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jesterphi

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Hi! My name is Kathy. I'm the proud momma of three children and my youngest got two new pets in February...guinea pigs. I've never owned guinea pigs before and your site has been invaluable to me in learning how to care for them. I finally got up the nerve to join and it took me another week to finally post, but here I am! :) We got our piggies from a very wonderful lady who was in the habit of rescuing piggies. We have two females, Thelma and Cuddles. Their ages are guesses because they were rescued. Thelma was found with another female in a plastic bag in a park! ;-; Since we have had them awhile, it has become apparent that Thelma is pregnant. I have confirmed that Cuddles is a girl, so she must have become pregnant prior to our adopting her. I will probably be on here often for support in taking care of a pregnant piggie. In the meantime, here are some pics of these adorable cuties! Thelma.jpg
This is Thelma.
IMAG0809.jpg
This is Cuddles.

They stopped getting along, so I had to move them to separate cages. :( I'm eagerly awaiting my grids to make my first C & C cage. Although I have been unable to locate any coroplast. I'm hoping to have the cage done before the little ones come. I'll be posting many more photos soon as I have become entirely addicted to these amazing little creatures! :D
 

doganddisc

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Beautiful!! Thelma is so unique looking!

Regarding coroplast, it took me forever to find a good supplier when I made my second C&C cage. The sign store I had purchased it from had closed down a few years before. I did find a place that would sell it to me for $40 a sheet and had to do a lot more digging to find a tiny local sign shop that was happy to hand it to me for $20.

Do you have any sign stores in your area? You can Google something like "Hartford, CT sign shop" (I live near Hartford so this is what I did) and you should be able to find something!
 

jesterphi

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Ironically, I've only tried Googling coroplast! I'll give that a try tomorrow. What size coroplast do I need for a 2 x 5 grid? Also any idea why C & C cages are always 2 x ? instead of 3 x ? or other sizes? Does it become unstable if it is more of a square shape?
 

doganddisc

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Most people keep them in 2 x ? because 2 cubes is about an arm's length. Cavies tend to runaway from the hand that reaches to pick them up so anything wider than this can be a bit of a hassle. But there are plenty of people who have a 3 x ? and 4 x ? (etc) cage. If your cage is on the floor you can make it as large as you want! A cage on a stand will be a little more difficult to clean if it is too wide.

I'm not sure how much coroplast you need- I'm sure somebody else can answer that. I usually just buy a full sheet and measure out what I need.
 

Rach84

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I have a 3x cage (3x5) - an my dad kindly made me a stand for it although it would be easier to clean on the floor! But I have access down each side so I clean one half then go round an do the other half. Catching little piggies can be hard sometimes especially as my little Buzz is so skittish! But I have a box I can trap them in for easy access.

As for correx I had a sheet that was 4ft x 8 ft that was exactly enough to do my 3x5 with a 1x3 loft an a ramp! But my sides are only 3 inches which isn't enough for when your pups arrive - you'll need at least 6 so they don't get stuck in the holes! Xxxx
 

Varcoda

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Coroplast is a brand name. Correx is also a brand name. They're all called corrugated plastic :) maybe that would help with your search!

I'm shocked to hear Thelma was left in a plastic bag with another piggy! i can't believe people would do that! :mad:

it's a pity they aren't getting along, but perhaps next time they'll get better :) since adding new piggies (babies!) to the group can reset a group dynamic, there's a small chance they can all live together. best of luck :D
 

MochaAndMoo

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Welcome to the wonderful world of piggies Kathy!
It's great that you are looking into a C&C cage. With the girls not getting along, maybe re-introducing them with a new living environment will help, two sows in a small living space doesn't equal to good things. Also, only ever separate pigs if blood is drawn or if one is being picked on to the extreme point of loss of weight, otherwise it is probably dominance issues that they can sort out themselves.
:)
 

adelore

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Welcome to the Forum. Your girls are so adorable...I too just love piggies. Wow, the story of your girls is heartbreaking....why would anyone do such a thing to such a sweet animal? Yet, I know there are people out there who just don't care. Thankfully you now have the girls!!!!

