Savic Plaza - almost ready!

[orangetails]

My Savic plaza arrived today!

(Side note - I hadn’t really realised there is only the one door at the front - no roof door… this doesn’t seem practical to me, cleaning out etc? Hopefully it will be okay!!)

This is a provisional ‘throw everything in and see what it looks like’ attempt... I have ordered two shelf/platform things to run along the back - those two white trays currently on top of the cage will go on that, with some different substrates in! I think a bit of diy will work to connect them to the upright bit on my apple branch that I was going to saw off too!

Sand bath hasn’t arrived yet, and I’m going to get a bigger one now anyway - that’s what the lower space under the wheel is reserved for

None of my sprays have arrived yet I think I will drill some holes in the apple branch to pop those in as some extra screening

I plan to scatter feed! And I’ll be making some enrichment nibble stick things by using flour-paste to glue the forage stuff to the gnaw sticks (not in there yet).

I used the card from the box it arrived in to custom fit my own ‘deep bedding screen’

Just waiting on a date for little man to arrive now

 

[RainbowBrite]

This is looking great already! I love the plans you have.

 

[elusive]

It’s looking good! I’ve had cages the same size & found cleaning & accessing everything from the front door pretty easy, I’ve only ever used top doors when I had them for setting up tbh.
I love the idea of drilling holes in the apple branch for the sprays but I was wondering how heavy the branch is if it will just be sitting on substrate.
Hope everything else arrives soon & you don’t have to wait too long for your little man.

 

[Maz]

Wow that was quick! It’s looking great I’ve never had any issues just using the front door and never need to take the bars off . The only fiddly bit about not having a top door is when you’re setting up the cage and need to screw thongs to the back. It takes another pair of hands to hold them in place while you screw on it at that back. Unless you have extremely long arms! I find it very easy to access everything through the large front door.

The plaza 120 does have a top door as well but I never use it! It did help when attaching the wheel to the back though - without needing a second person.

By the way how is the wheel attached?

 

[Member ID2]

The wheel is upsidedown bolted to the roof.

It looks great and your hamster will be very happy in there. Did you bake or freeze the apple branch before using it to kill off any bugs?

I added a top door myself and use it all the time because it's so quiet and i can get to things on the shelves easily.

 

[orangetails]

It’s looking good! I’ve had cages the same size & found cleaning & accessing everything from the front door pretty easy, I’ve only ever used top doors when I had them for setting up tbh.
I love the idea of drilling holes in the apple branch for the sprays but I was wondering how heavy the branch is if it will just be sitting on substrate.
Hope everything else arrives soon & you don’t have to wait too long for your little man.

I did wonder about the weight of it, I can't wriggle it much really as it is wedged between the cage sides and on the two houses... do you think that will be enough? If not we can DIY some 'stands' for it under the substrate I should think

 

[orangetails]

The wheel is upsidedown bolted to the roof.

It looks great and your hamster will be very happy in there. Did you bake or freeze the apple branch before using it to kill off any bugs?

I added a top door myself and use it all the time because it's so quiet and i can get to things on the shelves easily.

I scrubbed it thoroughly, and it's been 'baking' outside in the sunshine, will that be enough or do I need to do more?

I had ordered a sandblasted branch, but it came and it's rubbish quite honestly, it feels funny, it's an awkward shape, all thin and full of joints and spikey bits - it doesn't look safe to me! And the cork log I ordered with it is practically disintegrating with every touch. Never had either before so wasn't sure what to expect, but I've requested to return them!

How did you add a top door to it?! I do like a top door I must admit. But it's good to know people find the front door sufficient.

 

[orangetails]

Oh yes, the wheel is bolted to the roof. I did that with my last cage too, it gives so much more floor space Also means I don't ever worry about the wheel falling over..!

 

[RainbowBrite]

Where did you order the cork log and sandblasted branch from? I order mine from Rodipet although I think with natural items they can be hit or miss. I hope you can get a refund.

I always put any wooden items in the oven on the lowest heat for 45minutes to an hour. Just to let you know, any hamster food, sprays, forage etc are best frozen for one week due to bugs such as pantry moths.

 

[elusive]

I did wonder about the weight of it, I can't wriggle it much really as it is wedged between the cage sides and on the two houses... do you think that will be enough? If not we can DIY some 'stands' for it under the substrate I should think

I was thinking about burrowing & a hamster being underneath it, it’s surprising how much they can move things when they’re burrowing & digging so anything heavy does need to be supported really, stands might get moved as well. It’s hard to say really without being able to feel it but I did think it looked a bit on the hefty side.

 

[Maz]

Oh yes, the wheel is bolted to the roof. I did that with my last cage too, it gives so much more floor space Also means I don't ever worry about the wheel falling over..!

