For my Americans in the comments, I went to Ace Hardware for my kick guards (they don't offer thicker sheets) and TAP Plastics for my bigger sheets. Both were very effective!
I didn't realize you were an engineer, I don't know why but that made me so excited, I'm currently doing a physics degree and about to get rats. Its weird that I find myself accidentally gravitating towards stem people to watch without even realising it!
I think there are a lot of us STEM folk in rat’s, definitely most of the rat breeders I know have studied STEM to varying degrees, I think rat’s being such intelligent creatures definitely attract that kind of owner to them
I wish I was this way. I've been trying to measure my cage with a measuring tape and for the life of me can't get it quite right and over here it's either measured in meters, mms or cms
This is so helpful, I wanted to turn my small closet near the rat cage into a large deep bioactive dig box, and I'm planning to get some large pcv pipe for them to use as a tunnel from the cage to the dig box.. This really helps me figure out how to do the measurements.
Brilliantly explained. Thank you! I've been struggling to figure out something like this (as dig area and add some more height to my rat cage. After watching your video I believe I have it worked out in my head. I'll need to diagram it out to make sure it I have missed anything. I was a bit surprised when I saw you had drawn up a diagram and formula lines. I do the exact same thing but I'm not an engineer. Diagrams make diy so much easier. (Did I say thank you?) Thank you!
Isamu Rat Care it’s a real help, I’ve been planning on getting a pet planet cage and people’s main issue seems to be the tray and I’ve been feeling very confused about what could help. I sort of avoided Perspex bc it seemed very complex but this has really simplified it!
Hi there, Just wondering what type of soil you use for the substrate in the bottom. Is reptile bioactive substrate a good option? You can buy bigger bags of plant bioactive substrate for less money and in much bigger quantities, but I worry about what would be added to it and if that could harm rats.
Hey there! Thank you so much for this video, very in depth. I had some questions regarding cleaning. If you have these deep trays with dirt, and the rats make burrows, what happens to all the poop/pee they might do in their little burrows? What about poop/pee on the dirt? Maybe yours are litter trained, but then, they still might accidentally pee on the dirt. What happens to that over time? Should you replace the dirt? If so, how often? Would it be more beneficial to have dirt as a 'bedding'? I'm looking for fleece alternatives and this seems as a very natural alternative. I'm just also thinking about cleaning, long-term costs, etc. Any tips or info would be great.
This is where the bacteria you effectively cultivate in the soil, and the insects you add come into there own. They recycle the waste. It’s very effective and there’s no smell to the soil other than standard soil smell. I do think if rat’s heavily used the soil it could become an issue but whilst most goes elsewhere it’s a great system
Great video! Is duct tape safe to use with rats? I'd like to seal in the gaps on my perspex but I'm worried about possible toxicity in the adhesive on the tape.
Great video :) I actually did this 3 weeks ago😅. I used 3mm plexiglas (just cause its cheap) and the first time I had to get new plexiglas as it broke at a weird angle and because I was being impatient and thought going over it 5-6 times with a stanley knife would be fine 😅 But then I finally nailed it and its actually pretty see through. (I went with 25 cm and they do still kick stuff out but most of it stays in) I now have hemp and dirt in their cage but divided good enough so that they cant mix them up (that was a mess at the start)🤣 and with the rest of the glas I just made them a little playtime digbox. Its all in all really cheap and till now they arent really chewing on it. I hope it stays that way. 😅
Plexiglass is the same as I use, called Perspex in the UK. sadly it’s a bit more expensive over here (and much more so if you get it cut to size) but really good for trays. I’ve had a few arguments with the Perspex about how many times to go over it with a Stanley knife, must have been well over 30 in the end. I lost count lol, went through a few new blades too doing kick boards for the sides. It’s well worth it though. I’m glad your lot are enjoying the substrate combo, it sounds perfect for them
for a long term use consider getting the pieces cut in glass. if taping the inside hold the tape around a ruler and use the edge to put the tape in place then smooth out. If your cage doesnt open wide remove the lower tray build the box wheel the cage out place box in place and with a friend lift the cage over the box
Also, how would you go about assembling if you don't have a cage where both doors open? I have two feisty ferret cages combined into one, so I have multiple bars across the front that would make it hard to get something this size in. Right now I have have everything done in sections, but it's not very structurally sound that way.
