shelf for the mid-point of your cage. The reason you want a shelf in the middle is to reduce the amount of space a chinchilla can fall from the top of the cage. Although quite athletic, even good athletes sometimes miss their jump and fall down. The IKEA shelves are a good idea, but if you don't have access to those, most hardware stores sell pine boards. Explain to the salesperson what you are doing, and your wire spacing. They can help you find the correct pieces, similar to what is used on the leaping ledges.

Debbie · 08-09-2005, 12:24 PM

In such a tall cage make sure you stagger shelves so chins can't fall.

If it's a metal/wire type cage, a great fix for shelves is to screw through a smaller piece of wood on the out side, in through the shelves on the inside.
To make them moveable/removable, screw stripes of wood, 1"x1"to the walls and just sit the shelves on them.
I like this best as I can just pop them out for easy cleaning. Some chins like to do it too, so I do have to fix some so they can't be moved.
Either screwing, or jamming so the chins can't redecorate.

SunShine05 · 08-09-2005, 12:58 PM

ok i am going to the hardware store tomarrow and i will tell who ever is directing us wut we are doing and i will bring a lepping ledge with just incase. thanks, now though where can i get Ikea bookshelves do they have a website or something?