C&c Construction Questions?

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MushiiPeas

MushiiPeas

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Hey guys,

After months of saving i can finally get round to building my lot their c&c cages. :yahoo:

At the moment i have 3 pairs who live in a 3 level 120cm cage and they all have a separate level or they fight.

I have space to build a 3 level 2x5 c&c which ideally I'd have them all next to each other but i only have space to stack them but i have a few questions.

1- How can i make is secure enough so it doesn't sag in the middle? Or should i make it L shaped to stop the sagging and make it more sturdy?

2 - I need each level to largely accessible for cleaning out, is it possible to have the entire front grids on each level to flap down so i could clean it and get to the piggies.

3- Are they any problems you have encountered with c&c cages that i should be aware of?

4- Do you have any tips on building it and how difficult you think it will be?


Thank you so much in advance, i just want to be all prepared before spending out my money on yet another cage set up!

Jenny xx
 
MushiiPeas said:
Hey guys,

After months of saving i can finally get round to building my lot their c&c cages. :yahoo:

At the moment i have 3 pairs who live in a 3 level 120cm cage and they all have a separate level or they fight.

I have space to build a 3 level 2x5 c&c which ideally I'd have them all next to each other but i only have space to stack them but i have a few questions.

1- How can i make is secure enough so it doesn't sag in the middle? Or should i make it L shaped to stop the sagging and make it more sturdy?

2 - I need each level to largely accessible for cleaning out, is it possible to have the entire front grids on each level to flap down so i could clean it and get to the piggies.

3- Are they any problems you have encountered with c&c cages that i should be aware of?

4- Do you have any tips on building it and how difficult you think it will be?


Thank you so much in advance, i just want to be all prepared before spending out my money on yet another cage set up!

Jenny xx
Click to expand...

Jenny, thanks so much for this thread...i have all the same questions! But what do you mean by sag in the middle? Wont it just be supported enough by placing grids under and around each floor(well i guess that question you want answered too!)?
 
CaymanCavy said:
Jenny, thanks so much for this thread...i have all the same questions! But what do you mean by sag in the middle? Wont it just be supported enough by placing grids under and around each floor(well i guess that question you want answered too!)?
Click to expand...

Sometimes with long c&c cages I've seen in photos that the middle will sag, like the grids will droop... but i was thinking if i make it L shaped it might be more sturdy?
 
MushiiPeas said:
Sometimes with long c&c cages I've seen in photos that the middle will sag, like the grids will droop... but i was thinking if i make it L shaped it might be more sturdy?
Click to expand...

Oh okay, i didnt know that! I dont have the space to make mine L shaped only straight across and i was planning to make each of my floors as long as 56" (142cm)! :( Maybe if we use like 2 or 3 seperate strips of wood between each floor? But that would be another cost again!
 
CaymanCavy said:
Oh okay, i didnt know that! I dont have the space to make mine L shaped only straight across and i was planning to make each of my floors as long as 56" (142cm)! :( Maybe if we use like 2 or 3 seperate strips of wood between each floor? But that would be another cost again!
Click to expand...

That's what I'm looking at now, to put a wooden dowel below the two upper levels but if the L shape will work I'll do that as it is less expensive..
 
This is probably what i will have to do! I need to make mine long because i dont have alot of width to work with!

HPIM1090.webp

HPIM1096.webp

I coudn't find any info on how to make an L shaped C&C cage or if that would benefit you in regards to making it more stable.
 
CaymanCavy said:
This is probably what i will have to do! I need to make mine long because i dont have alot of width to work with!

View attachment 10773

View attachment 10774

I coudn't find any info on how to make an L shaped C&C cage or if that would benefit you in regards to making it more stable.
Click to expand...

Neither could so i think I'm going to do the same, I;m trying to find the cheapest place to get some wood.
 
Hey out there...can someone with pleanty C&C cage experiance please respond to the questions in the first post please...especially #2-4 for Jenny and I ?! Thanks a million! :sly:
 
All my supplies are on the way, I'm hoping they'll come this weekend and I'll be able to build it!

