Animal Proofing: Newbie with a cat proof question

[Arielle72]

Hi. I'm new to the site, and new to guinea pig ownership.

We built our little guy a 2x3 C&C cage over the weekend and then tried to build a top for it out of the left over cube pieces. Unfortunately, we can't make it quite work right. We currently have it so that it folds back to allow for opening, but it is not very sturdy. I'm afraid if my kitties decide to jump up on top of it they will fall right in. How do you make a top for it that is both easy to open, but safe for kitties? I've looked at the pictures and it appears that people use modular closet shelving for the tops. How much shelving is needed for a 2x3 cage? How do you attach it? Are there instructions somewhere on the site?

And how come nobody ever told me what wonderful pets these little guys are? Ours is so sweet. I thought they were just like big hamsters. But they aren't. They are quite lovable and playful.

Thanks so much in advance for any help folks can give.

I'm sure this question has been asked and answered 1000 times, but I can't find any good answers yet.

[pig-in-paradise]

Hi and welcome to the wonderful world of guinea pigs and this site. You will find so much useful information here by doing searches and reading the old threads and by looking at pictures in the galleries.

The shelves you're talking about come in 2 standard depths. 12 and 16 inches. For these C&C cages you'll need to get the shelf that is 16 inches deep. Measure the width of your cage and then add a little (like 1.5-2 inches) to that measurement. Of course you need 2 pieces like that.

Buy zip ties and tie the 2 long straight ends together in several places. You should also get the little caps to cover the ends of the shelves.

If you want to you can attach the cover with binder clips or carabiners to your cage for added security.

See my gallery for a pic of my cage, click on the camera in the upper right hand corner of my post.

One suggestion: If you only have one guinea pig (I'm simply judging from the size of your cage) you should really think about whether you might get him/her a friend in the future. Cavies are not solitary animals and love having a buddy. If you think you might add another one you'd need a larger cage, which in turn means a larger cover. That's just something to think about before you make the investment.

[fourboys4now]

I just bought one of the metal shelves you were speaking of at Lowe's yesterday. With tax it was right at $10. They cut it down to the length we needed for free as well. Good luck with the lid!

[k9yorkie]

I have a 2x8 l-shaped C&C cage for my 5 girls. I also have 3 cats (one is a mouser). I use the shelving for lids as others have suggested. On the back part of the cage top, I keep a blanket. I do this for two reasons: 1. to keep drafts out due to my leaky windows and 2. My cat LOVES to sit on top of the cage and watch the piggies. Having the blanket up there helps so the cat can't put her paws through the grids. The shelving lid has slots too small for my cat's paws. I find this is the safest way. If there was a way to keep the cat off the cage, I would, but right now, I find this works.