C&C Alternatives Dog Crate

[Little_Critters]

Okay so this is my first post so HI!!!! I am an owner of two guinea pigs who are 6 months old!!!! I wanted to convert my dog crate into a new cage for them, the spacing on them is 1.5 inches and I don't know if that is too big (they are 6 months^^^). I would also like to add a shelf if anyone has ideas Thanks and I'm pretty psyched about making and account

really hoping i did this right....

 

[lunarminx]

How big is the crate?

 

[bpatters]

You just need to make sure their heads are too big to get stuck in the holes. Otherwise, you'll have to block them with something.

 

[kraizy randoms]

Welcome to the forum, I have only made c&c cages, but maybe a guinea pig safe wood could make a shelf? I would suggest searching for patios and upper levels, there's a lot of good ideas on the search results.

 

[PiggyMommyWendy]

Does your dog crate come with a divider (or can you purchase one for it)? If so, maybe you could fit it to hang from the side bars of the crate as a shelf. You may have to cut it down/resize the divider and obviously cover it to make a shelf/platform. I've never tried this, but if it works it would be great repurposing of your dog crate! Good luck with your project!

 

[pinky]

Can you post a photo of it so we can see how long and wide it is? I've never seen a dog crate large enough for a guinea pig cage but I could be wrong. The bar space is too wide for pups and since the space is 1.5 "wide" and not 1.5x1.5 like a square opening, I don't even think it would be suitable for an adult since they could probably squeeze their heads between the bars. The other problem is that crates open from the front so it would be really hard to clean the cage.

 

[MochaAndMoo]

1.5 is too large for an adult. The cage restrictions say that any bar spacing greater than 3.8cm (1.4 inches) is potentially dangerous.

 

[jennyngan]

Here's some ideas:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/83483-Newbie!
(broken link removed)

 

[pinky]

I measured the spaces of my 9 space grids and the opening is 1 3/8" which is 1.375" compared to the 1.5" space of the crate. I didn't measure the crate so I don't even know if that's an estimate or an exact measurement. I wouldn't risk putting guinea pigs in there.

 

[Little_Critters]

You just need to make sure their heads are too big to get stuck in the holes. Otherwise, you'll have to block them with something.

Wht would you block them with??

 

[Epiphaneee]

My husband built our Frankencage out of 2 dog crates like we have for our Great Dane, making it 2.5 ft by 8 ft & we just love it. The crates came with "roll up" doors on one side & "swing open" doors on the end. Now that the crates are attached, we aren't using 2 of the doors. My husband offered to add a loft -- using the extra doors as its base. Or with proper support, we could easily zip tie in some C&C grids as the base. Given the configuration of the crates, their doors & how it's all put together, we have a cage that opens up nicely & has really great access for cleaning & such.

So it's definitely possible to make a great piggy cage using a dog crate. Plus, with a little creativity, you should be able to add a shelf without any big problem. Dog crates do vary quite a lot, though. So you will want to make sure that what you create ends up being a completely safe, roomy & comfortable home for your piggies! On that note, I will say that the Frankencage was kind of expensive -- much more so than a C & C cage of equal size. All other things being equal, have you considered getting/building a C & C cage? So many people have them & love them. And it sounds like they are a great way to save a few bucks, so more $$ for extra fleece, hideys or your piggy-vet fund. Welcome & Best of Luck!

PS. Bonus Thoughts: The "giant crate" option is plenty tall enough for a 2nd floor & since a crate is self-contained, if you need a closed cage, the "lid" is already in place. Here's a quick pic for ideas. (That's my girl Emmy checking out the very first cage liner I made for them.) I'm a sewing nOOb, so please just ignore that part. haha

 

[PiggyMommyWendy]

Wow, what a great cage! Looks like Emmy is enjoying it! Are those firefly or dragonfly lights strung up there?

 

[lunarminx]

My husband built our Frankencage out of 2 dog crates like we have for our Great Dane, making it 2.5 ft by 8 ft & we just love it. The crates came with "roll up" doors on one side & "swing open" doors on the end. Now that the crates are attached, we aren't using 2 of the doors. My husband offered to add a loft -- using the extra doors as its base. Or with proper support, we could easily zip tie in some C&C grids as the base. Given the configuration of the crates, their doors & how it's all put together, we have a cage that opens up nicely & has really great access for cleaning & such.

So it's definitely possible to make a great piggy cage using a dog crate. Plus, with a little creativity, you should be able to add a shelf without any big problem. Dog crates do vary quite a lot, though. So you will want to make sure that what you create ends up being a completely safe, roomy & comfortable home for your piggies! On that note, I will say that the Frankencage was kind of expensive -- much more so than a C & C cage of equal size. All other things being equal, have you considered getting/building a C & C cage? So many people have them & love them. And it sounds like they are a great way to save a few bucks, so more $$ for extra fleece, hideys or your piggy-vet fund. Welcome & Best of Luck!

