How best to expand a C&C cage for maximal piggy happiness

[DaveyCavy]

Hello fellow cavy slaves! I recently adopted three girls - Edith (5 yo), Mabel (2 yo), and Lola (2 yo) - and they're settling in well. They are not from the same litter and are not strongly bonded, but they coexist in relative peace, although Mabel occasionally bullies Lola. I've been hoping to curtail this behavior by expanding their cage, which I should do anyway... They currently live in a 2x4 C&C cage, plus a "Lookout Lounge" and a 1x2 upper story (see attached picture). (I originally only planned to adopt 2 piggies, but I couldn't in good conscience leave the third behind at the shelter - so they're overdue for an upgrade. Also note that this picture was taken a few weeks ago when they first moved in, and I've since added several other hideys, snuggley couches, hay racks, and water bottles.)

I have several options when it comes to the expansion. I'll definitely expand the cage longitudinally to a 2x5, but then I'll run out of room in that direction (I live in a small studio apartment). My next question is: should I extend the cage into an "L-shape" (adding an extra 2x2 space that juts out from one end), or should I convert the whole thing into a 3x5? The difficulty with a 3x5 is that www.guineapigcagesstore.com doesn't sell 3x5 sheets of coroplast, and I've been unsuccessful at finding uncut coroplast sheets in my city. But I want to do whatever I can to encourage zoomies (of which Lola is an enthusiastic practitioner .

Any other advice regarding their habitat and expansion opportunities would be most welcome. (For example, is there any utility to be derived from expanding the upper level? They don't seem to use it much.) Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Hadams33]

I see you are in the US! We buy our coroplast from the Home Depot but they don’t call it coroplast they call it corrugated plastic sheets and it’s in the door section!

 

[Guineapigfeet]

I would go for an L shape, my short arms wouldn’t allow for cleaning a x3! I had a 5x2 for my three girls and expanded to an L shaped 7x2 and I really love it

 

[Swissgreys]

I am also a big fan of L shaped C&C's.
When it comes to cleaning I find a width of 2 grids to be easier to manage, plus I think length allows for more zooming than width.
Although this is just my personal experience.
Whatever way you end up expanding I am sure your piggies will greatly appreciate it.

 

[PigglePuggle]

We like L-shaped too, much easier to clean- and if you just cut a doorway in the correx between the different areas rather than flattening the sides completely then you can have different rooms- we have a 5x2 fleecy bedroom joined to a 3x2 hay room and a 3x2 kitchen for 6 piggies!

 

[DaveyCavy]

Thank you all so much for your comments and advice! I'm going to go for an L-shaped 7x2... I'll let you know how my piggies like it. (And @Hadams33, thanks so much for the great tip about sourcing coroplast! I called a bunch of Home Depots, but they had never heard of coroplast - now I know what to ask for.)