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cleaning the C&C cage?

penpal

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As a mom of two younge boys, it's my job to clean the cage for our "Buddy". Now that I'm about to make a 2x3.5 cage I won't be able to carry it down to the basement to wash with soap and water like I do now... How do you clean the cage throughly with out soap and water and a tap to rinse?? All of your advice is greatly appreciated.
 

mrs_eads80

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Cleanning my cage

well I just carry the tray outside and put the old bedding in a compost pile. Then I spray it down with the water hose. If there are perticulary tough spots I use a rag with soap. My cage is a 2x4 grid. It is a little difficult getting the tray out the door.( I usually put it on top of my head (8 ) But not really all that hard
 

CCcages

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I recommend scooping out all the bedding with a dust pan and brush. Leave the cage right there where it is. Vacuum out the dust from the leftover bedding thoroughly. Fill a spray bottle with 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar. It's a very effective and safe disinfecting/cleaning solution for the piggies. Spray down the inside of the cage and wipe with paper towels or a rag. For stubborn spots, use a scrub brush. If the coroplast is cleaned regularly, it will last indefinitely.
 

mom to cujo

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Discovering the vinegar/water mix to clean the cage was such a time saver. No residual odor and the cage gets clean in a minute or so. Anything for my piggie!
 

penpal

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Cage cleaning

Thank you one and all for your reply.....you have saved me from alot of work.

Thank you to all who have posted to this site.... The information that you have given me about these little cavies is invaluable. I have learned that they are much more complicated than originally thought and I look forward to the lessons on life that they will teach my children about nature...
 
cavylover
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critterzma

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Is the coroplast strong enough....

I'm wondering if the cage bottom really is strong enough to pick up to discard the bedding. The easier the clean-up, the more likely my guys will do the cleaning. I am not able to due to a back injury, but I would love to build a larger cage for our 3 piggies.
Thanks for any help/suggestions!
 

CCcages

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Sure. The coroplast is extrememly lightweight, but very durable. Just make sure the method you use for securing the flaps is strong. For a larger than 2 x 3 grid cage bottom, you might need two people to hold each end to carry it (not because of the weight of the coroplast, but the awkwardness of not tipping a large bottom with bedding in it). But, yes, you can definitely count on the coroplast being sturdy enough to carry with the bedding in it.
 

LiciaMommycott

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Use b/w newspaper for easy bedding removal

I'm with one of the above posters. Small brush and dust pan to sweep the cage and the vinegar/water spray bottle for cleaning. However, to make it easier to get the bulk of the bedding and hay out of the cage first, this is what I do....

Line the cage with 4 layers of newspaper (avoiding colored pages). I put about an inch of carefresh bedding in the corners they tend to pee in. I put a generous amount of hay all over the rest. When it's time to clean the cage, I roll up the newspaper with the bedding inside and toss it. Then the dust pan gets the remaining bits and the vinegar cleans it. This makes cleanup easy.

Question though... I'm skimping on the bedding because it is pricey and needs changing often. Instead I'm VERY VERY generous with the hay since I can buy it by the bale and it's very very cheap. However, is this OK for my pigs. Is bedding a requirement?
 

critterzma

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Thanks for the information! Very much appreciated.

Just wanted to say thanks for the information. We're looking forward to getting our piggies into a bigger cage. Sam is a grandma, loves to have her tummy rubbed; Tabs (used to be Tabitha) is a grandpa, he comes when he hears his name, and sweet little Gimly is just like her mother Sam. It'll be fun to see what they do with all that space!
 

cornhill

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cleaning cages

critterzma said:
I'm wondering if the cage bottom really is strong enough to pick up to discard the bedding. The easier the clean-up, the more likely my guys will do the cleaning. I am not able to due to a back injury, but I would love to build a larger cage for our 3 piggies.
Thanks for any help/suggestions!
I built corplast inserts for both of my cages. I just pick up the inserts and take it to the trash can and dump it. Then I clean them and start over with layers of newspapers, then a good thick layer of pine bedding. Then I sprinkle Baking Soda over the bedding. Then I toss in a big batch of Timothy Hay and spread it out. I bought 6 bales of pure Timothy Hay from a horse farm in Virginia Beach, a big plastic bin from Lowes, so I have plenty of hay. My piggies love it. I also toss in every day, a handfull of the storebought bags of the green Timothy. They act like kittens on catnip with that.
 

mrs_eads80

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LiciaMommycott said:
Question though... I'm skimping on the bedding because it is pricey and needs changing often. Instead I'm VERY VERY generous with the hay since I can buy it by the bale and it's very very cheap. However, is this OK for my pigs. Is bedding a requirement?
Ohh yeah using Timithoy Hay as bedding is fine. Bedding is not required
 

cornhill

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bedding

mrs_eads80 said:
Ohh yeah using Timithoy Hay as bedding is fine. Bedding is n
ot required
Also, bedding helps soak up their wee, so I recommend it. I buy lg bags at K-Mart. It's not expensive.
 

aimeeinohio

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cleaning

I just tkae the bedding out, sweep it with the little broom (I got a little broom/dustpan together at the dollar tree), spray it with vinegar & water, wipe it dry, and refill with bedding and pigs.
I actually like it better. the old cage we had I would take the top off and take the bottom down to the basement to clean it in the sink. what a pain in the a$$
Aimee
 

LiciaMommycott

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After trying without bedding, I'm convinced bedding is needed. They hay just got all wet and needed to be cleaned too often.
 

LiciaMommycott

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Illustrated Cage Cleaning

Ran into this page which illustrates exactly how I clean my cage. The pics are very slow to load but this shows an easy way to clean.

(broken link removed)
 
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