Today has been horrible / Buying a cage off this site.

[ZaoSyn]

Today I learned that getting a C&C cage was best. I decided to talk my mom into taking me around stores and finding the materials. I called a sign shop for Coroplast they had some for sell, for $17 or so a sheet. Great, I have no problems with spending a bit of money to get this, I really wanna enjoy building the cage. We go to:

Wal-Mart
K-Mart
Lowes

and none of them have those little cubes o_o seriously I had a headache from looking so much and not finding them. My mom knew I was angry over the whole matter. She decided that we will buy one online. But I honestly don't know how big I should get. I mean I have 1 guinea pig, but me and my mom are in the talks of adopting one. She is a little iffy about it, but I'm trying to explain to her about Guinea pigs and that they can become depressed without a buddy ( all though I'm home all the time with my Q-Tipp, I still don't want him to get depressed ).

Here's what we decided on, what do you think?
http://www.guineapigcages.com/images...all_small1.jpg
Money isn't too much of a problem, she understands he needs alot more room to run around in, and this is a big upgrade from what he's in now.

Anywho, how long will the coroplast last until I have to change it ( like literally buy a new coroplast sheet ). Thanks x]

[Ly&Pigs]

Do you have a target near you? It's where most of us get cubes. They are in the home improvement section.

I believe you have a boar already and are debating on getting another boar, you will need a 2x4 as boars are more territorial and need more space.

[TX_2_Pigs]

Since you already have a boy you should look into a 2x4. Males need just a bit more room than 2 females would. When you do get him a friend be sure to look up the threads on quarantine (3 weeks regardless of where you get him) and then on introductions.

Someone posted a great video of what normal dominance behavior is. When you put them together it may look as if they are fighting but you should resist the urge to separate them becuase when you put them back, they have to start all over again and it just takes that much longer for them to get along.

Coroplast is corrugated plastic and is very durable. You shouldn't have to change if for a long time. The only reason I ever replace mine is because I have redesigned and I need a different size/shape. Or I want a different color.

Sorry you couldn't find the grids. I wish they weren't so expensive to ship. The Target near where I work always has plenty of them.

[charlie]

Hi
well by now you have probably gotten a cage , but I had a doosay of a time finding the coroplast. The cubes I found at home hard ware, walmart has them and home depo has coloured ones.
and staples would have the ties or cable ties is what their called, and as fo rthe coroplast I didnt know it would have to be changed unless it got a hole in it...but really with one or two guinea pigs I wouldnt worrie about it, their not really going to do any damage.
hope that helps if you didnt get the stuff already.
I just build mine an eight foot cage 8x2, but I have four guineas and a rabbit in mine, the cool thing bout this kinda cage you can always add more, and sinse I have no more room to go sideways , Im building up wards now
have fun!
Lynn

[ZaoSyn]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

Do you have a target near you? It's where most of us get cubes. They are in the home improvement section.

I believe you have a boar already and are debating on getting another boar, you will need a 2x4 as boars are more territorial and need more space.

There's a Target in Clarksville, Tennessee. There may still be hope, as my mom isn't home yet ( she left for lunch with her sisters ) to give me the Credit card infomation. I'm trying to find the best and cheapest way.

I'll tell her about Target ( I just went to their website and found these )
Target : Whitmor Set of 4 Storage Cubes - Black (14")

For now the idea of having 2 guinea pigs is still up in the air. I want them, but at the end of the day it's her choice, and I know she loves Q-Tipp she's watching him all the time, admiring him.

*Edit* Do you suppose those would be big enough just for my one for now?

[TX_2_Pigs]

Originally Posted by ZaoSyn

I'll tell her about Target ( I just went to their website and found these )
Target : Whitmor Set of 4 Storage Cubes - Black (14")

That is what you get when you order them online (16 grids). If you actually get them from the store, you will get more grids (23 grids and sometimes you get 2 bonus grids). And they are the same price. You want to look in the organizational section. I have a box in the trunk of my other car, I need to take a picture to post. It is so much easier when you know what you are looking for. And you could print the picture and take it with you!

edit to add: 16 grids is plenty for a 2x4. You don't need a bottom since you will have the coroplast tray or a top unless you have other animals you need to keep out.

[ZaoSyn]

Originally Posted by TX_2_Pigs

That is what you get when you order them online (16 grids). If you actually get them from the store, you will get more grids (23 grids and sometimes you get 2 bonus grids). And they are the same price. You want to look in the organizational section. I have a box in the trunk of my other car, I need to take a picture to post. It is so much easier when you know what you are looking for. And you could print the picture and take it with you!

