About CandE Cosies

So who are CandE Cosies?

Well, to be honest "we" started as just a WAHM and that's me, Elaine. After over a decade designing and making liners and accessories me became 3. Now, as others have moved on it's now me and my eldest daughter Charlotte. Also my other half, Dave is on board to help where required (IT and dogsbody denerally). As a family we used to have many guinea pigs of our own, a few more than your usual 2/3/4 😁 We have also been small animal boarders and have looked after guinea pigs, rabbits, African pygmy hedgehogs, tortoises, hamsters, degus, rats, chinchillas and even birds. Sadly our success and reputation meant it became too big and so we had to take the tough decision of closing.

 

How did we start?

Over the many years of animal boarding we met some lovely people. Some of these asked if we knew where they could get hold of accessories like snuggle sacks, tunnels and cage liners. After some evening chats, watching Emmerdale and Corrie, CandE Cosies was born! I had a vast experience of guinea pigs and passion for sewing and so after some research I designed snuggle sacks in 2012 and started making and selling in 2013. This was followed quickly by the ramp tunnels which were a product in the UK.

Not long after this, the cage liners were born. I was the first in the UK to use Zorb® in all of my absorbent liners. I believe I still am, as of July 2023, to be the only liner maker in the UK who imports Zorb® direct from the manufacturer. Despite this taking quite some effort it allows us to keep our prices lower than others who have in more recent years started to use it. So, don't be put off by our lower prices ... it doesn't mean lower quality just more experienced makers!

So, why did I decide to use something I needed to import from the USA? Simply because it is the best material to use and absorbs more than bamboo, towelling, mattress toppers and definitely more than polyester wadding. It's designed to be used in reusable nappies so can handle babies weeing. The other cores mentioned (towelling, mattress toppers, wadding) are used by many other sellers claiming to make "luxury" liners. This does annoy us a bit at CandE Cosies. Take wadding as an example. Polyester wadding doesn't absorb moisture at all, no matter how thick it is inside the liner! It "holds" the moisture rather than absorbs it. Now, this can work to some extent but is far less effective and certainly doesn't hold the moisture in. Other makers disguise this by putting a waterproof backing on their liners to contain the liquid. Another added bonus with using Zorb® is that it is lightweight, thinner and dries quickly. Win! Win! Win!

More About CandE Cosies

I am a work at home mum (WAHM) with 4 children of varying ages, the most demanding being our 2 youngest of primary age. I have always continued to have the passion to supply what I, and many returning customers feel, are the best liners. Check out the reviews to see for yourself. So despite breaks due to pregnancy etc she has always returned to making them. I am the driving force and the main creative brain behind CandE Cosies but I use family as a sounding board to help sometimes.

Charlotte is my eldest daughter and should have left home by now but still seems to be here, no matter how many hints I drop LOL She went to university and came out with a degree in fashion, media and marketing. After some time feeling like she didn't know what to do, she joined me to create a mother/daughter team. She is often the one that will respond to your emails/messages and is in charge of the social media side of things. She does this with gusto despite being dyslexic. She's not afraid to get her hands "dirty" and is very much an integral part of the team.

Dave is my partner and is a general dogsbody and "teaboy" ... as well as website creator and designer, accounts manager, admin assistant, financial controller and sometimes he's allowed to cut fabric and package orders, but only if well behaved! He also runs our sister website Cage Creations

Final Words

We are honest and caring and take great pride in what we design, make and dispatch. We don't exaggerate our achievements or pretend we are something we're not. We share childminding duties, school runs etc whilst also working hard on both businesses.

Nothing is outsourced. Everything is made here in Bristol, UK by the team above and Dave helps design and maintain the website and sometimes cuts the fabric as well as being a sounding board when I need another opinion, though he's usually wrong LOL 

It is because every single product is hand made by myself and Charlotte that there is usually at least a 7-10 day wait, longer at busier times, on liners and accessories. However we always try to make them quicker than this and often do. We are also happy to make liners from fabric supplied by you or even completely bespoke sizes for a variety of cages.

This means that when you purchase from us you are supporting a small UK based business who has worked hard to grow and be successful, which has allowed us to invest in other UK companies and also local people.

If you have any questions about CandE Cosies or the products we make then please don't hesitate getting in touch. Otherwise why not go to The Best Cage Liners and add one or more to your shopping cart.

Thanks for taking the time to read about us and why we do what we do. Simply put, because WE LOVE MAKING ACCESSORIES FOR SMALL ANIMALS :)

Kind regards

Elaine and the team