Cage dilemma

PigglePuggle

PigglePuggle

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So I bought a 2 tier 120 cage for when Theo gets to live with the girls, but to be perfectly honest I hate the thing already and we've only had it out for a bit of ramp practice! Once the ramp is in and propped up and I'd added a toilet tray there's much less floor space than there is in the 1-tier 120 cage the girls are in now, and that will hardly fit 2 hideys in. Plus I cant get the piggies in and out easily and I cant reach into the top floor as the door is in the lid 4ft off the floor and I'm barely 5ft tall. And its a real pain to assemble.
Should I just opt for a C&C cage where I can actually access my piggies and have room for all their hideys? Would a 2x4 C&C be big enough for 3 piggies? It seems it would be bigger dimensions than a 120 Ferplast-type cage... and has anyone used a C&C cage with a lid? I think I'd need a lid as Piggle is like a kangaroo and if she stood on a hidey house she'd clear a C&C grid easily, which is why I hadnt considered that cage type originally... any thoughts on this appreciated! I could possibly fit a 5x2 if I got rid of some furniture...
 
I would look at a bigger Ferplast cage to be honest if you need a lid. I have a ferplast 140 and it is the same dimensions as a 2x4 c and c cage. You would need a bigger cage really for 3 though. A 2x5 would work or a ferplast 160cm would be perfect. Zooplus do some good cages for a reasonable price Indoor Rabbit & Bunny Cages | Free P&P £29 at zooplus!
Or I have just seen a 150cm cage on petplanet but it is quite pricy Liberta Indoor Small Pet Cages on Sale | Free UK Delivery

Might be worth looking on some selling sites for a second hand cage. I got my 140 for £20 second hand.
 
Hello go for a 2x5 c&c for three piggies if you can, lots of space for them, less cleaning because the bigger the less mess. Or a 2x4 L shaped on one end perhaps?
 
How do you stop piggies getting out of a C&C or Midwestern type set up though? Or is Piggle just unusual in being able to jump straight out of a 30cm high box even when there's nothing to stand on? I'd hate to buy the whole set up then find Piggle roaming wild and free around the house...
 
Or maybe I just put two 120 cage bases side by side on the floor and surround them with one of my rabbit proof play pens? That would double the floor space for the piggies and I could make that out of things we have already... my playpens are made of 62cm metal grids and are assuredly Piggle-proof :)
 
Hi I would suggest that you should get the Ferplast Rabbit and Guinea Pig Cage 100 because I had a two tier cage before and it was far to small for my piggies so I ordered the deepest rabbit and guinea pig cage from Zooplus and it is some much better and I just took the sleeping area out and put two igloos in and you've got more room then as well hope this helps.
 
I'm sorry that you're not enjoying cage :( I too took the sleeping area out of my cage and just gave them other hides.

I hope that you can find a cage that suits you and your needs
 
Each cage tier is 120 so bigger than 100 but I dont think they'll use the top floor much and the ramp cuts about 25cm off the floor space... think I'll go with the two 120 cage bases side by side on the floor until I'm sure they will make a good triple piggy herd bond, then I can partition it if there's any trouble from Piggle...
 
Everything is so much smaller in real life than it looks online once its full of big fat piggies and furniture and toilet trays and food bowls :(
Might get a 5x2 C&C later in the year and add an extra height layer of grids to keep Piggle in!
 
PigglePuggle said:
Everything is so much smaller in real life than it looks online once its full of big fat piggies and furniture and toilet trays and food bowls :(
Might get a 5x2 C&C later in the year and add an extra height layer of grids to keep Piggle in!
Click to expand...

Yeah I know what you mean :( this is my cage with all their stuff in but they use both levels although I must admit, they do use the bottom more than the top. I did have 3 piggies in here until Emma died at the beginning of the year :(

255CA5BB-41DC-4F64-B05F-48D6B3633B45.webp

I’d love a C&C but I just don’t have the space unless I moved them outside and that’s not going to happen :)
 
I'll keep thinking, 160 rabbit cage (no chance of escape but what if it still looks small, then I''d have 4 unsatisfactory cages!) vs 2x5 C&C (would need extra grids for height and I'd have to get rid of my sideboard!)
 
Ok it looks like they sell lids for C&C cages so I think I'm going to go for a 5x2 C&C with a lid and a stand. Once I save up and move some of my furniture and also offload the unwanted 2-tier 120 cage somewhere. Does anyone in the North West UK want a 2-tier 120 cage? Pretty much unused? I dislike it but its a perfectly good cage for the right person (a taller person than me!) so I would consider giving it away or maybe trade it for a donation to a guinea pig rescue charity...
 
I started off with a 150cm cage and soon ditched it for C&C. It just got small very fast once I'd filled it with everything. I went for a 5x2 C&C and it was so much bigger. I added a roof as we have cats. I just made it myself with grids, cable ties and bulldog clips to keep it shut.

I now use the same style, just taller, as my rabbit's base.
 
