Hey all!
Hope you are all well. Sorry for the long absence--didn't have much glider stuff to talk about been…distracted.

Confession.
I have the most boring cage on the planet. The kids hate it.
Here it is.

Water bottle, pouches, wheel, food.
Not sure how it evolved, but at some point, I just quit caring, They would never play with anything I got them. They showed more interest in the boxes it came in.
Somehow in never playing with their toys, they *still* manage to get poop and pee all over any toy.
Once they were done playing in the ball pit, it just became a toilet.
So eventually things have degraded, until the cage has become just a feeding station (and a place to lock them up for safety).
No wonder I can't seem to keep them in there.

Mrs. Frisby was grooming my face the other night, and she lovingly chirped to me, "Why would we want to spend time in there? It’s boring in there. Now give me a yogie, or I will bleed you out in your sleep."

Um. You know, I was just thinking…maybe it’s time for an upgrade…

SO it's EPIC RIDICULOUS CAGE TIME. The demands are unending.
Daddy Tree I want a zip line!
Daddy Tree I want a teacup ride!
Daddy Tree I want a killer 9-inch plasma screen with surround sound!
Daddy Tree More spinny things!
Daddy Tree I want a fire truck!

…NO hot tubs! <sigh>

Here’s what they get:
The main cage will not change much, save for the addition of a permanent ball pit (a project of its own!)
Adding a tunnel into the main cage using a dryer vent. Tunnel goes to up to upper storage (After some fun twists and turns). Then another tunnel goes down to the “Guest” cage
Half of upper storage will be walled off and floored with cheap linoleum. It will fronted with a cage door, so that when closed up, the gliders would still have access to all areas and still be contained in the environment.
The TOP of the main cage is being re-purposed to become this door.—It will fold down from the ceiling to close off the glider area. Perfect match…perfect size. Many thanks to Stef for this little bit of genius. /hug

Adding a sliding platform with drawer slides to upper storage, that will let me bring the play “Village” out to overhang the “Guest Cage” or push it back into the storage for moving the rig.
On that sliding platform will be a castle (Fisher Price Little People—3 bucks at the thrift store.)
And some other toy…whatever this is.
<PIC>
A nest box will be built into the castle. Back wall the nest box is transparent for easy counting of gliders. Castle gets its own swivel for easy access behind.
And right in the middle will be a big fake ficus tree.
<PIC>

So that’s the plan for their newly annexed play area in upper storage!!! WEEEE!

Athena: "YAY! We love daddy tree! Now please, more papaya, or I will dive-bomb your soft parts while you bathe."

Everyone is temporarily camped out in the cabinet next to the microwave. Possibly for a while, since the nearest home depot is an hour away.

Yep. Nothin’ says Home like a pile of plastic cups.

sounds creative... also sounds like your furballs know how to motivate you

My three don't play much either. Mostly examine for edibles and then if none, they usually leave it alone. Forage toys are their favorite kind of toy, let me rephrase that, filled forage toys are their favorite. They like their wheel and food, oh, and their hide-away toys (Noah's Arc & tree house). They will climb across braided fleece vines, but not fringy ones, nor do they seem to care much for plastic chain. They like to hop and jump around in their cage and occasionally, they will root through toy bins (sometimes I don't even bother to have them in there) and chew on or toss toys about.

I still place several toys in there, even if it's just for me to enjoy designing and creating a playful, fun-filled looking place for them.

Oh, btw, your design plan sounds amazing. I do hope you can get some pics up to share with us when it's complete.