Whew! I promised in my last post that I would share a lot of goodies about the rats’ new cage when it was finished, and finally, after a month of work, it is. Like many of my projects, I thought it would be a quicker and easier process than it was, but I’m really pleased with the result–and more importantly, so are Ari and Vetty. Their old cage was perfectly nice, but not ideal–it never really looked like it belonged in our living room, they scattered food and bedding all over the floor, and we had to hide all their “stuff” (bins of food, medicine, extra liners, bedding) underneath a tablecloth. It wasn’t very efficient, or very pretty:
As I said in the last post, I was inspired by a DIY hamster cage I found on Pinterest (and sadly couldn’t find attribution for). While on a road trip to San Antonio to visit some friends, we stopped at the Austin IKEA and picked up a white EXPEDIT 2×4 bookcase, 4 CAPITA legs, two orange KASSETT boxes, and six METRIK handles:
I wanted to add legs to the bottom for three reasons: to make it look more like a real piece of furniture and less like a bookshelf; to make it easier to vacuum around; and to raise it further out of the cat’s reach. I decided it would be easiest to do this first, before the whole thing was assembled. Instructions come with the legs, but it’s really easy; you just mark where you want them to go, screw the plates into the bottom of the unit, and attach the legs. (Pro tip: you don’t need to drill pilot holes since the unit is made of pressboard, but do drill just a tiny bit to get through the laminate on the outside–it’s difficult to get the screw through it otherwise).
You can adjust the legs if you need to, so that it’ll sit straight, but our floor was level and it wasn’t necessary.
Once the legs were installed, I started putting together what I could of the unit. It’s simple enough, like most IKEA products.
One thing I like about the IKEA EXPEDIT rather than other, similar units is the very thick outer edge–it makes it look more substantial and less cheap, I think. But I digress. I had to put holes in the second and third floors, since the rats would have to travel between them. I decided on a 5×10″ rectangular hole out of a corner of each floor. If you do something similar, note that I put the holes on opposite corners when it was assembled–if you stack them, it’s possible for a rat to fall three stories, which could easily be fatal.
I’m not going to lie, cutting the doorways out was a huge pain. I can’t use a jigsaw or circular saw in our condo because of the noise. I can get by with the miter saw as long as I’m quick about it, so I cut into these as far as I could with the miter, then cut the rest of the way with a Dremel cutting disk. It took forever, but it worked. Before installing the shelves, I wrapped them in white vinyl contact paper, making sure to cover the cut edges securely. This is so no moisture (stray water or urine) can soak into the wood where it isn’t covered by laminate.
Next it was time to make the doors. I bought eight-foot lengths of pre-primed MDF molding, 1.5″ wide, and used the miter saw to cut 24 equal pieces with mitered ends. Then I used flat L brackets to connect the pieces.
I made sure they fit into the spaces, sanding them down if necessary, before stapling in the wire mesh. I used 0.5×1″ hardware cloth, 16-gauge, because if I ever get baby rats again, they can wriggle through 1″ spacing. I was very careful to file off any sharp “nubs” so the rats couldn’t cut themselves on the exposed edges. Once the mesh was attached and the holes for the handles were drilled, I spray-painted the whole doors–hardware and all–with Rustoleum Specialty Appliance Epoxy in Biscuit (IKEA’s white is not precisely white, it’s slightly off). Back when I restored their first cage, I called Rustoleum to ask about whether their products were animal-safe. They assured me that the appliance epoxy was safe once fully cured, and advised me to let it cure for around 10 days before letting the rats near it. The appliance paint is very hard, so sharp rat teeth can’t even chip it. I think I went through 4 cans painting all the hardware for the cage, including the large wire screen for the back. (Sorry for the phone photo–I put this picture on Facebook and it was quicker that way!)
While we’re talking about animal safety–several people have raised the very good question about the chemicals in IKEA’s products. I learned through my research that IKEA voluntarily manufactures to the highest emissions standards in the world (Germany’s) and has very little formaldehyde in their pressboard–less than what’s found in the drinking water of many cities (!). So I felt comfortable housing my rats in their furniture. You might not, and that’s OK. It’s an individual decision.
