Page:The Golden Hamster Manual.djvu/30

 experiment with all solid floor pens which should be cleaned each week or 10 days. A floor litter of about 1½ inches of shavings, sawdust, peat moss, or other absorbent material is advised in pens of this type. Note that no floor litter is required in wire floored display cage, Hobby Hamstery Pens, Fancier’s 2-Pen Unit, or Author’s Preference 4-Pen Unit.

Self-cleaning area in floor, observation sides, and removable top type of pens suited to either commercial or exhibition stock.

Key:

Top Boards make removable top, 1x21x23.

T.S. Two 1x1x2l (or 20) top strips.

Flr. Boards make floor 1x15½x21.

Bk. lxl0x2l solid board back.

P lx10x22 partition.

S.F. Four 1x2x22 side frame horizontala.

S.F. Four lx2x10 side frame uprights.

D.S. lxi (or 1½)x21 door sill.

Doors Two wire doors, wood framed.

Hdw.cl. 10x21 No. 4 or No. 3 hdw. cl. self-cleaning floor section.

Two 10x21 (or 10x22) No. 2 or No. 3 hdw. cl. side coverings. If other sizes are unavailable, No. 4 may be substituted.

Two 9x10 pieces No. 2 or No. 3 hdw. cl. to cover doors Inside.

Nails, hinges, joint fasteners, mending plates (2 in.) for door buttons, and No. 5 double pointed tacks.

If desired, solid board may be substituted for one or both observation type sides, still retaining the self-cleaning area in the floors. Observation sides are especially suited to continued and intimate study of all pen habits of both adults and growing young. Most hamsteries will desire at least one fancier’s unit for advantageous display of stock to guests.

Review building instructions given In Chap. 19 for general guidance.

First, attach partition board (P) to middle of back (Bk). Next, construct the pen side frames as shown in lIus. 13 and 15. Both corrugated fasteners (or joint fasteners, J.F.) and thin finishing nails may be used at frame corners. The 1x2x6 pillar (PIL) set in the frame is sawed to a length to fit snugly, yet not spring the frame apart. This pillar gives extra strength where pen supports (P.S.) rest the forward weight of other pens in the same stack, and are held in place by use of 4-inch mending plates on either inner or outer side of frame. Now, install hdw. cl. side covering to inner side of side frame (S.F.). A 10x21 piece of hdw. cl. will run forward to a point just inside the door (Illus. 15, top); or a 10x22 piece will run forward to front of frame (N in Illus. 15, lower part) ; or the 10x22 piece may be turned back, lapped over to be double thickness just inside the door, as suggested