spoonyspork
Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2004
- Posts
- 252
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2004
- Messages
- 252
After finding this site, I decided to ditch the dresser-cage I made out of desperation to get my two out of their teeny store-bought cage (one of them died VERY suddenly just before the bigger cage was finished though *sniffles*) and build a C&C one. I went with a 2x3 as I couldn't get larger pieces of coroplast in my car. It is freakin HUGE in comparison with even the dresser-cage. I'm glad I couldn't build bigger, 'cause it already takes up the only extra room I have in my apartment - my entire dining area!
Anywho, since I can't build out, I built up, and I'm a bit nervous as far as structure vs. cleanability goes. The 2nd floor, which is also 2x3, is simply stacked on top of the lower level, with nothing holding it on. Before I added the 2nd level, I just lifted the cage off the coroplast and swept everything into a bag, sprayed with vinegar, re-lined with crittercare, and stuck the cage back up. My plan was to continue doing the same thing, except now the 2nd floor has carpeting, so I could also lift off the second level and just put the carpet on the ground to clean with the wet/dry vac, and keep the piggy/ies in the lower level while it dries. The problem is, I have a small child and a cat, so I'm afraid of one of them knocking the top level off, but if I want to be able to clean the carpeting I can't connect the two levels. Has anyone else had to deal with this type of issue? What did you do?
Also, as far as actually getting into the cage to feed & spot-clean, what have you done as far as doors? When it was only one level, I covered the hole where the ramp would eventually go with a cube panel and zip-tied it on one side only so it swung open and shut like a door, and it worked perfectly. Now it's impossible to get to the bottom level without first removing the 2nd (and eventually 3rd) floors. I've been feeding him regular guineapig food on the bottom and fruits, veggies, and hay on the 2nd. How has that worked for anyone else? Have you resorted to just play area for the first floor and only food on the 2nd floor? When I add the 3rd floor (which will be the old petstore cage, so would only be about the size of a 1x1 with the hole for the ramp), I'm thinking of making it just a hay loft. It'll be small enough that I won't have the issues between the 2nd and 3rd levels like I am between the 1st and 2nd.
Sorry for the long post, and thanks for any advice!
Anywho, since I can't build out, I built up, and I'm a bit nervous as far as structure vs. cleanability goes. The 2nd floor, which is also 2x3, is simply stacked on top of the lower level, with nothing holding it on. Before I added the 2nd level, I just lifted the cage off the coroplast and swept everything into a bag, sprayed with vinegar, re-lined with crittercare, and stuck the cage back up. My plan was to continue doing the same thing, except now the 2nd floor has carpeting, so I could also lift off the second level and just put the carpet on the ground to clean with the wet/dry vac, and keep the piggy/ies in the lower level while it dries. The problem is, I have a small child and a cat, so I'm afraid of one of them knocking the top level off, but if I want to be able to clean the carpeting I can't connect the two levels. Has anyone else had to deal with this type of issue? What did you do?
Also, as far as actually getting into the cage to feed & spot-clean, what have you done as far as doors? When it was only one level, I covered the hole where the ramp would eventually go with a cube panel and zip-tied it on one side only so it swung open and shut like a door, and it worked perfectly. Now it's impossible to get to the bottom level without first removing the 2nd (and eventually 3rd) floors. I've been feeding him regular guineapig food on the bottom and fruits, veggies, and hay on the 2nd. How has that worked for anyone else? Have you resorted to just play area for the first floor and only food on the 2nd floor? When I add the 3rd floor (which will be the old petstore cage, so would only be about the size of a 1x1 with the hole for the ramp), I'm thinking of making it just a hay loft. It'll be small enough that I won't have the issues between the 2nd and 3rd levels like I am between the 1st and 2nd.
Sorry for the long post, and thanks for any advice!