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Post by Merry on Jan 23, 2017 1:11:21 GMT
Hey, all! It is been a really long time since I posted. Looking forward to seeing who all is still here from the old days, and to making new friends! I've had an empty C&C cage ever since Lorena passed away in 2012. Over the years, I've never stopped missing those wheeks of excitement when I open the refrigerator door. I've always felt an ache of longing every time I held someone else's piggy, and almost came home with one more than once, but the time wasn't right yet. Well, I am excited to announce that as of yesterday, the time was finally right to welcome some little wheekers back into my life again! Gilbert and Finley are 5-week-old brothers, and I could not be more thrilled to have them as part of our family. Since I've been out of the piggy-owning scene for a few years, I'd love some opinions on a few things.... 1) What's up with these new Midwest cages? Are they comparable to C&C cages? 2) Who out there uses fleece bedding? I always used to use aspen shavings in the past, but I think fleece might be a better option for our family now due to my husband's allergies. What are the best fleece products out there? I know PiggyBedSpreads is popular, but I've seen some less expensive ones on Etsy. Thoughts? 3) Cats & guinea pigs. My 3 cats were not a part of my family back when I had piggies before. Any favorite cat-proof cage designs out there? Thanks! Looking forward to reconnecting with everyone!!
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Post by Bean on Jan 23, 2017 13:30:38 GMT
Merry!!!
What a lovely surprise to see your name pop up (it's Treen here by the way!) - it's really great to see you! Your name came up recently as Jo was asking about all the lovely piggy graphics we have, so we were talking about the talents of you and Alix, and how you were kind enough to make them for us. Hope you still have time to be creative as you were amazaing - if you're not using them, please post your talents over to me!
Your new additions are just adorable - these gorgeous creatures always find their way back into our lives it seems (I had a few pig-free years too, but have four again now). Hope they don't cause your husband too much bother!
I can't help on the Mid-west cage front as we don't get them here, but have seen them discussed a bit so I'm sure someone will be able to help. I think 3piggles is familiar with them? I've no cats to protect mine from either, so no advice there, but Shades just made a cat-proof top for his cage and if he doesn't see this, I'll try to dig out his post on it.
I use half disposable bedding, half fleece (I alternate). I just use regular fleece from the market (over old towels) and it works really well, but I do find it hard to get all the hair off before it goes in the washing machine. I have to hope I remember to clean the washing machine out properly afterwards if I'm washing black clothes next!
There probably aren't a whole lot of old faces here, but we do have some lovely new ones - it's a lot quieter than it used to be, but in a nice, cosy and relaxed way! Really lovely to see you anyway, and see your gorgeous new pals!
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 23, 2017 19:46:36 GMT
Hey, Merry, welcome back It's great to see you again, and to meet Gilbert and Finley. Welcome to Wheekers, boys The Midwest cages offer versatility, as they can be daisy chained connecting as many as you want. They can also be adapted to corners, so they make the most of thei space. They can't be expanded within one cage, as C&C cages can be, but by adding more cages, they can be expanded pretty much endlessly. Obviously, each cage costs a lot more than grids and coroplast. I've also heard the covering on the base fouls pretty easily, so it's best to cover it with something. Also, some cages come with a kitchen divider, just a grid, but enough to cause some pigs to be territorial. The doorway can be blocked, so other pigs can't get to the food, water and hay. Since the Midwest cages are covered, they are cat-proof. If I didn't have so many grids, I would use the Midwest. I was using fleece, but it made for a lot of extra laundry, and I had to make sure I had a washer that had a drain I could keep clear of all the hay and hair bits that never come off until washed. A former member used pine pellet horse bedding. I don't know if you remember her and King Georgie. I tried it, and love it. It absorbs liquid and odor, as well as keeping whatever is under it, clean. I used about 1-1.5 inches in the bottom of the cage. Once wet, it turns to granules that still absorb and prevent odor. I cover it with a layer of fiberglass window screen that feels like netting(lousy for window screen, but great for piggy cages) then cover that with a layer of hay. I just add hay daily. The girls love it. I have grid lofts at each end, so no pigloos, just the lofts to sleep under, and food on the lofts. If you do the fleece, it can also be used over the pine pellet bedding and window screen. The screen just keeps the granules off everything else, and it's washable and reusable. I haven't used the spreads, but as long as the absorbent layer is attached to the fleece, it will do the job. I just found no fabric underlayment absorbed enough or contained enough odor to not have to change the cage every few days. Now, I change it every week or so, just rearrange the granules, dump the dirty hay and poos, and add more hay. Takes about 5 minutes.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 24, 2017 9:32:24 GMT
Welcome back lovey and your piggies are just gorgeous.
