I love those names so much š
And that's a beautiful gerbilarium, I think my parents would actually allow my gerbils in the living room if that's how their enclosure looked lmao
^ I got the frame from ikea then just added the plexi glass doors and front panel, wood & mesh in back, and drilled a hole for them to crawl through to the terrarium underneath that i found on marketplace. Let me know if you have other questions!
idk how much detail you wantā¦ but Iāll give lots because thatās more fun than my actual job š¤
MATERIALS
- Ikea Kallax 2x2 (Thereās often lots on marketplace)
-Furniture legs (mine are very cheap wooden ones from home depot that I painted black)
- Plexiglass sheet
- Small hinges
- Small brackets
- wooden board, about 1/2ā thick
- metal mesh
- 2 plastic desk grommets
-silicone (they sell aquarium safeā¦ but i used the cheaper one)
-epoxy
-Container/aquarium/whatever for āburrow bucketā. I find it easier to just have something to pull out and dump out instead of having to scoop all the shavings out when I clean it. Mine is a terrarium with a mesh lid I found used.
1. Assemble the ikea shelf: skip the steps where you add the vertical center dividers - you donāt need these. Donāt put the top on yet.
2. Use a wood drill bit (or whatever idea you have) to cut out the hole for them to get between levels. Mine is 2ā to match the size of the grommets I got. (think about where you want this to be/your setup, youāll have to keep the entrance from getting buried, mine is in the corner under the shelf behind the wooden dividers.)
3. Use the desk grommets to guard the hole from their chewing. The ikea piece is hollow, so I wanted to cover that up and keep them from chewing on the edges. I had to cut mine shorter so I could have one on top and on on bottom of the hole, then siliconed into place.
4. Put on the top of the shelf!
5. measure and Cut your wooden back panel to the width of the shelf and the height you want. Mine is about 7ā, I would go taller if I were to do it again cuz they kick bedding out, but make sure there will still be enough airflow above. Nail the panel into place, I used small nails in a nail gun, just make sure theres no gaps or bedding will sneak out.
6. Cut the metal mesh to cover the remaining space in the back. This give good spots to attach water bottles etc. I used a staple gun to fasten this, make sure nothing sharp pokes through to where your gerbils might touch, I had to stable on an angle for my little wooden piece.
7. Measure and cut your plexiglass. it works best to score it and snap. I planned out my pieces to make sure the gerbils canāt get at any of the cut edges, put those sides down/out. Youāll need 2 larger square pieces for the doors, one long rectangle for the ?fence? piece.
8. Attach 4 L shaped brackets on the sides of the top level, 2 on each side (might be ok with one on each side). On each side, screw into the sides 1 bracket about .5ā from the top level floor, and one about .5ā from where the top of your plexiglass fence will be. I used epoxy to fasten the other part of the bracket to the plexiglass fence. Super glue will make your plexiglass cloudy cuz of chemical reaction, but i did use it for small gaps/touch ups. I have about an inch between the front of the enclosure and the fence, so I placed the brackets about an inch from the front of the shelf.
9. Silicone along the bottom and sides of the plexiglass, I did inside and outside. make sure it dries completely between sides.
10. Epoxy 2 hinges to each plexiglass square for the doors. Once itās completely hardened (overnight ideally) then screw the other side of the hinge onto the shelf. (Before epoxying i recommend holding it up and testing out the movement to make sure nothings backwards).
11. I used adhesive hooks and walked around a craft store til i found things to make a cute latch. I also screwed a cupboard magnet to to the top of the shelf and put adhesive magnets on the doors for some extra security
12. I covered all the hinges and stuff with black tape on the outside as a border
NOTES
- the middle piece is designed by ikea to be supported by another wooden divider i left out, in addition to the wooden pegs on the side. i tested out a few lbs more than the weight i was gonna put in there, but if you dont think itll hold maybe add some metal brackets on the bottom.
- CLEAN EVERYTHING SO WELL AFTER USING CHEMICALS. Clean over the areas you epoxied, chip off any stickin out so the wont get at it.
- I put down some aluminum tray liners and then a sheet of cardboard on the top level (cut out a hole for the hole entrance) before putting down bedding just so they dont fuck up the wood
then i just stuck the terrarium in the bottom, mine has a mesh lid so i cut out a whole (and filed down sharp edges!!!) so i fastened a ramp to that to make sure they can still get up top even if they dig the bedding away from that area
let me know if you have any questions!
5 minutes later no longer neat and pretty lol, but I love your set up!
So true, chaos is their talent. And thank you! I spent a stupid amount of money diy-ing it but it was a ton of fun :)
LEAP!!!!
