Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

C&C I have questions about building

Chayna Renee

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Posts
74
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
74
Hi. So first off I am planning on building a C&C cage. I have two piggies and one of them is about over three months old. I was planning on building a cage with a base that is 3x8 and then the loft would be 3 by 5. Is this too big? I mean i was also thinking about getting another pig also. But how would I find coroplast to fit this? And exactly how big would this cage be? I know I want a pretty good sized one since they are in separate cages now that are 2x4. I just want them to have space and have a good life. lol
 

pinky

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Posts
10,837
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Messages
10,837
You won't find coroplast to fit that size so you'd have to piece them together. Standard size for coropast is 48x96. You'll need a lot of bedding or fleece to fit that size of a cage so keep that in mind when you build it. Bigger is better but you don't want to make more work for yourself or spend a ton of money on bedding. You'll also have to use some sort of support or I-beam to hold up a loft that size.
 

Chayna Renee

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Posts
74
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
74
Do you think I should just stick with the base and just forget about the loft? And how would I piece the coroplast together?
 

ThatGirlMarie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Posts
143
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Messages
143
Do you think I should just stick with the base and just forget about the loft? And how would I piece the coroplast together?

I'd say go with the base first. 2x8 is a lot! You'll have lovely spoiled piggies ;) I'd say you could even probably use your current 2x4 bases and probably just connect them...why not? Use duct tape - if you're using fleece I'd say you can go all the way around with the tape. If other bedding, maybe not because they could kick it up or burrow and see the tape.

You can always had the loft later - though I wouldn't make it 5 long because that's a lot of "under" you won't have access to. Maybe two lofts instead, at either end, 2x2 each.

You have very lucky piggies :) show us pigtures! :D please!
 

lunarminx

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Posts
3,232
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Messages
3,232
With a base that big you do not need a loft. Even putting the two 2x4 together would be a great size if you have room for it. It would be a 4x4, even room enough for a 3rd and 4th if you do ever add more. You would remove the grids down two side of the cages. Zip tie the base and sides together and use connectors if you use them. Undo the long sides of the coro base and tape it together to make the correct size base. Gorilla tape works great. Your 4x4 is equal to the size of a 2x6. I know you wanted a 3x8 but that is over kill for two piggies even 3 if you got a 3rd.
 

Chayna Renee

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Posts
74
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
74
Okay. Well I really just want them to have enough room. I guess the pictures in my head were a bit off. The reason i want to do 3 feet on the side is because when I tried to connect the two cages I have now it didn't seem like it was that wide.
So if I get a piece of coroplast that is 4x8 would that just be enough? It seems as if I may not need not to go THAT big. So if I take 6 inches off each side it would be three feet on the sides. Then I would also need to take 6 off the other sides. It would be 3 by 7 then? Would that work? I just need to make sure I have all of this right so when I explain this to my parents then I can answer their questions. I really need to build this cage because I do not like the cages that they are in right now at all. They are either two by 4 or 2 by 3. I can't really tell. As you can tell I am not that good with measurements. Sorry. Thank you.
 

ThatGirlMarie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Posts
143
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Messages
143
I still don't understand why you can't put the 2 grid wide ends together and just remove the grids? I drew it up. Remove the red circled grids, attach the two long sides on either side. Now you've got a 2x8 grid cage. For the base, just take the 2 2x4 coro bases, where they would divide the cage, cut the flap/side off, and duct tape together? You won't even need new coroplast...unless I'm missing something? You have to think in terms of grids, not feet, if you're making a C&C cage. It's not 2 feet by 4 feet, it's 2 grids by 4 grids. Am I missing something? Or you could attach them along the long x4 side and make a 4x4 like @lunarmix said, and remove THOSE grids and cut/duct tape those parts of the coro base.

FullSizeRender.jpg
 

Chayna Renee

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Posts
74
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
74
Yeah I am stupid. I understand what you are saying now. Thank you. Haha
 

MLT2007

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Posts
575
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Messages
575
I still don't understand why you can't put the 2 grid wide ends together and just remove the grids? I drew it up. Remove the red circled grids, attach the two long sides on either side. Now you've got a 2x8 grid cage. For the base, just take the 2 2x4 coro bases, where they would divide the cage, cut the flap/side off, and duct tape together? You won't even need new coroplast...unless I'm missing something? You have to think in terms of grids, not feet, if you're making a C&C cage. It's not 2 feet by 4 feet, it's 2 grids by 4 grids. Am I missing something? Or you could attach them along the long x4 side and make a 4x4 like @lunarmix said, and remove THOSE grids and cut/duct tape those parts of the coro base.

