The empty cage before decorations. The lower-level windows are two 6" x 24" pieces of clear acrylic taped togther; the upper-level window is a smaller single-piece of acrylic.
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With decorations. Step stool house/tunnel and igloo made out of a large plastic mixing bowl.
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A close-up of the upper deck.
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Another angle.
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A close-up of the Metallicavies albumcover, but you really cant read it in the photo. To read what is on each album go to this link: http://geocities.com/texcavy/metallicavies. It's worth it. You might get a laugh too. Especially if you know which Metallica songs inspired the cavy versions listed.
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The Metallicave ... its one of those small step stools a lot of people are using these days as a piggy gazebo.
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The sleeping berth, fashioned after the beds in a Pullman train car. I had heard about the hanging baskets and Futons for guinea pigs but wanted to invent my own style. Cozy but not too small. This is Panache's favorite spot in the cage but sometimes Ridgemont gets to use it too.
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The bell was purchased in the wrapping paper and card aisle at Walmart. $ 1.47 ... a wedding bell to be placed on gifts. I removed the lace tied to it and used heavy string instead. I put metallic beads on the string over halfway up it. The pigs actually like to play with this sometimes.
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A Rubbermaid basket found in the kitchen and bathwares aisle at Walmart. $3.94 The most I have ever paid for a hay rack. I cut a small portion off with wire cutters and smoothed the cut ends and it made a perfect hayrack.
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This shows how I connected the hayrack to the grid piece for the cage. I used duct tape again. But also covered that with strong but pliable wire to keep pigs from chewing the tape. There are many ways to connect the hayrack. no one has to use my way. I just like it because the tape keeps it from being wobbly, where if I had used only wire, it might wobble around a bit.
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Two of these CD racks found in the housewares ailses of Walmart for $1.50, can be put together to form the perfect ramp. I like them better than bent grids because of the smaller space between wires. Just cover with a towel or carpet cut to fit and clamp that on with binder clips. I also attach the top of the ramp with about three binder clips that are just the right size to hold it in place. Any bigger or smaller and it would not hold securely.
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This shows how I used a leftover piece from the cut grid windows to connect the two CD racks together to make the ramp. Again my preferred method was duct tape, but it can be done with zip ties as well. I just feel the tape holds more securely, if you use it just make sure your pigs do not chew it. I keep it at areas where the pigs cant easily chew at it.
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This little ceramic bathtub was intended to be a soapdish. I have had it for a long time. I always thought it would make a neat pellet dish but worried about it tipping over if the pigs leaned on the edge.
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This picture shows that I figured out a way to keep it from tipping. I cut holes into the coroplast floor of the upper deck where the pellet dish stays. I had to trace the legs of the tub to get the holes the right size. They had to be quite snug to hold the dish tightly in place when the pigs lean on the edge.
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This photo shows Panache has no trouble resting her feet on the edge of the tub. It won't tip.
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Panache was the first to learn to go up the ramp. Ramp training went very well, btw. It took four days for them to learn to go up there for pellets. Until then they had a bowl downstairs as well. I just removed that bowl yesterday. Training involved feeding them their veggies on the upper deck. I had to capture them and put them up top, then they were rewarded with their veggie treat. Panache was able to get down on her own from day one. Ridgemont had to be helped back down the first two days. Now they both go up and down the ramp like old pros. The ramp goes up to the upper deck through a cut grid.
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Here they are both inspecting the ramp. I think it eventually met with their approval.
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Playing in the new cage. This was before the decorations were added. And before the black bowl/homemade pigloo that can be seen in some of the earlier photos.
Although I did not show photos of it, this cage has a drop down side for ease of cleaning. www.cavycages.com shows how to do that. The front, as can be seen, has the grids cut away to expose the window for better viewing of both cavies and slaves.
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