Generally for this style cage you need to design the base so it slots inside from the bottom or the top, often there’s a degree of disassembly required but as long as you’ve measured it right it works well.
This is a long shot but I have the big pet planet cage with the opening doors and I have dyscalculia so I was wondering if you have any idea about the measurements needed for that?
I don’t but if your on Facebook join naturalistic and bioactive rat setups, they have a stickied thread with a lot of people’s measurements for different cages on there
Happy Holidays. I have a pet planet and I'm looking to invest in a cage that comes through the bottom too. The cage is currently on wheels for easy movement, but would you recommend taking them off if I add perspex to it? Or would it make no difference? Many thanks
My Perspex drops to the floor on the venturer but I’ve kept the wheels on. You just need to be sure the wheels don’t get in the way of where the tray will go
Suggestion 1: If you want to do this cheaper get your measurements and call your local bandq at 7am and ask if their timber saw is working. take the measurements to the store and go find a sheet of ply maybe 9mm marine would be better. Ask the person on the timber saw if they want the lines marked or given to them if they want them marked using a pencil and a ruler mark out the shapes and get 5 pieces cut. Get 3 sides and 1 base and 1 top which is slightly bigger and cut in half width ways. buy the Perspex just for the front. Using the cut in half top and a jigsaw either cut out holes in the top or cut out a large square. This will give you a top lip which because its in half will be easy to lift out. the lip prevents the kick out of most of the soil the smaller the square the less the kickout. Just made a 5ft long 2 foot high 1 foot deep box to go down the side of my sofa to prevent rats going down there and to store all my camping gear it cost me £30
Suggestion 2. When cutting perspex you want to goto poundland and get a roll of grip material and double sided tape or glue glue the grip to the straight edge your going to use to prevent it sliding during cutting you can also clamp a length of wood in place then keep scoring it with a sharp blade finally rest the edge over the edge of something if using clamps you can clamp it on a table use the edge to snap the perspex
I’ve had my rats for a year and they have been on fleece for the whole time I’ve had them without a dig box, they have a large homemade enclosure 6ft tall and 2ft by 4ft bottom designed to use fleece so there’s no room for substrate without be building a base as you have done, have I harmed my little loves by using fleece with them?
With a dig box it’s not so bad but I think if you made them a deeper base and offered substrate or soil and scatter fed they’d really appreciate it. They really get a lot from foraging and digging and having a larger area to do this helps them
I have fish tanks so have a lot of aquarium safe silicone (HA6), could I use that to seal the inside and then once cured use the tape or would that be toxic to the rats? Or maybe hot glue gun?