I'm not sure where you are from, but if you have a Home Depot nearby, they sell corrugated plastic. Someone on this forum was even kind enough to post Home Depot website. I believe it sold for 17.00 for a full sheet, (full sheet is 4foot by 8foot) or that is a close guess, it wasn't any more than that. I'm not sure what colors they have.

I got my corrugated plastic from the cage store on this site. They have many colors and it ships really fast. I'm going to include a picture of my cage. It has the black grids on the bottom, and then I used two play areas for the top level. My top level has a top to it, the open very easy.
Guinea Pigs 039.jpgGuinea Pigs 046.jpg
 

jesterphi

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Unfortunately, I had to separate them because Cuddles was fighting over food and not letting the pregnant momma eat. I put them in a larger cage (a Midwest Guinea Pig Habitat) and had two separate hay bags and food bowls. I hoped that would take care of any issues, but the fights continued and I was concerned that Thelma wasn't getting enough food. I was also told by someone that Cuddles might be violent to the babies when they are born because of these issues, so I thought it better to be safe than sorry.
 

jesterphi

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Welcome to the Forum. Your girls are so adorable...I too just love piggies. Wow, the story of your girls is heartbreaking....why would anyone do such a thing to such a sweet animal? Yet, I know there are people out there who just don't care. Thankfully you now have the girls!!!!

I'm not sure where you are from, but if you have a Home Depot nearby, they sell corrugated plastic. Someone on this forum was even kind enough to post Home Depot website. I believe it sold for 17.00 for a full sheet, (full sheet is 4foot by 8foot) or that is a close guess, it wasn't any more than that. I'm not sure what colors they have.

I got my corrugated plastic from the cage store on this site. They have many colors and it ships really fast. I'm going to include a picture of my cage. It has the black grids on the bottom, and then I used two play areas for the top level. My top level has a top to it, the open very easy.
View attachment 45918View attachment 45919

I love, love, love your cage!!! Your piggie is adorable!
 

jesterphi

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I'm in Nebraska and my Home Depot does not carry corrugated plastic, except in tiny sheets. I was so disappointed to find out that they do not carry it. I'm working on finding a sign store locally that will sell me a sheet large enough.
 

Sagebrush Mom

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I had the same problem with Home Depot in Idaho - no corrugated plastic. I did find it at a local sign store for $25. Two sheets worked great for my 2 level 2X4 with the 1X1 ramp section and I had leftovers to make hay racks with.
P1000480.jpgP1000481.jpg
 

jesterphi

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What do you use to get the front to open and close like that?
 

Sagebrush Mom

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I originally used zip ties as hinges (as you can see in the picture). I am gradually replacing them with small black decorative hinges that I zip tie to the cage. I would have replaced them all by now but Lowes only had 4 packages in stock when I was last up there and Home Depot didn't have any. I'll post a pic of them in a minute.
 

jesterphi

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I get the zip ties, but what do you use to keep it closed. Zip ties are not removable. Do you use a binder clip to keep the "doors" closed?
 

Sagebrush Mom

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Here's a few pics on the hinge/ latch construction. I use velcro strips for quick latches, but I reinforce them with binder clips when we are not home. I'm still trying to find something better for latches, but I haven't come up with anything yet.
P1000507.jpgP1000509.jpgP1000510.jpgP1000511.jpg
 

Sagebrush Mom

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Forgot to say, the zip tie pictures are the original construction that will be replaced. Those pictures are of the lid for the cage - I overlapped grids for strength and I made the lid in 2 sections -each 2 grids wide, for ease of use.
 

jesterphi

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I have cats, so I have to make sure that the cage is secure. Do you have a pic of the velcro strips and binder clips?
 

piggiepigpigs75

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if you live near a home depot, they usually sell large sheets for $12( i got mine there)
for coroplast
 

jesterphi

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if you live near a home depot, they usually sell large sheets for $12( i got mine there)
for coroplast

My home depot does not carry them. :( I already checked.
 
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