Member Gallery: C&C cages/homemade cages

[exia]

Mine were in a stacked 2x5 when inside. It was pretty secure (lots of cable ties and some wood to support the upper level). The boys lived upstairs. I did worry when they (on a rare occasion) ran around but it was fine, no shifting. Looks good and I bet they loved it!

I would add hides (can’t see if there are two) and more hay as well.

I think it just was the sound of elephantmarch that made me nervous. Bob is our big little bulldozer

Each floors has at least three hideys, one hayrack and a cardboardbox with "playhay". If they dont get a cardboardbox they get another hayrack, so there's two and no needs for arguing about food.

 

[My Piggies]

Though I'd post an updated photo for the gallery
Everyone's cages are amazing!

I have two girls, 4 year old Daisy and 5 month old Poppet, and an almost 4 year old neutered male Oscar living in a 4x5 C&C cage.

Originally, it was a 2x4 C&C (when I had my two girls Violet and Daisy). I then added a 2x2 loft, but took it down and added on to the end of the 2x4 to make a 2x6 cage. After Violet passed away, we adopted Poppet. We then purchased a 2x5 chloroplast base and taped it to the existing chloroplast to make a 4x5 due to her baby energy (and also just wanting to make it bigger for them).

In total, I have three different sheets of chloroplast all taped together (a 2x4, 2x2 and 2x5). Just goes to show you're not limited by what size cage you originally buy. In the future (if I get more piggies - I would really like a little herd of 5), I am able to make a 2x11 C&C with what I've got now

I use GuineaDad fleece liners with pee pads in high traffic areas. I spot clean twice a day, and fully clean out the cage and swap out hides once a week. I use a hay rack made from spare C&C grids, and use a bath mat underneath it. They have about two hides each (but I swap out hides and change the layout each week so this can vary), two bowls, two hay filled chew toys and two water bottles, although they definitely have a favourite

 

[Black piggies]

What an amazing, huge cage they have. Must help keep them cool? My cage has also been changed size several times, but the correx looks so uneven compared to yours

 

[My Piggies]

What an amazing, huge cage they have. Must help keep them cool? My cage has also been changed size several times, but the correx looks so uneven compared to yours

Thank you! I suppose it does keep them cool. There is also an air conditioner across the room so the room never gets too hot for them

 

[David Piggie Lover]

Lovely set up
Not a criticism piggies like to hide
If that was my set up I’d put a top on a corner gives them one. I use a flat box brill set up x

 

[My Piggies]

Lovely set up
Not a criticism piggies like to hide
If that was my set up I’d put a top on a corner gives them one. I use a flat box View attachment 186879brill set up x

Thanks! Yes, I do usually have a towel over their hay area, but I didn't for the photo

 

[David Piggie Lover]

Thanks! Yes, I do usually have a towel over their hay area, but I didn't for the photo

Towel great idea x
My 3 say weeeeeeeeek to yours

 

[Faeryflax]

My husband made this from a set of drawers that we bought from FB marketplace, this was for 2 sows. After a surprise pregnancy we now have 3 sows and a boat awaiting neuter so he is making something much bigger. He makes furniture for a living so it will be along similar lines to this…

 

[Faeryflax]

My husband made this from a set of drawers that we bought from FB marketplace, this was for 2 sows. After a surprise pregnancy we now have 3 sows and a boat awaiting neuter so he is making something much bigger. He makes furniture for a living so it will be along similar lines to this…View attachment 187133

View attachment 187131View attachment 187132

*boar not
Boat!

 

[Lizabel]

My husband made this from a set of drawers that we bought from FB marketplace, this was for 2 sows. After a surprise pregnancy we now have 3 sows and a boat awaiting neuter so he is making something much bigger. He makes furniture for a living so it will be along similar lines t

My husband made this from a set of drawers that we bought from FB marketplace, this was for 2 sows. After a surprise pregnancy we now have 3 sows and a boat awaiting neuter so he is making something much bigger. He makes furniture for a living so it will be along similar lines to this…View attachment 187133

View attachment 187131View attachment 187132

I like this idea. Do they use the ramps? And is there anything behind the drawer-front at the top right, or is it just decoration?

 

[Faeryflax]

I like this idea. Do they use the ramps? And is there anything behind the drawer-front at the top right, or is it just decoration?

They use the ramps really well, even from day one. It is a real drawer we use it to store the fleeces.

