Guinea pig cages – Definition of C&C cages
What are C&C cages and what makes them so popular? Let’s take a closer look at the C&C cage:
As far as we can tell, the original C&C cage design was developed (and popularized) a few years ago by an innovative guinea pig rescue organization. This style of cage was developed as a matter of necessity so that the guinea pig shelter could efficiently house large numbers of pigs profitably. For this reason, to this day, the C&C cage tends to have a very low cost per square inch of living space; In other words, C&C cages tend to offer a lot of cages for the money.
The mysterious C&C name originates from the two main materials used to build this category of small animal cages: cubes and coroplast.
The frame and wire grid portion of the cage is constructed from wire grids normally used in the assembly of wire grid storage bins. These square wire racks are typically 14 inches long on each edge. This type of shelving is often seen in stores or boutiques where clothing or other items are displayed in sets of wire rack cubes or cubbies. Therefore, the first C in C&C comes from the word cube.
The second C in C&C comes from the other fundamental material used in the construction of C&C cages: Coroplast. Coroplast is a trade name and is essentially a contraction of the product description: corrugated plastic. Coroplast is a corrugated PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) plastic sheet and is used to form the litter tray or container at the bottom of the cage. This material is commonly used by sign makers in the manufacture of inexpensive, weather resistant signs.
Coroplast has some remarkable properties that make it very suitable for application in the field of pet cages.
First of all, it’s constructed of PVC (yes, the same basic material used in PVC pipes). This material is chemically inert, which means that water, solvents, oils, and other chemicals generally have no effect on it. What this means for the pet owner in question is:
a) it is waterproof and (more importantly) urine proof.
b) soaps, detergents, vinegar and other cleaning agents will not harm it.
c) it is indigestible: stomach acids do not affect it. This means that if your pig chews, the material will pass through its digestive system without any problems.
d) Coroplast is non-toxic and certified safe for use in contact with food.
C&C cages have become very popular as a type of DIY project. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain suitable metal wire mesh. National department store chains have been selling storage bin sets for several years. Until recently, most contained 14-inch square grilles with 9 openings on each side (9×9 array). These grids had openings of approximately 1.5 square inches.
Recently, at least one major chain has drastically redesigned this product. It now contains two varieties of 14-inch grids: grids with a 5×5 matrix of spaces (approximately 2.8-inch spacing) and grids with an 8×8 matrix (approximately 1.75-inch spacing).
CAUTION: Guinea pig owners should strictly avoid these two grid configurations (5×5 and 8×8).
5×5 grids are too large and are not effective at containing many sized pigs. 8×8 grids are just a little too big and present a potential choking hazard. We have received bulletins from various guinea pig rescue organizations warning us to avoid 8×8 grids. They cited several strangulation incidents involving grids with these larger openings and advised us to use only 9×9 grids in our guinea pig cage designs.
C&C crates are almost always built as DIY projects and tend to be much larger (and therefore healthier for your pig) than standard manufactured “pet store crates”. In general, C&C cage builders take one of three approaches. The DIY expert creates the cage from scratch: he designs the cage and purchases the materials himself. The industrial but thrifty DIYer also buys materials on his own, but only after purchasing cage plans from a competent C&C cage designer. And the savvy do-it-yourselfer takes the easy, proven, hassle-free route by purchasing a packaged C&C cage kit, complete with materials and instructions, from a reputable and proven C&C cage seller.
(C) 2009 Robert M. Matthews