C&C: I need help!!!

[Baileym4]

Hey everybody, I just found this awesome forum and I have a few questions about C&C cages, so I thought I'd ask and see what kind of feedback I got. First let me start by saying that my boyfriend and I have two guinea pigs, Layla and Pancake, they are my world. They are so cute and sweet. For the past few months since we've had them, they have been living in a SuperPet cage. It's nice and it's a good size for them but recently I've been thinking about upgrading to a C&C cage. We are getting ready to move into a bigger apartment next month and I will have the room for a new cage. I've been doing a lot of research on C&C cages and we have found a store where we can purchase some coroplast. I just have a few questions and concerns that I haven't been able to find the answers to in my research. I'm just going to list them below. Any help that I can get is much appreciated. Thatnks so much.

Questions:
1. How durable is coroplast and how long will it last?

2. How many sheets of coroplast should I buy?

3. What can I put under the new cage so it doesn't have to sit on the floor?

4. Is the cloth material that you put inside cages fleece? Do the piggies like it?

5. When you have to bend grids to make walls or a ramp, how do you do that without breaking them.

6. Do the zip ties work better then the grid connectors that come with them?

- That's all I can think of right now. If I think of anything else I'll post it.

Thanks so much,

Morgan

[lissie]

Originally Posted by Baileym4

Hey everybody, I just found this awesome forum and I have a few questions about C&C cages, so I thought I'd ask and see what kind of feedback I got. First let me start by saying that my boyfriend and I have two guinea pigs, Layla and Pancake, they are my world. They are so cute and sweet. For the past few months since we've had them, they have been living in a SuperPet cage. It's nice and it's a good size for them but recently I've been thinking about upgrading to a C&C cage. We are getting ready to move into a bigger apartment next month and I will have the room for a new cage. I've been doing a lot of research on C&C cages and we have found a store where we can purchase some coroplast. I just have a few questions and concerns that I haven't been able to find the answers to in my research. I'm just going to list them below. Any help that I can get is much appreciated. Thatnks so much.

Hi, welcome to the site.

Originally Posted by Baileym4

Questions:
1. How durable is coroplast and how long will it last?

Coroplast is very durable. I've only had mine for about 6 months but read that other people have had theirs for many years.

Originally Posted by Baileym4

2. How many sheets of coroplast should I buy?

It depends on the size of the cage you're planning to build. One sheet is enough for 2x4 grids (recommended size for 2 pigs). Large sheet is 4'x8'.

Originally Posted by Baileym4

3. What can I put under the new cage so it doesn't have to sit on the floor?

You can use grids or table as stand. See Stands - Guinea Pig Cage Photos

Originally Posted by Baileym4

4. Is the cloth material that you put inside cages fleece? Do the piggies like it?

Yes. It's fleece. You need to put something absorbent under fleece. Read these threads for more details.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ect-study.html
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...s-debates.html

My pigs love their fleece. I love fleece too. I've used Carefresh for a week and switched to fleece. I never look back.

Originally Posted by Baileym4

5. When you have to bend grids to make walls or a ramp, how do you do that without breaking them.

Let's wait for others to answer this. I've broken some of mine so I'm not qualified to answer this.

Originally Posted by Baileym4

6. Do the zip ties work better then the grid connectors that come with them?

I think zip ties are stronger. I've had some versions of the cage that only used zip ties. I've switched back to connectors for my latest version because I think the cage looks better with connectors. I still use zip ties to reinforce them. Connectors alone can pop out or break and cause problems. If you're planning to remodel the cage, I suggest using only zip ties, as connectors can be very hard to remove in some areas. I've gone through 6 versions of cage already (since Jan 2009). This doesn't count small modifications.

Enjoy building the cage. Your piggies will love you for it.

[CavyMama]

1. How durable is coroplast and how long will it last?

In my experience with it, it's very durable. I started using coroplast about 3 years ago and I'm still using the one from my first C&C cage.

2. How many sheets of coroplast should I buy?

This one, I can't speak to. I've always bought from this site.

3. What can I put under the new cage so it doesn't have to sit on the floor?

I've had mine on a folding table but I've also built a stand out of grids and connectors.

4. Is the cloth material that you put inside cages fleece? Do the piggies like it?

I haven't used fleece, although I'm looking into switching to it but yes, the material in some of the cages is fleece. You can also use regular bedding. I use Carefresh but wood-based bedding is cheaper just avoid pine or cedar.

5. When you have to bend grids to make walls or a ramp, how do you do that without breaking them.

The walls usually aren't bent but I've seen people use bent ones for a ramp or a hay holder.

6. Do the zip ties work better then the grid connectors that come with them?

I haven't tried the zip ties but I think it's more personal preference as for which ones people use. I've seen some very cool cages using both.

[Baileym4]

Hey,
Thanks so much for your feedback. It has been really helpful. I can't wait to start building my C&C cage. Anything else anyone wants to add please do.
Thanks again,
Morgan

[Rnd210]

Originally Posted by Baileym4

Hey everybody, I just found this awesome forum and I have a few questions about C&C cages, so I thought I'd ask and see what kind of feedback I got. First let me start by saying that my boyfriend and I have two guinea pigs, Layla and Pancake, they are my world. They are so cute and sweet. For the past few months since we've had them, they have been living in a SuperPet cage. It's nice and it's a good size for them but recently I've been thinking about upgrading to a C&C cage. We are getting ready to move into a bigger apartment next month and I will have the room for a new cage. I've been doing a lot of research on C&C cages and we have found a store where we can purchase some coroplast. I just have a few questions and concerns that I haven't been able to find the answers to in my research. I'm just going to list them below. Any help that I can get is much appreciated. Thatnks so much.

Questions:
1. How durable is coroplast and how long will it last?


From what I have read about coroplast is that it can last up to 15 years or more with outside weather conditions and since it is being used for a guinea pig cage that should be in the house it should last 2-3 times that long.

2. How many sheets of coroplast should I buy?

This would really depend on the size of your cage, one large sheet is 4ft by 8ft.

3. What can I put under the new cage so it doesn't have to sit on the floor?

Table, dog kennels, stands made from cubes, this is another one of those personal preference things.

4. Is the cloth material that you put inside cages fleece? Do the piggies like it?

The material is fleece and the piggies really do like it, but really who wouldn't like a very soft floor to walk, run and play on.

5. When you have to bend grids to make walls or a ramp, how do you do that without breaking them.

You have to be very careful to not apply to much pressure when bending them or you will breakl it, I found it easier to make ramps out of extra coroplast.

6. Do the zip ties work better then the grid connectors that come with them?


This is really personal prefrence, I only use the zip ties and think it would be easier than the connectors since the conectors sometimes don't fit right and be frustrating to get the way that you want them to be.


- That's all I can think of right now. If I think of anything else I'll post it.

Thanks so much,

Morgan

[PiggieMom]

Everyone answered very well and the only thing I can add is information on bending grids. There's some good photo directions starting on this photo. Some people step with one foot in the middle and bend both ends upward around the foot to get it more narrow. This is what my husband does and he's never had one break. The key is to have the welded side facing away and to go slowly.