Give me some feedback

**kmbchance** · #1 05-01-08, 12:36 pm

[FONT=Arial]I built my wife and daughter a cage for their four pigs. Let me know what you think![/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]It's not completely finished yet. I'm currently working on getting the cabinet doors built. Then it'll be finished althogether! Thanks for the comments.[/FONT]

**Newpiggiemom** · #2 05-01-08, 01:09 pm

Looks great but how do you get in it to clean it? Did you line the bottom with something waterproof? Otherwise your wood will get gross.

**kmbchance** · #3 05-01-08, 01:14 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newpiggiemom

Looks great but how do you get in it to clean it? Did you line the bottom with something waterproof? Otherwise your wood will get gross.

I sure do. Fiberglass that is reinforced with waterbased water proof stain. My wife has cleaned it already and says its easy to clean. Her only complaint, if you want to call it that, is the top level is high, making her get a stool or reach up high. All she needs to do to clean it is slide the glass up and out and the whole front is open for cleaning.

**RufussMom** · #4 05-01-08, 02:55 pm

Wow, that is a great cage! Its really spacious too, very lucky pigs you have.

**mbator** · #5 05-01-08, 03:46 pm

Beautiful, can you come to AZ and build me one? Ha, anyway just be sure they do not get too hot with those lights and that there is enough ventilation.

**piggly wiggly** · #6 05-01-08, 04:10 pm

It is really nice, but wha do you mean cabinet doors? Are you going to have doors on it to close the doors and cover the pigs in?

**Justin** · #7 05-01-08, 04:24 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by piggly wiggly

It is really nice, but wha do you mean cabinet doors? Are you going to have doors on it to close the doors and cover the pigs in?

I thought that sounded weird too. Hope not...

Also, the inside of cage becomes easily damp and humid. Extra air holes on the sides and back could help.

**kmbchance** · #8 05-01-08, 08:18 pm

I am talking about cabinet doors on the bottom level where I store their supplies. Notice the stuff I have down there. You can see the bottom in a couple pictures.

There is plenty of ventilation as the front is open. We thought about that but didn't think we should put any holes in the side.

We keep carefresh stuff under the Aspen wood to help with their urination and poop. Plus it's waterproof anyways. Not to mention keeping it clean all the time.

**VoodooJoint** · #9 05-01-08, 08:26 pm

It looks beautiful and sturdy, seems very well built and the "footprint" certainly looks big enough. What are the inside measurements?

Are the floors lined with anything? If not I would be worried about the wood soaking up urine and moisture. You say it's waterproofed. What did you waterproof it with? I can't think of anything you would use on wood that looks like stain (as it appears to be in your pictures) that would act as a water barrier and not be toxic. I also can't think of anything that wouldn't need re-treatment fairly often to keep the water barrier in place. Urine will eat through nearly anything.

**kmbchance** · #10 05-02-08, 06:35 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by VoodooJoint

It looks beautiful and sturdy, seems very well built and the "footprint" certainly looks big enough. What are the inside measurements?

Are the floors lined with anything? If not I would be worried about the wood soaking up urine and moisture. You say it's waterproofed. What did you waterproof it with? I can't think of anything you would use on wood that looks like stain (as it appears to be in your pictures) that would act as a water barrier and not be toxic. I also can't think of anything that wouldn't need re-treatment fairly often to keep the water barrier in place. Urine will eat through nearly anything.

The stain I used was a water based stain. Water based stain (most) is made from dyes and water which is pretty safe. In fact, MiniWax told me that most baby crib manufacturers use this on their cribs (or their water based paint of course). Babies chew on their cribs all the time and its safe for them. It really doesn't matter though because I had extra plexiglass that I cut to fit perfectly in the floor on each level. Nothing soaks through this. When we cleaned it recently we noticed that no urine soaked through the bedding to the plexiglass. But if it ever does, we're covered. I don't think I'll ever need to re-apply the stain on the floors because of this. I originally wasn't even going to stain the floors but I figured I went that far so I might as well.