I would keep it neat so there’s not stuff available to get there teeth into but I expect aquarium sage should be safe for rat’s as fish are very sensitive
Hi I have the same cage you do and am wanting to have a bioactive set up now I am absolutely awful at calculations and numbers thanks to my dyslexia 🤣🤣 I was wondering what dimensions you used for your perspex tray I know I’m cheeky for asking but it would be a great help hahaha
Thank you, she’s a wonderful girl but such a worry at times. It’s hard to make the decision to remove a lump when it’s not bothering her and you know ours particularly risky but if it works she should have a good amount of life left too
I am having a hard time fully understanding how this is supposed to work ? The math is confusing me. Why is it not just length times word the times height
Feel like I’ve been going through all your videos and I have so many questions lol... the cage we have had a very deep tray on the bottom, would this be ok to use for the dirt? Obviously it isn’t clear so I can’t see through so that’s my only concern, also do you have a pacific brand of dirt/soil you use? Many thanks
It depends on what you want from it really. My does cage base is 40+ cm deep and they can do peeper’s tunnels. I can’t do that in the bucks cage but they do have a good 20cm deep tray of which half is soil. Whilst they can’t build tunnels as well they can move it around and sculpt it a bit which they enjoy and it is managing bioactive pretty well too. Brand wise I go for whatever the cheapest pure coco fiber bricks are at the time. I’ve no brand loyalty lol. the same for orchard bark and coconut husk if I add them. About the only thing I’m brand loyal to is www.dustfreehay.co.uk for nesting material but I have found a local shop that sells gorgeous hay so that might be my next option
Because you only need to take it off either both sides or the front and back because you can only overlap in one direction. That probably doesn’t make sense but it’s quite hard to word but when you build it it will make more sense
So if you have a lip on your cage, do you measure to that size instead? Do you do anything to fill the gap between the perspex and the cage bars then? I currently have a short barrier that's sort of cobbled together from when I combined two cages into one, so the sides don't match up well and I have to take steps to make sure my rats can't get between the barrier and the bars and get stuck!
It very much depends on the gap size. For mine you’re talking about a cm so it’s not a problem but it could need a bit more thought if it’s bigger. If you can email or Facebook message me a photo and some measurements I might be able to help. Email is Isamu.rats@gmail.con
Hi, I have a question about this because something about this is not really clear to me. Why is a deep bottom of perspex where they wil dig and probably burrow in for long periods of time not a problem but an aquarium as a cage for rats would be a problem? Kind regards
It’s fine because of the way any urea is absorbed rapidly by the soil (and in turn then got rid of by the bacteria and bugs that are hard at work). Plus your talking about a very large spacious cage (where mine spend most of the time) with good ventilation on top, allowing good air circulation and exchange with the soil area below. Most of the issues with tanks is to do with the poor circulation and urea build up
I carry which one I use depending on what’s the most reasonably priced at the time. Basically it’s coco fiber soil sold for either reptiles or plants with nothing else added (no pearlite etc) you can use any kind, blocks or ready made up
Hi. Thanks for all of the information. I have a double Critter Nation and I'm wondering if I should be designing my box to rest on the floor of the first level cage or from the storage shelf at the bottom of the cage. Any idea? Thanks again.
You can get extra depth if you drop it down to the bottom shelf which is really lovely especially if you want to make a deep digging base like many of us using soil do. If you do use lots of soil you may need to support it underneath or add stronger wheels
Hi! Can I ask what dimensions you used for your DCN? I’ve got one as well that I’m planning to extend to the storage shelf, but I’m hesitant that my measurements could be off.
I have long since lost them I’m afraid. However if you are on Facebook join the group naturalistic and bioactive rat setups as there’s a stickied thread with various people putting up what dimensions they used on it for different cages
I get the branches from my own or friends gardens mainly, you need to make sure you can identify the wood. If it's on a decent "rabbit safe" list or the fruit or but if that tree is edible when raw to humans then it's usually ok to use. Just make sure it's fully dried out so no green wood when cut
Very helpful!! I received my Perspex from the Plastic People today all accurately cut I'm pleased to report! Now taped together and ready to put in the cage. Hopefully I may now start to win the fight against the Aubiose that was finding its way everywhere due to the shallow tray the cage came with :)
@@AAAAAHHHHHHHASAAA annoyingly i must have deleted my receipt email but £8 sounds about right. It must have cost me about 50-60 pounds in total. That said it has been worth it, i'm no longer having to brush up endless amounts of Aubiose on a daily basis so it has been money well spent. I would also recommend triple checking your measurements, or get someone to check your numbers, it would be a pain to spend the money only to find it doesnt fit
Yeah shipping is expensive as it’s so breakable, they use about a million layers of bubble wrap, as a bonus you won’t need to buy bubble wrap for a while
It is called duct tape in the UK with the brand name of duck tape being very common. You cannot also use any kind of tough plastic tape, I use a clear outdoor mending tape at the moment. It needs to be able to take a bit of getting damp and be robust. The rats will chew it a bit so it will need replacing from time to time
Thank you so much for this wonderful informative video! We just ordered our perspex sheets and couldn't have done it without your help. :) We really like the plastic lip you put on the edges to make it comfier for the rats to sit / climb on - do you know what this is called or where you got it from? Thanks again!