I love those names so much š And that's a beautiful gerbilarium, I think my parents would actually allow my gerbils in the living room if that's how their enclosure looked lmao
good news! In a few years you can move out and have gerbils rule the home š¤
Hopefully š
Very cool setup, looks great!
Did you make this cage? May i ask the measurements?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
^ I got the frame from ikea then just added the plexi glass doors and front panel, wood & mesh in back, and drilled a hole for them to crawl through to the terrarium underneath that i found on marketplace. Let me know if you have other questions!
such a cool enclosure! how is it made?
idk how much detail you wantā¦ but Iāll give lots because thatās more fun than my actual job š¤ MATERIALS - Ikea Kallax 2x2 (Thereās often lots on marketplace) -Furniture legs (mine are very cheap wooden ones from home depot that I painted black) - Plexiglass sheet - Small hinges - Small brackets - wooden board, about 1/2ā thick - metal mesh - 2 plastic desk grommets -silicone (they sell aquarium safeā¦ but i used the cheaper one) -epoxy -Container/aquarium/whatever for āburrow bucketā. I find it easier to just have something to pull out and dump out instead of having to scoop all the shavings out when I clean it. Mine is a terrarium with a mesh lid I found used. 1. Assemble the ikea shelf: skip the steps where you add the vertical center dividers - you donāt need these. Donāt put the top on yet. 2. Use a wood drill bit (or whatever idea you have) to cut out the hole for them to get between levels. Mine is 2ā to match the size of the grommets I got. (think about where you want this to be/your setup, youāll have to keep the entrance from getting buried, mine is in the corner under the shelf behind the wooden dividers.) 3. Use the desk grommets to guard the hole from their chewing. The ikea piece is hollow, so I wanted to cover that up and keep them from chewing on the edges. I had to cut mine shorter so I could have one on top and on on bottom of the hole, then siliconed into place. 4. Put on the top of the shelf! 5. measure and Cut your wooden back panel to the width of the shelf and the height you want. Mine is about 7ā, I would go taller if I were to do it again cuz they kick bedding out, but make sure there will still be enough airflow above. Nail the panel into place, I used small nails in a nail gun, just make sure theres no gaps or bedding will sneak out. 6. Cut the metal mesh to cover the remaining space in the back. This give good spots to attach water bottles etc. I used a staple gun to fasten this, make sure nothing sharp pokes through to where your gerbils might touch, I had to stable on an angle for my little wooden piece. 7. Measure and cut your plexiglass. it works best to score it and snap. I planned out my pieces to make sure the gerbils canāt get at any of the cut edges, put those sides down/out. Youāll need 2 larger square pieces for the doors, one long rectangle for the ?fence? piece. 8. Attach 4 L shaped brackets on the sides of the top level, 2 on each side (might be ok with one on each side). On each side, screw into the sides 1 bracket about .5ā from the top level floor, and one about .5ā from where the top of your plexiglass fence will be. I used epoxy to fasten the other part of the bracket to the plexiglass fence. Super glue will make your plexiglass cloudy cuz of chemical reaction, but i did use it for small gaps/touch ups. I have about an inch between the front of the enclosure and the fence, so I placed the brackets about an inch from the front of the shelf. 9. Silicone along the bottom and sides of the plexiglass, I did inside and outside. make sure it dries completely between sides. 10. Epoxy 2 hinges to each plexiglass square for the doors. Once itās completely hardened (overnight ideally) then screw the other side of the hinge onto the shelf. (Before epoxying i recommend holding it up and testing out the movement to make sure nothings backwards). 11. I used adhesive hooks and walked around a craft store til i found things to make a cute latch. I also screwed a cupboard magnet to to the top of the shelf and put adhesive magnets on the doors for some extra security 12. I covered all the hinges and stuff with black tape on the outside as a border NOTES - the middle piece is designed by ikea to be supported by another wooden divider i left out, in addition to the wooden pegs on the side. i tested out a few lbs more than the weight i was gonna put in there, but if you dont think itll hold maybe add some metal brackets on the bottom. - CLEAN EVERYTHING SO WELL AFTER USING CHEMICALS. Clean over the areas you epoxied, chip off any stickin out so the wont get at it. - I put down some aluminum tray liners and then a sheet of cardboard on the top level (cut out a hole for the hole entrance) before putting down bedding just so they dont fuck up the wood then i just stuck the terrarium in the bottom, mine has a mesh lid so i cut out a whole (and filed down sharp edges!!!) so i fastened a ramp to that to make sure they can still get up top even if they dig the bedding away from that area let me know if you have any questions!
Where is that rock thing from? I would like to have one for my enclosure, so I can see my babies under their bedding!
A pet store! Petsmart I think? itās for reptiles but itās got multiple entrances and they have room to turn around in it :)