Another thing I noticed with their pigs is that they do not chew on any wood used to build the enclosure. They only chew on their toys, chew sticks and their house.This is not to say they won't do it later but that's a good thing. I was worried about that.

The inside area is almost 15 square feet. Of course if you want to take away some for the ramps you can but it is not that much. They're funny because they run so fast and dart right by the ramps like they're not even there. Plus, they just love to hide under the ramps, especially when I put hay under them.

I think I will move their "Sleeping Quarters" to the bottom level. Right now it is on the top. I figured I could use the top for a play area since the floor area is open. It does have a little hole to lead down to the middle floor but that doesn't take up as much floor space as the ramp does. This is only one of the many things I'm trying to optimize to make the cage more efficient. My wife does have a swimming pool they use for playtime and exercise.

The main thing is the pigs seem exuberant. I mean, they are pocorning and running around all the time now. At first they were a little scared. But we slowly introduced them and they got used to it fairly quickly. My favorite part is seeing them fly up and down the ramps. It is so funny to watch.

**kmbchance** · #11 05-02-08, 06:55 am

The actual inside dimensions of all levels are 5.75 ft or 69" by 2.6ft or 32in. That comes out to 14.95 square feet. Each floor is 16 inches high. The total height of the enclosure is roughly 5.66 feet or 68". My brother, wife and I had to move it from the garage to the room it's in now. My brother and I estimate the weight to be somewhere between 350 to 450 pounds. Maybe more.

**kmbchance** · #12 05-02-08, 07:00 am

Oh yea, I was going to tell you guys that the lights in the enclosure DO NOT make it hot in there. In fact, you can touch them and not be burnt. They are made for recessing. They can't make lights that people recess that heat up that much because it would be a fire hazard. I can control each side of lights with two different switches. My wife will usually only light up one side and leave the other darker just in case they want to go to sleep or rest.

**Biscuit** · #13 05-02-08, 07:45 am

I was going to ask about the light. =) I have some that *look* like that under my kitchen counters I just installed and they are very hot!

Also, I am putting lights in a chinchilla cage under a plexiglass top (where the chin can't get to it) and am researching for a cool light.

It's a lovely cage! I'll give you $1000 for a bigger one in black melamine. =P

**Justin** · #14 05-02-08, 09:11 am

Your cage hurts me because it's so nice!

**Cosmictadpole** · #15 05-02-08, 10:25 am

That is absolutely beautiful! It is so simple yet has everything you would need, and it is so well built. You seem to have thought of everything from your pigs' comfort to ease of access for humans. It looks like a really nice piece of furniture the way it is stained and the lights are installed. You must be a professional cabinet maker or something! I absolutely love it.

**kmbchance** · #16 05-02-08, 12:39 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biscuit

I was going to ask about the light. =) I have some that *look* like that under my kitchen counters I just installed and they are very hot!

Also, I am putting lights in a chinchilla cage under a plexiglass top (where the chin can't get to it) and am researching for a cool light.

It's a lovely cage! I'll give you $1000 for a bigger one in black melamine. =P

My lights are a Xenon type light that are I think 9 watts. I can certainly touch them without being burned. In fact, I can put my hand over them and hold it there. The best thing to get is actually LED based lighting. These do not warm at all but I decided against them because of price. I think it would have added an additional 120 bucks for materials for LED (six lights).

As long as you design something that has a high ceiling and creates air movement then heat will never be a concern. Heat does not sink to the floor. It will rise. In my case, rise to the top while exiting the front. Trust me, I had to do some real thinking to put the piggies health above all. Otherwise, I'd be sleeping in the kids playhouse outside. Living with A wife, three daughters, four girls piggies annd a female Golden is hard. Heck, my fancy gold fish in my pond are probably female.

I don't know about 1000 bucks but I'll build you one.

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