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Pip the Robo

I hadn’t realised you were doing a cork branch, the getzoo photo is a bit misleading although I noticed they say the product can vary greatly so it is a bit of a chance.
If you want something like that in future I’d have a look at reptile shops, they generally give a measurement of some kind for branches & tunnels so you have a better idea of what you’ll get.
Something like this.

That must have taken ages to dry! I haven’t come across boiling before but I have seen reptile people suggest microwaving it which sounds like a disaster in the making! I just freeze mine.
 
So I've been doing a lot of fiddling about with Pip's Plaza and nearly done. Here's what I would have done different in hindsight!

1) Bought the full perspex - with the substrate deep everything is nearer the roof and there is plenty of ventilation. And a lot easier than contorting yourself screwing umpteen panels to the bars.

2) Used the second platform in the front corner with shorter legs so it's at substrate level and had the ceramic water bottle holder on that. But I am not chopping or sanding any more platform legs to fit a curved cage base. Plus that limits the floorspace and would lose a couple of items.

3) It would have been easier to buy a new lower barred cage! But then it wouldn't have 30cm of substrate (but I wonder if that depth will actually get used).

4) Ideally I'd have bought a bigger cage. The depth of the Plaza is limiting with larger items. I was also toying with the XL Grosvenor like Beryl (which does have more depth) but already had the Plaza (two in fact) and like the front door, so bought the perspex instead. Ideally I'd have got another Plaza 120 which is a great size cage to set up and deeper. I did think about that but - on top of the cost of the cage, I'd have still needed perspex panels and Pip may not be in it much longer (on the other hand he may live another year or 18 months!).


So here's what I have - not yet finished as I now need to add more substrate from his old cage to go on top after compressing the rest down, and fill and level up the back right corner with substrate so it's level with the house. Plus transfer his nest and hoard. I'll do that later today as don't want to wake him up too early. I hope he doesn't wake up before I do it, because his cage is half empty! I've already taken his carrot cottage out to put in the Plaza (smells familiar).

I decided to use one of the Ikea tealights as a water bowl in one corner (where it's full perspex and no bars to climb and fall from - and also so the food doesn't get kicked out of the bars) as no bars. It has two polished stones/crystals inside it. We had a bag of them from ages ago. They're too big to be pouched.

I've left the water bottle attached to the only bit of bars at the left end that is high enough, and just put the little terracotta dish under it to catch drips. It was being used to catch drips at the moment, but was also Pip's veg plate before. So need to think of somewhere else for the veg. I'm not that happy with it, the little plate will end up buried or knocked to one side or covered in substrate! But it'll have to do. I've tried to wedge it between the platform and carrot cottage. It's reminding me why I've always had water bottles over shelves for years, after faffing about with them over substrate in the past.

But it'll have to do. I can still fit a couple of things in that corner but not quite how I wanted so they're a bit squished.

As a result of not using the ceramic bottle holder/hide he does have an extra ceramic salt pig hide at the back next to the wheel which will have cork granules in. The ceramic bottle holder would have just fitted there on that platform but was right up to the roof, and it would have meant sliding it in and out every time to take the bottle out to refill it and that couldn't be done without some noise and awkwardness. Pip wouldn't have liked it and it would have been too fiddly. I did consider lowering the legs slightly on that back platform/shelter, but then I wouldn't have been able to straddle the rock formation thing across the two platforms (before it was just sat on the platform/shelter so then there would be nowhere to put the bottle holder again).

The wheel was catching against the perspex panel which increased the depth beyond the bars. But had a convenient piece of wood that a hole was drilled in to go behind the wheel so that sorted that and it's actually more secure and stable. That wheel came with a wood stand originally. I had chopped the base of the stand and used the long part behind raffy's wheel. So used the base, with a hole in, behind Pip's wheel.

One leg snapped off the house while I was pushing all the substrate in. I didn't want to take it all out and wait to fix the leg on again now. So it's standing on 3 legs and substrate keeping it level. It's kind of very slightly sloping down at that end! I'll push some more underneath to level it up again. It's not going to fall over or subside though.

I've only used one corner platform.

The ladder was to match/fit the shelves. It does take up a bit of room but it's a nice gentle slope - still something to zoom up and down but not too steep. It's supposed to slot onto the edge of the shelves but was too loose and would have kept falling off. So I've wedged bits of hemp mat in the slots to make it a tight fit.

