what iZ liked ....

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Posted by iZ's mom on February 20, 1999 at 10:43:28:

In Reply to: i need a cage----please help posted by meagan on February 19, 1999 at 23:39:36:

hi! i built *many* ig-houses for iZ before i gave up and gave him his own room LOL! (i was one of those non-informed people, who knew how big igs get, but *NOT*HOW*FAST*!!!)
if you can use a power saw, you're one up on me! i made my carpenter hubby cut my wood, but after that, everytime he tried to be "helpful", i was ahead of him with a better way ... (he finally gave up on 'helping' and went + watched football)

pretty much, all you need to do, is build as big a box as you can ... the basic shape doesn't need to be creative or fancy ... the one problem i ran into when we moved, is that i forgot to take into consideration that we might actually move someday and it'd be nice if the enclosure fit thru the doorway!!!!! unfortunately, this can restrict the width of your enclosure, so i'd suggest making it a rectangle as opposed to a square to make up for it ....

make it as TALL as possible! about 6" off the floor and 12" from the ceiling .... (that'll give you space to put the lights on top of the enclosure, out of your igs way ... (+ misc. ig supplies underneath)

i used 2x2's for the frame, plywood for the bottom and for about 12" around the bottom (to reduce any drafts) ... i stained + sealed all the wood with 3 coats of polyurethane ... on the sides, door and top i used black plastic mesh/screen and stapled it to the 2x2's ... (black is more 'invisible' than a lighter color, plastic is easier to work with than wire mesh, and it comes in a roll that's pretty cheap, the one inch holes are big enough that toes and nails won't get caught and ripped out)) ... the mesh was to provide as MUCH climbing surface as possible, so his whole place was climb-able (he liked that ALOT!)

then i covered the sides and door with plexiglass ... it's more expensive than glass, but is not as heavy and *i* think easier to work with ... i used a drill to put holes in the edges and screwed it in place ... (make sure you let the sealant air out for *at least* a week before you put the plexiglass/glass on!)

i hung the shelves from the top 2x2's instead of attatching them ... just drill holes in sheets of plywood (sealed!) and suspend them (up against the wall so they didn't swing too much) i also had a really cool hollow log that i suspended from the middle of the 'ceiling' ... (iZ thought that was awesome!) had another big tree limb that went from the floor to almost the top ... (make sure to disinfect ANY wood you bring in from outside!!!!)

now, the FUN part! decorating!!!! my most favorite thing in the world (i *have* no life!) is those 'silk' vines and plants from wal-mart!!!
i put them ALL over the enclosure ... not only did iZ like it, but it really made the place look awesome! (this enclosure was in my living room at the time and was the focal point of the room when it was done!) i put vines up the sides, woven into the mesh (they WILL climb on them and with the mesh there to actually support their weight, the vines will last a little bit longer) ... i wrapped vines around the cords that the shelves were hanging from ... hung them down from the ceiling by one of the high shelves to make a hidey place ... wrapped them around the logs ... (did i say i love silk vines???) we also put some of our house plants around the OUTSIDE of the enclosure (careful!!!! igs will taste ANYthing and EVERYthing!!! and house plants are *mostly* NOT EDIBLE!)

oh! and hubby cut down a 20 gal. aquarium so the sides were only 10" high and i put one of those little waterfalls in it so iZ had a little pool ... he outgrew it too fast, but he still used it for drinking and besides looking great, it helped the humidity ... (this will NOT work if your ig decides it's his toilet!!!!)

you could make "tree limbs"/ramps using a 2x4 and then wrap some of the left over black mesh around it so it's not too slippery to climb (don't forget to put vines on it!)

don't use carpet cuz toe nails tend to get caught in it ... i wrapped iZ's shelves with an old towel (NOT green! that's for *other stuff*!)

WHEW! does any of this help give you some ideas?
hope so *grin*

happy building!

collard + dandelion greenz for energy on your project!
iZ + mom

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: hi! i built *many* ig-houses for iZ before i gave up and gave him his own room LOL! (i was one of those non-informed people, who knew how big igs get, but *NOT*HOW*FAST*!!!) : if you can use a power saw, you're one up on me! i made my carpenter hubby cut my wood, but after that, everytime he tried to be "helpful", i was ahead of him with a better way ... (he finally gave up on 'helping' and went + watched football) : pretty much, all you need to do, is build as big a box as you can ... the basic shape doesn't need to be creative or fancy ... the one problem i ran into when we moved, is that i forgot to take into consideration that we might actually move someday and it'd be nice if the enclosure fit thru the doorway!!!!! unfortunately, this can restrict the width of your enclosure, so i'd suggest making it a rectangle as opposed to a square to make up for it .... : make it as TALL as possible! about 6" off the floor and 12" from the ceiling .... (that'll give you space to put the lights on top of the enclosure, out of your igs way ... (+ misc. ig supplies underneath) : i used 2x2's for the frame, plywood for the bottom and for about 12" around the bottom (to reduce any drafts) ... i stained + sealed all the wood with 3 coats of polyurethane ... on the sides, door and top i used black plastic mesh/screen and stapled it to the 2x2's ... (black is more 'invisible' than a lighter color, plastic is easier to work with than wire mesh, and it comes in a roll that's pretty cheap, the one inch holes are big enough that toes and nails won't get caught and ripped out)) ... the mesh was to provide as MUCH climbing surface as possible, so his whole place was climb-able (he liked that ALOT!) : then i covered the sides and door with plexiglass ... it's more expensive than glass, but is not as heavy and *i* think easier to work with ... i used a drill to put holes in the edges and screwed it in place ... (make sure you let the sealant air out for *at least* a week before you put the plexiglass/glass on!) : i hung the shelves from the top 2x2's instead of attatching them ... just drill holes in sheets of plywood (sealed!) and suspend them (up against the wall so they didn't swing too much) i also had a really cool hollow log that i suspended from the middle of the 'ceiling' ... (iZ thought that was awesome!) had another big tree limb that went from the floor to almost the top ... (make sure to disinfect ANY wood you bring in from outside!!!!) : now, the FUN part! decorating!!!! my most favorite thing in the world (i *have* no life!) is those 'silk' vines and plants from wal-mart!!! : i put them ALL over the enclosure ... not only did iZ like it, but it really made the place look awesome! (this enclosure was in my living room at the time and was the focal point of the room when it was done!) i put vines up the sides, woven into the mesh (they WILL climb on them and with the mesh there to actually support their weight, the vines will last a little bit longer) ... i wrapped vines around the cords that the shelves were hanging from ... hung them down from the ceiling by one of the high shelves to make a hidey place ... wrapped them around the logs ... (did i say i love silk vines???) we also put some of our house plants around the OUTSIDE of the enclosure (careful!!!! igs will taste ANYthing and EVERYthing!!! and house plants are *mostly* NOT EDIBLE!) : oh! and hubby cut down a 20 gal. aquarium so the sides were only 10" high and i put one of those little waterfalls in it so iZ had a little pool ... he outgrew it too fast, but he still used it for drinking and besides looking great, it helped the humidity ... (this will NOT work if your ig decides it's his toilet!!!!) : you could make "tree limbs"/ramps using a 2x4 and then wrap some of the left over black mesh around it so it's not too slippery to climb (don't forget to put vines on it!) : don't use carpet cuz toe nails tend to get caught in it ... i wrapped iZ's shelves with an old towel (NOT green! that's for *other stuff*!) : WHEW! does any of this help give you some ideas? : hope so *grin* : happy building! : collard + dandelion greenz for energy on your project! : iZ + mom

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