S
soqrbrad
Guest
I had posted on here regarding my melamine cage that I was going to be building and got a resounding "don't cut the melamine replace it with KD pine!!!" But after reading the last melamine vs wire cage threads it seems like that is not the general consensus.
Here is the cage idea, minor modification is that we are going to leave the bottom two melamine panels there in their entirety and use the bottom for storage and have the cage encompass all the upper sections with cut out passageways from level to level alternating to minimize the fall risk.
I have been having a heck of a time finding the KD pine anyway thanks to Home depot sales staff with perhaps a GED... :banghead: But if I can just use the melamine and line the cuts as described in this post on another forum topic I should be OK correct?
Here is the quote from Abby W:
Melamine shelves are great for the cage, very easy to clean, and last for longer than pine shelves. However, melamine can be toxic if consumed, so you MUST line the exposed edges of melamine shelves with a metal guard, so the melamine cannot be chewed. You can get aluminum bars from Home Depot. They are L-shaped, and fit beautifully on the edge of the shelves. BUT they are a pain to cut to size and screw onto the shelf edges. That was probably the toughest part of building my cages, btu well worth it. The cages are almost 2 years old, and I have not had to replace a single part yet. The shelves and the aluminum have held up great to the wear and tear of chinchillas.
Is this the case? Because if I can just cut the existing melamine shelves that I have, I can avoid the expense of having to go buy lumber.
Thanks everyone!!!
Here is the cage idea, minor modification is that we are going to leave the bottom two melamine panels there in their entirety and use the bottom for storage and have the cage encompass all the upper sections with cut out passageways from level to level alternating to minimize the fall risk.
I have been having a heck of a time finding the KD pine anyway thanks to Home depot sales staff with perhaps a GED... :banghead: But if I can just use the melamine and line the cuts as described in this post on another forum topic I should be OK correct?
Here is the quote from Abby W:
Melamine shelves are great for the cage, very easy to clean, and last for longer than pine shelves. However, melamine can be toxic if consumed, so you MUST line the exposed edges of melamine shelves with a metal guard, so the melamine cannot be chewed. You can get aluminum bars from Home Depot. They are L-shaped, and fit beautifully on the edge of the shelves. BUT they are a pain to cut to size and screw onto the shelf edges. That was probably the toughest part of building my cages, btu well worth it. The cages are almost 2 years old, and I have not had to replace a single part yet. The shelves and the aluminum have held up great to the wear and tear of chinchillas.
Is this the case? Because if I can just cut the existing melamine shelves that I have, I can avoid the expense of having to go buy lumber.
Thanks everyone!!!
