The content of chinchillas in display cases is very popular and has many advantages: large space, the ability to install toys, several houses, mazes, convenience and constant cleanliness. The disadvantage of such a cell is the high price in stores. However, you can not only buy a chinchilla showcase, but also make it yourself at home.
The advantages of homemade cell showcase
Showcase for chinchillas with their own hands made of available materials has a lot of advantages. Among them, not only cost. A homemade design can have non-standard dimensions or shape, and fit the interior of the apartment. The cell can be embedded in a limited space and it will look organic.
Having shown a little imagination, you can create a unique multi-level structure, in which houses for one or several rodents, as well as playgrounds, hammocks and feeders will be conveniently located.
Over time, the self-made shop window can be rebuilt or supplemented with new elements.
Advantages of a chinchilla display case
Veterinarians recommend keeping mobile animals in tall buildings with an abundance of shelves and stairs. Special attention should also be given to gnawing objects. A showcase cage made of wood meets all these conditions, and is also distinguished by convenient operation. The choice of such a house for a fluffy pet gives a number of advantages:
- saving space in the room - a moderately wide rack, located near the wall, gives a large area for chinchilla games, but takes up much less space than a regular cage,
- aesthetic appearance - the device can be made of wood, suitable for the texture of the room,
- convenient observation of the animal - glass doors provide an excellent overview and provide an opportunity to freely watch the games and behavior of the pet,
- low noise - chinchillas in the window do not have the ability to gnaw and shake metal rods, and the doors muffle the sounds that accompany the activities of animals at night,
- In such a structure, the rodent will feel free - it is easy to arrange a lot of shelves, a variety of toys, wheels, feeders, houses. The pet will get enough space for jumping and climbing - all this will significantly improve its quality of life. In the window there is enough space to accommodate a variety of toys.
IMPORTANT: If the rack is located at a height, it can be left open without installing a glass facade. But the doors still provide additional security for the pet, and also eliminate the scattering of filler and other debris.
Materials and tools
When choosing a tree - a natural material, safe for the health of animals and their owners, the problem of grinding teeth is also solved. Production of a rack from the massif of a tree will provide the strongest and durable result. But such material is rather expensive in itself, and also requires processing in several stages - grinding, impregnation with special protective compounds, varnish coating. Laminated chipboard is a cheaper analogue - this material does not need special treatment, is easy to maintain, products from it look good in the interior of the apartment.
To protect the chipboard from the teeth of animals, removable shelves are made of wood - these boards will be easy to replace when they become useless.
Also, due to the ability of the tree to absorb odors and moisture, display cases are sometimes preferred to be made of aluminum and plastic. For the front of the rack it is better to take tempered glass with a thickness of 6 mm, and for ventilation, a grid of galvanized metal is used.
To paste the place of the cut fit a thin PVC tape of suitable width. The bottom of the cabinet is covered with a tray to facilitate cleaning. From the tools you need to collect the following set of items:
- saw, hacksaw,
- stationery knife,
- drill and drill,
- metal shears
- screws, screws,
- electric jigsaw,
- level roulette.
Tools can be purchased at any hardware store. It is better to buy glass doors with hinges and locks already installed, otherwise you will need to find tools for working with glass. For the manufacture of metal windows will also need special drills, tongs and Bulgarian.
Step by step instructions for making
To make a showcase for the chinchilla yourself, you must first make a drawing. An interesting suitable option can be found on the Internet - when using, substitute your dimensions to check whether you can make your favorite model. In the absence of sufficient experience in construction work, it is better to take a simpler drawing, as in this photo:
After all measurements have been taken and transferred to the scheme, all drawings are performed on paper in a reduced scale. At this stage it is important to carefully check the correctness of all sizes.
