Cage Midwest as a travel cage?

The midwest panels wiggle a lot, and the base is only that canvas, personally I would not use it as a travel cage because I don't like how the bottom would wiggle and move, but if it fits in your car and if you have a way to make the bottom more solid it would probably be good

They are very easy to set up. The walls are essentially C&C grids and the canvas bottom has velcro straps that attach to the wall panels so it is one unit. The canvas is completely waterproof.

The cage isn't the strongest and is quite flimsy but it would do fine on the floor if there weren't interested cats or dogs around.

It folds up nicely, you can fit it in a thim box and it doesn't take long to set up.

sallyvh said:

The canvas is completely waterproof.

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I would disagree with the above statement about Midwest cages. I have used them in the past with fleece bedding on top of carpeting. When my pig's water bottle leaked, the carpet underneath got soaked. This eventually led to a mold problem. If its temporary, I guess it doesn't matter, but I am completely unwilling to risk mold around my pigs.

*Keep in mind, I live in South Florida, and the problem occurred while living in an old rental with faulty AC. This may have contributed to the problem, but I'd still take extra water-proofing steps if you live in a humid environment.

The Midwest canvas bottom is treated with a waterproof coating which can wear off over time. You can re-treat it after a year (with something like duck back which is slippery or something like an outdoor fabric sealer) but most of those are semi-toxic and would need constant re-doing. If I were using them permanently I would put Coro in them

I used Midwest cages for over two years with fleece liners and never had any moisture issues. Mine stayed completely waterproof, absolutely no leaking or any other problems.

sallyvh said:

I used Midwest cages for over two years with fleece liners and never had any moisture issues. Mine stayed completely waterproof, absolutely no leaking or any other problems.

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Weird, I must have absurdly bad luck! I had been using two Midwest cages (brand new) for around 4 months while saving money for C&C cages, and by the time I deconstructed the cage to get the C&C, the whole patch of carpet underneath had darkened. I also have had leak issues with C&C cages... but that was when I had my two boys (Peanut & Bean aka the Legume Family) who had a habit of letting water stream out of the bottle while drinking. Maybe it was a fluke *shrugs* I'd still keep an extra liner underneath Midwest if you worry about your carpets.

The liner really needs to go up the sides of the cage a little if you want it truly waterproof. Otherwise, the water can just seep off the edges and ruin the floor.

One of my sows is a very sloppy drinker and the other sow uses the water bottle as a toy when she's bored. I put extra puppy pads under the bottle when we travel.
This may not be the magical solution for me. I think I'll try to simplify the cage liners for my temporary c&c instead of spending the extra money on a Midwest cage.

Thanks for all your input.