Anyway, on with the show. Once the doors dried, I installed the handles and put them in place with small hinges. To keep them from swinging in too far, I epoxied stop blocks inside each door, with small rare-earth magnets set into the blocks to help keep the doors shut (the magnets latch onto the L-brackets on the doors). For extra security, I installed a hook-and-eye latch on each door, under the handles to keep things from looking cluttered. I also put in two long wooden parrot ladders, which I painted with the appliance epoxy to keep them nice and fresh, and this is what I had when that was done (again, terrible phone photo):
At this point the structure was done–I just needed to furnish it! I spent three nights sitting at my dining room table with Star Trek playing, diligently sewing three sets of everything so I could wash them and have replacements ready when the girls inevitably chew through things. I also made sure those storage boxes were nice and stocked–the left one with bedding, cage liners, hammocks, and toys, and the right with food, treats, medicine, and chew sticks. Are you ready for the big reveal?
Really?
Are you sure?
OK!
Here it is! (Complete with a Perler bead Spock made by a friend and a cute picture of Jimmy and Mitzy cuddling.) It’s so nice and easy to clean–the doors open all the way so I can get into all the crevices:
Let’s do a floor-by-floor tour, shall we? First, the top floor (aka “Fun and Naps Land”):
On the left is their current favorite snoozing spot, the three-tiered hammock I call “The Pagoda.” Vetty has staked her claim on the middle bunk, leaving the lower one for Arial. They love to hide treats and shreds of paper in there to play with while they’re napping. Their beloved Wodent Wheel is on the right, where Helvetica has been running basically nonstop since the move, and some wooden chew toys up front. (I may have taken the clapper out of the bell because they were keeping me awake, haha.)
The second floor (aka “Food and Lounge Land”). Here they have the papier-mâché egg chair I made (more on that in a second), food dishes, a tube (just a plain shipping tube I covered with a scrap of matching fabric and water-based glue), some wooden toys, a triangle hammock Ari likes to sit in while she eats, and their water bottle.
The egg chair is just paper, painted with regular craft paints and sealed with a layer of water-based glaze. I used a scrap of orange fleece to make a cushion, then poked a hole through the side and secured it to the screen with a zip tie so they can’t tip it over. Vetty likes to sit in it while she eats her blocks, it’s cute!
The bottom floor is the home of everything messy. On the left is a dig box, just a dollar-store basket filled with shredded tissue paper and little toys (ping-pong balls with holes so they can carry them, mostly). They like to get in and root around. In the middle is a “cuddle cup,” basically a small version of those round dog beds, that I made. In the right corner is their litter box. Pro tip: when moving litter-trained rats to a new cage, it helps if you don’t change the litter when you move it the first time. That way, they can smell where they’re supposed to go. You can clean it out after a couple of days, once they’ve got the hang of it.
They love the dig box. That paper stayed in the basket for approximately fifteen minutes–now it’s distributed all over the floors and hammocks.
The cuddle cup is mostly “extra paper storage” right now, but occasionally gets slept in. So what happens when you add rats?
They were a little baffled by the open doors and checked out the edge very cautiously (I stood by in case they misjudged the distance, but they’re smart enough not to fall).
Vetty was reassured by her old wheel, though she didn’t approve of how clean it was.
Ari scoped out a soft place to snooze first, as is her M.O.
They were both very interested in coming up to the edge for a treat. Exhibit A is Helvetica above; Exhibit B is Arial below:
All in all, I’d call it a success! There’s enough space for them to get a good run in, lots of stuff to keep them entertained, and plenty of nice napping spots. It looks way better in our living room, and the storage keeps things organized. I’ll keep you posted as it evolves or if problems crop up, but for the time being, the rats and I are content.
Bonus: an eagle-eyed reader pointed out to me that in the picture from this old post, I look less like a Rick Moranis clone and more like the offspring of Moranis and Zachary Quinto. I’ve always thought Quinto was super cute, so I have weird feelings about this, but she may be right.