Then, with the help of a ruler, marker or chalk, the details of the drawing are transferred to full-size pieces of wood or chipboard. Further, the following steps are performed:
- From the prepared materials, using a saw or a hacksaw or an electric jigsaw, they cut out the details of the rack exactly in accordance with the scheme. For metal used grinder and the corresponding cutting wheels. If the home conditions do not allow to work with the details, or there are no suitable tools, you can contact the workshop. This service will not be free, but still does not require large expenses.
- In the side walls are cut windows for ventilation, which are tightened with a grid. The pieces of the grid are cut with the help of metal shears, and then attached with screws with a wide cap. To disguise and protect the attachment points, you can use the sills of a metal profile. Windows for ventilation are closed by a grid.
- Air vents are also often made in the ceiling - it can be picked up entirely with a mesh. For metal mesh cells it will be convenient to cling to the attachment of hanging toys and hammocks.
- Holes for the fastening screws are drilled in the marked places. Their task will be to fasten parts together.
- First, the rear and side walls are fixed to the pallet, then the ceiling is installed according to the same principle.
- Install shelf mounts and the shelves themselves.
- Screw the door hinges holding the glass facade.
- In places where sawdust saws are visible, glue PVC tape.
- To protect pets from drafts, the showcase must be raised to a height of 30-50cm. For this purpose, you can cut the wooden legs, but it is better to make a bedside table. Then this space under the shelving can be used to store food, sand, swimmers, toys and other accessories for keeping animals.
- In order to assemble the nightstand used screws and screws, the hinged door is fixed on the furniture hinges, you can use special magnetic accessories as a lock.
Homemade cage of old furniture
A lightweight version of the manufacture of windows in the home can be a refurbishment of unnecessary bookcase or kitchen cabinet. This will allow you to get by with a minimum set of materials and tools. In this piece of furniture is usually already present glass doors, so it remains only to cut through the window for ventilation and pick them up with a grid, as well as make the division into the floors. If the cabinet doors are solid, they are removed and replaced with glass ones; in the future, shelves can be cut out of wooden facades.
In this way, you can convert an old cabinet under the showcase.
If the option with a showcase does not suit you, you can make a cage with your own hands. To do this, we recommend reading the article "Do-It-Yourself Chinchilla Cage".
Making showcases at home
In order to make a showcase for a chinchilla, it is not necessary to have building skills and have a lot of sophisticated tools. Many breeders rework old cabinets for keeping animals. They already have the desired form - it remains only to organize the internal space. However, it is much more convenient to make a showcase for a rodent from boards or chipboard, using your own or ready-made drawings, which can be easily found on the Internet in numerous forums of chinchilla breeders.
Cell showcase can be absolutely any size: it all depends on the free space in the apartment.
However, there are minimum requirements for a single animal - the minimum dimensions of a display case are 80 by 80 by 60 cm. Another important condition is that it must be performed safely and with high quality for its fluffy inhabitant: not have sharp corners and protruding nails, protect well from possible drafts, have comfortable ladders and manholes.
Manufacturing process
Boards or particle boards are sawn according to the dimensions of the planned showcase. In the side walls jigsawed blanks for future windows. They are necessary for good ventilation of the cabinet. Next, a piece is cut out of the grid corresponding to the size of the windows. Net cuts are fastened to the walls with screws. In order to protect the caps of the screws from the sharp teeth of a chinchilla, it is recommended to cover them with aluminum sills. All three walls are placed on a pallet, which is usually made of thicker board. Drill holes are drilled for the tie and the walls are fastened between themselves and the pallet with screws. On top of the ceiling is similarly mounted.
The next step is the installation of glass doors. Doors made of glass are hung with special hinges for which glass does not need to be drilled. The frame is ready. Next, you should plan the internal space. In the right places screw screws, which set the shelf. This is the easiest and most convenient mounting method. Do not forget that the shelves must have manholes, and between them it is necessary to arrange comfortable ladders. Completes the process - closing all visible caps from screws and screws with special plugs, as well as gluing seams and edges of the display case with PVC tape.
