c&c with or without grids?

[CurlyCarrie]

I'm making my first c&c cage ready to adopt a pair of pigs from a rescue.

What do people think of c&c cages made with just the correx (no grids used at all)?
I'm a wheelchair user so being able to access the pigs and the bottom of the cage is a little trickier, but I want the pigs to be safe.

What is the minimum height the sides should be if its a correx-only cage (no grids)?

Thanks

cx

 

[Hermes]

Some people have made C&C cages that are elevated on tables or by using a second layer of grids, maybe having the cage a little higher would help with access (it also gives good storage space under the cage).

You could make one without grids, the only downsides I can see are the potential for it being chewed and it being less sturdy (it may flex where you attach the water bottle, could be squashed if something fell across it) though if you use thicker correx this would be less of an issue. I'd probably go for a height of at least 8 inches though, more if they have things in the cage that they can climb on top of, pigs can be surprisingly good at jumping.

 

[SpinningNickel]

I saw a lovely one once where someone had no grids, but what they had used wasn't correx. It was long pieces of wood, fastened together into a rectangle. That would be much sturdier than correx and should reduce chewing concerns. You can see it on the first page of this thread, by user skrikopanik. Theirs was a floor pen and was built against a wall, but I see no reason why you couldn't fashion a similar pen on a low table etc. to make access easier for you. (It's actually one of my all-time favourite C&Cs, but unfortunately it isn't practical with a cat in the house!)

Sturdiness is definitely a problem. My older pig loves to stand with his front feet on the sides of the correx. Because mine is pretty thin stuff, it's already starting to bow in where he stands at the front -- after a month! So if you DO use correx only, make sure it's top-quality, really thick stuff (5mm or more if you can find it).

Similar to what Hermes says, height really depends on how inclined your pigs are to clamber or jump. I used to have a pig who would climb on top of hidey houses, etc. so any of those placed near the cage wall would have enabled him to hop out. My current pair aren't much for climbing on top of their furniture, but the older one (again, the mischievous little imp!) will definitely hop over anything that's less than 6-8 inches.

 

[CurlyCarrie]

I've decided to go with the grids aswell and see how I get on. I can always make a hinged door with the grids for me to be able to access better. The main issue is the height of the grids and reaching over them and down to the floor of the cage. I'm sure with some experiementing I can make the cage nice and accessible without sacrificing piggy safety and comfort.