DIY: How to Make a Hamster Playground — E-Textiles Tutorial

Playing with your hamster is fun for both you and your hamster. Since hamsters love to tunnel and relax, making your pet a play tube or a hammock will give it hours of enjoyment. Making a play-ground for your hamster is really easy once you have your Arduino Lilly Pad part selected. You’ll be able to make a customised, sensoric playground for your hamster, which can range from a simple tunnel that illuminates to a massaging hammock.

Use cardboard tubes to create tunnels. Use an empty paper towel and toilet paper roll to make tunnels for your hamster. Make sure that they’re big enough for your pet to get through. Create a bigger tunnel system by pushing the cardboard rolls into any other hamster tubes you might have, like ones made out of either a chewable material.

Use a square piece of fleece cloth and some hemp or sisal string to create hammocks. A hammock provides your hamster will a cool little place to hang out and relax when it’s not burrowing or eating. If you’re looking to create something more durable and stylish, you can sew a hammock together with a needle and thread. Ultimately, a hamster hammock will make a great new addition to your cage.

Supplies

Would you will need:

x Empty toiletpaperrolls and papertowelrolls

x 2x: a 20 cm × 20 cm piece of fleece and 1x: a 20 cm × 20 piece of cotton cloth

x A sissor, a pen and a ruler

x A sewing machine

x Paint that is labeled as non-toxic

x Colored sticky-tape

x Thick, rope-like string like sisal or hemp

E-Textiles:

x A conductive threat

x A conductive piece of textile

x 2x: A 5V coin cell battery

x Some Arduino Lilly Pad LED's

x An Arduino Lilly Pad Vibration Sensor

Step 1: Start With the Hammock

Cut out a 20 cm × 20 cm piece of fleece and cotton cloth. Use a ruler and scissors to cut out a 20 x 20 cm square piece of fleece and then cut out an 20 cm × 20 cm square of cotton cloth. The fleece cloth will go on the inside of the hammock and the cotton cloth will go on the outside of the hammock.

To enhance the look of the hammock, get a piece of cotton cloth that has a cool design on it.
Both pieces will be sewn together to create the bedding for your hammock.

Step 2: Measure the Height of Your Cage and Cut 4 Hemp Strings to the Same Size

Measure the height of the cage with a tape measure or ruler then cut the string to size. Use thick, rope-like string like sisal or hemp so that it doesn’t make your hamster sick if it chews on it.

Do not use yarn or cotton string because it can get stuck in your hamster’s digestive system if it eats it.
You can buy sisal or hemp string online or at a hardware store.

Step 3: Tie Knots in the Ends of the String and Place Them in the Center of the Fleece for the Hammock

Place each string over the top of the fleece cloth with the knot side hanging over each corner of the fleece square. The knotted end of the string should rest on the flat surface under the fleece square. Each string should be positioned so the non-knotted end is resting in the center of the cloth.

Step 4: Pin the Cotton Cloth to the Fleece for the Hammock

Lay the cotton cloth over the string and fleece cloth, pattern side down. Place sewing pins every 5.1 cm around the outside edge of the cloth squares to attach the cotton fabric to the fleece.

The pattern on the cotton cloth will end up on the outside of your hamster hammock when you’re done making it.

Step 5: Sew the Pieces for the Hammock Together, Leaving a 1.3 Cm Seam

You can use a sewing machine to sew the fleece to the cotton. Just remember to leave a 2.5 cm gap at the end of your stitch or you won’t be able to do the next step.

Step 6: Pull the Fabric for the Hammock Through the Gap to Turn It Inside Out

Push the fleece and cotton cloth through the small gap that you left at the end of your stitch. This will turn the fabric inside out and will leave the design on the cotton square on the outside of the hammock. Then, stitch the gap closed to secure the hammock together.

This will position the knotted side of the string on the inside of the hammock, which will keep them attached as weight is applied to it.

