# Hot glue/plastic tub, general questions



## bonni (Sep 26, 2012)

Okay. Give our quite rapidly expanded mouse family and the somewhat immediate need for appropriate housing, I looked around at various options and decided we'd build one of our own from a tub and appropriate wire mesh.

Today we cut the ventilation for the top and got the wire all prepared and scrubbed and so on, and I thought I'd see how it went with using hot glue to secure the wire. And the answer is: not at all. The wire and glue just peel right off. We do have wire ties and are prepared to go that route, of course, but I was hoping to be able to use hot glue the seal the edges of the wire and reinforce the whole thing.

I've read here and elsewhere people saying they don't use the wire ties at all, only hot glue, and I'm wondering, is there some sort of particular hot glue? I'm using a large, standard hot glue gun (I used to be floral designer ages ago and I worked with silk flowers and other materials, so I'm well and truly acquainted with hot glue and hot glue guns! :lol. I'm guessing some of it depends on the tub? Is there any way to make it work a little better, like maybe sanding the surface of the plastic first to give it some tooth, or is this just a lost cause (I can still use it to seal down the corners and edges, but use the wire ties to really secure the wire in place)?

Any advice appreciated. Oh, and this is NOT a RUB, because we haven't got them in Australia. Could order one on eBay, but the shipping cost is shocking and we really need to get this done right away, so there's the time issue, as well. I want to move mama mouse, her sister (who has been very nicely helping out with the litter and being a really good companion), and the babies to a bigger, entirely baby-safe environment as soon as possible, so I'm hoping to finish this up by the end of the weekend.

By the way, cutting through plastic with a soldering iron is INCREDIBLY tedious! :lol:


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## bonni (Sep 26, 2012)

Following up my own post for posterity's sake (and the benefit of anyone who might come across it and wonder about it).

We ended up attaching the mesh with wire ties, which is a pretty elegant solution, overall, and then I used hot glue around the edges of the wire to seal any areas that mice might managed to get under (not a lot of that, but a few possible ouchy places) and to make sure any wire edges that might be a bit sharp were covered. I did try to cut the wire so that it was not sharp (very meticulous process, that, and quite tedious), but there were still a few places that needed a bit of cover.

I got out an older glue gun, a small, low-temperature one, and that one worked very well for the edges. I also used it to glue velcro to the water bottle and to the side of the habitat rather than piercing the wall, and that's working out well.

The mice, currently nursing mum and her very helpful sister, plus the litter of four (two bucks, two does), seem very happy with their much bigger new digs and the many climbing things and platforms and hidey places and so on. All the babies (now 17 days old) came out to have a big explore, as well.


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