Thank you very much ^_^, there's no need to get out the camera :P I'll be sure to check the organizational section when I get home. It's just a matter of time. The sign shop closes at 5:30pm-6pm. Target closes at 10pm.

Since this post, I've decided to make more room in the starter kit cage I have for him, I took his giant igloo out and replace it with a towel that hangs from the top, as a hide out - as suggested from this site.

And I decided to try out this sock thing where you put his bedding into a sock, so far so good. I also decided to start spreading his hay everywhere, normally I would place it in a big neat pile. This site has helped me alot in just one day, and I plan to learn more :]

Sheesh I can't wait for mom to get home.

[gpigluver14]

Good luck!! I think your pig will absolutely love his new C&C cage! Are you making it one or two levels?? -I'm pretty sure with one box of grids it's enough for more than one level.

[ZaoSyn]

Originally Posted by gpigluver14

Good luck!! I think your pig will absolutely love his new C&C cage! Are you making it one or two levels?? -I'm pretty sure with one box of grids it's enough for more than one level.

Only one I have the grids, and the coroplast ( however I'm going out today to buy a 2nd piece, as I royally ruined mine, trying to cut it. ) I have enough grids + connectors to add a 2nd level, I'm just a bit confused on trying to find a little ramp for him to run up to the 2nd level.

[TX_2_Pigs]

Yay! I am glad you found the grids. There are lots of ideas on ramps if you go to the ramp section of the photo gallery. I have 2 different styles in there. The first one I just used coroplast. I know you said you messed up the first piece but don't get rid of it. You never know when those pieces will come in handy, even the smallest ones.

If you don't feel like one piece of coroplast is sturdy enough, make it 2 or 3 layers on top of each other, covered in fleece, or towels or bath rugs or whatever that grips. I only had one layer of coroplast but because it had a landing mid-way up, it wasn't as flexible. Once you cover it, just punch holes in it (through the fleece) with an ice pick or screwdriver and attach to the floor of the second level with zip ties.

Can't wait to see the pictures!

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by charlie

I just build mine an eight foot cage 8x2, but I have four guineas and a rabbit in mine,

I really hope that the rabbit is separated from the guinea pigs by grids and they are not all living together in this cage. Rabbits and pigs living together is not a good idea. A rabbit has powerful hind legs that can easily injure a guinea pig and their nutritional needs are different in terms of pellets. Cavies should not eat rabbit pellets and rabbits should not eat cavy pellets. There are also health risks.

[TheSnufflenoses]

As for the ramp, someone asked about that recently. If you scroll down to TheSnufflenoses it explains my experience with ramps. In summary, I had 1 ramp they NEVER used, and when I made a new one they immediately LOVED it and ever since then they run up and down it constantly with great ease.

I used a thin wooden board, sanded well all over and at the edges, a pure cotton rug (or fleece would work too), velcro strips to attach the two, and zipties to attach the ramp to the top story. You'll need to get someone to drill two holes in the wood at the top of the ramp to put the zipties though.

As for a choroplast ramp, using only 1 sheet of it simply was NOT stable enough (even for our young pigs). If you do make it out of choroplast, be sure to double up on the sheets/attach them so they are extra stable and also be sure to cover the top/ramp part of it in fleece or a rug (be sure the material is safe for them though). Good luck!

Ramp thread:
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...tml#post295538

[ZaoSyn]

Thank you all for the replies. I look forward to building a 2nd story as it looks fun.

This morning around 9am I went back to the sign shop and asked to buy another piece of coroplast. I asked the guys who worked there if they could make it into a box shape so I could put it in my cage. I went and brought my cage in, they measured ( they messed up and had to cut some of the coroplast off about 3 times as they mis-measured it ). After almost an hour from start to finish of trying to fix the box in my cage, they finally did it. It came up to $25, a bit high from what I estimated but I was willing to pay it of course.

Afterwards I came home, I had to move my 2nd computer desk out of my room, as it wasn't big enough for Q-Tipp's new cage. I finally got to put all his stuff into his cage, it took a whole bag of bedding to fill it up ^_^. As soon as I putted him in, he went straight to his Pigloo ( It's been 2 days since he's had it, I took it out of his Petsmart cage as it was taking up half the space ). It's nice to see him run around the cage and I love how easy it is to customize the cage. I still have pieces of the grid + connectors under my bad I plan to create a 2nd story. I'll take a look at ramps and ramp threads so I can get an idea of what to do, as I feel that will be my only problem.

:]