Cage: Just some design questions

[3piggymomma]

As a piggy-momma-to-be (Cody lives at my fiance's house, so I have no piggies yet), I have a few probably dumb questions about building a C&C cage.

1. Should I use a table or other kind of sturdy furniture for a stand for the cage or can I build a stand from extra grids? Not sure if that would be sturdy enough.. I just dont have any extra furniture either.. haha

2. This is probably a matter of personal preference, but do you think I should build a seperate kitchen on a different level, or would they generally keep their food in whatever the designated food area is? (I'm doubting this from having seen Cody a few times haha)

3. I plan to use fleece with absorbant pads under neath, but should I purchase a fleece blanket that already has a sewn hem/edge, or can I just get some fleece from a fabric store which would have a raw edge. Would it unravel or fray when you machine wash it?

4. Two small cozies or one large one? 2 large ones? (For two piggies)

5. Should I place a litter box in a corner or wait until I notice where they seem to potty the most?

6. Hay rack or box for it, or just designate a particular area of the cage for it? I'm sure itll be tracked everywhere, so if I make a kitchen area, would you recommend putting the hay there?

Wow, I probably sound like I dont know anything - well I suppose I don't haha. My fiance didn't really read up on GPs very much before getting Cody, so I still have to learn everything on my own!

[Peggysu]

1.) You can use grids, that's what I did! Underneath is used for storage.
2.) I keep my pigs food on the second level. I didn't keep all the food up there at first until they got used to the design. I believe it's all personal preference.
3.) I use raw pieces from the fabric store and they haven't unraveled at all. I've been washing them for a year and they don't show a sign of wearing yet.
4.) Two cozies for two pigs. Small or large depends on the size of the pigs.
5.) Litter box under hay rack works best for me as they do their bussiness when they eat the hay.
6.) See number 5. It gets really messy in piles so I designate that for floor time, not in the cage.

Good Luck! You'll have fun, remember to adopt a buddy don't buy!

[blackarrow]

1. Should I use a table or other kind of sturdy furniture for a stand for the cage or can I build a stand from extra grids? Using grids for the stand is very sturdy.

2. This is probably a matter of personal preference, but do you think I should build a seperate kitchen on a different level, or would they generally keep their food in whatever the designated food area is? (I'm doubting this from having seen Cody a few times haha) They tend to carry food around the level they're on but they don't take it from level to level in my experience. I have an L-shaped upper level with a 1x2 kitchen area, and the floor of that kitchen is a boot tray - I hang the hay rack in there and the boot tray catches all the hay that falls out - when I clean, I just lift the entire boot tray out, dump it outside, wipe it down, change the toweling in it, and I'm good to go. We feed them their veggies on the main floor of the cage so they have more room to popcorn around when they find a treat they particularly like! They do drop bits of lettuce around in their cage a bit, but they eat them all up within an hour or two so I don't mind.

3. I plan to use fleece with absorbant pads under neath, but should I purchase a fleece blanket that already has a sewn hem/edge, or can I just get some fleece from a fabric store which would have a raw edge. Would it unravel or fray when you machine wash it? Fleece doesn't unravel or fray at all.

4. Two small cozies or one large one? 2 large ones? (For two piggies) Two cozies.

5. Should I place a litter box in a corner or wait until I notice where they seem to potty the most? I've never had any success with a litter box with my guys, who always go along the center of the back walls, so I'm no help there.

6. Hay rack or box for it, or just designate a particular area of the cage for it? I'm sure itll be tracked everywhere, so if I make a kitchen area, would you recommend putting the hay there? See #2. I'd suggest a hay rack hung over a plastic tray of some sort that fits your cage well and has at least a little "lip" that keeps hay that has fallen on the floor contained. My guys definitely prefer to eat the hay out of the rack than pick up the hay from the floor, plus there's less wasted because I don't have to dump the hay that's in the rack every time I clean the floors. I don't agree with the suggestion of keeping hay for floor time only - my guys eat the hay mostly in the middle of the night.

[fieryone]

Here's my two cents

1. Should I use a table or other kind of sturdy furniture for a stand for the cage or can I build a stand from extra grids? Not sure if that would be sturdy enough.. I just dont have any extra furniture either.. haha
I'm also going to suggest using grids for a stand. I had my cage on a buffet table and I found it a bit too high and difficult to get to the back corners for cleaning or catching piggies (but I'm also only 5'3). I like having the pigs a little lower because we can see them better and it's easier to clean.

2. This is probably a matter of personal preference, but do you think I should build a seperate kitchen on a different level, or would they generally keep their food in whatever the designated food area is? (I'm doubting this from having seen Cody a few times haha)
I made a box out of coroplast and it works well for us as both a kitchen to keep hay off the fleece and as a litter box. I put Coroplast over Yesterday's News in there and it keeps the smell down

3. I plan to use fleece with absorbant pads under neath, but should I purchase a fleece blanket that already has a sewn hem/edge, or can I just get some fleece from a fabric store which would have a raw edge. Would it unravel or fray when you machine wash it?
I just buy a piece of fleece from the fabric store. A yard and a scrap is perfect for my 2/5 cage. Also I would suggest towels and/or a mattress pad instead of absorbant pads. I used puppy pads the first time and it stunk in no time and was expensive. You can find towels and mattress pads at the Goodwill or thrift store.

4. Two small cozies or one large one? 2 large ones? (For two piggies)
Whether you choose a cozy or hidey house (my pigs' preference), I would have one for each pig. You can't guarantee that they will be cuddlers. My 3 never use the same hidey or bed at the same time.

5. Should I place a litter box in a corner or wait until I notice where they seem to potty the most?
Wait and see what corner they use

6. Hay rack or box for it, or just designate a particular area of the cage for it? I'm sure itll be tracked everywhere, so if I make a kitchen area, would you recommend putting the hay there?
I prefer a hay rack. When I put a pile of hay in for them they love to play in it, but they ruin half of it because they pee/poop in it

[Toadies]

The only thing that I would add is regarding the hay arrangement. I use a clean, open topped 12 x 12 (approx) cardboard box with an entrance cut in the side. I use old, dry hay for the first layer and then pile fresh hay on top. My boys love to climb around in the box and I've found that after the first couple of boxes, they don't pee much, if at all, IN the box. Poos are another thing all together. The box lasts for about a week. It also gives them another chew toy.
I lied - I would also like to add- I wish that I had set up a kitchen area. I keep their food and hay at one end of their cage, but it sill gets spread all over.
Wecome to the wild and wonderful world of piggies. It's addictive and the best ride around.

[charliecharlie]

I agree with the hay rack idea. What i did was used the store-bought "litter" pan that fits in a corner...it has these two little hooks on it that I've attached to a corner in the kitchen area. It gets replenished daily. Hay should be very plenitful. CharleyCharley has to climb up into it if he's eaten all the top hay, but it's so worth it not to have tons of hay everywhere. So far, it's mostly upstairs in the kitchen area. He hasn't dragged it down the ramp.