n this short series I am going to be consolidating the list of Degu Enclosures from another page on the site into the main blog, then removing the old page.
Thomas' enclosure in the UK is a mesh fronted, timber framed structure making it very sturdy. It is big with lots of space for running.
Thanks for the submission Thomas!
Pictures and info about this enclosure after the break.
Facts about the enclosure
167 cm tall
58 cm deep
110 cm wide
25,700 cm Total floor space
Kept in the study (roughly 19°C)
2 large doors
4 full size levels
Dust extracted wood shaving bedding
Cost £340.00 to build ($545.00)
What kind of accessories do you use Thomas?
Chewable house, wheels, burrow and play tower, chewable tree toy, wooden bridges, large wooden bridge, dust bath, constant supply of birch leaves, chewable tunnel, egg boxes, toilet roll, cardboard tubes (toilet roll)
Thomas' Testimonial on DIY housing
Hello everyone, here is my experiences with building a degu enclosure. We adopted our degus about a year ago and I love my boy's to bits even though they are a little noisy! We had a cage for them but not long after realized that this couldn't be a full time thing. They were definitely bored out of their brains!
The project took roughly 3 weekends to complete. My enclosure wasn’t cheap to build; I didn't really want it to be cheap, as it was also going to be a feature in the house - so the outside had to be pine. I guess it could have been cheaper and still retained a good finish. I did have to save for a while before I could afford the project.
I am not in any way a carpenter, so yes, I did make some mistakes. My first thoughts were to put the shelves in first. That way I could measure everything out according to the smaller sizes. Well I was wrong, it would have saved wood and money if I had just ran the sides and back down completely in one go and then just added the shelves (would have made it easier to cut out the checks for access to levels too). Everything worked out fine in the end though. The hinges for the doors were also a little tricky to work out.
My degus love their new home. I instantly saw a difference in their behaviour, mood, fitness, everything. Basically they are really really happy. There is not nearly as much mess as before, they chew bits of wood but nothing of any real consequence. As long as your large surfaces are flat, you should experience no problems at all. Since my degus have moved in, they have been all together different. I clean quickly once a week and give a full clean out once every three weeks. I have dishes for their water now which is much better for them too. It’s now so much easier and cheaper to clean their enclosure.
Providing detailed guides on how to construct and build degu enclosure, vivariums and cages. This blog has a focus on stimulating and creating more natural habitats for degus...