Sterilite Bins- DIY ???

[Kenzi]

So I've decided to use a sterlilite bin, because:

• I'm getting a baby, so I'm being cautious of safety. (vs. the bars of a C&C cage).
  I'm anticipating a cold winter, and even with my CHE (10" lamp, 100 w CHE) and thermostat (BAH-1000), I worry about retaining heat.
  My little one won't need quite as much space as an adult.

I have decided to make a 'loft', which is an external bin placed on 2 L brackets for support. Because it's sides are shorter (in height) I've decided a lid in necessary, so I cut a large hole in it, and I will be putting screen/mesh in it. I plan on having the loft be a digg box filled with scraps of fleece.

I'm connecting the two bins with a hose (found it in the gutter drainage section of Home Depot). its 4 inches in diameter, and nice and flexible. I also decided to go with this because I think the grooves will add enough tread, and I was worried the metal (dryer vent) hose would might be affected by the CHE. Is it necessary to put ventilation holes in this tube? (the one I got can be extended to 4 feet, but its scrunched to about 2 feet). It will be mounted at a low angle (30ish degrees).

I'm having issues cutting both bins though. I've used an exact-o knife, and after struggling for an hour, have made one hole. Its tough going though, so.. How do you cut your bins?

I know making holes in the bin is reccomended for ventilation. How high up do the holes need to be?

[LarryT]

I use a 4 inch hole saw for cutting the bins,it takes about 2 seconds .

[Shelobe]

My boyfriend tried to cut holes in our bins but just ended up cracking the plastic. He's good with computers, not tools I just ended up buying a C&C cage.

[shaelikestaquitos]

Originally Posted by Shelobe

My boyfriend tried to cut holes in our bins but just ended up cracking the plastic. He's good with computers, not tools I just ended up buying a C&C cage.

Same thing with when I got my sterilite bins My boyfriend tried to help me cut the holes and we ended up destroying the boxes so now we use them to keep cat toys. The hole at the bottom is great fun for them because they can try to pull the mini mice out by themselves
The small one which I kinda broke I use to store hedgehog related accessories like extra food dishes, etc.

I have a guinea pig cage that's a little too small now that I have the CSW and I'm upgrading to a C&C ^-^ I bought the cube storage unit thing, and all I need to do is go buy coroplast now ;D

[Kenzi]

Luckily I haven't shattered or broken my bins yet.

I read on a different forum to 'solder' the bins, so I tried that this morning. (I have a soldering iron) It does work.. but it kind of turns the plastic to goo (like hot clue gun) and emmits a terrible fume if the goo stays on the solder. It definately works though, so I will continue with the soldering. It also prevents the edges from being jagged (I don't have a file, or sand paper on hand, so this is a nice plus).

I'll post pictures when I have it close to completion.

[RedStealth]

A hole saw will go through that plastic quite easily. As will a larger drill bit, but it may walk a bit before it grabs and starts to go through. You could start with a small drill bit for a pilot hole.

They also make butane torch-pens that have a knife like attachment that work very well for cutting plastic, but it will still more then likely give you "goo" on the edges of the cut.

A hole saw will probably work the best.

[Marijna]

there are quite a few great tutorials online, and this seems to be a great idea: http://mihog.org/cages/cage_directions.html