View attachment 72670
I did this exact same thing and made my cage a 4x4. I will recommend not cutting the coroplast. I had mine with the edges, or flaps, overlapping and I ended up cutting them off. I really regret doing that. Try it first without cutting and see how you like it. If you don't care for it you can always cut it later.
 

ThatGirlMarie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Posts
143
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Messages
143
Good idea - maybe just overlap them and cover with bedding instead.
 

4cavies

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 26, 2015
Posts
271
Joined
Jan 26, 2015
Messages
271
If you wanted to make a loft, I used the thickest wooden dowels I could find that would still fit through the grid openings. They are the perfect length for going across a 2 grid wide cage. I drilled holes through them and zip tied them to the vertical grids underneath the grids that made the flooring of my second loft. I hope that made sense! I used one dowel in the center of each grid width of my second level. It keeps the floor space under the loft free but is awesome support, very very sturdy! I would personally stick with a 2x6 bottom level as the maximum size, though, especially for just two piggies. I tried to do a larger one and it got very difficult to get the fleece back in properly. You could do a 2x5 and reuse your coro the same you had planned and you would still have enough left to do a 2x1 loft for them to explore.
 

lunarminx

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Posts
3,232
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Messages
3,232
The 4x4 would be great if you are adding more because its just so much more room to get by without being in another face. Do you plan to use fleece or bedding?
 

Chayna Renee

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Posts
74
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
74
I plan on using fleece.
 

BaconAndEggs

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Posts
644
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Messages
644
Fleece is much less expensive than bedding, but a cage that size would be a bit hard to spot clean! lol Maybe. I've never had one. But you'll have some spoiled piggies!
 

lunarminx

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Posts
3,232
Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Messages
3,232
Will it be on the floor or a stand? If on the floor, a spot clean wouldn't be too bad with a 4x4. You wanted to do a 3x8 which is huge because my 3x6 was. Could you not like just lay down a huge sheet of linoleum, block off the walls and do something like this. With fleece though. And not the loft thingie.

picket-fence.jpg
 

ThatGirlMarie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Posts
143
Joined
Feb 9, 2015
Messages
143
I doubt spot cleaning a 4x4 would be difficult. For my 3x3 I just get my hand dust buster and vacuum up the poops and I sweep up the hay area once or twice a day depending on when I'm home!
 

BaconAndEggs

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Posts
644
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Messages
644
Hehe. Like I said, I've never had a cage like that... Maybe I'm just imagining a closed cage. I have one, and It's only a 2x3.5, so it isn't too hard to clean.
 
Last edited:

Chayna Renee

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Posts
74
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
74
I think I have decided what I am going to do. I have been looking on the website that they have here and they actually sell cages. I am planning on ordering a 2x6 grid cage. I am also getting a standfor it and draws for under the stand. I think it will be big enough. But I cannot get my mom to agree with getting fleece flippers. She is used to getting bedding but fleece would be so much better. They think they know what they are talking about but I am the one that has been looking and researching this stuff for two months straight. Any suggestions on what to say? Haha..
 

PeanutnCookie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Posts
874
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Messages
874
I had this problem, but I got my mom to let me use it. What exactly doesn't your mom like about fleece? It is MUCH easier to use a hand held vacuum than a dustpan. I only have a dustpan and it doesn't always get all the poop. A vacuum would also get some (but not all) of the hair. For me personally bedding was easier to deal with because I didn't have to spot clean every, but it spilled out of the cage. With only two pigs in that huge cage, there won't be as much poop or pee, so fleece would be easier. If you do use fleece, what would you put under it? I currently use towels, but I have to clean it more often. If you use pellets (Sorry don't know what they are really called, brand wise) or kitty litter (guinea safe) under the fleece you won't have to clean underneath as often.
 

BaconAndEggs

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Posts
644
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Messages
644
My parents were getting fed up with bedding everywhere, and that it cost a bag of bedding a week to clean my cage, so they immediately agreed to let me get fleece. lol If you have a little handheld vacuum, spot cleaning is easy. Plus, fleece only cost about $10-$15 dollars up front and you're good for a little while, whereas with bedding you're buying bedding all of the time... it gets expensive. But why don't they want you to use fleece?
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

Top