C&C Cage Alternatives

[Susan9608]

Hello All. After visiting this site, I very enthusiatically set out to build some C&C cages for my pigs. They were a lot harder to put together than I anticipated - those cube systems don't go together very well without some help from plyers! And it ended up being rather pricey - I paid $35 for 2 packages of the cubes, and then I paid $105 for the coroplast to make 3 bottoms.

I need to conserve space, as we live in a fairly small house, so I had the three C&C cages stacked on top of each other. That doesn't work too well - these cage systems are not very stable and tend to bow inwardly with the weight on top. When the bottom ones bow inwardly, the top ones don't quite fit, which creates more instability. To counteract this, we ended up with cable ties all over to try to wrench the cubes back into place. We also had to cable tie all three of them together so they wouldn't slide off. Of course, when it came time for cage cleaning, cutting all those cable ties off was not small feat.

The size of the coroplast bottom for a 2x3 grid cage is rather unwieldly when you're trying to get it outside to dump the litter. More often than not, I ended up with a huge mess on the floor because of spilled litter (and they are heavy when filled with litter!). It was also extremely unwieldly to have to lift off the cube systems from the coroplast bottoms every time I needed to clean the cage (I clean them every 3 days). Litter also gets caught in the spaces where the coroplast is folded over, and gets stuck to the tape, so that has to be replaced fairly frequently. The spacing of the bars on the cubes was also large enough to permit hay to fall out from the hay racks and to allow the pigs to kick their litter out of the cage as they ran around the cage. This was a vacuuming nightmare.

So I decided that I had to have a more low-maintanence system. My dad and I built 3 cages that are the same size as a 2x3 grid C&C cage, but they are made out of wood and 1/4" wire mesh. These cages are much more asthetically pleasing and much more stable, so we're able to stack them without fear of anything toppling over. The wire mesh is close enough together that bedding can't fall out and the amount of hay that falls out is minimal. These cages are also designed to allow you to slip the bedding pan out through the door, rather than having to lift the whole system up. I used the same coroplast bottoms to slip in the cage - we're still looking for alternatives to this. My dad made this cage with the same dimensions you'd use for the C&C cage, and we got enough wood pieces and wire mesh to make 3 cages for about $10, so it was considerably cheaper as well.

I think the C&C cages are much better than store-bought cages; however, there are some drawbacks to them that I think people should be aware of. There are also alternatives out there that are just as cheap and easy to make. I"ll have to post some pictures of my cages.

 

[loves2travel]

how on earth did you pay 105 dollars? I paid only $9 for my sheet of coroplast!

 

[Susan9608]

how on earth did you pay 105 dollars? I paid only $9 for my sheet of coroplast!

I paid about $35 for a sheet large enough to create the bottom for a 2x3 grid cage. I bought the coroplast at FastSigns, as that was the cheapest place in our area. $35 x 3 cages is about $105.

 

[loves2travel]

well, im sorry the C&C did not work out for you.

 

[Susan9608]

well, im sorry the C&C did not work out for you.

I think the C&C cages are really a very good idea, and perhaps I'm one of the few that had the problems I did with them. When I was first reading about them, however, I didn't see much in the way of disadvantages, so I ended up spending a lot of money on something that didn't work well for my particular living arrangement. In order for people to make informed decisions, they should know both sides of the coin, which is why I shared the drawbacks I encountered with the C&C cage. I realize, of course, not everyone will have a handyman father who can build cages for them, and I realize that not everyone will have the space constraints and such that I have in my house; therefore the C&C cages might be perfect for others.

 

[ice_on_fire]

i paid about $32 for the bottom of 2x3 C&C cage in a craft shop here in auz.. i thought that was a rip off.!!

 

[CCcages]

I think most of us use a dust pan and a small hand broom to remove old bedding, clean out the bottom with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water, then replace the bedding. It's really not necessary to lift the grids or the coroplast.

Also, the coroplast should be folded so the flap goes on the outside of the cage. That way it's a smooth seam in the corner. There's no tape that would go on the inside.

What I don't get, though, is how you wanted to "stack" three levels of the same size cage. How would you have gotten to the inside of the first two levels? Any 3-level C & C cage is going to be unstable unless you use some sort of other support.

