New cage/playpen setup - help with ideas, please!

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JamaisVu

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
139
Hi everyone! Once again I turn to this super-helpful forum for suggestions.

This summer I will be moving into my very first house. This is the first time I will have a choice in terms of where to put my chins...up until now I just separated half of my living room as the chin-exclusive resort.

My first question is in regards to where to keep them. I am leaning towards still setting them up in my living room, as this is the set up they are used to and they quite seem to like to watch TV (or watch me reacting to the TV) as I unwind after work. I also feel like I interact with them a lot more if they are in a central part of the house.
The other choice is to chin-proof part of the guest room that I was going to use as a home-office. However, I try not to take too much work home so would not be in that room as often unless I make the point of going there and they would get far less interaction.

Thoughts?

My second question has to do with the set up. For my current set up, I took a tarp and laid it over the area, and covered it in fleece. I took two Marshall's animal play pens and set that around my Critter nation as a permanent play area. Chins have free roam of their area whenever I'm in the same room to keep an eye out for them. Whenever I have to clean, I just change out the fleece and then clean whatever has gotten down to the tarp. I'd like to keep a similar set up (my chins have really like this one compared to being taken to a play area) but would appreciate suggestions in:

1. Waterproof material - The tarp I am using was more of an afterthought as I was trying prevent my girl from marking the area in my apartment...as well as not give her access to carpet (she started pulling the strings apart)

2. The playpen - There isn't anything wrong with the Marshall pen, but since there isn't a door, I basically have to go over a fence that goes as high as my waist. For about a month when I was dealing with a leg injury that got quite tricky to deal with, so I wanted to see if anybody had better ideas.

Thank you!
 
Are you wanting waterproof flooring? or something instead of the tarp to put on top of the floor? For the room my chins play in I have vinyl flooring, it works great and I used untreated 1x4 pine boards as base boards around the edge. If however you are just looking to put something down on top of the existing floor, you could just buy a section of vinyl and set the cage on top of that. Poop is easily vacuumed or swept up and any pee is easily wiped up.

When I've used playpen fencing I work it out so where two ends meet is where I want to be able to get in. instead of actually linking them together I took a couple of small carabineer clips one on top and one on bottom so I just undo the clips, part the pen, step in, and redo the clips. The pen is unstable and unsecured for a minute, but it shouldn't be a problem unless the chins are climbing it or bolt.

I would keep them in the living room, so long as keeping that area the right temp and humidity level is not a problem. I know my guys love watching shows and movies too, they are in my computer room, so they watch Netflix on my pc with me, and seem to enjoy watching active screensavers, lol.
 
Are you wanting waterproof flooring? or something instead of the tarp to put on top of the floor? For the room my chins play in I have vinyl flooring, it works great and I used untreated 1x4 pine boards as base boards around the edge. If however you are just looking to put something down on top of the existing floor, you could just buy a section of vinyl and set the cage on top of that. Poop is easily vacuumed or swept up and any pee is easily wiped up.

When I've used playpen fencing I work it out so where two ends meet is where I want to be able to get in. instead of actually linking them together I took a couple of small carabineer clips one on top and one on bottom so I just undo the clips, part the pen, step in, and redo the clips. The pen is unstable and unsecured for a minute, but it shouldn't be a problem unless the chins are climbing it or bolt.

I would keep them in the living room, so long as keeping that area the right temp and humidity level is not a problem. I know my guys love watching shows and movies too, they are in my computer room, so they watch Netflix on my pc with me, and seem to enjoy watching active screensavers, lol.

Just something to put instead of the tarp. Hopefully something easier to take care of, but that still would keep her from peeing/taking apart the carpet.
Vinyl is a good suggestion! I'll look into that

Carabineers is such a good idea. I have a ton of those lying around, and never even thought about it :facepalm:

Temperature and humidity shouldn't be a problem in the living room. I'd say because of the higher ceiling it's probably going to be a little cooler there than in the rooms, so I guess that's another point in favor of the living room.

Thanks so much!
 
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