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C&C Pimp My Cage - the everlasting project =)

MommaOfFour

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I FINALLY found some time to post some pictures of the cage (or made the time after [MENTION=28226]Traysea[/MENTION] encouraged me to) which has been a project that's been going on for a few months now ^^ I know I've talked a lot about it in other threads but pictures are easier than having to describe everything.
I did a cage expansion as well as switching from washable puppy pads to fleece and wood pellets in the kitchen/potty area. the current size is 4 x 6 grids (each big panel you see is 28" long and 1.5 regular grids high) with a 1 x 2 kitchen add on that includes the tray of a store bought cage.
it takes up the whole dining room but everyone is happy with it and hubby and I eat on the couch all the time anyway lol

if you have any questions or ideas for improvement, let me know! =)


Pimp My Cage:

what we started with:




switching to fleece for the first time:




after adding all the accesoires and kitchen supplies:




new/current cage size (I had the idea of the expansion before I could get more matching fleece and then Joann ended up not having anymore of the same :( that's why I used the washable pads until I could get more of solid red fleece). the litter tray is in the far right corner, the canopy (sometimes they use it as a hammock) is covering it up in that picture)





Arthur (left) and Bruce (right) checking out yet another beer box hidey (they are VERY popular with those guys and give hubby and me excuses to have a couple beers lol) I put newspaper and then hay to make it last a bit longer.






new cage with my favorite fleece design, I love owls! :) the box on top is usually not there, this pic was taken towards the end of cleaning session, that's why there's not a lot of toys in there yet either. the igloo is usually in the far left corner and I put a box with wood pellets topped with hay where the hay rack is for them to munch and lounge and burrow. right now they have a second cardboard house towards the far wide side with a towel on the bottom topped with shredded paper to play in. I take it in and out since it's kinda big and I don't want to limit the space for them to run around.





what do ya'll think???? I have to admit I like it hihi :)
 

Talking Cavy

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Wow......... that's is all I can say it looks awesome! Can you come and do mine! :D LOL!
 

pinky

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Looks GREAT! I have a double decker 2x4 and a 2x5 in my dining room and it's saved me from having to have the Holidays here.... ha ha
 

MommaOfFour

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@Talking Cavy : Thanks! will do! haha, when do you want to meet up? ^^ I love building and remodeling their cage, it took me a whole afternoon to do this because I didn't draw out the design up front I just kind of knew I was going to make it bigger and went with the inspiration that came with doing it.

@pinky : thank you as well! that DOES sound like an amazing cage set up as well! =)


The only thing.... I'm kind of not satisfied with what the far right corner looks like..... the uhaul is up there to give them a more secluded spot together with the canopy and an attempt to keep in the warmth in part of the cage since there's that huge window on the other side. it's so funny seing them all eat together sometimes since the cat's dishes are right outside the cage on that side.

Right now I just use the upper level for towel storage - it's only 1 grid wide so I dont think it would be big enough for an actual loft? no idea what to do with it. any ideas?

also, has anybody tried a second level with a 4 grid wide cage or a corner upper deck/patio? the far left corner looks so empty, it's screaming for an add on but don't know how to do it? :-/

I always worry they don't have enough room to run but now that it's so big they get tired after 2 rounds of zoomies lol
 

Talking Cavy

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@MommaOfFour Don't worry they have enough room to run and run their hearts out! lol But I think its a good idea for a patio! so it doesn't look emty like you said but make sure they still have tons of space to run!
 

Traysea

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Wow it's HUGE!!! It looks great!! I bet they would like a nice looong patio not just for the variety, but also for the extra sense of security the overhang would provide. I think if I was doing it I would keep it kinda low at about 14-16" grid height. You could build it as a free standing structure, like a patio on a stand that was attached to the back wall. The higher the patio the longer the ramp has to be so the incline isn't too much.

So many options in a cage this big :O) It looks like it would be a lot of fun for them!!
 

pinky

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You could do a low corner loft. Just get wooden dowels or old shower curtain rod (if it fits between the wire sides of the cage) to support it. You can get coroplast from your local election headquarters that would probably be big enough to fit there. You might not even need a ramp if it's low enough for them to jump up and down from.
 

