Custom cage tips

[lilpumpkamo]

I'm moving and I'm going to be transitioning from my current C&C cage to a sleeker looking custom cage. My office is moving and a lot of old office furniture is being donated so I'm thinking of using office furniture to build a cage. I'm thinking bookshelf as the part of the cage where the guinea pigs will be living in and then also using desks and cabinets as a base to attach the bookshelf too. The bookshelf will have the shelves removed and then I will replace the front and one side with grids or plexiglass in place of the wood.


I was contemplating getting a chloroplast insert to fit inside of the bookshelf for the bottom, covering the bottom with marble contact paper, or I have some extra adhesive tiles I bought on Amazon that I could also put down to give it a little extra padding on the bottom. I want to make sure I'm not doing anything that would be unsafe for the while taking on this endeavor so I would be open to any feedback people may have.

My current cage is fine but I am moving and my partner hates how messy it looks. It also used to house more pigs. So the bookshelf will be slightly wider thag what they have now but a little shorter and it won't have the extra space from their current L shape.
This is kind of the vibe I am going for as well this was supposed to saw and read it where someone found a free day bed and made a guinea pig cage out of it

 

[superka]

I wouldn't use adhesive tiles. they use industrial glue. while the fumes aren't bad for us we're not an inch off the ground. either legit tile it or just go with the cut out. tiling it is gonna be way more expensive. it's why everyone uses coroplast.
If you're gonna go corroplast insert just make one your self. its called corrugated plastic sheets. they come in 8x4 foot sheets and they're under 20 bucks. cut them with an exacto knife. any building supply store will have them like homedepot or reno ect.

But if you want my honest opinion tho... Thats a REALLY nice shelf. Sell it and just buy a nice cage. Effort to outcome that's gonna be your best bet.
your cage doesn't even look bad honestly... you just need some odds and ends like round pieces used to hold the panels together. maybe make that L piece an upper floor. you already have a ramp. maybe get a custom made set of fleeces to fit your cage perfectly. the unifying one piece fleece REALLY makes a difference in apperences with cages.... where you have the cardboard lined up you could spend the few bucks and get an acrylic panel stop them from getting at the wall.

 

[Ven]

Haven't been on this forum in ages but I've done pretty much the same. I'd personally go for pond liner at the bottom and staple it. Cost effective and works like a charm. Just make sure the liner covers it so they can't nibble on it. Could also leave one of the shelves in, cut out two holes and make it a dedicated hay/kitchen area. Plexiglass looks tidier than grids imo but it can be tricky to attach. I glued on U-channels so the plexiglass can be removed.
Having said that, pigs will be pigs and make a mess out of everything anyway