Ideas for cage extensions!!!

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Magician

Post   » Sun Apr 15, 2018 6:38 am


New thread over exciting development for Aladdin; he is now most definitely getting a bigger cage. I need to save up for a bit and want to think for a bit on how to do this as my bedroom is not exactly huge. But whilst I'm saving, and thinking, (and cuddling a guinea pig), hit me with ideas for huuuuge indoor cages, please!
Current cage is a bit bigger than a 2*5 c&c and sits on the bottom bunk of my bed. I didn't like it size wise for 2 piggies: it was too small in my opinion and didn't provide a particularly varied environment for exploring as it's just a flat rectangle. (I am very much proudly of the opinion that bigger is usually better (except in very exceptional circumstances.)
A larger c&c would be an option; a hutch behind the c&c with the coroplast and doors both cut off to allow entry would also be an option. A stack of smaller petshop cages on one end in a tower could also work. 2 more c&c cages (one above and one below) could work too, but that would mean compromising my house rabbits' living space which I'm not terrible keen on doing- though admittedly they do have 82.5 sq. ft - and I think it would be quite hard to clean out.
Anyway, what have you used personally to make very large interesting indoor cages and/or what do you personally think is best?
Pictures would be very helpful too.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Apr 15, 2018 9:37 am


There are thousands of pictures of cages in the Photo Gallery over at Guinea Pig Cages -- https://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/

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M1dn1ght

Post   » Wed Apr 18, 2018 2:35 pm


Magician:

I have a Midwest Guinea Habitat for my two boars (8 square feet) that's their "home base." I purchased an inexpensive pet playpen and one of those $20 rolls of cheap indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot, then laid some 20 mil plastic in sheets on the floor just outside their Midwest cage. Then I laid the carpet down on that and clipped the ends of the playpen to opposite corners of the Midwest cage.

The great things about this setup are:

1) The playpen is foldable, so I can configure it into different shapes and angles to make their space more interesting for them and more flexible for me.
2) The living area is large enough that regular cleaning can be accomplished with the hose of my vacuum cleaner.
3) About once a month, I can throw the carpet outside on the patio and hose it down, then let it dry in the sun. During these deep cleanings, I can shut the door to the Midwest cage and keep them there until their rug is dry.
4) The plastic underneath keeps liquids from soaking down into the room carpet.
5) I can leave the door to Midwest cage open so they have access to their playground anytime.

I also have an assortment of PVC pipe lengths and connectors, cardboard boxes, and scraps of untreated wood that I can use to build play features for them. Every time I do a regular cleaning (every other day or so), I can rearrange the play features so they have something new to explore.

They are loving life in this setup, which gives them a total of about 30 square feet of living space, and it didn't take much at all to put this together.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:04 pm


That sounds like a great setup, M1dn1ght! Do you have any pictures? If you have a nice clear picture, you could send it to me and i'd be happy to add it.
Image

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Thu Apr 19, 2018 1:38 am


This is my setup:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h-QJt4toYg&t=2s

This is how many in people in the Dutch area of Europe make cages: revamp an old, deep enough, bookcase:
https://myalbum.com/photo/eXgWr76zor6t/med.jpg

crowcrash

Post   » Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:05 pm


I second Midwest if you don't do a C&C. If you catch them at the right time on Amazon, they're dirt cheap (with Prime shipping).

I have three boars, so I needed a lot of room to keep them from fighting. I rigged a knock-off Midwest to my other two and it's worked perfectly. It's an ugly but functional setup; the pigs are in our plans for moving to a bigger house so that the cage can be on the floor in their own area.

Image

sharkbaithoohah

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2018 6:06 pm


If you want to give a lot of space, I would do a cxc. You can configure it to so many shapes. I am an in agreement of the bigger the better and I have my three, a neutered male and two females, in 2x9 L shape. So they have 2x7 running space with a offset 2x2 kitchen area. If you have enough length, you can add plenty of hideys/tunnels to make it fun for them. More running floor space is better then levels.

If the cage is not along a wall you could also consider making it a 3 grid width. Those can be a bit of hassle to clean though, which is why you would want it with both sides open.

If you do like midwests make sure you take out all the dividers/ramps to maximize running space.

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