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C&C Help me design my cage

crystalllynn

crystalllynn

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
55
Ok, so I currently have Jolly, who is in the petstore cage until tomorrow morning. She is recovering from surgery and it was recommended by the vet to keep her in a confined area for about 24 hours so she could rest. I'm going to be adopting a total of 2 more females over the course of the next couple of weeks. No introductions, of course, until after quarantine. That will give her plenty of time to recover. Now, to my cage. I am fostering 2 females now, so I currently have 2 separate 2x3.5s staggered on the dresser. Jolly was in the bottom and the 2 fosters in the top. The fosters will be going back to the rescue before I get the other 2 sows. I will be wanting to make a 2x4 or 2x5 for all 3 pigs after introductions and everything. Here's the deal: I have a dresser that was originally made to be a changing table on the top, so I have a lower area and an upper area. I have room on the bottom for up to a 2x3.5 and then I can go across the top of that one with up to a 2x5. I can't go any longer on the bottom because the upper level of the dresser is in the way. I am looking for a cage big enough for 3 females that would be easy to clean. I was thinking doing a 2x4 or 2x5 on top with a 2x2 kitchen on the bottom. My only problem with that is ease of cleaning the kitchen area. If I did it that way, I could just incline the end grids on the kitchen area and make a ramp to the main 2x4 (or 2x5). I wouldn't have to fashion a complicated ramp because of the upper level of the dresser. It would be easier to build the access to the bottom. The raised part of the dresser is about 1 1/2 grids wide if that helps any. I have a storage organizer tower next to the dresser to help support the whole setup. Is there anything else I could tell you that could help visualize. My hubby has the camera, so I can't give you pictures.
 
How many grids can you go without support? I'm wondering if I move the dresser to the other wall and build the biggest part of the cage on a stand and have one end resting on the dresser. The problem would be that the dresser would be opening toward the cage, so I would need enough room under the cage to open the drawers without part of the stand being a barrier. Does that make sense?
 
leyley904
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leyley904
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I understand what you are trying to do, however, I don't get why you don't built the whole cage on a C&C stand and avoid the dresser problem. Is it a space issue?
I would not leave more than one grid without support, it gets a bit wobbly, however, I have seen members write about supporting the construction with wooden dowels for stability. Maybe that will work for you?
 
Yes, the dresser and the cage would make an L. But I just had another idea. Gosh, I wish I had my camera. This would be so much easier. The way it is now, try to picture this: The room from left to right-My daughter's bed, at the foot of her bed is the storage drawer organizer stand, then the dresser which goes the rest of the way to the wall. I'm thinking what if I move the dresser to the wall opposite my daughter's bed. That would free up the whole area between the end of her bed and the dresser. I could do an L-shape with the cages. It would be a 2x3 lengthwise at the foot of her bed, then a 2x2 leg to form the L. It would be far enough away from the dresser so we can still get to the drawers and I would get back the top of her dresser!

To clarify (maybe), the 3 grid part of the cage would be the length of the foot of her bed, then the 2x2 would be against the same wall her bed is. It would be about 27 inches from the dresser drawers, so should be plenty of room to get in them.
 
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It's a space issue. The whole cage, stand and dresser won't fit in the area between the foot of her bed and the wall. It won't fit if I do a 2x4 straight across, but I could do a 2x3 with a 2x2 leg in an L. Would that be good for 3 sows?
 
The minimum size for three sows is 10.5 square feet. Your cage would be a little over 12.5 square feet. 13.5 would be the preferred size, which is a 2x5 grid cage. I don't know if it would be big enough for three sows because giving it an L-shape will take away from the lap running space. You really only have the 2x3 grid area to do laps, which is too small for 3 piggers. Maybe somebody else can give more advice. i would think it was big enough for two.
 
I'll have to do some measurements and see if I can fit a 2x3 with a 2x3 leg instead of just a 2x2 leg but by the time I add the hay, food, and hideys, it still won't be a clear area for laps. Oh my, this is complicated. lol
 
I could maybe do a 3x3. How hard would that be to keep clean? I use fleece.
 
It's not that hard. You can use the vacuum hose extension if you can't reach the end. My cage has a lid and is sometimes a bit hard to clean. I take the fleece out, shake it off outside and put it back. i find that quicker than vacuuming.
 
I have a 3x4 & it is pretty easy to clean.
 
I just measured and the area I have to work with is a square area measuring 37" x about 42". The 42" I could go over by an inch or so, but not too much since that's the walking area between 2 beds.
 
Ok, so my new dilemma regarding cage design is this: I finally figured out the dresser issue, but I like having a separate area with shavings for a hay room. The problem with that is that my husband has to walk right by the hay to get to my daughter's bed. He doesn't like the smell. I need to move the hay to the back of the cage so it isn't "right there" when you walk by. The cage is now a 2x3.5 with the 1x1 hay room off of the side. I could leave it as a 2x3.5 and just use about a 1x1 area of the main cage for the hay area, which would take some of the main area away from the piggies or I could move the cage up 7 inches and make the cage a 2x4.5 or 2x5. The problem with this is that the top of the cage would be too high for me to just reach in. I would have to use a step stool to reach the cage well. The floor of the cage would be 39 inches off the ground. Do you think that is too high?
 
Well, I'm 5'11", my cage is 15 inches off the floor, and each floor is 16 inches tall. So the second floor is 31 inches off the floor, and it's a real stretch for me to be able to clean it.
 
crystalllynn said:
The problem with that is that my husband has to walk right by the hay to get to my daughter's bed. He doesn't like the smell. I need to move the hay to the back of the cage so it isn't "right there" when you walk by.
Click to expand...

I don't understand why moving the hay would help. If it's in the same room, it's going to smell if it smells. Moving from the front of the cage to the back of the cage should not make any differences.
Are you using a hayrack? If you keep hay on the cage floor, it will smell bad very quickly when peed on.
 
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