Thought you might get some ideas of size differences and options from my ever changing set ups.
IMG_0278.webp
On the floor 5x3 C&C. I have an extra grid attached half way up by the log tunnel in front of the loft, I used to have the same round the back corners over the hidies but took them off as these hidies are not so high as the old ones.

On the table a Little Friends 160 x 80 cage with a home made loft and ramp conversion which means the hay box goes up there leaving more room for zoomies in the main cage.

On the top a 4x2 C&C which now has a loft.

IMG_0465.webp


The original C&C we had had a lid, I never actually used it, I ended up using the grids to make the cage bigger. There are pros and cons to both types of cages depending on your personal circumstances. Overall I think C&C is better value in the long run because it's so adaptable. I can never have too many grids I always find a use for more!
 

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piggieminder said:
Thought you might get some ideas of size differences and options from my ever changing set ups.
View attachment 91301
On the floor 5x3 C&C. I have an extra grid attached half way up by the log tunnel in front of the loft, I used to have the same round the back corners over the hidies but took them off as these hidies are not so high as the old ones.

On the table a Little Friends 160 x 80 cage with a home made loft and ramp conversion which means the hay box goes up there leaving more room for zoomies in the main cage.

On the top a 4x2 C&C which now has a loft.

View attachment 91304


The original C&C we had had a lid, I never actually used it, I ended up using the grids to make the cage bigger. There are pros and cons to both types of cages depending on your personal circumstances. Overall I think C&C is better value in the long run because it's so adaptable. I can never have too many grids I always find a use for more!
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That's definitely a cage set-up to aspire to! I just need to create the floor space... my husband looked a little sceptical when I got out a tape measure to show him how big a 5x2 C&C would be in the pet room... until I pointed out that if I got rid of his favorite sofa in his under-the-stairs man-cave alcove the cage would fit there just fine either!
 
Here are photos of our cage with the lid folded back. We used support bars, cable ties and connectors to make the lid.
 

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I like C and C you can make it any size or shape you like to fit any space in any room. It's flexible and relatively cheap.

I found that the inner dimensions of store brought cages are a lot smaller than the outer dimensions. However with C and C the cage is not really transportable so you need a spare cage for travel etc.

I found 2 tier cages no matter commercial or C&C to be 1 pain in the butt. 1 level cages are a lot easier but take up more room.
 
I ordered my new cage! After a bottle of wine last night it seemed like a good idea to just wave my credit card about and treat the piggies (a more useful drunken purchase than last xmas when I bought a fondue maker and all the chronicles of Narnia books :) ).
So I've ordered a 5x2 C&C with a stand, a loft, enough extra grids to make it all 2 grids tall, and a lid... hope I can assemble it when it arrives! But I thought if we're going for C&C I'd better just buy everything and then we have options if we need to split it or change the shape and size :)
 
PigglePuggle said:
I ordered my new cage! After a bottle of wine last night it seemed like a good idea to just wave my credit card about and treat the piggies (a more useful drunken purchase than last xmas when I bought a fondue maker and all the chronicles of Narnia books :) ).
So I've ordered a 5x2 C&C with a stand, a loft, enough extra grids to make it all 2 grids tall, and a lid... hope I can assemble it when it arrives! But I thought if we're going for C&C I'd better just buy everything and then we have options if we need to split it or change the shape and size :)
Click to expand...

Excellent. It will give you so many options. I’m always tweaking mine.
 
PigglePuggle said:
I ordered my new cage! After a bottle of wine last night it seemed like a good idea to just wave my credit card about and treat the piggies (a more useful drunken purchase than last xmas when I bought a fondue maker and all the chronicles of Narnia books :) ).
So I've ordered a 5x2 C&C with a stand, a loft, enough extra grids to make it all 2 grids tall, and a lid... hope I can assemble it when it arrives! But I thought if we're going for C&C I'd better just buy everything and then we have options if we need to split it or change the shape and size :)
Click to expand...

Can’t wait to see it! :) I was always using my credit card to buy the piggies things. I had to cut it up :lol!:
 
PigglePuggle said:
I ordered my new cage! After a bottle of wine last night it seemed like a good idea to just wave my credit card about and treat the piggies (a more useful drunken purchase than last xmas when I bought a fondue maker and all the chronicles of Narnia books :) ).
So I've ordered a 5x2 C&C with a stand, a loft, enough extra grids to make it all 2 grids tall, and a lid... hope I can assemble it when it arrives! But I thought if we're going for C&C I'd better just buy everything and then we have options if we need to split it or change the shape and size :)
Click to expand...


another bottle or two, to put it together,lol😄
 
Well done. I've just done something similar. Having used some of the spare grids I use to make a pen for the shed when doing non piggie friendly stuff in the house to seperate Red and Caspy, (Red bit Caspy), I thought I better get more. I sat for ages looking at prices for grids with connectors, grids without connectors (I don't use), got confused with how many I wanted. Upshot is I bought a 2 6x2 cages with lofts - should be enough for two pens and to block off electric cables at floor time! Difference is I wasn't under the influence of drink, just old age.
 
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