Cell selection and parameter learning
Before you start creating, you need to select the basic parameters of the dwelling for chinchillas. After all, if properly equip it, the animal will feel very comfortable. Any pet needs its own dwelling, but for this it is not at all necessary to go to specialty stores and buy an expensive and, as a rule, cage that is not convenient for the pet. A quality cage can be constructed independently, based not only on the needs of the animal, but also on the design of the house or apartment. After all, due to certain forms of the room, a cage that will be made with your own hands can perfectly complement the room. But first you need to extort everything and make the drawings of the house.
Cage for chinchilla
When making a drawing it is necessary to take into account the dimensions and external characteristics of the house. It should also take into account how many chinchillas will live in it. For example, if one pet lives in the house, then you need to immediately determine whether another one will be bought, possibly for mating. After that, the correct calculation should be made and if there is a progeny, then a place for them.
Based on the future design, in one cage can be from one animal to several. It is only important that there is free space.
Arrangement
If the animal is in the apartment, the dwelling must be designed with dimensions of 80x80x50 cm. It will also need to be equipped. This means that it will be necessary to locate at least troughs and drinkers. As for the feeder, it will have to be mounted securely, that it could not be turned over. A similar action will be required for watering. By the way, the drinker is better to use nipple type.
Also note that the chinchilla needs certain vitamins and minerals. Thus, it will be necessary to place a salt or mineral stone, about which the pet will be able to grind its teeth. You can also make a house with the help of a special bath in which sand is poured. In it, the animals will be able to bathe and immediately clean their fur.
In hammock
Chinchilla cages must be equipped with multiple shelves. They can be made of wood on their own and then securely fastened. And finally, you can put a wheel, a hammock for an animal and other attributes that a chinchilla will climb and jump on. To have all the attributes, bowls, etc. should be in such a way that it was comfortable to clean the cage and disinfect it.
New life of old furniture
Which year in the apartment stands and gathering dust? It is a pity to throw out, but you can not sell? Do you have an old closet with relatives or neighbors? So he found a great use! From it you can make a cage for chinchilla.
First stage. To begin with, let's see what the minimum size of a showcase should be. The minimum size of the house is 50 * 50 * 70cm (length * width * height), optimal - 60 * 50 * 100cm (length * width * height). The bigger, the better. From these sizes, and it is worth repelling, that is, and the size of the cabinet must be appropriate.
Second phase. With the size figured out, now move on to the "internals". To begin with, everything should be removed from the cabinet, including shelves, cornices, in general, everything that a chinchilla's tooth can reach. We must get a completely empty cupboard.
The third stage. The showcase should have ventilation - windows closed with a galvanized grid (the grid should be sufficiently dense, with a cell size of about 2 cm by 2 cm). How to place them, you need to look at a particular cabinet. The more ventilation, the better. We recommend to do it on the cabinet doors, that is, to cut large holes, leaving the door frame, approximately 10 cm. Also, ventilation must be done in the side walls - these can be both large windows, both on the doors, and small, for example, 30 cm by 30 cm. Do not forget that we cover all windows with galvanized mesh. Very careful with the sharp edges of the grille and screws! Make sure that they do not stick out inside the future showcase. Next, close all the cuts, which remained from the cutting of windows, with a metal profile, since the fiberboard is very toxic for the animal.
Fourth stage. At this stage, the cell scheme is very useful, but rather the layout of its internal filling, namely:
- Shelves.
- House.
- Sennitsy (sennitsy, wheel and chinchilla feeder can also be made with your own hands).
- The toilet.
- Troughs.
- Drinkers.
- Wheels.
- Hammock.
- The tunnel.
Fifth stage. We begin to equip the showcase with all of the above. Also, if you wish, you can add parts such as bumpers, from the eruption of garbage, to design, if the cabinet allows, small shelves (cabinets) for food and other accessories (of course, outside the cage!).
The sixth stage. After our fortress is ready, we fill in food, hay, filler (it is recommended to take a filler not from a new one, but from the past housing, so that the chinchilla will get used to it faster), put the stones (mineral, salt, pumice and so on).
