Building A 1300sq Inch Custom Hamster Cage | The Beaker [1/3]

This cage was built to meet the individual needs of Iodine, a special-needs hamster. Please keep this in mind if you are choosing to recreate the enclosure for yourself as there are some design features that may need to be changed for your hamster. For example, most hamsters will need a deeper substrate boarder in order to burrow, and dwarfs would need adjustments made to the shelf heights, distances and designs.
Wood - Solid pine is the most common material used for making wooden hamster cages and toys, it's cheap, easy to find and easy to work with. Unlike pine shavings (which pose a serious health risk to small animals) solid pine comes with no such risks and will not cause harm to your pet.
Varnish - PLEASE NOTE: While the following varnishes will not cause harm to your pet if they accidentally ingest small amounts, I advise against using varnish for any animals that are known to be destructive or excessive chewers.
There are three types of varnish you can use in animal enclosures, the first is pet safe varnish but this can be hard to find. The second is child-safe varnish, this is easier to find and comes in many colour varieties. Finally food-grade varnish which can be purchased in most big hardware stores but is more commonly colourless or white.
You can also use pet-friendly paints if you just want colour, soy paint and vegetable dye are safe options and some people also recommend water-soluble children's paint though I have never personally tried this and would recommend using the other options.
I used a child-friendly varnish from Pellatico but as far as I am aware this brand is exclusive to Cyprus. A popular global brand recommended by small pet communities is Plastikote.
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