As I say - still not quite finished as things will be at different heights in places when the rest of top the substrate is in from his Mickey 2XL. At the moment the rainbow bridge is too low until the rest of the substrate goes in, and the pear hide at the back.

Even without the curved cage base being awkward for platform legs, I don't like setting up tank style cages! It's difficult working out what height everything should be and having different leg lengths. I much prefer setting up barred cages where the bars allow for a great variety of adjustment of shelf heights and different shelves.

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Well things might not have gone to plan but I think it looks great, I’m sure Pip will love it too.
 
Oh my gosh, I love it! It looks so well thought out and perfect for Pip. I love the ramp leading to the sand bath. I have those tealights as water bowls and I think they are great for a robo.

Just spotted the sunflower head! Pip will love collecting the seeds from that. :)
 
Hopefully it'll look better when it's finished :-) The sprays are to go in yet as well. It's more practical than glamorous as I had to allow for him not being able to climb too well with his back legs - now and in the future. Hence the enormous food dish! It's low to climb into. I need one slightly smaller than that, but that came with a previous house. I also needed to keep the same layout as before and the same items where they were before, more or less so that limited things too.
 
I’m sure Pip won’t mind an enormous food dish, he can sit in there & have a good dig around in his food!
It’s really not easy adapting a cage & making changes while trying to keep things the same as much as possible but you’ve done really well with this.
 
I hadn’t realised you were doing a cork branch, the getzoo photo is a bit misleading although I noticed they say the product can vary greatly so it is a bit of a chance.
If you want something like that in future I’d have a look at reptile shops, they generally give a measurement of some kind for branches & tunnels so you have a better idea of what you’ll get.
Something like this.

That must have taken ages to dry! I haven’t come across boiling before but I have seen reptile people suggest microwaving it which sounds like a disaster in the making! I just freeze mine

I quite liked the size of it actually :-) I just felt it was expensive for the size. It would have fitted in nicely at the back right corner and I wouldn't have had room for a bigger one anyway. I was ordering from Getzoo anyway and just saw them - I hadn't come across whole cork branches before. But thank you for the link for another time :-) No way would a 40cm branch fit in my stew pot ha ha.

I normally only freeze them too but was being belt and braces as I don't want any more moth outbreaks. I've had two and that's enough for me! And just avoided a third.

I’m sure Pip won’t mind an enormous food dish, he can sit in there & have a good dig around in his food!
It’s really not easy adapting a cage & making changes while trying to keep things the same as much as possible but you’ve done really well with this.

Thanks. Yes it's easier setting up from scratch rather than trying to keep familiarity. I prefer the ladder where it is - before it went across the front door and sometimes when he was half way up it he'd stop and it looked like he was thinking of jumping!
 
Thanks Frida. Just off to finish it so I'll post a photo when it's finished.
 
I am so looking forward to hear of Pip's response when he sees his lovely home.
I wonder if he'll use the whole depth of substrate.
 
I'm looking forward to hearing all about Raffy's response when Pip moves back into the living room 🤔😉
 
So I've been doing a lot of fiddling about with Pip's Plaza and nearly done. Here's what I would have done different in hindsight!

1) Bought the full perspex - with the substrate deep everything is nearer the roof and there is plenty of ventilation. And a lot easier than contorting yourself screwing umpteen panels to the bars.

2) Used the second platform in the front corner with shorter legs so it's at substrate level and had the ceramic water bottle holder on that. But I am not chopping or sanding any more platform legs to fit a curved cage base. Plus that limits the floorspace and would lose a couple of items.

3) It would have been easier to buy a new lower barred cage! But then it wouldn't have 30cm of substrate (but I wonder if that depth will actually get used).

4) Ideally I'd have bought a bigger cage. The depth of the Plaza is limiting with larger items. I was also toying with the XL Grosvenor like Beryl (which does have more depth) but already had the Plaza (two in fact) and like the front door, so bought the perspex instead. Ideally I'd have got another Plaza 120 which is a great size cage to set up and deeper. I did think about that but - on top of the cost of the cage, I'd have still needed perspex panels and Pip may not be in it much longer (on the other hand he may live another year or 18 months!).


So here's what I have - not yet finished as I now need to add more substrate from his old cage to go on top after compressing the rest down, and fill and level up the back right corner with substrate so it's level with the house. Plus transfer his nest and hoard. I'll do that later today as don't want to wake him up too early. I hope he doesn't wake up before I do it, because his cage is half empty! I've already taken his carrot cottage out to put in the Plaza (smells familiar).