 

[Siikibam]

@Faeryflax their minimum space requirements need to be met on one level as they are ground roaming. If it is then that’s fine. Otherwise the additional floors won’t count.

I look forward to seeing it finished!

 

[AmberP]

My two boys are in a 4x2 C&C on fleece and shavings. The 2x1 at the end is a separate bit of coroplast which I use as a kitchen. Got most of it from Kavee cage. Just trying to figure out how to expand it and keep the kitchen set up!

NB I did try having two water bottles etc but they only ever use one and don't fight over them.

 

[rp1993]

I would be inclined to come out at the side where that little wooden corner house is you could make a 2x1 there and have that as the kitchen then they have the full length of the 2x4 for zoomies!

 

[Faeryflax]

@Faeryflax their minimum space requirements need to be met on one level as they are ground roaming. If it is then that’s fine. Otherwise the additional floors won’t count.

I look forward to seeing it finished!

Thanks that’s why we are making them something bigger

 

[stef.trg]

After a lot of banging my head, patience & cable ties - here‘s the brand new piggy mansion! The lovely lot is now living in a stacked 5x2 C&C cage. I‘ve built it as an L-shape. The grids are from Grendle (I believe that‘s what they‘re called anyways!) & bases are correx. They are mostly on fleece with a 2x1 kitchen area on shavings. We have Buttons & Cornelius on the bottom (you can see Cornelius on the roof of the wooden house ) and Pewter & Benito are living in the penthouse flat. There are usually 2 water bottles in the cages but the other set is currently in the dish washer

 

[Black piggies]

That's lovely! Perfect for the space. Will it be easy enough to clean the bottom one?

 

[stef.trg]

That's lovely! Perfect for the space. Will it be easy enough to clean the bottom one?

The space was definitely made for the cage. I find the bottom one easier to clean personally. I can kind of crawl into it so it‘s super easy to get to all the corners. I struggle a bit with the very back right corner of the top one - I‘m only 5‘4“ so I have to properly stretch to reach it but it‘s definitely manageable. If I was a couple inches taller both of them would be super simple to clean - but stretching is meant to be good for you I‘ve heard

 

[T-Rex]

Looks brilliant @stef.trg
I’m 5ft so would have no hope reaching your corner haha. I have to use a foot stool to clean my pigs cage

 

[Black piggies]

Ah yes I didn't think about the top one. At 5, 3 I'd also struggle. Yes cage clean days will be like a yoga session

 

[Elephonty]

Adding to this thread!
3x4 c&c with 3x1 loft made of Amazon grids and proplex base. There is only one pig in there for now as re-bonding after cagemates death hasn't gone too well but hoping for another boy soon! Takes an hour for me to clean every 3/4 days plus added time for washing and drying the fleece but it's so much more open and never smells!

 

[exia]

The boys went all christmas crazy the other day

 

[ashellaneous]

Please use this thread to post pictures of your C&C cages or other similar home-made housing. Try to include some information with the photo like:

Cage Type
Where it was purchased or how it was made
What size it is
How many piggies are kept in it
How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it

Bear in mind that new members will look to this thread as an example of good piggy keeping so photos of accommodation that is inadequately sized, dirty or overcrowded may be removed at the discretion of admin.

This thread is NOT for discussion of the photos, please start a new thread if you need to.

If you want more information about C & C cages (including sourcing), please see this regularly updated link here: All About C & C Grid Cages

I’m (very) new to owning guinea pigs, and this is my cage:

Cage Type- c&c
Where From- I bought the main part from Kavee (website) and the stand+cover grids from Amazon
Size- 3x4 grids
Herd Size- currently 2
Easy?- I use fleece bedding and is pretty easy to handle. I use a layer of puppy pads then two layers of fleece on top of that (I plan on starting to make my own liners at some point). Spot cleaning is pretty easy, and when you deep clean just get the poop off and throw it into the washing machine.

I definitely recommend c&c cages if you are able to get the materials! It’s pretty simple to put together, but I do suggest using zip ties to make it more secure. There are cheaper places to get grids than Kavee (such as Amazon), just make sure they are 14 inches since that’s the c&c grid size. I do recommend Kavee because their grids are baby proofed instead of trying to proof your grids, but you won’t need that if you only plan on having adults.

