Unhappy With Store Cages

I totally agree with you, pet store cages are appaling. They are overpriced, pretty coloured prisons and no animal should have to spend its life confined in one.

C+C cages on the other hand are cheaper, bigger and more versatile. I have used cages, hutches and home built wood and wire pens in the past but now I have a c+c there's no going back, I love it.

As with all animal cages the bigger the better, so I would say see how much room you can spare and build the biggest cage you can fit/afford. 2x4 grids is the recommended size for 2 piggies, although because you have boars "bigger is better" is even more relevant.

As for which to buy, I would suggest that you buy the materials and make a cage yourself - the cubes and coroplast should be quite easy to find. I suggest measuring your space and working out how big a cage you can fit. Then work out how many grids you would need (most grids measure 14 inches). You can then work out how much coroplast to get. Getting the stuff yourself is really handy as you make the caeg however you want it, e.g. exactly the right size and shape.

About most cages not having lids.... Guinea pigs are ground dwelling creatures that don't usually climb. Lots of guinea pigs living in open c+c cages never escape, although there are exceptions sometimes. Lids are mainly used to keep other pets out, rather than the guinea pigs in. So if you have dogs/cats etc you might want to make a lid so they can't hurt the piggies. You can see photos of closed cages (those with lids) in the gallery.

Good luck with your new cage, keep us informed what you decide to do!

Very interesting.... I have read about how you make it on your own - but I don't know, I'm not very.... Um, Construction Saavy lol :melodrama

But the idea seems really cool, and much more appealing then the ones that you see in stores (Seriously, if I were in a cage, I would not be happy in such a small confined area!)

I am heading out the door now - but when I get home later, I will read up on it and see about making one myself.

Thanks :cheerful:

I'm not savy either but it was very easy to do.

As someone already said, go to: Cubes and Coroplast

On that page they have a link to where you can find the materials in your area... basically people who have found the materials in THEIR area post where they found them. So do a search for ALL (both cubes and choroplast) in Texas.

It doesn't look like there are any postings before July of last year, so nothing recent, but I would start by CALLING the locations mentioned in your area first and asking if they have it in stock. For us, we drove around to like 5 places and couldn't find any in the places people said it had been in stock... then called one place near us to ask if it was in stock and voila. So save yourself the driving and just do some calling around. Building a cage was SO fun and the piggles made happy noises when we put them inside.

Build as big a cage as you have room for, 2x4 is best (we have a tiny apartment and had to do 2x3 but plan to move and make a bigger one in a few months). As a side note, if you do have a ramp/more than one story make sure the ramp is very sturdy and lined with some sort of safe! rug/carpet type material (we found a 100% cotton bath mat with no plastic backing and cut up that). If they don't have a good carpet-like traction then they won't go up the ramp-- we found that out!

Good luck!

The CC Cages may seem intimidating but they really are much easier than they appear. I am not construction savy at all either. I am ungraceful and probably even dangerous with a hammer or pair of scissors. HAHA And I am so totally unimaginative when it comes to things like that!
I gathered up my grids and coroplast with no real plan or idea on what I was going to do. I just sat down in my floor and started connecting grids and zipping cable ties until I had a rectangular cage started and I built from there. I don't think my cage turned out bad at all, and it took me only about 2 hours. I have built several cages since then.
If the grids intimidate you too much, or you can't find them, you can also use metal closet shelves/racks.

The best place to get grids if you have one near you is Target.
Coroplast can be found at sign printing shops.

If you are just dead set that you can't do this on your own, you can always buy a CC cage kit. Sue sells plenty of them and is a reliable source. She is a member here, but here is her ebay cage listings: (broken link removed)

If you're having problems finding materials or really aren't confident about cutting the coroplast properly, you can also buy grids, coroplast trays, or whole kits from Sue here: Sue's Cages on Guinea Pig Cages

I think the only difference in getting the materials and doing it yourself or ordering one is that you have to cut/score the coroplast yourself. When you order a cage, you still have to assemble it. The coroplast does come scored and folded, but you still have to tape it to make the tray and you still have to put the grids together.

I am not sure where in Texas you are, but try Regal Plastics. They have locations in (broken link removed) | (broken link removed) | (broken link removed) | (broken link removed) | (broken link removed) | (broken link removed) | (broken link removed). I am in Austin and I pay $10 for a 4x8 sheet and if I give them the measurements they cut it free. Then you just have to score the sides to fold up and tape. (The one in Austin has $20 dollar minimum so I usually get 2 sheets when I am there.)

I get my grids at Target. They run $14.99 for a box of 23 grids and enough connectors to make a 6 cube storage unit. Sometimes you can get them on sale or with extra grids. They are with the organizational and shelving stuff. The one I go to has them in Black, Blue, White and Chrome (which are a little higher $$)

The best thing about these is you can redesign anytime you want and if you buy extra coroplast while you are there, you don't have to make another trip. It really is easy to store. Slide it between your couch and wall or under your bed or behind your clothes in your closet or between the head or headboard) of your bed and the wall. And I don't throw any of the scraps away regardless of how small. You never know when you might need just a tiny piece for something ( like the treads on my ramps).

Good luck. Be sure to post pictures of the finished product.

You didn't mention other pets than a bunny. If this is it, then not having a top on the C&C cage is no big deal. I also like putting my cages on a folding table. It keeps them off the floor and it is easy on the back when messing with the pigs and the cage.

Hey there - yes I have 3 cats actually... The cats are really never around the piggies unless I am there (the piggies are upstairs, the cats downstairs, the bunny downstairs in her cage) --

The cats actually really take very little interest - my cats actually are intimidated by my bunny I think, and they run from her. LoL

But I do know that cats are the top of the chain and bunnies/piggies are prey for cats in the wild -

So for that reason, yea I'd want to have a top anyway - but I'd just all around feel safer with a top. I would want it to be a bit higher though, and I saw a few pics on here of a cage with a top that was higher (and not so flat-ish)

I am going to start gathering stuff (info, supplies, etc.) - I plan on making the cage during the time one of my piggies is getting better, and then I will introduce my 2 piggies and when the house together (hopefully it'll go smoothly!) then I will introduce them to the new cage.

Thanks everyone!