I decided to use one of the Ikea tealights as a water bowl in one corner (where it's full perspex and no bars to climb and fall from - and also so the food doesn't get kicked out of the bars) as no bars. It has two polished stones/crystals inside it. We had a bag of them from ages ago. They're too big to be pouched.

I've left the water bottle attached to the only bit of bars at the left end that is high enough, and just put the little terracotta dish under it to catch drips. It was being used to catch drips at the moment, but was also Pip's veg plate before. So need to think of somewhere else for the veg. I'm not that happy with it, the little plate will end up buried or knocked to one side or covered in substrate! But it'll have to do. I've tried to wedge it between the platform and carrot cottage. It's reminding me why I've always had water bottles over shelves for years, after faffing about with them over substrate in the past.

But it'll have to do. I can still fit a couple of things in that corner but not quite how I wanted so they're a bit squished.

As a result of not using the ceramic bottle holder/hide he does have an extra ceramic salt pig hide at the back next to the wheel which will have cork granules in. The ceramic bottle holder would have just fitted there on that platform but was right up to the roof, and it would have meant sliding it in and out every time to take the bottle out to refill it and that couldn't be done without some noise and awkwardness. Pip wouldn't have liked it and it would have been too fiddly. I did consider lowering the legs slightly on that back platform/shelter, but then I wouldn't have been able to straddle the rock formation thing across the two platforms (before it was just sat on the platform/shelter so then there would be nowhere to put the bottle holder again).

The wheel was catching against the perspex panel which increased the depth beyond the bars. But had a convenient piece of wood that a hole was drilled in to go behind the wheel so that sorted that and it's actually more secure and stable. That wheel came with a wood stand originally. I had chopped the base of the stand and used the long part behind raffy's wheel. So used the base, with a hole in, behind Pip's wheel.

One leg snapped off the house while I was pushing all the substrate in. I didn't want to take it all out and wait to fix the leg on again now. So it's standing on 3 legs and substrate keeping it level. It's kind of very slightly sloping down at that end! I'll push some more underneath to level it up again. It's not going to fall over or subside though.

I've only used one corner platform.

The ladder was to match/fit the shelves. It does take up a bit of room but it's a nice gentle slope - still something to zoom up and down but not too steep. It's supposed to slot onto the edge of the shelves but was too loose and would have kept falling off. So I've wedged bits of hemp mat in the slots to make it a tight fit.

As I say - still not quite finished as things will be at different heights in places when the rest of top the substrate is in from his Mickey 2XL. At the moment the rainbow bridge is too low until the rest of the substrate goes in, and the pear hide at the back.

Even without the curved cage base being awkward for platform legs, I don't like setting up tank style cages! It's difficult working out what height everything should be and having different leg lengths. I much prefer setting up barred cages where the bars allow for a great variety of adjustment of shelf heights and different shelves.

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That looks like quite a project so much thought has gone into it end result is impressive though
 
The main reason the substrate is that deep is to make it into a lower cage :) .Otherwise I think 20cm is fine. It has taken a huge amount of substrate. A whole bag of Fitch plus some more from another bag plus some from the other cage. At least 1.5 bags of Fitch I reckon.

Apart from all the bedding and the Perspex, it’s the same layout he had before. Except a digfferent shelf and ladder.

Pip is asleep in his pod taxi thing in the playpen right now. I’m having a breather.

It wasn’t that big a project - it’s just I had to wait till my wrist stopped hurting.
 
Oh yes, i know the reason for so much substrate but i'm curious to find out whether a Robo uses it or not when given the opportunity.
 
Pip wasn’t asleep in the pod taxi. I couldn’t find him in the playpen. Lifted everything up and eventually found him behind his coconut. He’s in the cage now. He did explore a bit but mainly to hide in things. Don’t suppose I’ll see him again now.
 
Is the camera pointing at Pip's cage? I would love to see him explore. :)
 
I'm looking forward to hearing all about Raffy's response when Pip moves back into the living room 🤔😉
Raffy has already been banging about in his house because I was doing the cage in that corner. He probably knows something is afoot.
 
Is the camera pointing at Pip's cage? I would love to see him explore. :)
I video’d it after he went in the cage :-). He seemed a bit scared really and wanting to hide. A bit surprised as well maybe. He did look around a little bit but then went down the hole in the top of his platform and hasn’t come out since. He hasn’t even been to the right hand end of the cage and found his house, nest and hoard yet. I’ll post the video a bit later.
 
It’ll probably take him another two weeks to settle in again!
 
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