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Helvetica is the intrepid adventurer of the two. She doesn’t look it in the photo, but she is a lot of rat–she weighs almost a pound, and when she sleeps in her hammock her chin and neck disappear into her adorable chubby belly. Arial is the shyer, sweeter one, who loves to snuggle–pictured here in her favorite spot, the back of Jimmy’s shirt. She’s been dubbed “Miracle Rat” by her vet, because she survived kidney cancer at only 6 months old (she just has the one kidney now!).
In the proud tradition of animal dorks everywhere, I spoil the bejeezus out of them, and that’s the subject of today’s post. They turned one a few weeks ago (which is slightly bittersweet–the one downside to keeping rats is their very short lifespan, only about 3 years) and I decided to do something nice for them in honor of their big day. No, I’m not talking about their rat-shaped birthday cake, though they had one and it was adorable:
What a lucky hamster, right? Now, some things would have to be different. For one, I needed a vertical version, not a horizontal one, because of our space. Plexiglas doors wouldn’t work, because rats need more ventilation and because I like to put my fingers and small treats through the bars. And I wanted their environment to be a little more “designed,” a little less natural. They’re very pampered; they don’t need a desert landscape, more like a rad mid-century modern apartment. So obviously, I started a Pinterest board.
Last year, in an effort to make the most of our limited space, we built this box on our screened-in porch. It’s a simple affair, just an 18×24″ rectangle built from 2x8s, deck screws, and plywood for the bottom (with ample drainage holes). We marked it into a grid with string, filled it with good soil, and planted arugula, chard, spinach, and mizuna (all greens that wouldn’t need to be pollinated and so wouldn’t suffer from the lack of insects inside the screen).
I stuck pieces of kraft paper left over from our Christmas wrapping under the edges so it wouldn’t stain the hideous green outdoor carpet I’d love to remove. It was already looking nicer; I wondered why we didn’t take the time to paint it last year. Then, I ran off to Jo-Ann while it dried, and procured a yard of really cute outdoor canvas on sale for 50% off, making it only $10. Score! My only criteria were that it came in a cute pattern, and that it either contained or coordinated with Astroturf green (part of my neverending quest to make the awful green look intentional).
The holes in the wood and divots in the foam are so that I can tuft it later. There are a zillion upholstery tutorials out there, and the technique is similar to 
Here’s the part where I get excited and forget to take pictures of the installation process, but it was really simple. I cut a little 3″ project board to the same length as the right edge of the bed, then attached it to the bottom with small L-brackets. This was so I wouldn’t have to fill in the space under the bed with potting soil (good dirt is surprisingly expensive!). Then I just used larger L-brackets to support the weight of bed and cat. It sounds complicated, but took five minutes with a power drill.
After that, I took a quick jaunt to my local Ace Hardware and snagged some plants, also 50% off for memorial day. I got two tall grasses for her to peek out from behind (she likes to pretend she’s “wild”); two good-sized catnip plants, for obvious reasons; a big fuzzy lamb’s ear, which she likes to rub her face on; and a mint plant, so I can continue to make mojitos and have great ideas. With the sale, I managed to score all those for just $15. I also picked up five tumbled, smooth-cornered pavers for 75 cents each, bringing the total cost of this project to a whopping $29.50. Are you ready for the finished product?
Not too shabby, eh? We love that it perks up the somewhat neglected outdoor space and makes it look cared-for and intentional. And Mitz…well, see for yourself.
This is a cat who, upon discovering that I’ve bought or made her something, promptly ignores it until I give it away. So you can imagine how floored I was to see that she loves it. Her new morning routine is to howl until I let her outside and fill up her bowl with cold water; then I have to chase her inside after dinner at night. She spends every waking moment out there, and literally only comes in to eat and use the litterbox. She loves to peek out of the grasses and rub on the other plants; I love that my elderly little friend no longer has to rest her achy bones on the hard, scratchy ground.
Meet Liza! I’ve always, always wanted a retro Schwinn cruiser bike, and now I’ve achieved that dream. It took me a little while to save up, but she’ll save me a lot of gas money in the long run, since I can ride her to the grocery store and to the post office to ship my packages. To facilitate those purposes, I wasted no time in building a pretty porter crate to attach to her back.
I even put my name on it in gold leaf, because I’m a narcissist. I foresee many miles of adventures together. But I digress. What have you been up to this summer? Any projects for your furry friends?
