C&C A few questions...

[Cocoa]

Okay, so I have 2 piggies. They are currently in a 2 x 3 C&C cage because it has to be elevated (I have dogs) and the only stand we have is barely big enough for that. They have an L-shaped loft that is a total of 4 cubes.
So basically it looks like this:
XX
OX
OX
where the Xs are where there are 2 levels and the Os are 1 level.
Right now they can't use the upper level because we don't know how to make a ramp that doesn't take away too much room from the main level b/c their home is already kind of small.
We have a few extra grids and are willing to modify the loft so it works with whatever ramp we end up using.

Should I just pull off the top level entirely to make it easier to access? Or do you have any suggestions for ramps? Or a completely new cage design (still 2 x 3)

Also (totally off-topic but it's easier to post it all in one thread), but do you have any tricks for making your pigs more active? My piggie is 2.4 lbs and I don't know if that's normal. She looks fairly chubby...especially compared with my brother's who is 1.5 lbs. Btw she's about 1 year old or a bit older.

 

[bpatters]

My two females are close to three pounds each, and neither is particularly chubby. I wouldn't worry about 2.4 pounds.

You can minimize the space that a ramp takes by not having it go all the way to the floor. They're perfectly capable of jumping a few inches to get to the ramp, unless you've got senior pigs or some with arthritis or another crippling condition.

Also, if you take a look at my profile pictures, the ramp to my cage is totally outside the cage. When that picture was made, the ramp was made of black drainage tile, but it was hard to clean. I changed to PVC pipe and like it much better. I have long fleece pads that run down the length of it to give them more traction.

 

[Cocoa]

Thanks! I was worried because my piggie is so much bigger than my brother's...
This just occurred to me, since you mentioned they could jump, is it possible that you could make some sort of loft that they jump onto, instead of needing a ramp? It would obviously have to be lower, but how low specifically? And how would you make it(assuming it's actually possible), and could they go underneath it?

Oh and if I choose to go with a ramp, could I make it with spare grids covered with something? How do you bend them?

I couldn't see your pictures, I'm on my phone and it's being really weird today, but I think I have an idea of what yours looked like.

One more thing, do your pigs freak out when you try to clip their nails? Mine do, sonI was wondering how to relax them more when I clip them. Do you have any specific type of clipper or way of holding the pig? I've tried both human nail clippers and the guillotine-style ones. She's a little more relaxed with the guillotine ones, but still not really.

 

[Cocoa]

Ack! Just realized that it's not possible to do an outer ramp dude to the fact that they're in a corner between a (unmovable) bookshelf and a non-operational fireplace. If I was to make the cage bigger and on the floor, could you make a lid from the grids? If so, how?

Wow, this really isn't just a few questions anymore, sorry! I think of one and five more flow out after it...

 

[lissie]

You can make lids from closet shelves. Look in photo galleries for ideas.

 

[bpatters]

Yes, you can make a lid from grids. It helps if you have something the width of the cage to stabilize the grids. You can use a wooden 2x2, which is actually 1.5x1.5 (go figure!). There are pictures here of a cage stabilized with them: New, Bigger Cage - Guinea Pig Cage Photos.

To bend grids, put one on the floor in front of you, with the crosswires on the top side. Make sure the opening in the outside perimeter wire is between your big toes. Put your feet on the grid up to the point where you want to make the bed, then grab the top of the grid and pull up toward you. This method will (supposedly) keep the crosswires from popping off, and will let it bend where you want it to.

Nail clipping at my house is a two-person job. One person holds the pig and applies the carrot to the mouth and the other one cuts the nails.

Mine easily jump six inches to get into the top tunnel and to get on top of their step stools, and I assume they could jump higher than that if they wanted. But you can also put a brick down to make a step for them if you want. I'd think if the loft is 6-8 inches with a couple of bricks for stepping stones, it would be fine.

 

[Cocoa]

Yeah, cage issue mostly resolved. I have removed the top level and made a number of changes to make it roomier and they are enjoying it very much! My piggie is popcorning, even though she really hasn't in about 3 months. May add a loft or fleece forest later, it depends. I know that my brother's pig altleast can jump, I gave her a bath today and she nearly jumped out of the tub! I'll try giving them food when I clip their nails next and see if that helps. I don't know why that didn't occur to me earlier because my piggie is VERY food motivated.

One last question though, how do you avoid cutting the quick if their nails are dark/black? I haven't had any issues yet, but I'm also not sure if I'm cutting the nail far enough.

Thank you so so much for your help! All of a sudden I was getting really stressed about the pigs and you helped a LOT!