Understanding Standard Sizing vs. What's Changed

If you have small pets such as a guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, hedgehogs, ferrets, or other animals, chances are you are familiar with C&C cages. If you have recently shopped for new cages and accessories, you may have noticed lots of new sizes popping up for C&C grids. And with all of the new products in the market, it can get a little confusing. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the ins and outs of how C&C cages work and provide some clarity regarding sizing for traditional or standard C&C cages vs. the new cages that have been emerging.

Covering the Basics

C&C (which stands for "Cubes and Coroplast") cages have been around for well over half a century! These cages consist of two main components:

1. The base serves as the bottom of the cage. Made from coroplast, a corrugated plastic material, the base acts as the floor and sides of the cage, offering a safe surface for your pets to freely roam.
2. Grids ("Cubes") serve as the "walls" of the cage. The grid panels are usually made of wire and are clicked together with connectors to surround the base and form the frame of the cage.

Many pet parents enjoy using these enclosures for their small animals as they are safe, comfortable, and versatile. The adjustable grids allow the cages to be customizable, while the plastic bottom helps make cleanup more convenient.

Differences in Grid Sizes

Here’s where it gets confusing. Traditionally C&C grids are 14” (or 13.8”) and are square. We have now been seeing an emergence of panels that are 12” (or 11.8”) with varying heights. Popular sizes for traditional C&C setups can be seen in the below chart. 

In contrast to standard grids, the 12” grids will of course be smaller as the grids are 2 inches shorter in length. In terms of functionality, both sizes of grids still snap into place with connectors and are highly versatile and easy to use.

One thing to keep in mind is that the smallest cage size suggested for guinea pigs is 7.5 square feet (1,080 square inches), and the 2x3 size with the non-traditional cage grids will be smaller than this recommendation.

This difference in sizing can also make a big difference when you're looking for accessories that will perfectly fit within your cage setup! Most of these new cages with 12" grids do not fit the standard-sized coroplast base that make up a C&C cage. Of course you can produce your own coroplast base, but this non-traditional size will not be as widely available. 

So, an important factor you will want to consider when shopping for your cage or accessories is sizing and dimensions. When making a purchase for cage bottoms, fleece bedding, or other accessories, double-check the dimensions of your grids against the dimensions of what you’re considering purchasing. 

For Paw Inspired® products, check out our product images and size charts to get a clear understanding of sizing.

For our Critter Box®, we put together this chart that we hope pet parents will find helpful. 

As you can see, our products are designed to fit standard C&C cages, but as other cage sizes become more popular, we can understand some confusion can arise. So as always, if you ever have any questions regarding any of our products, we would be happy to help. If there's anything you need, please reach out to our support team at info@pawinspired.com.