C&c But Without The Coroplast Bottom?

[honey_badger]

I have this image of my C&C cage but instead of coroplast for the bottom just having the cage sitting on a waterproof layer like a shower curtain or a tarp. So I'd put down a tarp cut just a couple inches larger than the cage bottom all around with some towels over it, then a layer of fleece, all of which would be slightly larger than the cage bottom and then set the cage on top. This way piggies couldn't burrow under the fleece. And it seems like it would be easy to clean/change bedding by either moving the cage or just pulling the out from under the cage edges and then wiping the curtain or tarp the way you would a coroplast bottom.

Does anyone do this? Seems like it would be easier, cheaper, and maybe even nicer looking, but I haven't seen any pictures of it online, so maybe there's some reason it won't work.

And if it would work, does anyone have thoughts on waterproof materials? I've been thinking shower curtain, tarp, or maybe a sheet of linoleum. I can't figure out how much linoleum would go for though (the sheets on the Home Depot site are cheep per sq ft, but come in like 14' wide sheets, so not sure if you have to by the whole width or just the sq footage you need). Anyone know?

I don't actually have any guinea pigs yet, so this is all theoretical for me so far. The wheels in my head are turning tho! lol

And on a related note... How come I haven't heard about anyone using microfiber towels under their fleece? I used to cloth diaper my babies and made a lot of my own diapers. Out of all the fabrics I used microfiber was cheap and super absorbent and not smelly. With diapers, of course, you're never leaving them on your kid for more than 2 or 3 hours, so maybe it would get funkier left for several days in a cage. But my current plan is to get a big package of microfiber towels at costco and use those under the fleece. I think it'd be nice to be able to pick up the wet ones in the corners in between doing a whole cage cleaning.

 

[gizzy]

How about a ground sheet for a tent, from a camping store or
the army and navy surplus

 

[Seven]

Yup, I've seen some people that make such a big C&C cage they happen to do that out of convenience. I normally see shower curtains as it's similar to the regular cage bottoms people make. For cleaning it usually they just vacuum the droppings up and then roll up whatever fabric they're using. For cages it's all about trail and error. If it doesn't work out you can always make a base for the cage or if you find the microfibres are too disgusting then you can change to towels or doggy pads. There's no harm in trying it out on your pigs once you get them.

 

[pigmumsar]

I don't have a c&c cage as our pigs have a 'free range' section of a summerhouse with a fence to make their enclosure. However, in essence our fence is no different to the sides of your c&c cage. We have lino on the floor so it's wipe clean - we found the cheapest place was carpetright and it was cut from a roll at £8.99 per square metre (but I can't see if you're based in the UK). We then layer newspaper, towels and fleece on top. For cleaning out, you may find you need to lift the whole cage rather than pull from underneath. I reckon you'd get a lot of hay/mess etc flying everywhere as you drag it out.

 

[honey_badger]

Thanks you guys! I'm still on the fence about it. I think I'll go out and price linoleum and such tomorrow.

 

[DisneyPig]

I have a C&C without coroplast up the sides. I've used a thin sheet of it which I got from Wickes for about £3 (they sell it as a surface protector) and put it as a base to protect my laminate flooring in the guinea pig room and then just use newspaper on top of it and then fleece. I find it works really well as I can mop it clean too! I use coroplast upstairs for the hay loft and just for safety.

 

[honey_badger]

That's a great cage! And I'm planning on having a coroplast loft, too. Did you cut the coroplast for the bottom to fit exactly inside the cage? Or is it a little bigger so the cage sits on top of it?

 

[Mairi M]

I have a C&C without coroplast up the sides. I've used a thin sheet of it which I got from Wickes for about £3 (they sell it as a surface protector) and put it as a base to protect my laminate flooring in the guinea pig room and then just use newspaper on top of it and then fleece. I find it works really well as I can mop it clean too! I use coroplast upstairs for the hay loft and just for safety.

View attachment 39229

I love your set up! Maybe if I move house some day I could aim for something like this and get another two piggies!

 

[DisneyPig]

That's a great cage! And I'm planning on having a coroplast loft, too. Did you cut the coroplast for the bottom to fit exactly inside the cage? Or is it a little bigger so the cage sits on top of it?

Thank you! It's ever so slightly bigger, I think by a couple of inches all around. I've done it so it fits snugly to my skirting board

I love your set up! Maybe if I move house some day I could aim for something like this and get another two piggies!

Thank you so much! It's the first thing I did when I got my own house! Estate agents thought I was bonkers when I told them what I needed a third bedroom for haha!

 

[Wiebke]

I use lino off-cuts for my bottom pens, so I am free to change and adjust the layout. For my table cages, I use cupboard liner from Ikea which I fix to the table.

 

[honey_badger]

I bought something called "MoistureBarricade" which is a 6 mil thick film that's meant to go between wood flooring and whatever is underneath it. I think it was about $15 (US) for 10 x 12", so about six times as much as I need for a single layer.

I'll let you all know how it works.

 

[VickiA]

I couldn't get on with coroplast as the piggies kept eating it. My hubby made a wooden base with slight up stands on the side and the cubes stand inside that. On top of the base we use puppy pads and fleece. The who,e thing goes on top of a dining room table.

When we have to rearrange (human guests needing to use the dining room tables!) I simply use Lino or old bath mats on the floor and put the cubes onto that and then puppy pads and fleece.

 

[Tewdric]

I don't have C&C, instead I've used an old outdoor run (the lid broke) and have put that straight on top of a cage liner. I've got a waterproof tarpaulin under the fleece liner.
It's working well for me. Very, very easy to clean. I just fold up the run, roll up the liner and them wipe over the tarpaulin. I keep hay in litter trays, and those are under boxes with a couple of sides cut away, so not that much escapes from the run. With some hovering its all working well so far.

(ps - the half of the lid that wasn't broken has not been taken off)

 

[honey_badger]

Great cage, tewdric! It looks really spacious!

I'm taking my kids to meet the piggies available for adoption today. I'm so excited! lol I have all of the components for the cage now except for the zip ties, which I keep forgetting. I wanna put it together but I think we won't actually get them for two weeks. I think I should savor these last days w/o a big cage in my living room. lol