C & C Cage upgrade 😊😊 what can i use..

artcasper

artcasper

*Rescue Buddy*
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Instead of Corex if I cant find any?

We have a 5 x 2 cage and I have just been cleaning it all ready for Winny when she gets home with her new friend/friends - no news yet...

My other half said as a joke let's build a massive house for them... so I said well we could extend the cage then we could pack away the floor run - we have a big room but it does take up a lot of space -... so he gets the tape measure out...

We have enough spare grids to make it into a 7 X 2 ... but would need some corex 2 x 2 or 3..

Any thoughts ? I do line the cage with plastic table cloth, puppy pads and paper THEN my fleece liners so am thinking any type of thick plastic would do?
 
Yep, any type of plastic. Mine are out in my shed but their cage is lined with just some plastic sheeting which I bought off the roll from a garden centre for a few pence per metre. I have seen suggestions of shower curtains as well though, which I thought was a good idea!
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yep, any type of plastic. Mine are out in my shed but their cage is lined with just some plastic sheeting which I bought off the roll from a garden centre for a few pence per metre. I have seen suggestions of shower curtains as well though, which I thought was a good idea!
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Great.. will have a look in b&q or somewhere... the tablecloth stuff I line with is off the roll at dunelm.. quite cheap.. I want it done now tho now we have decided 🤣🤣
 
Your cage extension sounds brilliant - lucky piggies. :yahoo:
You could get corex at somewhere like B&Q but I can't get it here, so I use thick plastic off a roll (designed to be used as outdoor tablecloths I think).
It works well but corex is definitely better.

I did use a shower curtain for our floor time pen for a while but it wasn't totally waterproof, so if you do choose this option check the curtain you get is waterproof as opposed to just shower proof.
 
Swissgreys said:
Your cage extension sounds brilliant - lucky piggies. :yahoo:
You could get corex at somewhere like B&Q but I can't get it here, so I use thick plastic off a roll (designed to be used as outdoor tablecloths I think).
It works well but corex is definitely better.

I did use a shower curtain for our floor time pen for a while but it wasn't totally waterproof, so if you do choose this option check the curtain you get is waterproof as opposed to just shower proof.
Click to expand...
Thanks... my current floor time run has a thick piece of lino, topped by puppy pads and then fleece so that works fab... whilst I have previously put them out for floor time I am thinking with a bigger cage they wont 'need' it.. but I will keep it for when I clean them out etc...
 
artcasper said:
But now I am thinking..

DO they need floor time?
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This is only my opinion, but since we upgraded our cage I will be honest and say mine don't get regular floor time (multiple times a week) anymore.
Lucy and Harry have a 7 x 2, and our floor time pen is only 5 x 2. I do use it when I think they need a change of scenery or when I am doing a full cage clean (so at least once a week), but on a daily basis with such a decent cage they don't get regular floor time. I tend to go for enrichment in their cage instead.
 
Swissgreys said:
This is only my opinion, but since we upgraded our cage I will be honest and say mine don't get regular floor time (multiple times a week) anymore.
Lucy and Harry have a 7 x 2, and our floor time pen is only 5 x 2. I do use it when I think they need a change of scenery or when I am doing a full cage clean (so at least once a week), but on a daily basis with such a decent cage they don't get regular floor time. I tend to go for enrichment in their cage instead.
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Thanks @Swissgreys - puts my mind at ease... I don't want them to miss out but all mine did at floor time is eat their veg then just lay down lol - I will be sure to add new boxes / hides & carrot cottages in the upgraded cage..
 
I think floor time depends on the cage size and the personality of the piggies. I have 2 pairs who love to free roam and one pair who hate to come out either in a pen or free roaming. The free roamers I try to fit in daily, I pair while I am cage cleaning and the others in the evening when we are watching TV, although that pair have a floor cage so when I'm in all day their cage is open all the time once the others have gone home. The older pair who don't do anything at floor time except wait to go home only come out once or twice a week when I'm doing a fleece change in their cage. Saying that they've all loved their garden runs in the summer.
 
artcasper said:
Instead of Corex if I cant find any?

We have a 5 x 2 cage and I have just been cleaning it all ready for Winny when she gets home with her new friend/friends - no news yet...

My other half said as a joke let's build a massive house for them... so I said well we could extend the cage then we could pack away the floor run - we have a big room but it does take up a lot of space -... so he gets the tape measure out...

We have enough spare grids to make it into a 7 X 2 ... but would need some corex 2 x 2 or 3..

Any thoughts ? I do line the cage with plastic table cloth, puppy pads and paper THEN my fleece liners so am thinking any type of thick plastic would do?
Click to expand...
Be great to see photos when it's done. I got 2mm correx online and used duct tape to put it together. Have also used a shower curtain.
 
Thanks everyone.. other half has done the upgrade..ended up constructing a base (on top of wooden base ) out of a strong box, lined with lino, covered with puppy pads then cage liners... here is the finished 7 X 2 ! 20200111_121913.webp20200111_141311.webp20200111_145502.webp
 
I have a layer of newspaper covered in hay at one end of my cages now. With my new pairs I'm finding it better than trays as the dominant piggie can't guard a 2x1 grid size area of hay in one go, makes for happier sharing!
Still have second hay trays in lofts though.
 
I think you could make a 2x2 area completely hay then just add a small haytray at the other end, my main herd of 6 have a 3x2 hayroom (plus 3 small corner haytrays) and the hayroom is a good place for social hay eating which is a great herd bonding activity :)
 
Homebase do "floor protection" which is essentially 2mm correx. It's rediculously cheap £4 or something for a huge sheet. If you decide to go down that route.
 
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