You could, and how feel really depends on what your after. For a thin layer then I’d go 20cm plus. For a nice deep base they can tunnel in probably 40cm plus, but depends what works on your cage
I was curious, would sealing the pieces of Perspex together with aquarium silicon be safe/feasible? I've seen a lot of people making enclosures for hamsters and other small animals using aquarium silicon, and it seems like it might be more effective. But maybe there's some reason it shouldn't be used? I'd definitely like to make one of these for my cage.
In theory given it’s around marine fish once fully dried it should be fine and none toxic so I don’t see why not. Child safe glue can be used too. I’m just lazy and find tape easier lol.
Just a heads up if using marine silicone, it off gasses and generally has a very very strong scent. Ideally you would want to let it cure for 48hrs (min but a week is better) outside. You dont want to use it anywhere near the room your rats are in because the scent lingers. I used it in my basement and I regretted it lol my nose took a couple days to get back to normal. I would personally use non toxic (kid safe) hot glue, it's much less messy, doesnt smell and can be used in the same room.
@@runningoninsulin9053 Thanks very much for the heads up! When I get around to making a base tray like this, I will see about the non toxic hot glue. If I do use aquarium silicone I will make sure to keep it outside, and would go for a whole week to let it cure and air out. I had no idea it would have such a strong smell.
Running Oninsulin I have lots of HA6 silicone (have many fish tanks so sometimes have to reseal them) would that be safe to use if I did it outside and let it cure for a week?
For my Americans in the comments, I went to Ace Hardware for my kick guards (they don't offer thicker sheets) and TAP Plastics for my bigger sheets. Both were very effective!
How do I pin this to save
You are a life saver!
When you ordered did you find you needed account for possible human error like the video suggests
ur amazing
I didn't realize you were an engineer, I don't know why but that made me so excited, I'm currently doing a physics degree and about to get rats. Its weird that I find myself accidentally gravitating towards stem people to watch without even realising it!
I think there are a lot of us STEM folk in rat’s, definitely most of the rat breeders I know have studied STEM to varying degrees, I think rat’s being such intelligent creatures definitely attract that kind of owner to them
I wish I was this way. I've been trying to measure my cage with a measuring tape and for the life of me can't get it quite right and over here it's either measured in meters, mms or cms
This is so helpful, I wanted to turn my small closet near the rat cage into a large deep bioactive dig box, and I'm planning to get some large pcv pipe for them to use as a tunnel from the cage to the dig box.. This really helps me figure out how to do the measurements.
Brilliantly explained. Thank you! I've been struggling to figure out something like this (as dig area and add some more height to my rat cage. After watching your video I believe I have it worked out in my head. I'll need to diagram it out to make sure it I have missed anything. I was a bit surprised when I saw you had drawn up a diagram and formula lines. I do the exact same thing but I'm not an engineer. Diagrams make diy so much easier. (Did I say thank you?) Thank you!
I only got through my engineering degree with diagrams and formulas! I note default to it lol
The little face at 2:10 🥺❤️
This is a brilliant video! Thank you!
Thank you, I hope it helps, I know or can be daunting for some people
Isamu Rat Care it’s a real help, I’ve been planning on getting a pet planet cage and people’s main issue seems to be the tray and I’ve been feeling very confused about what could help. I sort of avoided Perspex bc it seemed very complex but this has really simplified it!
