lid???

[lilipution1013]

i want to order a c&c cage, but it needs a lid. i'm wondering if it's worth it to pay the $46 for the extra small and then extra for lid materials...so what materials do i need for making the lid? is it worth it?

[Starbucks]

you could easily build a c&c cage for less than that price and have enough grids to make a lid. how big are you planning to make this cage?

[CCcages]

[font='Century Gothic']For an Xsmall cage, the dimensions are as follows: (I believe the following is less than $10-12 total. [/font][font='Century Gothic']Materials you will need to purchase:[/font]

[font='Century Gothic'](1) 41” length of 12” linen-style shelving[/font]

[font='Century Gothic'](1) 41” length of 16” linen-style shelving[/font]

[font='Century Gothic']Small end caps to cover the cut edges [/font]

[font='Century Gothic']Optional: slightly thicker cable ties[/font]

[font='Century Gothic']Linen-style has 1 ½” overhang. It’s not critical to use this style, but it does work well. Ask your local home improvement center to cut two pieces to the above measurements. Place end caps over the cut edges.[/font]

[font='Century Gothic']Place both shelving pieces on top of the cage with the overhang on the outside of the cage. Attach the 12” non-lifting side to the cage with cable ties. Attach 16” lifting side to the 12” side [/font][font='Century Gothic']only[/font][font='Century Gothic'] where the two meet using 4 (or more) cable ties as hinges. [/font]

[font='Century Gothic']________________________________________[/font]

[font='Century Gothic']The above directions are for the XSmall cage. The dimensions are as follows for larger cages:[/font]

[font='Century Gothic'][font='Century Gothic']2 x 3 (small): You'll need (2) 46” lengths of 16” linen-style shelving[/font][/font]

[font='Century Gothic'][font='Century Gothic']2 x 3.5 (medium): You'll need (2) 55” lengths of 16” linen-style shelving[/font][/font]

[font='Century Gothic']2 x 4 (large):You'll need (2) 61” lengths of 16” linen-style shelving[/font]

[font='Century Gothic']2 x 5 (XLarge): You'll need (2) 76” lengths of 16” linen-style shelving[/font]

[mncavylover]

That's exactly what I used to make the original version of my cage, modified to fit onto mine. It's a great idea!

[lilipution1013]

thanks guys! i think i've convinced my father to let me get a guinea pig (i had to move home from college - long story - and i need something sweet to snuggle and take care of), but first we have to "test drive" my godbrother's piggy to make sure we can all live with one. i'm planning on making a costco/target run soon to get supplies for the cage. i hope my neighborhoof hardware store can help w/ the shelving and ties. now all i need is something coroplast-like. i just hope i can find the right stuff!!

[Faunn]

I hope you do well. ^_^ Have fun with the pig!

[lilipution1013]

i've got my baby!!! she's about a month old, varying shades of rust, deep brown, and chocolate, with a white stripe running right up the middle of her nose! i'm almost finished with her cage - right now she's in one i got at the petstore. when it's done, her c&c is gonna be 2 stories. the base is a 2x3. the top is a 1x1 "crow's nest" with an extra cube dedicated to a ramp. so basically it's 1x2 with floor under only one cube. i'm going to make the ramp out of coro and a hayrack out of some leftover grid.

[lilipution1013]

here's a pic of me with the new baby...and yes, i knitted that hat myself

[mncavylover]

Did you get her at the pet store? If you did, take her to a vet to get her checked out. And next time, please adopt. There are way too many homeless piggies out there.

Also, please get the piggy a buddy. They are social and need to be housed in pairs. Please read www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm. Thanks!

Also, I hope you know about their hay, vitamin c needs, pellets (Oxbow Cavy performance and cuisine), etc. They are NOT low-maintenance.

Cute hat, by the way, and congrats on your new piggy! Sorry to sound so mean, but I just want to make sure you know exactly what you're getting into. Thanks for reading!

[lilipution1013]

oh i've got the vitamins, a big thing of hay (which she LOVES), and a good mix of pellets and dried fruit for her regular good.

yes, i got her at a pet store. i know adoption is best, but she just took me by surprise. too cute. and snuggly. like a tribble. has anyone else noticed that piggies look and sound a lot like tribbles?

i definitely plan on getting her a buddy. another piggy (possibly her sister) was with her at the pet store and i'm wondering if she's still there. i also wonder if i should adopt. but i'm worried that i'd get an older piggy (she's about 4 weeks and so, presumably, is the other one) who would try to dominate her.

vet. gotcha. will do. i want to make sure she's as healthy as possible. i really trust the pet store where i got her, but still, a double-check is in order.

[mncavylover]

Sorry, but--what's a tribble?

I'm glad you're getting a buddy. Please adopt! They'll get along fine even if the other one is dominatn. One has to be. I'm also happy that the vet visit is in order. Pet store pigs are prone to mites and lice.

Actually, you should just be feeding daily veggies rich in vitamin c, no supplement is needed. (see www.guinealynx.com/nutrition.html)

Dried fruit is very high in sugar and has preservatives, so I really would recommend it. The only good pellets I've seen are from Oxbow--what kind do you use? I've got some info in the food thread that may help.

Thanks again for the response!

[lilipution1013]

the stuff i have is called Kaytee Supreme - those green little pellet things mixed in with dried fruit and a few nuts. i give her a sliver or two of apple every day...that seems to be her favorite.

right now my mom is not to keen on the idea of getting cali a buddy. i'm home most of the time (i got kicked out of school...long depressing story) so i can giver her lots of attention. for now. but pretty soon i'm going to be starting a special therapy program and i won't be able to spend time with her. so i'm going to keep talking to my mom about it and hopefully cali can have a playmate sometime very soon.

[mncavylover]

That's not too great of a food--many Kaytee foods (if not all) contain Ethyoxiquin, a toxic preservative. Also, the nuts are choking hazards. The fruits and vegetables are only there for our aesthetic pleasure, and do nothing for the pigs as they are dehydrated. Their nutritional value is very little. They really need about a cup of green vegetables each day (see www.guinealynx.com/nutrition.html).

What's a tribble? :P

[aqh88]

A tribble looks like a guinea pig. All guinea pigs fit the title of tribble. Also known as doobers by my half sister when she was little.

Don't ask me

Kaytee is considered an ok food but does have that toxic preservative. It's best to get the plain pellet kind not the kind dressed up to look good. About the best food is oxbow's cavy cuisine but I have yet to find it here without ordering. You can go to oxbowhay.com and check if anyone sells it near you. I just order mine from oxbow for now but it's like $3/lb if you order around 8lbs and ship it to the midwest. Many places about all you can find is hartz(really bad junk) or kaytee. Right now I haven't even seen plain kaytee pellets here.

[lilipution1013]

living in san francisco, i have access to some pretty good pet stores. i'm heading out to petco tomorrow or tuesday to pick up some more bedding and litter (huge cage uses a lot of both!)...and possibly a sister for cali... there's also a great place called Animal Connections that has EVERYTHING except healthy animals. i bought a hamster there when i was little...obviously they hadn't been sexed and separated early enough because about 2 weeks after i got her, there were 5 squealing little babies in her cage. so i don't trust them as far as getting pets there. but their food, treat, bedding, etc is superb.

[aqh88]

No petstore is good to get pets from. Although I'm guilty of it cause I just couldn't leave them this time. Check petfinder and cavyrescue.com. There are plenty of really nice guinea pigs out there that don't have homes.

[mncavylover]

Thanks for explaining, aqh88!

Please adopt! There are waaaay too many animals that are dying because of carelessness or not being wanted.