I'm so excited, I just hope the piggies will like it! :)
 
Hey guys just reading your posts and you have some incredibly lucky piggies! I can still remember my hubby and I building our first C&C cage! Problem with them is once you have the hang of it you just want to keep adding more and more! They are so much better than anything shop-bought and pigglies just adore them so i am sure you will get plenty of pop corning pigs when you have finished building their new home.

I've never built a three story one but we did have a two story one at one point which held up absolutely fine with a grid base for each floor. One tip you might find helpful that we always do is to cable tie each grid as well as holding with the connectors - this makes it more sturdy too. If you do want to reinforce with something the wood is best - go to homebase or Bnq and get something that fits nice and snug in the squares of the grids - most of the time I just use one down the centre of the second floor - and also remember to cable tie this as well :-)

To make a drop down cage front is not to difficult but I would advise not to make the whole length of the front drop down - for example if your cage is 5 squares along just do the middle three - this seems to help with structural integrity. What we did (we did kind of just make it up as we went along) is for those three grids at the front you want to drop down don't use connectors - use cable ties to secure the three together and also to secure to the bottom of the cage (not the sides else won't drop down). This will create the drop down - then all you need is something to secure it at each side at the top - we used big safety pins for a while then we got some really big office clips and they work a treat!

Hope that helps a bit! does that make sense? Bit difficult to explain!
 
catasintiger said:
Hey guys just reading your posts and you have some incredibly lucky piggies! I can still remember my hubby and I building our first C&C cage! Problem with them is once you have the hang of it you just want to keep adding more and more! They are so much better than anything shop-bought and pigglies just adore them so i am sure you will get plenty of pop corning pigs when you have finished building their new home.

I've never built a three story one but we did have a two story one at one point which held up absolutely fine with a grid base for each floor. One tip you might find helpful that we always do is to cable tie each grid as well as holding with the connectors - this makes it more sturdy too. If you do want to reinforce with something the wood is best - go to homebase or Bnq and get something that fits nice and snug in the squares of the grids - most of the time I just use one down the centre of the second floor - and also remember to cable tie this as well :-)

To make a drop down cage front is not to difficult but I would advise not to make the whole length of the front drop down - for example if your cage is 5 squares along just do the middle three - this seems to help with structural integrity. What we did (we did kind of just make it up as we went along) is for those three grids at the front you want to drop down don't use connectors - use cable ties to secure the three together and also to secure to the bottom of the cage (not the sides else won't drop down). This will create the drop down - then all you need is something to secure it at each side at the top - we used big safety pins for a while then we got some really big office clips and they work a treat!

Hope that helps a bit! does that make sense? Bit difficult to explain!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much that really helps!...so excited! :yahoo:
 
catasintiger said:
Hey guys just reading your posts and you have some incredibly lucky piggies! I can still remember my hubby and I building our first C&C cage! Problem with them is once you have the hang of it you just want to keep adding more and more! They are so much better than anything shop-bought and pigglies just adore them so i am sure you will get plenty of pop corning pigs when you have finished building their new home.

I've never built a three story one but we did have a two story one at one point which held up absolutely fine with a grid base for each floor. One tip you might find helpful that we always do is to cable tie each grid as well as holding with the connectors - this makes it more sturdy too. If you do want to reinforce with something the wood is best - go to homebase or Bnq and get something that fits nice and snug in the squares of the grids - most of the time I just use one down the centre of the second floor - and also remember to cable tie this as well :-)

To make a drop down cage front is not to difficult but I would advise not to make the whole length of the front drop down - for example if your cage is 5 squares along just do the middle three - this seems to help with structural integrity. What we did (we did kind of just make it up as we went along) is for those three grids at the front you want to drop down don't use connectors - use cable ties to secure the three together and also to secure to the bottom of the cage (not the sides else won't drop down). This will create the drop down - then all you need is something to secure it at each side at the top - we used big safety pins for a while then we got some really big office clips and they work a treat!

Hope that helps a bit! does that make sense? Bit difficult to explain!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much, i have some bulldog clips which i though i could use to clip the doors up.

I've got lots of cable ties too!

Thanks for the advice x

:D
 
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