Hi there,
Just wondering what type of soil you use for the substrate in the bottom. Is reptile bioactive substrate a good option? You can buy bigger bags of plant bioactive substrate for less money and in much bigger quantities, but I worry about what would be added to it and if that could harm rats.
Also, would putting a storage box into the bottom of the cage, even if it doesn't completely fill the cage, be a reasonable option for ratties?
Hey there! Thank you so much for this video, very in depth. I had some questions regarding cleaning. If you have these deep trays with dirt, and the rats make burrows, what happens to all the poop/pee they might do in their little burrows? What about poop/pee on the dirt? Maybe yours are litter trained, but then, they still might accidentally pee on the dirt. What happens to that over time? Should you replace the dirt? If so, how often? Would it be more beneficial to have dirt as a 'bedding'? I'm looking for fleece alternatives and this seems as a very natural alternative. I'm just also thinking about cleaning, long-term costs, etc. Any tips or info would be great.
This is where the bacteria you effectively cultivate in the soil, and the insects you add come into there own. They recycle the waste. It’s very effective and there’s no smell to the soil other than standard soil smell. I do think if rat’s heavily used the soil it could become an issue but whilst most goes elsewhere it’s a great system
Also those damn cages are never straight, better take some extra mm off
Great video! Is duct tape safe to use with rats? I'd like to seal in the gaps on my perspex but I'm worried about possible toxicity in the adhesive on the tape.
Yep
Great video :)
I actually did this 3 weeks ago😅. I used 3mm plexiglas (just cause its cheap) and the first time I had to get new plexiglas as it broke at a weird angle and because I was being impatient and thought going over it 5-6 times with a stanley knife would be fine 😅
But then I finally nailed it and its actually pretty see through. (I went with 25 cm and they do still kick stuff out but most of it stays in)
I now have hemp and dirt in their cage but divided good enough so that they cant mix them up (that was a mess at the start)🤣 and with the rest of the glas I just made them a little playtime digbox.
Its all in all really cheap and till now they arent really chewing on it. I hope it stays that way. 😅
Plexiglass is the same as I use, called Perspex in the UK. sadly it’s a bit more expensive over here (and much more so if you get it cut to size) but really good for trays.
I’ve had a few arguments with the Perspex about how many times to go over it with a Stanley knife, must have been well over 30 in the end. I lost count lol, went through a few new blades too doing kick boards for the sides. It’s well worth it though.
I’m glad your lot are enjoying the substrate combo, it sounds perfect for them
Did you do all your measurements in cm? Over here we use centimeters so other measurements get me so confused.
Would cutting the corners at 45 degrees remove the need to subtract the thickness of the perspex?.
Your rats are supper cute!❤
for a long term use consider getting the pieces cut in glass. if taping the inside hold the tape around a ruler and use the edge to put the tape in place then smooth out. If your cage doesnt open wide remove the lower tray build the box wheel the cage out place box in place and with a friend lift the cage over the box
Also, how would you go about assembling if you don't have a cage where both doors open? I have two feisty ferret cages combined into one, so I have multiple bars across the front that would make it hard to get something this size in. Right now I have have everything done in sections, but it's not very structurally sound that way.
Lean's Beans I have a feisty ferret cage. How did you end up making this work for you?
Generally for this style cage you need to design the base so it slots inside from the bottom or the top, often there’s a degree of disassembly required but as long as you’ve measured it right it works well.
Can someone send me correct measurements.
on average how much does a full tray out of perspex cost? tia Brilliant Video also, just what I needed. Ordering perspex today
Depends a lot on how big it is, I’d say from £30-60 potentially. That if you get it cut to size, it’s a fair bit cheaper if you cut it yourself
@@IsamuRatCare brilliant! Thanks
Does anyone know what soil she users
I think it is coco fiber…the kind you put in reptile vivariums…
This is a long shot but I have the big pet planet cage with the opening doors and I have dyscalculia so I was wondering if you have any idea about the measurements needed for that?
