Hamster DIY- IKEA Detolf Cage Lid

I've been really wanting a glass tank for Tim for ages, mainly so Tim has more space but also I think they look really nice and Tim can't chew on any bars etc. Don't get me wrong, the DIY Bin Cage that I made is awesome, more so after Adding a Door, especially for new hamsters for taming purposes. I will be keeping the bin cage for when I go away and Tim goes to a friends house to be looked after, let's face it moving a massive tank to a friends house for a week is never going to happen.

I've seen a few people using an IKEA Detolf glass cabinet (put on its side/back) as a hamster cage and for a glass tank it's a really good price for an amazing size too. The only issues I have with the Detolf are space to put the cage and transporting the cage when we move....but we will deal with that when it happens.

The only other issue is that Syrian hamsters, such as Tim, can escape the Detolf if there is no lid (the glass door that comes with the Detolf cannot be used as a lid). So some DIY woodwork was needed! I haven't done any woodwork since I was in school but I was up for a challenge.

Items we used:
- 2 lengths of wood enough to make two frames to fit inside the cage
- 2 pieces of wire mesh (big enough for the frames)
- A saw
- A staple gun
- 8 screws
- Sandpaper
- Tape measure
- Screwdriver
- Pencil
- Protractor
- Wire cutters
- 4 handles (with screws)

Instead of making one massive lid we made two equal sized lids for ease of use. We wanted the lids to fit on the inside of the glass and rest on the metal support bars on the inside. So we measured the inside of the glass and cut four pieces of wood the same size of the width of the Detolf (approx. 38.7cm). We cut the corners at a 45 degree angle. We then measured the length of the inside of the Detolf divided this by two and cut four pieces of wood to this length (approx. 77cm), again cutting the corners at a 45 degree angle. To cut angles accurately we used a protractor to measure the angle and a pencil to know where to saw and then sanded down any rough edges.

If the wood is cut accurately the corners should fit together well, however just to be on the safe side we placed the wood pieces in the Detolf to make sure the frames would fit in nicely. To keep the frames in the correct shape for the Detolf we stapled the corners with the staple gun whilst the frames were in the Detolf as a temporary way to keep the frame in the correct shape. Then screwed one screw into each corners to keep the frame secure.

When both frames were secured with screws and the frames were nice and sturdy we cut the wire mesh, with wire cutters, to size to fit the frames nicely. Wire mesh is extremely sharp I learnt this the hard way! We then lay the mesh on the frames and stapled gunned it to the wood. We were a bit overzealous with the staple gun...but better safe than sorry.

(Left: top of lid, Right: bottom of lid)

To make the lids easier to put on and take off the cage we added two handles to each lid. We screwed the handles on to finish off the lids.

First Try at Spinning!

My good friend Sarah, her son and I went away to Scotland recently. It was a nice time away, the cottage we stayed in was awesome, the view was amazing. There were young cows surrounding us...if you know me you know I love cows!

Sarah brought a gift for me to try out whilst we were there; a spindle and some fibre. I have never even considered spinning before but I love to learn new things. Here is the spindle and a bit of the fibre that I was given:

It is Fondant Fibre- White Faced Woodland (Rare Breed Collection) not sure how many grams I got but there was quite a lot in the bag.

My first go at spinning wasn't so great the yarn was really thick and most of it was over spun. It is that thick that it will have to stay as a single:

My second try was slightly better. This try I managed to get thinner bits, however it varies in thickness massively, this one will be kept as a single:

My third go was a lot better, much thinner and less varied in thickness. I'm quite proud of this yarn and unlike the first two goes I should be able to make a two ply yarn with this one:

So far I am quite enjoying spinning, it is taking me a very long time to make the thin yarn though (I do not have a lot of time to spare). Not sure if this is because I am new and slow or if it takes a long time to spin in general. There is not enough of the two singles to make anything so I will just keep them and compare them to my next spinning failures tries... I haven't measured the yardage as this was just to have a play, maybe next time.

I'm looking forward to trying some different coloured fibre which Sarah has posted to me. Spoiled much? Apparently some of the coloured fibre is quite sheddy so that will be a messy few days!