Inle_Rabbit

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I like how you used a big puppy pen to keep the guinea pigs in. It even has a door!
 

MommaOfFour

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@Traysea : It sounds likea GREAT idea but also very very difficult to figure out.... I'm kind of intimdated by the idea of building upwards and don't know how I would have to put support bars etc. to make it stable without taking up too much bottom room or making it too hard to clean. don't think I can just drill a large wood base for a loft onto the wall since we're in a leased apartment and while we can hang up stuff, we also have to close up the holes before we leave. I do like the idea though!!!

@pinky : for the corner loft... what would I use to support the coro? is there anything like triangle shaped grids? then I could do a corner fleece forest with a little lounge area on top. or try to use multiple square grids to make a wider corner area.... oh oh, I think I have to go grid shopping on the weekend. haha, thanks for the inspiration! how do I fix a rod like support sturcture between corobase and loft? or would I go across and underneath the loft base?
I'm always amazed by multi level cages but I never really understand it.... :-/


[MENTION=19358]Inle_Rabbit[/MENTION] : Thanks! =) I felt pretty smart at the time I got it. I had been looking around the cage store for a couple weeks but could not get the hang of grids (now that I actually used them to close off the cage on the right, I really was worried for no reason lol, it was a total "duh!"-moment). I also liked that the panels are high enough for the cat to not jump in but still low enough for me to get inside the cage easliy to clean - which is why I also like the door ^^
it's also cool because changing the set up is a lot easier than with grids that are zip tied together. the puppy pen panels are easier to move around.
 

pinky

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@Traysea : It sounds likea GREAT idea but also very very difficult to figure out.... I'm kind of intimdated by the idea of building upwards and don't know how I would have to put support bars etc. to make it stable without taking up too much bottom room or making it too hard to clean. don't think I can just drill a large wood base for a loft onto the wall since we're in a leased apartment and while we can hang up stuff, we also have to close up the holes before we leave. I do like the idea though!!!

@pinky : for the corner loft... what would I use to support the coro? is there anything like triangle shaped grids? then I could do a corner fleece forest with a little lounge area on top. or try to use multiple square grids to make a wider corner area.... oh oh, I think I have to go grid shopping on the weekend. haha, thanks for the inspiration! how do I fix a rod like support sturcture between corobase and loft? or would I go across and underneath the loft base?
I'm always amazed by multi level cages but I never really understand it.... :-/


[MENTION=19358]Inle_Rabbit[/MENTION] : Thanks! =) I felt pretty smart at the time I got it. I had been looking around the cage store for a couple weeks but could not get the hang of grids (now that I actually used them to close off the cage on the right, I really was worried for no reason lol, it was a total "duh!"-moment). I also liked that the panels are high enough for the cat to not jump in but still low enough for me to get inside the cage easliy to clean - which is why I also like the door ^^
it's also cool because changing the set up is a lot easier than with grids that are zip tied together. the puppy pen panels are easier to move around.

Depending how wide the space is between the wires of the sides of the cage, you can use wood dowels or something similar. Your coroplast can sit right on top of it. Or you can get plywood, cut it in a triangle and drill holes along the side and use zip ties to hold it to the sides as a base for the loft. You can add coroplast or a piece of linoleum on it to water proof it.
 

MommaOfFour

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Sooo.... first of all: merry Christmas to all of you!
I finally found some time to start working on improving the corner of the cage as we talked about before. For now I made a 2 grid wide fleece forest with a long potty pad underneath and a no-sew pillow per tutorium from [MENTION=28226]Traysea[/MENTION] I think it was yours? I used double uhaul surrounded by fleece. I also.added a small cat litter box as hay box undermeath the hay rack to minimize spilling hay everywhere
They seem to like it so far! Bruce isn't sure about chilling under the forest yet but arthur loves to nap and hide veggies there lol and they both seem to really enjoy playing in it, they run back and forth under it, so adorable! Hehe

20131224_155040.jpg

20131224_155054.jpg
 

Traysea

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Looks awesome!!
 
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