I don’t but if your on Facebook join naturalistic and bioactive rat setups, they have a stickied thread with a lot of people’s measurements for different cages on there
Happy Holidays. I have a pet planet and I'm looking to invest in a cage that comes through the bottom too. The cage is currently on wheels for easy movement, but would you recommend taking them off if I add perspex to it? Or would it make no difference? Many thanks
My Perspex drops to the floor on the venturer but I’ve kept the wheels on. You just need to be sure the wheels don’t get in the way of where the tray will go
Suggestion 1: If you want to do this cheaper get your measurements and call your local bandq at 7am and ask if their timber saw is working. take the measurements to the store and go find a sheet of ply maybe 9mm marine would be better. Ask the person on the timber saw if they want the lines marked or given to them if they want them marked using a pencil and a ruler mark out the shapes and get 5 pieces cut. Get 3 sides and 1 base and 1 top which is slightly bigger and cut in half width ways. buy the Perspex just for the front. Using the cut in half top and a jigsaw either cut out holes in the top or cut out a large square. This will give you a top lip which because its in half will be easy to lift out. the lip prevents the kick out of most of the soil the smaller the square the less the kickout. Just made a 5ft long 2 foot high 1 foot deep box to go down the side of my sofa to prevent rats going down there and to store all my camping gear it cost me £30
Me trying to concentrate on the description for my boys… me being completely distracted by the cuties in the background.
The rats look cute back there 🤗 - buncha tiny little nerds all trying to be in the center of things
Suggestion 2. When cutting perspex you want to goto poundland and get a roll of grip material and double sided tape or glue glue the grip to the straight edge your going to use to prevent it sliding during cutting you can also clamp a length of wood in place then keep scoring it with a sharp blade finally rest the edge over the edge of something if using clamps you can clamp it on a table use the edge to snap the perspex
I’ve had my rats for a year and they have been on fleece for the whole time I’ve had them without a dig box, they have a large homemade enclosure 6ft tall and 2ft by 4ft bottom designed to use fleece so there’s no room for substrate without be building a base as you have done, have I harmed my little loves by using fleece with them?
With a dig box it’s not so bad but I think if you made them a deeper base and offered substrate or soil and scatter fed they’d really appreciate it. They really get a lot from foraging and digging and having a larger area to do this helps them
Isamu Rat Care I already scatter and puzzle feed them and I’d love to go more natural when I can, you really are a rat guru!!
I have fish tanks so have a lot of aquarium safe silicone (HA6), could I use that to seal the inside and then once cured use the tape or would that be toxic to the rats? Or maybe hot glue gun?
I would keep it neat so there’s not stuff available to get there teeth into but I expect aquarium sage should be safe for rat’s as fish are very sensitive
Isamu Rat Care thank you I have duct tape too but thought it might be good to have that in the bits that meet
How easy is it to take it and clean. Or if it's bioactive do you still need to clean it?
hope you didnt mind me asking thats if you can remember what type of paint and brand it was ??
Since you have a bio active setup, do you ever have issues with the insects crawling out of the cage?
did you spray your cage yourself at all and if so what brand of spray paint was it as i have one i need to treat for rust and respray
Hi I have the same cage you do and am wanting to have a bioactive set up now I am absolutely awful at calculations and numbers thanks to my dyslexia 🤣🤣 I was wondering what dimensions you used for your perspex tray I know I’m cheeky for asking but it would be a great help hahaha
Did you ever find out I’m trying to buy it and I have the same cage and it’s so hard to get it right
Sending tons of good vibes to Chocobo!
Thank you, she’s a wonderful girl but such a worry at times. It’s hard to make the decision to remove a lump when it’s not bothering her and you know ours particularly risky but if it works she should have a good amount of life left too
I should let you know chocobo got through the op and is doing really really well. She's a star
Thank you for this. I needed this badly.
