Benefits of Grids and c&c cages for guinea pigs

C&c cages consist of a corflute base, metal grids and connectors which connect each grid together.

There are many benefits to these guinea pig cages such as they are easy to assemble, maintain and clean.

C&C cages come in a range of sizes to not only suit the number of guinea pigs you have, but can easily be made and modified to fit your space.

Another benefit of these cages is that they can be added to, extended or changed over time if needed (or desired) without having to purchase a whole new cage! Many people start with a single level c&c guinea pig cage and over time will extend the size or add lofts and other exciting features for their guinea pigs!

The options are endless, and it is a lot of fun designing a large, exciting space for your guinea pigs!

Any housing used for guinea pigs must provide adequate space for them to live healthy and happy lives as cramped conditions can lead to health issues and general unhappiness.

A happy guinea pig will need enough space to run laps in, pop corn, and have their own space. To add enrichment to your guinea pig’s day (and life), they will need somewhere where they can hide and relax, such as a box, bedding, corner hides etc and also be provided with other forms or stimulation such as toys, foraging boxes, piles of hay, tunnels etc- the list is endless!

The size requirements for your guinea pig’s enclosure will also depend on the number of guinea pigs who are going to be living in it.

As a general rule, the minimum space per guinea pig is 7.5 square feet.

It is always best to go for the biggest space possible and never any smaller than the minimum space. Male guinea pigs often need more space (1 square metre minimum) to help prevent fighting over territory.

Outdoor Guinea Pig Cages

Another factor to consider when choosing a guinea pig enclosure is safety. If you are considering outdoor guinea pig cages, ensure you have enough protection from weather or predators.

C&c cages are not suitable to house your guinea pig in outdoors as in Australia we have many predators (cats, foxes, eagles, snakes etc) which, given the chance, will attempt to break into the cage to get to the guinea pigs.

Australia often experiences extremes in weather conditions, so it is always recommended to house your furry friends indoors.

If you are planning on housing your guinea pigs indoors in a c&c cage and have other animals, such as a dog or cat, additional grids can be used along with a support bar to create a lid to keep other pets out.

There are also additional components you can add to your guinea pig’s c&c cage which include ramps, kitchenettes and extra grids to create floor time pens and an area for outside play on the grass. Please note constant supervision is required for outside time due to the risk of predators (as mentioned above).

How to clean guinea pig cages

Let’s talk assembly, cleaning and flooring options!

The thing we love about c&c guinea pig cages based in Australia is how easy they are with everything.

From the initial set up to the daily maintenance and full cleans!

Our c&c cages come to you flat packed with all you need to assemble them.

Unlike other c&c cages which have stick on Velcro- like tabs to hold your corners together, we have designed ours with plastic rivets which easily fit through pre drilled holes in each corner. This securely holds the corners in place and makes the whole assembly procedure a lot less fiddly.

The connectors simply lock into each grid to create the walls to your guinea pig’s cage. We have also designed a stylish ramp with a nice white trim and easy to grip carpet so your guinea pigs can access their top level with confidence and ease. The carpet on our ramps is held into place with another plastic rivet to prevent it from slipping down the ramp, which means you don’t have to constantly pull it up and try to secure it back into place.

There are many options available now for floor coverings, such as wood shavings, recycled paper litter, towels, fleece cage liners and much more.

What you choose comes down to personal preference and what works best for you.

Here at Bree & Co, we personally find fleece cage liners the easiest, cleanest and most cost-effective option.

The frequency that your c&c cage will need to be cleaned will depend on the number of guinea pigs living in that enclosure and what type of substrate you are using on the base of the floor.

A full clean is recommended often to keep their environment clean and healthy. All bedding material for indoor guinea pig cages will need to be fully removed and the sides and base of the c&c cage wiped down.

C&c cages are more spacious than other standard cages, therefore you should find they don’t get as messy as quickly. Smaller spaces fill up with more mess more quickly as they are more compact resulting in the guinea pigs walking on and living in their mess. This is unhealthy and can lead to health issues.

With our guinea pig c&c cage, we do a daily spot clean (aka poo pick up), change their litter tray (kitchenette) every second day and do a full clean once a week. We use fleece cage liners which we find absorb exceptionally well so our guinea pigs aren’t constantly on a wet/ damp floor. It is also nice and soft to help look after their little feet.

For a guinea pig to have a happy and healthy life, we really want to give them everything they need as a species and try to recreate natural living conditions and for them to be able to express natural behaviours and the key starting point to this is space.

C&c cages are a great housing option for indoor enclosures, even as a starting point which you can add things to, to help enrich their lives.

The key points to keep in mind when deciding which enclosure suits for you and your family

Space

Bare minimum requirements and the largest you can offer. Where will it go? What size/ style will fit in that space? If you don’t have a lot of space, go up! You can have two, three or more levels! There are options for levels, lofts, ‘bunks’ and so much more.

Who will be in this space? Is it safe?

If you have other pets or small children consider raising the guinea pig cage off the ground. There are many fold out tables, benches etc available. Work out the size you will need and go from there.

Additional grids can be used to raise the c&c cage off the ground or to extend the space between each level. Lids can be created/ purchased if needing to keep other pets (or little hands) out.

What do you want to have in the cage?

Some examples of ‘must haves’ include- litter area, hay area, water bottles, some form of bedding and hidey place, toys or other forms of enrichment.

How many guinea pigs do you have or are you planning to have? This will give you an idea on the very starting point for size too.

Happiness

Space, health, cleanliness, diet, enrichment, other companion guinea pigs (they should always have at least one friend)

We hope this guide helps with your decision on which indoor guinea pig enclosure will suit you and your guinea pigs.

If you enjoyed this article, explore our guinea pig bedding products on our site today!