This is one serious pizza, though it has not-so-serious origins. Jimmy and I were scrounging around for dinner, wanting to get something done fast so we could watch old episodes of Star Trek (we’re so close to the tribbles episode!), and he suggested pizza because we had a spare crust lying around. Typically I make crust from scratch, but we were short on time last week and bought a two-pack of wheat crusts.
I was seriously impressed with the quality of the students’ work–the clothes, the modeling, the set, and the production in general were all top-notch. I had a few favorites, of course, but the whole show was a lot of fun to watch. Unfortunately, at the beginning, I was still playing around with camera settings, so I missed a few collections (the photos are so blurry, they really aren’t worth sharing), but things got better as we went along and I stopped being such a noob.
designers clockwise from top left: Chelsay Russell, Stacey Silman, bottom two by Esli Navarro
Designers clockwise from top left: Jacqueline Madey, Esli Navarro, Amanda Glaze, Heather Johnston
Designers clockwise from top left: Esli Navarro,Jacqueline Madey, Nikkole Crow, Meredith Morrow, Stacey Silman, Heather Johnston
Romper by Heather Johnston, dress by Ashton Mixer
Designers, top row: Gigi Huang, Leah Shepard, Gretchen Roehrs; middle row: Lauralee Leonard, Georgia Trimble, Mackie Schomburg; bottom row: Taylor Albers, Brittany Wallace, Katherine Woodruff
OK, it’s unabashedly feminine, but you could just as easily swap out the colors and decor elements to make something more your style if you’re not feeling it–the bones are very versatile. The paint color shown here is Benjamin Moore ben. paint in Yours Truly. It’s soft and comforting without being little-girlish. One gallon, which should cover a small area like this nicely, costs $35.99.
A planter of some kind. These are about 14 inches in diameter. I think Wal-Mart sells them for around $3.
Please ignore my horrific chipped nail polish. Gardening is rough on your nails.
Next, trace the bottom of your smaller container onto the Tupperware lid. You’ll want to cut a little outside the line, since your container most likely tapers from top to bottom. This should be roughly in the center of your lid.
When you have your pipe and container in the holes, it should look like this:
Next, we need to cut slits in the smaller container, so that water can get in and moisten the soil. So just cut vertical slits around the perimeter. I cut about 6 into this cup. If your container is a lot taller than your Tupperware (like this cup is), it’s a good idea to cut off the top so it doesn’t stick up too far. It’s easiest to do this with scissors after the slits are cut.
This is what it should look like when it’s all assembled. Easy, right? The only other consideration is drainage–your planter needs to have some holes in the bottom. If it doesn’t, go ahead and drill or poke some. That way, if you overfill the reservoir, it can drain out.
After that, just make lots more! What are your gardening plans, kids? Are you bound by the strictures of draconian condo rules? Or do you have a giant expanse of fluffy green lawn just waiting to be torn up and replaced with vegetables? You lucky dog, you.
See the maroon one on the left and the barely-there black one on the right? I’m going to beg you–beg, now–to ignore how filthy everything is out there, and the hideous Astro Turf that passes for our porch carpet. It’s actually required by our condo complex, so we are not allowed to remove it, no matter how much I fantastize about going out there and ripping it up with my bare hands and jumping on its soggy green corpse and shredding it into a hundred pieces and burning them and arrrrrrghhhhhhhhh. The filth, however, is not required by the condo complex; it’s just a natural byproduct of Missouri winter, and our not setting foot out there from November to April. This week, however, has come with a series of seriously unseasonable weather, peaking at around 60 degrees today–the perfect weather to do some painting.
This paint is really nice and thick; that’s after one thin coat, and it only took three (two right-side-up and one upside-down). It even filled in a lot of the chipped spots. They’re beautiful now–nice and shiny, and they catch the sun and throw highlights all over the porch ceiling. The Ace paint dries in about an hour (I gave it three, to be safe) so by the time the sun was going down, they were back in their rightful places:
Ahh, much better. See how they catch the light now? This part of our house has been largely neglected over the years, and it needs some help. One of these days we’ll get it arranged in a prettier way. In the meantime, at least it’s got some shiny new friends.