I am having a hard time fully understanding how this is supposed to work ? The math is confusing me. Why is it not just length times word the times height
You need to take into account the thickness of the Perspex otherwise effectively it can be too big and Perspex is a pain to cut down.
This video is absolutely amazing. Thank you so much xx
Feel like I’ve been going through all your videos and I have so many questions lol... the cage we have had a very deep tray on the bottom, would this be ok to use for the dirt? Obviously it isn’t clear so I can’t see through so that’s my only concern, also do you have a pacific brand of dirt/soil you use? Many thanks
It depends on what you want from it really. My does cage base is 40+ cm deep and they can do peeper’s tunnels. I can’t do that in the bucks cage but they do have a good 20cm deep tray of which half is soil. Whilst they can’t build tunnels as well they can move it around and sculpt it a bit which they enjoy and it is managing bioactive pretty well too.
Brand wise I go for whatever the cheapest pure coco fiber bricks are at the time. I’ve no brand loyalty lol. the same for orchard bark and coconut husk if I add them. About the only thing I’m brand loyal to is www.dustfreehay.co.uk for nesting material but I have found a local shop that sells gorgeous hay so that might be my next option
Were these measurements you wrote out used for the little zoo cage? I’m wanting to order some but feel like I’ll mess it up 😭 x
Critter Nation
I noticed you didn’t take x2 of the thickness off the front and back pieces, why not?
Because you only need to take it off either both sides or the front and back because you can only overlap in one direction. That probably doesn’t make sense but it’s quite hard to word but when you build it it will make more sense
So if you have a lip on your cage, do you measure to that size instead? Do you do anything to fill the gap between the perspex and the cage bars then? I currently have a short barrier that's sort of cobbled together from when I combined two cages into one, so the sides don't match up well and I have to take steps to make sure my rats can't get between the barrier and the bars and get stuck!
It very much depends on the gap size. For mine you’re talking about a cm so it’s not a problem but it could need a bit more thought if it’s bigger. If you can email or Facebook message me a photo and some measurements I might be able to help. Email is Isamu.rats@gmail.con
Hi, I have a question about this because something about this is not really clear to me. Why is a deep bottom of perspex where they wil dig and probably burrow in for long periods of time not a problem but an aquarium as a cage for rats would be a problem? Kind regards
It’s fine because of the way any urea is absorbed rapidly by the soil (and in turn then got rid of by the bacteria and bugs that are hard at work). Plus your talking about a very large spacious cage (where mine spend most of the time) with good ventilation on top, allowing good air circulation and exchange with the soil area below.
Most of the issues with tanks is to do with the poor circulation and urea build up
@@IsamuRatCare Ah oke, thanks for clearing that up for me, I understand now
Can you please leave a link of the soil you use for the digging bin?
I carry which one I use depending on what’s the most reasonably priced at the time. Basically it’s coco fiber soil sold for either reptiles or plants with nothing else added (no pearlite etc) you can use any kind, blocks or ready made up
What a lovely cage
Hi. Thanks for all of the information. I have a double Critter Nation and I'm wondering if I should be designing my box to rest on the floor of the first level cage or from the storage shelf at the bottom of the cage. Any idea? Thanks again.
You can get extra depth if you drop it down to the bottom shelf which is really lovely especially if you want to make a deep digging base like many of us using soil do.
If you do use lots of soil you may need to support it underneath or add stronger wheels
Hi! Can I ask what dimensions you used for your DCN? I’ve got one as well that I’m planning to extend to the storage shelf, but I’m hesitant that my measurements could be off.
@@justratthings8262 what were your measurements? Im also doing this!
Do you have the measurements that you used for your own cage?
