[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]

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 :lol: My boyfriend tried to help me cut the holes and we ended up destroying the boxes :roll: 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 :lol:
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