But since your space was limited and you had to stack them three levels, you were wise to use a wood structure. I couldn't tell from your description, but did he use the wire mesh for the floor? You said you used the same coroplast bottoms, but there's a bedding pan you can slide out? I'd actually like to see some of the pics of the cages that your dad built. Sounds really nice. Please post some of the pics when you can.

 

[kennethlhm]

I got my coroplast 4" x 8" sheet for RM27 only. Convert to USD is about 7+.

 

[Susan9608]

I think most of us use a dust pan and a small hand broom to remove old bedding, clean out the bottom with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water, then replace the bedding. It's really not necessary to lift the grids or the coroplast.

Also, the coroplast should be folded so the flap goes on the outside of the cage. That way it's a smooth seam in the corner. There's no tape that would go on the inside.

What I don't get, though, is how you wanted to "stack" three levels of the same size cage. How would you have gotten to the inside of the first two levels? Any 3-level C & C cage is going to be unstable unless you use some sort of other support.

But since your space was limited and you had to stack them three levels, you were wise to use a wood structure. I couldn't tell from your description, but did he use the wire mesh for the floor? You said you used the same coroplast bottoms, but there's a bedding pan you can slide out? I'd actually like to see some of the pics of the cages that your dad built. Sounds really nice. Please post some of the pics when you can.

I don't quite understand how you use a dustpan to sweep out the litter since the sides of the coroplast box are about 6 inches high. How did you sweep the litter out? I made three separate cages, not a three leveled cage; I needed separate cages to keep my males and females separate. I stacked them on top of each other, with each coroplast box resting on the roof of the cage below it. It was extremely unstable.

To get inside the cages, my dad and I created a door out of one of the grids; rather than attaching that grid with the connectors, we simply used some slightly loose cable ties and used some bungee cord with hooks to keep the door closed. Therefore, to clean the cages, I had to lift the whole grid system off of each of the coroplast boxes.

My new cages are made of wire mesh encased in a 2 and 1/2 inch wood frame. The wire mesh covers 4 sides and the top; the bottom is essentiall open except for a few wooden slats that run from front to back so the cage doesn't rest directly on the table. My dad hinged the front side of the cage and put a hook on each side of it, so to open the cage, I simply unhook the front, and pull it down. Then I can slide the coroplast box into or out of the mesh encasement. I'll have to take some pictures and post them - I'm afraid I'm not describing this very well.

When I made the coroplast box, I did fold it so that the folds were on the outside, as was the tape. However, my pigs tend to use the corners of the cage as their toliet area, and wet bits of bedding worked it's way into the seam where the wraparound part covers the other end. Those little pieces got stuck in the tape that held the thing together; hence I have to change the tape frequently. I sense I"m not describing this well at all, either. I don't have a litter pan inside the coroplast box - I simply fill the coroplast box with the bedding material.

 

[mncavylover]

You just scoop it up and out of the cage. Did you use grids on the bottom of each coroplast level? If you did, then you wouldn't have had a problem. Also, coroplast isn't always that expensive. Sounds like you'll have the same problem with cleaning with the new cage as you did before, if I'm not mistaken. I agree that these aren't perfect, but my cage works really well.

 

[Susan9608]

You just scoop it up and out of the cage. Did you use grids on the bottom of each coroplast level? If you did, then you wouldn't have had a problem. Also, coroplast isn't always that expensive. Sounds like you'll have the same problem with cleaning with the new cage as you did before, if I'm not mistaken. I agree that these aren't perfect, but my cage works really well.

I didn't have a door on the C&C cage big enough to allow me to effectively scoop and clean it without lifting the entire cube system off. My new cages have the whole front panel as a door, so I can simply open the door, and slip the coroplast box out to dump and clean. It's still a pain to deal with the coroplast bottom, but I haven't found an acceptable alternative yet.

I agree that the C&C cages are a good idea, and if I did not have a father willing to devote so much time and energy into making different cages, I'd probably still be using them. I am by no means trying to say that they are bad cages or not worth trying. I just thought people should hear a few of the drawbacks others have encountered; I know I would have appreciated hearing some of the "cons" when I first considered making them.

