Critique my cage please!

[fanofdmb84]

OK, trying to figure out how to make a cover for this tubing, but I think i'm gonna admit defeat and say that this is well beyond my sewing abilities

Can you rec someone that could sew this so it would be easy on and off without having to take the tube out? I'm thinking like a wrap with ties on it??

Thanks

Not sure you are going to get a dependable option for a tube cover that you can remove without removing the tube. Typical tube covers go all the way around the tube and fit pretty snugly so the chins don't pull them off and eat the pvc. They are, however, VERY easy to make. Picture a tube sock with the toe cut off. Just a long sleeve. You put the sleeve inside the tube and pull the ends up over the edges of the openings of the tube, put some small holes for your hardware to go through and you're done.

 

[cosmo]

Not sure you are going to get a dependable option for a tube cover that you can remove without removing the tube. Typical tube covers go all the way around the tube and fit pretty snugly so the chins don't pull them off and eat the pvc. They are, however, VERY easy to make. Picture a tube sock with the toe cut off. Just a long sleeve. You put the sleeve inside the tube and pull the ends up over the edges of the openings of the tube, put some small holes for your hardware to go through and you're done.

So what do you do when it meets back in the middle after you fold it over? Is some of the PVC still exposed?

 

[ChinnyMom]

you make the tube cover long enough so that the ends of the cover overlap on the tube once you've fitted it on. i like a good 4 inches of overlap to ensure my boys don't pull the cover off.

 

[cosmo]

I guess I dont get how it stays on without it being easily pulled off? I have almost 4 1/2' to cover and 3 screws to go around and make the cover easy to remove and put back to clean.

 

[danik22]

I guess I dont get how it stays on without it being easily pulled off? I have almost 4 1/2' to cover and 3 screws to go around and make the cover easy to remove and put back to clean.

You'll have to remove the tube and nuts and bolts. Make a cover that is 2.5 to 3 times as long as the tube (cover the inside and out with some left to fold over and make snug), make it an inch or more longer than the circumference (pending how great you are at sewing), and fold together so the outside is on the inside (some fleece looks brighter on one side). Sew the open edge with enough inches between the edges to cover the tube. I then put the cover on by placing the cover inside the tube with a few inches sticking out on one end and the rest on the other. Pull the larger end around the outside of the tube. You should have the tube covered with a he's left on each end fold so they can't get to the ends. Then find the holes using you screws, and use a scissors or something to cut out the holes. I usually make sure it is as aligned as want it before I cut holes so I can easily put I back on after cleaning.

I hope that kinda makes sense.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cosmo]

Would this work? Sew the inside of the fleece cover as usual and longer! Then the part that's gonna wrap around the outside, only sew the outside, and don't sew the area that's gonna go around the bolts and outside of the cage! Instead, sew in flaps that I can tie off on the outside of the cage! That way o remove I just have to untie and pull?

 

[DevnChip]

New voice. I love the effort you're putting in here, and the hands-on project with your son. I can see an exciting life for this lucky little chin with lots of handmade goodies to play on in the future.

I'm wrestling with the fleece tube cover not being removeable too. I attempted this once and wasn't too successful. My fleece stretched out of shape and I still had to remove the tube because the fleece would get pinched between the PVC and the bars. Plus you don't want to leave an uncovered tube in the cage while you wash your cover. You'll want to make a couple covers so you can change it right away. And, sigh, it's easier to re-cover the tube if it's outside the cage. That last one is why I abandoned the idea, but maybe your design will work. Doesn't hurt to give it a try.

I have found that unless you have a particularly messy chin that pees on everything, you don't really have to change the tube fleece every time you change your liner. Just vaccum or brush it out and off. Fleece collects their fur but it balls up for easy removal if you rub the fleece with your palm.

Many chins favor their tubes as sleeping spots and put themselves in some crazy positions while in there. It can make having a covered tube in their cage worth the extra effort. One of mine loves to fold himself in half in his and I find his whiskers and his hind feet sticking out the same end while he's sound asleep.

 

[Daina91880]

I agree with the last post. I only wash my hammocks and tube covers once a month or so. In between, they get the vacuum and the lint roller. They are pretty easy to slip on and off.

 

[cosmo]

Well tried the slip covers and tying and the chins playing stretched it till it was more of a pain than it was a help! So I made the 1 tube into 2 so theyre easier to remove! Now we need to call in a nana as this is proving to be beyond my sewing abilities!

Thx for the help!