Cage Cage ideas???

[GUINEA PIG GURL]

Hey people!!!
im trying to plan ideas for a c&c cage! my dad thinks that the jumbo pet cage i got at petsmart is the perfect cage. WRONG. so scince he wont buy the materials for the c&c cage, im on my own.

On to the questions...

i have two guinea pigs, Blackie, and Gilbert. and right now the are living in a jumbo rabit cage (with guinea pig stuff in it, of course!). AND I NEED TO GET THEM OUT OF THERE ASAP!! so i need some cheap ideas on how to get the supplies, and putting it together, saftey tips, and so on.

i guess my first question would be, how big does it have to be for two adult guinea pigs? i was goind to try to make a 2x4 or 2x5 because im short on room in my house. But i want whats best for the guinea pigs!!!

2, how expensive would it be to make a C&C cage? i hear its not that expensive but when i looked up the materials i needed, i found abslautly NOTHING. AT ALL. and when i did find something like coroplast or cubes they were well of $60 for one thing.

3, so that leads me on to my next question... WHERE DO I FIND THIS STUFF SO ITS NOT EXPENSIVE?!?!? i cant find anything here in st. louis mo. and i really dont want to pay shipping either. but if it comes to that.. i might just do it anyway.

4, i hear and see alot of people useing fleece fabric for the bedding/flooring, i am using bedding right now, and it is so hard to clean up the poop, and i cant find any because its all buried under bedding! so then my house smells bad. Is fleece a good alternative for bedding? is it easier to clean? will it stink up faster? is it ok on their nails/feet? how often do you wash fleece?

lots of questions

now on to the ideas!!

i need to dog proof it, so i thought of useing extra cubes to make a stand, but that would cost alot more money. (at least thats what i think). then i tried to find cheep card tables. NOTHING. Do you guys got any ideas on how to dog proof it?

THEN I NEED DESIGN IDEAS! i dont know what my design should be!! should i have a second level? a third level? IDK! i would really like it to be open so my piggies dont feel trapped. but is that an option when dog proofing?

i would also love it if you guys posted pics of your cages so i can get some ideas!! it would really help!! and i thank you all in advance!! even though i will probably thank you again!lol

 

[NarwhalsRock]

Before I start, if you have any questions, personally message me, or quote me or mention me (dont' forget the @ right before my username), so I can get back to you! I will post pics soon!

In St. Lous, it should be pretty easy to find stuff for C&C cages. But...

I went to walmart.com, and got 2 boxes of grids (they were in pretty colors!). I also had them ship the grids using Site to Store for free. That's about 45 grids, give or take a few. With 2 boxes, I made a 2x5, a 9 grid play pen, AND a lid for the 2x5. ALSO, I had enough for 2 hay racks, with 4-5 grids left over. Those 2 boxes cost around $40. But, try to get a coupon, or wait for a sale if that's a bit too much.

You'll need about 200 cable ties to make everything. Yeah, you're going to need about twice as many as you think. That's cost you about $5, for all of them.

Finally, the Coroplast. Go back in time D), and use the phone book. Just call around to any of the sign shops in your area. Say something along the lines of, "Hi, I'm making a guinea pig cage, and was wondering how much a standard piece of 4'x8' Coroplast would cost?" If it costs too much for you're comfort zone, ask "Well, in that case, do you have any scrap? I'm not picky cosmetic-wise." Generally, pieces of Coroplast that have a dent, are overstock, misprinted, cut wrong, scraped, little hole (can be patched with duct tape), etc are classified as "scrap" If they have scrap, tell them the size you're looking for. (For a 2x5, at least 36"x80") Many will charge you much less, or even give it to you for free! Call around until you find the best piece for the best price. For the best pieces, until you are sure which one you want, and ask them to put aside the possible piece until you get back to them.

I would suggest a shower curtain instead of Coroplast if it is still too much, but since you need to have it dog-proof, that's not an option...

As for fleece, it is wonderful for piggy feet! It would be like going from the forest floor, where you sleep, eat, walk around, poo and eat, to a plush carpet. Much nicer all around! I use old bath towels, to catch liquid as the fleece wicks away the urine. After a few washes, the fleece will let the water pass through, and onto the towels. A lot of people like to use U Haul furniture pads (not mattress!). You can sew a liner, so there are 2 pieces of fleece, with a layer of U Haul pad in between. You should wash about once a week, with about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of white vinegar. Shake out the old hay, poop, and anything else before you wash, and try to brush/wack off the bits of hay and hair.

For poop, spot clean with either a Dust Buster or a dust pan and broom. It takes about 2 minutes, and makes the cage much neater looking, and clean! I personally don't bother to spot clean before I wash, as I just shake it out onto the compost pile. Saves me a LOT of work!