Are these cages sturdy?

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Piggys_make_my_pockets_hurt.

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Hi I have four guinea pigs. Two female guinea pigs and two male Guinean pigs, the females and males are kept separate from each other.
Right now they are being housed in Midwest cages but I’m planning on buying the girls a 6x2 c&c cage. I would like to somehow connect the boys Midwest cage with the girl’s without the sides so they can run freely, I know it’s supposed to be longer but I need to make it into a square because I have a pretty small bedroom. I was wondering if anyone knew if the lids would still be sturdy enough and how to make it do they can sit on the cage, I have cats and dogs so I just want to be sure nothing will happen when I’m away from home.

Also are c&c cages sturdy? I plan on putting it on a table but I’d like to be sure the walls and lid won’t just collapse on them if my cat jumps on the lid or the dog pushes on the wall or lid.

Please let me know so I can make sure these are the right cages for my pigs, or if there’s anything to do to make them the right cages.
 
Welcome to the forum

I’m assuming you mean you want the boys to live in both Midwest cages on their own to give them more space? If so, then this is great as one Midwest cage is not big enough for a boar pair. Boars need a lot more room due to their more territorial nature. The recommended size for a boar pair is 180xx60cm or a 5x2 c&c cage (measures 180x77cm), whereas a Midwest is only 120x60cm or approx covering the floor space of a 3x2 c&c cage.

It isn’t supposed to be longer - it doesn’t matter if it is a square rather than longer and thinner - it’s overall square footage of floor space which is important
Boars need 12 square feet (or giving more is great). Two Midwest’s joined together would give them 16 square feet
Sows need 10 square feet or a 4x2 c&c (so giving them a 6x2 c&c would be great - it is approx 220x 77cm which is around 17 square feet)

You can put lids on C&c cages and I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t make a c&c grid lid to fit to a midwest. The grids need to be overlapped and cable tied together and support bars added across the cage to support the lid. This is where you could find it tricky if you are joining two Midwest’s along their long edge rather than their short edge. The span across would be 4 feet which is a lot to try to support when the grids (even overlapped and cable tied) will try to flex. You may have to have the back grids of a lid fixed permanently so you only open the front two or three rows rows. This in itself may make cleaning the back half of the cage harder.

The sides of the cages themselves are secure but it is always recommended to cable tie them grids together for added security.

Member Gallery: C&C cages/homemade cages

Have they always been in the same room together/are they older? If your piggies are young, then do be aware that boars being in the same room as sows can sometimes be risky as sow pheromones can cause problems in a boar bond
 
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If you are going for a DIY approach to C&C cages, not all connectors supplied with the grids are made to the same quality (same as not all grid meshing is equal). If the connectors aren't great, it may make the structure a bit more wobbly. In my experience, I have a c and c cage from kavee and I find they are definitely sturdy. You can also get some hinged grids from them to make a lid. Hope that helps! x
 
My son had to cable tie his C&C grids as well as using the connectors when making an indoor run for his bunnies so that they wouldn't escape. So you can always use cable ties too if you don't think it's sturdy enough.
 
Thank you for the replies! The girls cage just came in the mail today and they are very happy with the amount of space, I did use some cable ties to make it a bit sturdier.
The boys also got their larger cage and are still getting a feel for it. The cages are sitting on the floor and my dog is getting a bit to exited and barking and pawing at the cages, I think she figures the babies are mice bc she’s fine with the adults (they touch her nose through the bars)
Any tips on how to settle my dog down around the pigs?
 
Piggys_make_my_pockets_hurt. said:
Thank you for the replies! The girls cage just came in the mail today and they are very happy with the amount of space, I did use some cable ties to make it a bit sturdier.
The boys also got their larger cage and are still getting a feel for it. The cages are sitting on the floor and my dog is getting a bit to exited and barking and pawing at the cages, I think she figures the babies are mice bc she’s fine with the adults (they touch her nose through the bars)
Any tips on how to settle my dog down around the pigs?
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If the cages are on the floor please make sure that your dog never has access to the room they are in.
This is extremely dangerous and very stressful for your piggies.
Attempting to calm or desensitise him will not be reliable, and it only takes a second for a tragic accident to occur.
 
Swissgreys said:
If the cages are on the floor please make sure that your dog never has access to the room they are in.
This is extremely dangerous and very stressful for your piggies.
Attempting to calm or desensitise him will not be reliable, and it only takes a second for a tragic accident to occur.
Click to expand...
Thank you Swissgreys, I put the girls cage up onto a table so the dog can’t push on the lid or see them. The boys cage is still on the floor, because the boys aren’t as Skittish and the lid is quite sturdy so I’m not worried about them and my dog has no interest them:)
 
Piggys_make_my_pockets_hurt. said:
Thank you Swissgreys, I put the girls cage up onto a table so the dog can’t push on the lid or see them. The boys cage is still on the floor, because the boys aren’t as Skittish and the lid is quite sturdy so I’m not worried about them and my dog has no interest them:)
Click to expand...
Please make sure that your boys aren’t underneath the girls. If they’re in the same room, they need to be at opposite ends or boys on top and girls on the bottom on floor. Do the boys have a lid? It’s still best not to let the dog get near the cage, whether (s)he shows interest in them or not.
 
Also worth noting that the bacteria bordetella (which causes kennel cough) can be transmitted to piggies giving them a horrible URI. Even if the dog has the vaccine, it has the potential to transmit it within the first week after the nasal spray.
 
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