Midwest Midwest cage - easy to keep the bottom clean and lasting long?

[Frode789]

So I've looked a bit on cages, and found the midwest cage to be interesting. So far:

Midwest cage can be folded flat, which is nice. And that really shows in terms of shipping costs, as it is a lot cheaper to ship (~55 dollars) then C&C cage. However, as for cons: Canvas bottom? Hard to keep clean? This is what I am most skeptical about. I'd love some opinions on people who have this cage.

(As for C&C cage, best cage type probably, but is heavy and can't be folded, which makes it very expensive to ship (~150 dollars), and finding the materials here has proven to be difficult.)

 

[MochaAndMoo]

The canvas is much more difficult to clean than a coroplast bottom. It also stinks after a while and the cage isn't sturdy.
Why not make a C&C alternative? You could easily gather the materials from a hardware store. You could replace grids with a dog playpen and coroplast with a waterproof shower curtain. All up it would be cheaper than a midwest.
@Varcoda lives in Norway, maybe she can help out.

 

[Frode789]

The canvas is much more difficult to clean than a coroplast bottom. It also stinks after a while and the cage isn't sturdy.
Why not make a C&C alternative? You could easily gather the materials from a hardware store. You could replace grids with a dog playpen and coroplast with a waterproof shower curtain. All up it would be cheaper than a midwest.
@Varcoda lives in Norway, maybe she can help out.

Thanks. Yeah I am also looking at alternatives. I just recently saw the midwest one and thought I'd ask to see the opinions on it. So far doesn't seem to be worth it then, I sure don't want something that is going to be hard to keep clean.

 

[aspecht]

Check out the alternative cages pictures. Tons of ideas in there! Instead of grids I've seen people use wire shelving.

 

[mamattorney]

I don't know how long "after a while" is with regards to smell, but I've had a Midwest cage for about 6 months with no issues - smell or otherwise. I don't even do a lot to clean it. Every once in awhile, when the guinea pigs are having extended floor time, I will spray the tarp with vinegar/water, wipe it down and let it air dry. I suppose you could machine wash it, I haven't tried.

I use fleece, I imagine keeping the bottom clean with bedding would be more difficult. If I used bedding, I would probably line the bottom with something impervious to moisture- maybe little kid plastic placemats, something inexpensive, that's for sure.

 

[agirlwithink]

I bought it, and instantly shipped it back. The canvas blows.
If you can find the grids (kmart or bed bath and beyond?) you'd be much better off!

 

[Varcoda]

HELLO! ( hi MochaAndMoo too!)

the grids needed for a C&C used to be sold at Europris in 2009-2010, now it's just about impossible to find. so instead i bought 'luftgårder' which ranges from 180-260nkr at petstores or slightly cheaper here (broken link removed)

coroplast is harder to find for sale, but a friend in norway managed to get some through a friend working in a sign business. i had my coroplast mailed to me from abroad and it's not too bad if you're having it on a flat hard surface and securely taped together !
this is the initial result of my cage, eventually i built the second floor better and moved the kitchen up there
this is slightly above the 2X4 requirement but i have NO idea on the price. Found in Tam Lade in Trondheim.

good luck on your cage

 

[Varcoda]

oh and of course another option is to go to Ikea, buy a bookshelf and build a cage with the parts. i find most norwegians are very handy at building things if they want to, so perhaps there's someone you could ask to help build you one

 

[Frode789]

Hi Varoda

The grids are nowhere to be found. I tried NO Staples, as US Staples has them. But of course, no luck.. I can get the coroplast from a sign shop nearby though. And I don't want to use 400 NOK on shipping them from UK.. As for the large cage, my local pet shop has a 120 cm x 60 cm cage for 1100 NOK. Don't have space for the ikea shelf cages (most I've seen) I will probably try with the luftegård items

Also @ mod: Why is this in Netherlands cat.? I'm not from there...

 

[Frode789]

Will I need to use anything other then standard bedding on the correx base? (I don't use fleece) To keep it clean and lasting long.

 

[lissie]

Don't know who moved it to Netherlands category. I've moved it to About Cages.

 

[Golden2404]

I don't know how long "after a while" is with regards to smell, but I've had a Midwest cage for about 6 months with no issues - smell or otherwise. I don't even do a lot to clean it. Every once in awhile, when the guinea pigs are having extended floor time, I will spray the tarp with vinegar/water, wipe it down and let it air dry. I suppose you could machine wash it, I haven't tried.

I use fleece, I imagine keeping the bottom clean with bedding would be more difficult. If I used bedding, I would probably line the bottom with something impervious to moisture- maybe little kid plastic placemats, something inexpensive, that's for sure.

I totally agree. If you take proper care of the cage it shouldnt smell whatsoever. I use bedding so its a bit more difficult to clean but it not to hard. All i do is spot clean a little every day and once every 1 to 2 weeks i completly clean the cage. I put gloves on and scoop most the bedding out then i unstrap it from the cage, empty it out the rest of the way and wipe it down with some vinegar/water just like above. Its a little more difficult to clean it if you use bedding but that would be the same with a c&c cage. And if you want to make it sturdier use some zip ties at the corners and put some coroplast over the canas. It really helps. Just place it on a hard surface and it should be fine.

 

[CavySpirit]

Because I get a lot of emails and phone calls from people with cage questions and issues, that one-on-one feedback never sees the light of day. So, because this post is current AND because I just got this email from a customer, I thought I would pass it along:

"I have 2 guinea pigs that we adopted/rescued this week and the Midwest cage that they came in smells! I have washed everything, but it just wreaks.
Thank you."

This person just wanted to know when the orders she just placed would be shipped. I get a fair number of these kinds of comments over time.

Who knows how well or poorly the previous person took care of their pigs. We can assume poorly. But feedback nonetheless.