I have long since lost them I’m afraid. However if you are on Facebook join the group naturalistic and bioactive rat setups as there’s a stickied thread with various people putting up what dimensions they used on it for different cages
Does anyone know where to get all the branches from?:o
I get the branches from my own or friends gardens mainly, you need to make sure you can identify the wood. If it's on a decent "rabbit safe" list or the fruit or but if that tree is edible when raw to humans then it's usually ok to use. Just make sure it's fully dried out so no green wood when cut
Very helpful!! I received my Perspex from the Plastic People today all accurately cut I'm pleased to report! Now taped together and ready to put in the cage. Hopefully I may now start to win the fight against the Aubiose that was finding its way everywhere due to the shallow tray the cage came with :)
How much did you have to pay for shipping? For me shipping is about £8!
@@AAAAAHHHHHHHASAAA annoyingly i must have deleted my receipt email but £8 sounds about right. It must have cost me about 50-60 pounds in total. That said it has been worth it, i'm no longer having to brush up endless amounts of Aubiose on a daily basis so it has been money well spent. I would also recommend triple checking your measurements, or get someone to check your numbers, it would be a pain to spend the money only to find it doesnt fit
Yeah shipping is expensive as it’s so breakable, they use about a million layers of bubble wrap, as a bonus you won’t need to buy bubble wrap for a while
Not native english I tried to understand what kind of tape you use to keep it together (you say it before ductape)
It is called duct tape in the UK with the brand name of duck tape being very common. You cannot also use any kind of tough plastic tape, I use a clear outdoor mending tape at the moment. It needs to be able to take a bit of getting damp and be robust. The rats will chew it a bit so it will need replacing from time to time
@@IsamuRatCare thanks! Mending tape is what I couldnt hear, never heard of it.
Thank you so much for this wonderful informative video! We just ordered our perspex sheets and couldn't have done it without your help. :) We really like the plastic lip you put on the edges to make it comfier for the rats to sit / climb on - do you know what this is called or where you got it from? Thanks again!
It was from b and q but I can’t remember what it was called, it was from the same place as aluminium section
Isamu Rat Care thanks, I’m sure I’ll be able to find it! 🙂
Could you use this with kiln dried wood shavings?
and what would a recommended height be?
You could, and how feel really depends on what your after. For a thin layer then I’d go 20cm plus. For a nice deep base they can tunnel in probably 40cm plus, but depends what works on your cage
@@IsamuRatCare Thank you for the reply, I'd almost forgotten I'd asked haha. I hope you're having a good day!
I was curious, would sealing the pieces of Perspex together with aquarium silicon be safe/feasible? I've seen a lot of people making enclosures for hamsters and other small animals using aquarium silicon, and it seems like it might be more effective. But maybe there's some reason it shouldn't be used? I'd definitely like to make one of these for my cage.
In theory given it’s around marine fish once fully dried it should be fine and none toxic so I don’t see why not. Child safe glue can be used too. I’m just lazy and find tape easier lol.
Just a heads up if using marine silicone, it off gasses and generally has a very very strong scent. Ideally you would want to let it cure for 48hrs (min but a week is better) outside. You dont want to use it anywhere near the room your rats are in because the scent lingers. I used it in my basement and I regretted it lol my nose took a couple days to get back to normal. I would personally use non toxic (kid safe) hot glue, it's much less messy, doesnt smell and can be used in the same room.
@@runningoninsulin9053 Thanks very much for the heads up! When I get around to making a base tray like this, I will see about the non toxic hot glue. If I do use aquarium silicone I will make sure to keep it outside, and would go for a whole week to let it cure and air out. I had no idea it would have such a strong smell.
Running Oninsulin I have lots of HA6 silicone (have many fish tanks so sometimes have to reseal them) would that be safe to use if I did it outside and let it cure for a week?
I don’t know the specific brands of sealant but if you do it neatly and use something aquarium sage you’d probably be fine
How did you do the alu strips on top? I cant find a corner.
I picked up the corner strips from but and q, they do add strength to the corners
@@IsamuRatCare but and q? I mean the corners on top.
That should say b&q which is a DIY shop. Do you mean measuring?
I mean the top of the perspex and then the corner. So the 4 corners at top. An aluminium U profile cant go in the top corner, so what is used there?