 

[Gradie and the pigs]

this is Norman and Barnabas cage	CAGE TYPE dog crate
FROM the bigger one used to be our American x English bulldogs cage and the smaller one we found at a oppshop we just joined them together	SIZE the bigger cage is 121 cm long 76 cm wide and the smaller one is 90 cm long and 57 wide and joined together they are 211 cm long
IS IT A GOOD CAGE Yes! it gives my piggies a great amount of space and it is pretty easy to clean the i only thing is they have a little lift going between the cages but that’s ok, but other then that it’s also a cage that keeps your piggies safe from any other pets you might have, so yes recommend this diy piggie enclosure but always but blankets on the floor cause the floor of the cage is too slippery for them . We will be addding some piggie beds in there for them some nice fleece ones sooner or later	How many piggies two beautiful boars
i have tried to make it as stylish as possibly adding some coroplast, and they normally have a nice pink checkers blanket but it’s wet at the moment and any tips to add to their cage would be great	Also don’t mind the dirty blankets the clean ones are on the line wet

 

[Siikibam]

Are there any hides in there!? I thought I saw one but I think it’s a box with hay.

 

[Gradie and the pigs]

Are there any hides in there!? I thought I saw one but I think it’s a box with hay.

Yes there are hides in their they have 3

 

[Gradie and the pigs]

Are there any hides in there!? I thought I saw one but I think it’s a box with hay.

When I said I wanted to buy them some more beds I meant like soft new ones instead of there old hideys

 

[gbm]

We've come a long way since getting our herd of 4 girls last September and they have really become a part of our family. I've recently expanded their 6 x 2 (in a 5 x 2 + 1 x 2 configuration) with a 2 x 1 hay loft, to an 8 x 2 (in a 5 x 2 + 3 x 2 configuration) with a 3 x 1 hay loft as they have grown significantly since we got them. Took a lot of inspiration from posts on this thread, so thought I'd post what I've done for other's benefit too.

The hay rack (topped up throughout the day) on the ground floor is for their Timothy hay which they love to munch on when not in their hay piles in the loft (meadow hay, which is changed daily). They have a load of stuff which gets rotated in after every clean, like cuddle sacks, hideys, boxes, etc. There is a bit of a traffic jam on the ramp sometimes, so engineering in a second entrance/exit to the hay loft is going to be my challenge for the next iteration.

They really seem to enjoy the extra space and I am so grateful for the advice on this forum otherwise they would be in a 5x2 hutch outside right now... Really glad we opted to keeping them indoors and in a larger C&C enclosure after finding this forum and our initial panicked posts when we first got them! They love being in the corner of our lounge living their best lives while we get to interact with them almost constantly throughout the day/evening.

 

[WheekHearted]

We've come a long way since getting our herd of 4 girls last September and they have really become a part of our family. I've recently expanded their 6 x 2 (in a 5 x 2 + 1 x 2 configuration) with a 2 x 1 hay loft, to an 8 x 2 (in a 5 x 2 + 3 x 2 configuration) with a 3 x 1 hay loft as they have grown significantly since we got them. Took a lot of inspiration from posts on this thread, so thought I'd post what I've done for other's benefit too.

The hay rack (topped up throughout the day) on the ground floor is for their Timothy hay which they love to munch on when not in their hay piles in the loft (meadow hay, which is changed daily). They have a load of stuff which gets rotated in after every clean, like cuddle sacks, hideys, boxes, etc. There is a bit of a traffic jam on the ramp sometimes, so engineering in a second entrance/exit to the hay loft is going to be my challenge for the next iteration.

They really seem to enjoy the extra space and I am so grateful for the advice on this forum otherwise they would be in a 5x2 hutch outside right now... Really glad we opted to keeping them indoors and in a larger C&C enclosure after finding this forum and our initial panicked posts when we first got them! They love being in the corner of our lounge living their best lives while we get to interact with them almost constantly throughout the day/evening.

View attachment 194296View attachment 194297

I love it and the hay loft is a nice touch.

I have a 10x2 that I’m current attaching 3.5x2 extra to make an L shape cage like yours. I’ve been lost as to what kind of piggy back ramp I need for them to get over the lip between the cages. I have the grid part figured out though.

 

[Teddy123]

I’ve just ordered the parts to create a 2x4 stacking cage for our two girls from www.candcguineapigcages.co.uk and have bought several cages from here. So excited for it to arrive! They were in a 2x4 cage before but I’m going to add a loft and extra ramp to turn this into one cage. I love the high correx walls as it keeps all the mess in and is harder for the piggies to chew!