Made cage out of pine timber what to do so that they don't chew on it?

[Markatavr]

Hey guys, I recently got my first guinea pigs and I have been building a bigger cage out of wood -and it has plexiglass held by wooden sticks on the front. The problem is that I'm pretty sure now that the timber I used is pine and I read all about avoiding air dried pine for guinea pigs. My biggest fear is that they will chew on the wooden stick corners that hold the plexiglass. Is there any way to get them not to chew it?-and by that I mean seal the wood or do something so they dont have direct access to it ( I coated the wood with linseed/flaxseed oil whih I read is safe but I doubt that would be enough. thanks in advance

 

[Lady Kelly]

Is the pine you used kiln dried? If so then it is safe to use

 

[Markatavr]

I don't believe it is. :/

 

[Markatavr]

Hey guys, I recently got my first guinea pigs and I have been building a bigger cage out of wood -and it has plexiglass held by wooden sticks on the front. The problem is that I'm pretty sure now that the timber I used is pine and I read all about avoiding air dried pine for guinea pigs. My biggest fear is that they will chew on the wooden stick corners that hold the plexiglass. Is there any way to get them not to chew it?-and by that I mean seal the wood or do something so they dont have direct access to it ( I coated the wood with linseed/flaxseed oil whih I read is safe but I doubt that would be enough. thanks in advance

 

[Swissgreys]

That is one fantastic looking cage.
All I can say is that if you fill it with lots of chewing alternatives that are safe then hopefully they will chew those instead.
Or could you place the plexiglass behind the wooden supports and just screw it on?
Or is there some way to cover the side of the wooden supports with something that they can't chew? Maybe just some thick duct tape to put them off would be enough?

 

[Markatavr]

Thanks, glad you like it.
Is the brown duct tape generally safe for them?
I was thinking of buying the sticky vinyl and cover 3 cm of the wood sides (so it's more waterproof, and also cover the inner wood sticks with it.
But I am also scared they're gonna chew on the vinyl.
Please let me know your thoughts.

(They're on antibiotics right now since they caught a bit of a cold (luckily I must have caught it early)
but it made me suuuper paranoid.)

 

[Markatavr]

OR instead of vinyl, buy that waterproof duct tape and cover with that instead.

 

[GPTV]

Try going to a carpet supplier & see if they have any cheap remnants of lino, you could put this on the base of the run, cut it so that it slopes up the sides a little too (I expect the 3cm you mentioned would be about right?) overlap the corners of the lino where you cut it&there should only be a tiny hole for liquids to seep thro.
Try a puppy pad in each corner under the lino to catch any leaks if easier? (this should also protect the wood from chemically reacting with the urine, I think this is the main issue with pine... But I'm not sure?)
Maybe just seal the overlapping edge with waterproof duct tape/wide insulation tape & tuck in the top end between the lino & wood to make any loose ends less prone to chewing?

With the upright struts, are they of a size that trunking could be slipped over the bare wood on the insides if they like to chew?
Something like this..
Maxi Trunking 3m 50 x 50mm
Or the smaller mini trunking if the wooden struts are small enough?
Mini Trunking 3m 38 x 25mm
You could get either from a DIY shop, building supplies or electrical suppliers.


To be honest my guineas have never really chewed wood, one of them now has a nibble on their plastic pigloo, but generally I've not had a problem with chewers. Not even when I had a wooden run about 15+yrs ago.

Its a lovely looking cage can't wait to see it with Guineas in it

 

[Markatavr]

Thanks for the detailed advice!
The thing is , I already have cut a piece of vinyl for the running base. (3 mm so pretty waterproof)
Didn't want to overlap the sides because it's so thick I was scared they wood chew bits of the edge that goes up so I have cut it just right for the base.
Do you think waterproof duct tape could work if I put it around so that it covers a bit of the osb base and the sides (bend it to cover both so there is no gap), then put my vinyl flooring on top?
I can look into trunking, the wooden sticks are 1.8 cm in thickness and 30 cm in height- not sure if I can find something like that.
Otherwise I will just remove the inner line of struts and screw the plexiglass on the outer pieces- then duct tape the edge of the wooden base part that thestruts are on.
Does that sound legit?

 

[Deleted member 114675]

your wood looks like kiln dried to me . Obviously, I can't be 100% sure just looking at a photo on the internet ... but I'm pretty sure it is .

I accept that it's not ideal for guineas to chew it ... but they do . I think the advice others have given above ... about providing plenty of more tempting chew items is best e.g. wood chews and chew toys made from willow.

You need to make sure the base is waterproof so fixing some vinyl (as you are planning to do) is a good idea

 

[Markatavr]

I think it only looks kiln dried because of the lineseed oil coating but thanks!

I have just ordered a 2x4 coroplast base I found- I thought it's worth it since it's gonna be much easier to pick up and clean.
I went to a paint shop and asked about duct taping the wood, he said it's not a great idea to do it if it's oil coated cause it's hard to stick.
I am going to remove the inner line of wood sticks and screw the plexiglass on the outer line
I have also ordered a kiln dried pine castle /house thing for the chewing so I think it will be pretty safe hopefully
Thanks for all the comments!
Will hopefully update once they're in.

 

[GPTV]

Coroplast will be more hard wearing, you could use both that & the lino to help be more water resistant
If you are worried about the struts being chewed & the trunking doesn't fit, how about some of these plastic strips to screw in over the struts & save the corners?
Alfer White PVC Angle 1000 x 20 x 10mm

You could use laid flat in the bottom/base corners, so any urine doesn't soak into the wooden sides of your cage- sandwich it between the lino& coroplast.

I know some members have managed to stop their guineas chewing the exposed coroplast edges by putting plastic (book/magazine) binder spines over them.
Like these
Durable 9mm Black Spine Binding Bars 2909/01

Good luck with sorting it, I'm sure you'll be fine
Xx

 

[Markatavr]

Thanks for the suggestion, very helpful!

 

[new_pigsitter]

The fact that pine is unsafe mostly comes from pine shavings, which have a much larger surface area to release phenols from. Solid pine is a safe wood to use. However, I do suggest coating it in vinyl to keep it waterproof, or duct tape if you’re ok with the tackiness that may come with that

Either way, as long as they don’t have a chew hold (the surface is flat) they won’t be able to chew it.

 

[Markatavr]

Update-So the cage is pretty much done you guys! The only thing is some nails for the hammocks and a wooden holder for the second bottle so that I stop using the wire. What do you think?

 

[Markatavr]

More pics

 

[Markatavr]

So I am sorry to bother again but, Kanelos( my brown guinea pig) has just discovered the crisp timber corners of the cage and is taking large chunks out when he bites! So many kiln dried wooden things inside the cage, he prefers the non safe wood to bite( smh) I have covered the cage sides with blankets temporarily.
I was thinking of either getting this

Baby Safety Bumper Strip Children Table Corner Protector Guard Desk Edge BT3 | eBay

But I am pretty sure he will chew on the rubber too ( not sure it's safe )

Or something like this like suggested before

!1 meter length! WHITE PLASTIC PVC CORNER 90 DEGREE ANGLE TRIM - VARIOUS SIZES | eBay


The thing is, i am still pretty sure whatever it is, he will attempt to bite it. (he's a little raskal!)

What do you guys think? Are there any other materials you'd suggest?
I am looking for a width of 20 mm for wooden sides of a 4x2 cage