PS. Bonus Thoughts: The "giant crate" option is plenty tall enough for a 2nd floor & since a crate is self-contained, if you need a closed cage, the "lid" is already in place. Here's a quick pic for ideas. (That's my girl Emmy checking out the very first cage liner I made for them.) I'm a sewing nOOb, so please just ignore that part. haha

View attachment 64552

Very pretty cage and I love the lights too.

 

[Epiphaneee]

Wow, what a great cage! Looks like Emmy is enjoying it! Are those firefly or dragonfly lights strung up there?

Why thank you -- from one Wendy to another. haha So sweet of you to say! I think my hubster did a fantastic job & really love how their cage turned out -- especially on cleaning day. With those big doors & a fleece liner, changing it out is super easy. And our girls seem to like it, too. Although I can assure you, little Miss M far prefers it be stocked with a plate of piggy salad. haha

Yes, that's a string of dragonfly lights that I scored for my BDay. I think they're super cute. We hung them with the little blue "stars" up in piggy heaven. haha I know, I'm a total weirdo. It's just that having "fun" stuff in the piggy cage makes icky stuff, like cleaning it, a little easier to do.

 

[Epiphaneee]

Very pretty cage and I love the lights too.

Thanks to you, too @lunarminx! I really appreciate it.

 

[PiggyMommyWendy]

Nice to meet another Wendy here! I know exactly what you mean about putting the 'fun stuff' in piggy cages.... My daughter & I love shopping for the fun stuff & putting it in our piggy cages; it really does make cleaning a bit more pleasant! We've always had c&c cages (which are great), but your cage has made me start thinking about repurposing that barely-used/almost new dog crate sitting in our garage....perhaps attaching it to the c&c cage somehow.....

 

[Epiphaneee]

Nice to meet another Wendy here! I know exactly what you mean about putting the 'fun stuff' in piggy cages.... My daughter & I love shopping for the fun stuff & putting it in our piggy cages; it really does make cleaning a bit more pleasant! We've always had c&c cages (which are great), but your cage has made me start thinking about repurposing that barely-used/almost new dog crate sitting in our garage....perhaps attaching it to the c&c cage somehow.....

It's great to know that someone else adds fun stuff to their piggy cage, too. Who knows? Maybe it's the result of a superior Wendy-Brain. haha Seriously, though, like lots of the folks here, my world is very piggy-centered & I'm always trying to find ways to improve life for my little wheekers & make their cage more slave-friendly. And fun cage stuff is certainly part of that.

It's interesting that you mention integrating C&C cage parts & your retired dog crate. We actually started with that same concept. We had this huge crate which would have worked just fine with the addition of some Coroplast. It was kitty-proof & had easy access, plus the extra height that I really wanted. But we felt like it was too small on its own. My husband considered taking the end door off of it & then extending it with grids & zip ties. So it would have a longer length, but be the same height, width & depth as the original crate. It definitely would have worked. But the C&C addition wasn't sturdy enough when you added the kind of doors that we wanted. So we ended up getting a 2nd crate & going that way instead. But it definitely could have worked. I'm sure you'll be able to build an integrated cage using your crate. You'll just have to work out the details so that what you end up with is a safe & comfortable home for your piggies that also works for you. Please keep us posted. I'm really excited to see what you create!

 

[PiggyMommyWendy]

Superior Wendy-Brain....I like that! Thanks for the crate/cage info! Definitely not sure how our particular crate (a Midwest Pets medium size w/3 doors) would connect onto a c&c cage....I'll have to get the c&c set up first and take it from there.... At this point I'll just be happy getting our larger c&c here and getting it put together! Then we can start some serious piggy searching. I'll definitely keep you posted!

 

[Epiphaneee]

Superior Wendy-Brain....I like that! Thanks for the crate/cage info! Definitely not sure how our particular crate (a Midwest Pets medium size w/3 doors) would connect onto a c&c cage....I'll have to get the c&c set up first and take it from there.... At this point I'll just be happy getting our larger c&c here and getting it put together! Then we can start some serious piggy searching. I'll definitely keep you posted!

@PiggyMommyWendy -- Yes, please do! I get that you'll need some thinking time to come up with the perfect design. But with all that superior brain power on your side, I'm thinking that you'll likely get inspired while you're working on the bigger C&C. Really nifty ideas for incorporating your crate into this majorly awesome, one-of-a-kind, multi-feature piggy compound will just pop into your head & you'll be off to the races. WooHooo!

Wht would you block them with??

@Little_Critters -- You can off-set & then zip tie grids to the outside of your cage walls, or attach chicken wire to them. That will block the holes between the bars, making them small enough to be safe for the piggies.