By the way, do you know how to find out the floor of a chinchilla? Look, this is interesting!
Way for the lazy
The next way to make a cage for a chinchilla with your own hands is the simplest and most understandable - simply order the material of the desired size, color, shape and additions to it in specialized workshops or shops. Next, just assemble at home. But this method is the most expensive of the above.
Be attentive to the needs of your chinchillas, equip them with comfortable, practical and luxurious accommodation. And you will see gratitude in the eyes of the animal!
That was the use of old furniture. Great idea. Everyone will be happy with both children and chinchilla. Be sure to make such a lock.
How to equip a showcase for chinchilla
Feeders and drinkers inside the cage should be conveniently located and securely fastened. It is better to hang separate feeders for concentrated feed and hay. In addition to the feeders and drinkers, you should hang a special salt stone.
Salt stones perform two important functions at once: they allow the animal to grind constantly growing teeth, as well as replenish the mineral and salt balance in the body. Another important detail is the sand bath. In the cage, you should also place a shelter house in which the chinchilla will rest.
You can hang a hammock, put a running wheel, a few special toys or a small maze, if space permits.
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MANUFACTURING STAIRS FOR CHINCHILLES.
The first step is to break the branches (willow, poplar, apple, birch, etc.), preferably already dry. Just take into account that not all branches of wood are suitable for this. You can view the list of safe tree species in the albums and documents of the group.
CHINSHILLS
Gibers is a favorite treat for chinchillas. Since chinchillas are such animals who have a constant thrust, the use of rodents will prolong the life of your shelves, whether they gnaw (whether it is a small house or a shelf).
First we select the appropriate tree and break off the thick branches. Thin branches are not suitable for these purposes, since they will be destroyed on the first day.
HOUSES FOR CHINCHILLES OWN HANDS.
A must-have accessory in a cage showcase should be a house. В нем шушик спрячется и отоспится днем, его же сможет погрызть ночью :) Желательные размеры домика для шиншиллы 30см х 20см х 20см (ш,в,г). Если зверьков содержится несколько, то целесообразно делать два выхода в домике, на случай ссоры.
Для начала изготовления запасаемся материалами. Наилучшим вариантом будет использование струганной доски толщиной 15-20 мм., и шириной 20см. Unfortunately I did not manage to find such a wide board, and I had to be content with narrow strips of 11 cm. This factor influenced the design of the house.
BOOTLETS. LUCKY IN A STICK.
Photo and video provided by the Russian community of organizers "Octodon degus"
http://degu-life.ru/ru
Everyone probably stared at the store for various beautiful rods for rodents, but mostly they are very harmful for them because the mixtures are glued together with honey and starch, which is contraindicated for chinchilla. So let's do the same with our own hands! While using only those delicacies that can chinchilla.
The list and dosages of snacks that can be chinchillas are in the album https://vk.com/album-31642477_178766905
Note. The sticks on the video are made for degus, for chinchilla stuffing is done differently and with different proportions.
The mixture can be made from flakes, leaves, berries, purchased complementary foods, shove Kare + granules, mix hay with calendula, dandelion and flakes as an option, considering the proportions of everything and that chinchilla can chew and eat everything in 1 day.
It will take:
Drill with a long drill d8,
Thick branches or bars of different sizes of permitted tree species (hemp can be with bark)
Ready cells their characteristic
A purchase cage for a pet will be quite expensive if it is made from sturdy materials. Of course, if you buy a house from low-quality raw materials, then its cost will be lower. Along with this, the build quality and materials are lower. And it can badly affect the animal. The biggest disadvantage of the purchased home will be its shape. Since it will be made according to the standard sizes of the manufacturer. A similar design may not fit into the overall design of the room. But if you make the showcase yourself, then you can pick up the necessary material, make the house comfortable for yourself and the animal, and also save a certain amount of money. About how you can easily make a display case can be viewed on the video.