Hugs JO xx
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Whimsy
Bronze Member
Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Jan 25, 2017 17:33:37 GMT
Oh my...your little guinea guys are adorable <3 I used a C&C cage and put grids on top as well to protect Melvin from my cat. My cat didn't care about the guinea pigs at all and never tried to jump into the cage or anything, but it made me feel more comfortable to have a "roof" on the cage when I wasn't home. My cage was just a 4x2, so what I did was I put 4 roof grids on the back, secured to the cage and then the front 4 were attached to the back 4, so I could flip them up if I wanted the cage open and down when I wanted to close it. It's hard to explain. I'll have a look to see if I have a picture. I used fleece and was happy with it. I used to use to shredded paper type bedding, but it super messy and ended up everywhere in my house.
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 25, 2017 20:41:45 GMT
I did that with my store bought cages, Whimsy. I detached the roof so I could get both hands in to lift out the pigs in a cuddle cup, hinged the roof to the back of the cage, and it worked great
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Post by shades on Jan 27, 2017 12:05:32 GMT
Another chance to post this photo My cat's much bigger now but still likes to jump up there to relax in its rooftop box. Re c&c roofs, I had the cat's food in a c&c enclosure and the roof wasn't strong enough to support the cat. I had to put lengths of wood then let the roof sit on top of it.
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 27, 2017 15:32:00 GMT
That is a great cage! The pigs have a lot of room to play, run, popcorn or whatever else they want to do, they can see everything happening in the room, and the cat can be part of all the different worlds, without getting in trouble
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Post by shades on Jan 28, 2017 14:01:56 GMT
That is a great cage! The pigs have a lot of room to play, run, popcorn or whatever else they want to do, they can see everything happening in the room, and the cat can be part of all the different worlds, without getting in trouble Thanks again! I never knew we were gonna get a cat but I'm glad I future-proofed my design Actually I have to modify the roof to split it 60:40 to help with feeding time. It's not ideal to lift it open just a little and when your hands after full, it's an ideal opportunity for inquisitive cats to spring on top from nowhere. Fortunately the pigs are not really scared of this cat. I imagine animals can distinguish play from danger so even when there's a paw poking into the cage, the pigs are still untroubled by her antics.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 28, 2017 14:16:02 GMT
The only time our Felix kitty went near our piggy's cage I am afraid he had his nose bitten. It was Lacy Jane and she was a bit feisty. It wasn't a hard nip but he was very cautious after that lol!
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 29, 2017 0:30:07 GMT
Dallas used to take over the living room, and bully the cat out of the room. It was a really large room, too, lol! The dog was allowed to stay, as he and Zippy were friends, but the poor cat was not welcome. I love your term 'future-proofed' That's what it was I have a Facebook friend who runs a rabbit rescue in CA. He basically rescues any animal or bird that wants or needs a home. He rescued an injured baby possum, and its whole family moved in. He rescues birds that get injured. He took in a stray cat, and the rest of that family moved in with him. He basically provides for them all, gets them medical attention when needed, tracks them on a camera to see when they come and go, feeds them and provides shelter for them. All the wild animals are free to come and go as they want. He has different groups of bunnies, and living in southern CA where it gets very hot, has turned his yard into a rabbitat. The rabbits have their warrens underground, where they spend the heat of the day, can get into the house to eat and drink, etc. I say he has a rabbit rescue, but he takes in far more than he adopts out. He said he can't compete with the give away pets on the bulletin board sites. Why pay him an adoption fee, when there are endless bunnies free to a good home, on the bulletin boards. My reason for mentioning this is that all of the animals get along. The cats sleep with the bunnies. The possums sleep in the empty cages or with the other animals. None of them is afraid of the others. I think that's something they have to learn, either because they're in the wild and are prey and predator, or because the people they live with think they're a danger to each other, and act worried, which they pick up. As long as we don't act worried, and all of them are well fed and happy, there doesn't seem to be a problem.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 29, 2017 14:13:46 GMT
Rabbitat, love it Piggles hun.
Hugs Jo xx
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