turning melamine BOOKCASE into chinchilla cage?

[planetjenessa]

So i been looking on building a chinchilla cage.
Ive seen some people use melamine, from pictures it looks like most build it from scratch, start to finish.

I was browsing walmart and saw melamine BOOKCASES.
My question is, can i just turn a bookcase into a chinchilla cage ?
Of course, adding additional items like, a door and all that fun stuff.

I know in the rat world a lot of people use bookcase for a rat cage.

If so! Can i add tiles to the floor so its easy to wipe and clean
Also if so, what other items you suggest i have/do when buliding a cage.

 

[Encantadora]

I've been tempted to try the same thing. I think tiles would be great! Or a wood pull- out pan. I bet someone with carpentry skills would find it easy to make.

 

[ChinnyMom]

i think it could work. you'd want to ensure the depth (front to back) of the bookcase was large enough to make a nice size cage though. most of the bookcases i've seen in stores are only a foot or so deep - not big enough for a cage in my opinion.

 

[planetjenessa]

i think it could work. you'd want to ensure the depth (front to back) of the bookcase was large enough to make a nice size cage though. most of the bookcases i've seen in stores are only a foot or so deep - not big enough for a cage in my opinion.

You mean width wise?
The case i was looking at is about 7/8 feet tall.
And width is 12 inches, im sure theres longer ones.
It has shelf you can take off, i was thinking of turning them into smaller ledges.

Is width as important as hight ?

 

[melbur10]

I would say its more important... Do you want to live in a hall way? Or a proper sized bedroom?? For me 2' is minimum width/depth

 

[ChinnyMom]

by depth i meant front of the shelf unit to the back. width is side to side.

for any cage, i would ensure that the width and depth are at least 2 feet each. so you'd need to look for something that is 2x2 feet and at least 4 feet tall. my cage is 2x3 (depth and width) and 4 feet tall, and i personally wouldn't put more than one chin in anything smaller. my two boys definitely make full use of all their cage space.

 

[addictedtochins]

I was thinking.....I think nowdays they do not have that hard melamine cover but a softer material that the chins can chew right through. And 1 foot is not enough room for a happy chin. I love to save money and reinvent things too but I don't think this will work. PS I was just looking at my computer desk and yeah, it looks like melamine but it's just paper, it's peeling in one spot

 

[javachin]

If it were a cabinet vs. a bookcase, that would be more advisable since its deeper. It may be easier spending a little bit more on a ready made cage, than buying something you'll just have to modify anyways.