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New guinea pig cage

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:36:00 -0500

This weekend I built a C&C cage for my two cavies. It’s 2x5 with a 2x2 loft (in grids, not feet.) The base is approx. 13 sq. ft. I used kits from the C&C store for the cage itself, because I couldn’t find grids with appropriately sized holes in white and at a good price locally. I figured if I have to order the grids, I might as well order the coroplast too.

The base was built from 2 boxes of Closet Maid cubes from Target for about $40. I wanted it to be secure, inexpensive, and maximize storage space. Particularly, I wanted to be able to store at least half a bale of hay, and also a bag of litter underneath. A lot of designs I saw wasted space in the back (if the cage was against a wall.)

Here is the cage assembled and attached to the stand (with zip ties and connectors.) On the side, you can see I attached a wire cabinet rack with zip ties to keep cleaning supplies in easy reach.

Here is how the cage was zip tied to the front dowel:

Also, there is a hinged door in the back in case I need an easier reach under the loft. I hold the door open with a carabiner.

I’m using the loft as a kitchen area. There’s a hay rack made out of coroplast, based on this pattern but modified to be smaller for just two pigs. Under the hay rack is a coroplast tray filled with Yesterday’s News cat litter. Their food bowls sit in there too. It keeps the hay contained to the loft.

Most of the cage uses fleece bedding. There are 2 layers of u-haul pads on the bottom. I hemmed the edges of the fleece, sewed corners, and also velcro onto the corners. Then I glued velcro to the corners of the coroplast base. A lot of people sew the absorbent layer to their fleece, but that seems like it could be wasteful if one fabric wears out sooner than the other. I simply cut pads to fit and lay them down.

So far it seems like most of the poo gets contained in the litter box. For the small amounts of poo elsewhere, I’ve found an odd but very useful tool: a soup ladle. I use a stainless steel one, and it just glides along the fleece and you can just scoop the poo (and hay) right up. Much easier than using a dustpan/brush, and quieter than a hand vac. For stubborn bits of hay (and seed), a FurBGone brush is particularly useful (you can find it in the cat aisle.)

Also, because everyone asks - the white edging on the coroplast are slide on binding spines. I bought mine from the C&C store when I ordered the kits. You probably will not be able to find them in a brick and mortar store these days, but they are available online at Amazon, etc.

Cookie and Oatmeal, approx. 4 wks old.

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:08:00 -0500

Cookie and Oatmeal, approx. 4 wks old.

Photo

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:52:07 -0400

Photo

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:22:06 -0400

Photo

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:15:00 -0400

Major likes to groom Bo. She mostly licks around his mouth and...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:09:41 -0400

Major likes to groom Bo. She mostly licks around his mouth and inside his ears. He seems to like it, because he paws at her when she stops!

Contemplative Lemur (at Dallas Zoo)

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:48:00 -0400

Contemplative Lemur (at Dallas Zoo)

perfectpop: Greyhounds of the future.

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:17:34 -0400

perfectpop:

Greyhounds of the future.

How Computer Geeks Replaced Computer Girls

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:49:55 -0400

How Computer Geeks Replaced Computer Girls

pygeoip Python 3 support

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:08:21 -0400

I finally got around to porting pygeoip to python 3 today (v0.2):

http://code.google.com/p/pygeoip/

"I’m gonna buy a bunch of hermit crabs and make ‘em live together. People will say, `Are those hermit..."

Tue, 31 May 2011 14:20:06 -0400

“I’m gonna buy a bunch of hermit crabs and make ‘em live together. People will say, `Are those hermit crabs?’ I’ll say, `Not anymore. They’re mingling crabs. Very rare.’”

- Demetri Martin (via amanfromrome)

softerworld: A Softer World: 679

Tue, 31 May 2011 11:10:43 -0400

softerworld:

A Softer World: 679

Major relaxing in the pool at this year’s VAGA picnic

Sun, 29 May 2011 23:01:00 -0400

Major relaxing in the pool at this year’s VAGA picnic

Photo

Thu, 26 May 2011 12:37:25 -0400

greyhoundaddict: Greyhounds Playing Soccer! -Don’t let the...

Mon, 23 May 2011 22:12:00 -0400

greyhoundaddict:

Greyhounds Playing Soccer! -Don’t let the muzzles scare you. It’s just a precautionary measure. Especially because their skin is so thin they can bleed easily even if it was just a nip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPue12BNATw&feature=related

myhaecceity: Fennec fox (by floridapfe) So cute!

Mon, 23 May 2011 09:40:09 -0400

myhaecceity:

Fennec fox (by floridapfe)

So cute!

Bo’s close-up

Sun, 22 May 2011 11:59:11 -0400

Bo’s close-up

My new greyhound Bogardus

Sun, 22 May 2011 11:57:57 -0400

My new greyhound Bogardus

My crabitat set up. Click on the image to see notes.

Sun, 22 May 2011 01:25:00 -0400

My crabitat set up. Click on the image to see notes.

Eternal Earth-bound Pets

Fri, 20 May 2011 09:59:00 -0400

Eternal Earth-bound Pets:

When I first saw this site a while back, I thought it was a gag. Apparently, it’s actually profitable according to this BBC News article:

An atheist and entrepreneur from North Hampshire, Bart Centre, is enjoying a boost in business for Eternal Earth-bound Pets, which he set up to look after the pets of those who believe they will be raptured.

He has more than 250 clients who are paying up to $135 (£83) to have their pets picked up and cared for after the rapture.