Brilliant! I have also done this in cages before - I didn't know if that would work in the Plaza because of the curved top edges - but haven't tried.

 

[Maz]

I scrubbed it thoroughly, and it's been 'baking' outside in the sunshine, will that be enough or do I need to do more?

I had ordered a sandblasted branch, but it came and it's rubbish quite honestly, it feels funny, it's an awkward shape, all thin and full of joints and spikey bits - it doesn't look safe to me! And the cork log I ordered with it is practically disintegrating with every touch. Never had either before so wasn't sure what to expect, but I've requested to return them!

How did you add a top door to it?! I do like a top door I must admit. But it's good to know people find the front door sufficient.

I have had the same issue with sandblasted grape vine. Too many cracks where a foot might get caught, and sharp bits. I have a piece I've had for years and always end up not using it and putting it back in the box. I should throw it away really! The bamboo logs look smoother.

That is disappointing about the cork log. Bits can fall off but it should stay in tact. Quality control isn't what it was, these days.

 

[Maz]

I did wonder about the weight of it, I can't wriggle it much really as it is wedged between the cage sides and on the two houses... do you think that will be enough? If not we can DIY some 'stands' for it under the substrate I should think

I think if it's wedged agains the cage sides and a stable house, that would be fine.

 

[Maz]

As a sidenote. Apparently the 100cm wood cage costs £160 (plus shipping). Whilst it is nice, that is quite a lot. A plaza plus 14cm perspex panels all round works out about £160 too. Cheaper with cardboard though

I'm going to add it to the cage list though!

 

[orangetails]

I can't push the log down... but he hasn't burrowed underneath it yet... (if he burrows at all, I am not sure if he is much of a burrower...) We've got a whole shed of DIY tools so I can modify anything as needed - maybe something solid (not a loose stand that can move, but actually attached to the log and with a firm base down to the floor?) under the bit that was the top of the trunk (at the left of the cage door area) for peace of mind? The other ends of the branches are well supported.

I'm really sad about the cork log! It's pretty big and has a nice 'shape' at one end so it would have been lovely. But it reminds me of some mouldy old attic where if you touch anything it'll fall apart to dust! I don't know how much to poke at it to see if I can get all the loose bits off, or if I'll just end up with a pile of dusty cork chunks I can't return

Both the cork log and the branch were from ZooPlus - waiting for them to get back to me about a return but it shouldn't be a problem, I'll quote distance selling regs at them if nothing else!

 

[Maz]

Some cork logs are terrible. It'll be the trixie one. I get them from Rodipet as they are usually good ones. I did get one from Hopes Healthy treats recently and it arrived broken (and very brittle). It's a bit of a hassle ordering things from Germany plus the postage, but theirs come in small, medium and large heights and standard lengths - so you know they will fit in a cage. With places like Rodipet, it helps to get a few things at the same time as the postage is the same however many items you get - although of course it costs more getting more items lol! But if they were things you were going to get anyway .................I get their hemp mats as well. They are thinner than most, easier to cut and good quality.

 

[orangetails]

As a sidenote. Apparently the 100cm wood cage costs £160 (plus shipping). Whilst it is nice, that is quite a lot. A plaza plus 14cm perspex panels all round works out about £160 too. Cheaper with cardboard though

I'm going to add it to the cage list though!

They got back to me finally too! I'm happy with the plaza for now (I may slowly add perspex... the front panels at least. Tbh it doesn't matter having the back and sides as cardboard as where the cage is you can't see in anyway! So cheap and cheerful cardboard works fine - and it might be nice that it makes it a little more 'sheltered' for him? So he doesn't feel too exposed!

The one attraction of a more solid wood cage is that I could put stuff on top (although not if the rest of the cage is perspex I guess as you'd need the ventilation!) I'll have to be careful not to absentmindedly move stuff onto the top of the plaza as I'm working and collapse the whole thing

 

[orangetails]

Some cork logs are terrible. It'll be the trixie one. I get them from Rodipet as they are usually good ones. I did get one from Hopes Healthy treats recently and it arrived broken (and very brittle).

Brittle! That's the word! Yes it's the trixie one. And the branch. Definitely the kind of thing I'd want to see in person first in future I think! I've literally never come across them before!

 

[Maz]

That is a very good point that cardboard at the back doesn't matter! And it's also much easier to cut bits out or poke holes in - eg to attach something to the bars. You can just buy pieces separately. The guy at Viking Laser is very helpful and will make them any size you want or different sizes for different areas.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Sometimes you can find cork logs and branches in reptile shops. I bought some really nice grapevine wood branches from Northampton Reptile online.