Sturdy Cage?

[joywa03]

Hello Everyone! I am a new cavy owner and am building my first c&c cage. I was ecstatic to see that I could provide her with more room to run around in (instead of being stuck in that cruddy old pet store cage). So here is my question...

I bought some coroplast and have ample cubes (from previous storage needs) at my disposal. My boyfriend's mother suggested that I take the plastic connectors off of the bottom of the structure and just set it on top of the old tray from the old pet store cage. The tray has old urine residue stuck to the bottom (from previous owners...I can't seem to get that stuff out of the corners) and the lip that is supposed to keep the wire top on is cracked in a few places.

When she suggested this I thought that taking the connectors off of the bottom would take away some of the sturdiness of the "walls" because now they are only connected at the top. Would that be true? I wanted to build up and so there would be a couple of stories. I wanted to make sure that the foundation that it sat on would be sturdy enough to hold the weight of whatever I put on the upper levels. What do you think?

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[lissie]

If you build on top of the old tray, wouldn't that limit the size to the same size as the petstore cage?

Some people only use cable ties on the cage and no connectors. You will need lots of them though. I like using both connectors and cable ties.

 

[joywa03]

Yeah, the problem is that we don't have that much room. So I bought enough coroplast to make a bigger bottom. But even if I go with my original plan and make a c&c cage, the bottom of the cubes need to be secured, right? With zippy ties or the little plastic connectors?

 

[lissie]

How many pigs do you have? When counting floor space, only the largest level of the cage counts.

If you use connectors on top and only cable ties on the bottom, the sides will be uneven, just go with both or only zip ties. You can also reinforce with wood beams. I'm typing on my phone other wise I'd post a picture.

 

[joywa03]

We have a bunny and a piggy.

I've been looking at the pictures of cages that you guys have. Some of them are really amazing! Like little piggy condos. All they are missing are the ocean views. I've been taking little ideas from this one and that one... The wooden beams for reinforcement sound awesome. Thanks!

 

[Kimberly713]

Well I would aim for building two 2x4 cages. Stack them on top of one another. Make it 3 levels high, the bottom two can be one big open one for your bunny with maybe a 2x2 loft he can jump to. And the very top can be for your piggy. A 2x4 would be big enough for your bunny, and for two pigs since they need a cagemate. Hopefully you aren't housing them together? That would be very unwise.

I too was thinking, if you used to same tray as the petstore cage it'd be the same size no? Then what would be the point? If your bunny is litter trained you may not need coroplast for his cage, I've seen people who have tile and just lay towels so it isnt too cold or whatever. The pigs will need coroplast though.

Oh and I would get like a few hundred zip ties and veto the connectors all together. They don't make very sturdy cages and are either too loose or are too hard to get on.

 

[lissie]

Here are some 3d drawings for rabbit/piggie cage combo. You can look at them for ideas.
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/about-cages/53606-cage-designs-plans-5.html#post513681
https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...eisgn-my-rabbit-honest-please.html#post517921

Here are some pictures




Here's the support beam.


A 2x4 cage is a good size to start with. I wouldn't make it any smaller than that for a bunny.

 

[joywa03]

The piggy and bunny are not in the same cage. They are neighbors though. Guinea sits upstairs and bunny gets to bang on the ceiling with a broom when she parties too hard.

Those are awesome cages! I am so impressed. I will definitely take some tips from all of them when I build hers!

Thanks so much! You guys are soooooo helpful!