Step 7: Sew the Circuit Path

Place the cotton cloth layer wrong side up and sew the vibration sensor on top of it. Then use a 3 x 3 cm piece of fleece cloth and sew it on in the middle of one hem of the textile. This will be our battery holder for the vibration sensor. Using conductive thread, loop the threat several times around two paper clips. One will be the positive and one the negative contact for the battery. Continue sewing a path to the middle of the felt until you reach the vibration sensor, where one path will go into plus and the other path into minus.

Step 8: Hang the Hammock to the Top of Your Hamster’s Cage.

Tie the string coming out of the corners of the hammock to the grate at the top of your cage. The knots on the string should hold the hammock in place when your hamster sits on it.

Step 9: Step 1: Start With the Tunnel

Save empty toilet paper rolls. Empty toilet paper rolls are great choices because they are large enough for most hamsters and are sturdy enough for them to crawl through. Toilet paper rolls make great connectors for your maze sections.

Collect empty paper towel rolls. Empty paper towel rolls are good for making longer sections of the maze. Using the longer tubes can save you time when you’re assembling the tubes because you don’t have to tape as many tubes together to make your hamster’s toys.

For longer tubes, you can also use a mailing tube if you can find one.Another option is a wrapping paper roll.

Step 10: Fit and Tape the Tubes Together

Insert any tubes that will go into holes in other tubes, and then line up the remaining tubes end to end. Apply tape to the tubes, layering several pieces to make the maze sturdy. Your hamster will need to be able to scurry inside the tubes without the maze coming apart.

Step 11: Decorate Your Tubes If You Want a Fun Look

Store-bought hamster tubes are often fun colors. If you want a similar look, you can paint your tubes using paint that is labeled as non-toxic. It’s best to do this before you tape the tubes together.

Try painting stripes or polka dots on your tubes.
Alternatively, you could glue paper over the tubes using non-toxic glue.
Choose a design or paint colors that go along with your theme. For example, use red and green for a Christmas-themed maze, orange and black for a Halloween-themed maze, or bright colors for a spiral.

Step 12: Cover the Tubes With a Fleece Cloth

Roll an appropriate textile onto the tube and sew it together so it covers the tube.

Step 13: Sew the Circuit Path

The LEDs have 2 legs; 1 positive (anode) and 1 negative (cathodes). The best way to distinguish the positiv and the negative leads is to refer to the datasheet or wire them temporarily using alligator clips.

Once you have determined the positiv and negative leads, position the LEDs wrong side on top of the hem of the tunnel with ALL the negative leads facing up and the positiv leads facing down. You will be sewing LEDs together in parallel.

Continue the path from the negative batterie spot to the LEDs, securely sewing the negative leads to the felt. Sew only along the surface of the felt and not through it to avoid having the conductive threat visible on the opposite side.

Once you have sewn the last LED, knot and cut the thread. Repeat the process for the positive battery spot, securely sewing the positive leads to the felt. Once you have sewn the final LED, knot and cut the threat. The conductive threats from the positive and negative LED should never touch.

Step 14: Sew the Battery Pocket

Grab the conductive textile and battery pocket fabric. Mark the position of the battery pocket. Using a sewing machine, topstitch the pocket piece onto the back of the tunnel. The pocket piece will be used to store the coin cell battery when the tunnel is in the hamster's cage.

Put the coin cell battery into the battery holder on the tunnel with the positive side of the battery touching the positive contact and the negative side of the battery touching the negative contact. Your LEDs should light up.

At the end of a long night, don't forget to store the battery somewhere outside of the pocket battery holder.

Step 15: Get Your Hamster Out of Its Cage and Place in In the Play Area

Stay with your hamster while it enjoys its new play tubes. Your hamster could easily get out of the tubes if left unattended.

Step 16: Put a Treat at the End of the Tunnel

Increase your hamster’s enjoyment of the tubes by enticing it with a small treat, such as a yogurt treat or a nut. Not only will your pet enjoy the treat, but it will also help the hamster figure out how to use the maze faster because it will smell the treat and go search for it.