Building my first C&C cage tomorrow, suggestions please?

[Deenanicole08]

Ok, So I found a girl on craigslist, who aparently used to have guinea pigs, and she said she had tons of grids for C&C cages she was giving away for free!! So I jumped on that IMMEDIATELY. I pick them up tomorrow and I still have time, but I'd like to have the cage completely assembled within 3 weeks, since I get a new piggie on monday, and when I start to introduce them, and house them together (givin that they get along, if not I'll have to divide the cage) I want them both to be in new homes that way my girl now does feel like someone is intruding, since it wont be hers first. (if that's a bad idea let me know, I thought it was good, but I came up with it on my own with no known success stories to back it up)

But my questions are, Do I need the connectors? or will zipties be just fine? The girl I'm getting them from just threw all the connectors away when she got them cause she said she couldnt get them to stay on so she always just ziptied them. is that sturdy enough? I'll need to put a top on it cause my cat sleeps in my room because my other cats bully her, so I'm her protector when she's in the house lol (during the day she loves being outside), and although she's great around my pig and I trust her when I'm in there and awake for him to be out around her, I gotta sleep sometime, and I wont be up and watching her at every moment like I do now.

Any suggestions on cage designs, connections, anything will help me out alot, since i'm a first time C&C cage maker


Thank you

 

[sammy_kaye]

Congratulations on choosing to build a C&C cage. I built my 2x4 with 1x2 loft in about 3 hours all up. I used only cable ties. It seems a bit flimsy at first but once the correx is in then it is study as.

I have 2 cats one who loves sitting and watching on top of the cage. I used grids zip tied to cover the back half of the cage, I also added a wooden dowel support. You can also use piping or a bent grid. I like to have the support as the top tends to bow a bit. The cat is unlikely to fall in but better to be safe than sorry. Then I have cable tied the rest of the grids so that they can open. I use binder clips to hold them closed. I leave those grids so that I can have 1 or all open.

Hope this helps. Looking in the galleries was most helpful with my first cage.

These are the links I used.
https://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm
https://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/507
https://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/504
https://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/533