 

[mncavylover]

Ok, I get it now. Thanks for the clarification! =)

I agree that they aren't perfect. You could have made the c and c cages work, but it's great that you've found new cages that are even better!

 

[CCcages]

I don't quite understand how you use a dustpan to sweep out the litter since the sides of the coroplast box are about 6 inches high.

LOL - Well, not sweeping with a long handled broom (although some people do that by slicing maybe a 12" "drawbridge" sort of thing in order to do just that and they just put the flap back up and secure it with the tiny binder clips), but scooping up and out with a dustpan and tiny handbroom. Discard it in a bag that you can carry away easily.

I stacked them on top of each other, with each coroplast box resting on the roof of the cage below it. It was extremely unstable.

Yeah, three levels is not advisable. It IS extremely unstable with that many levels of that size. C & C cages really aren't suitable for three levels ~ especially the same size over the same size. One and a half story type is probably the maximum safety. And even then, if you look the photo galleries, you may need a PVC pipe for support.

so to open the cage, I simply unhook the front, and pull it down. Then I can slide the coroplast box into or out of the mesh encasement.

Oh ~ sort of like a dresser drawer? That's cool. However, you still would then have the issue with carrying the box outside as you were doing before, no? And the bedding getting stuck in the corners issue must still be present. Try the dustpan and handbroom scoop method. (The type of handbroom I'm talking about is only about a 12" little broom that comes with the dustpan). If there's any extra little pieces of bedding in the corners, vacuum it out, spray, wipe dry, and replace bedding.

I hope you'll be able to get the pics up of that structure. Sounds like it might have nice qualities for stability while still using the coroplast bottom for the piggies. (it almost sounded like you had the piggies feet on the wire mesh floor there for a second).

 

[mncavylover]

Cool ideas! Thanks, Sue. =)

 

[NoVeil]

I need to conserve space, as we live in a fairly small house, so I had the three C&C cages stacked on top of each other. That doesn't work too well - these cage systems are not very stable and tend to bow inwardly with the weight on top. When the bottom ones bow inwardly, the top ones don't quite fit, which creates more instability. To counteract this, we ended up with cable ties all over to try to wrench the cubes back into place. We also had to cable tie all three of them together so they wouldn't slide off. Of course, when it came time for cage cleaning, cutting all those cable ties off was not small feat.

I have 4 levels of cubes that make up 2 cages. The bottom is the stand, on top of that is the bottom level of 2x4. The 2x4 has an upper level of 2x2. On top of the 2x2 is an almost 2x3. It is incredibly stable, I can move it without anything coming apart to sweep behind it. I did use cable ties once it was built to reinforce it and to be sure that I could move it easily.

Since the grid system I used is designed to hold up to 50 lbs, there is no bowing from the cages.

The 2x2 upper deck is not cable tied because I take off the top to clean the cage. Prior to the boys cage being there, there was no top. I have never had a problem. I have bumped the upper cage when doing things and it has never come close to sliding off. It is not an ideal situation, I had not planned to have a third cage but when we got a mis-sexed boy, we had no choice but to add the third cage. There is a picture of the larger cage in my photos, just picture an almost 2x3 sitting on the top to get an idea of how it looks.

Sorry it didn't work out for you.

Where did you get your grids from? Mine came from Target.

 

[Susan9608]

I got my grids from Target as well. Now that I have the wood/wire mesh cages, I am using the grids as a giant surrount for floor time. I slightly loosely cable-tied them together in a giant circle; when it's floor time, I move my couch and coffee table, set up the surrount,a nd let the pigs run loose in there.

 

[ChadWPB]

I paid $9 a sheet and had to buy five sheets, but only to score the free delivery. If I settled for white coroplast I'd have paid $7. I also paid $40 for 2 boxes of grids. Add $16 for some extra connectors as well.

After several reconfigurations, we ended up with two 3x4 cages and two 2x5's. Four huge cages for roughly $100, and easy to build to boot! I'm generally all left thumbs when it comes to anything handy, but I was more than able to put these cages together.

If you paid $105 for 3 sheets of coroplast, you got robbed!