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Small pets

Guinea pig cage recommendations?

5 replies

Penguinandminipenguin · 13/07/2015 20:53

We have two guinea pigs, and they currently live indoors, in a cage thats 100cm x 50cm.

They spend about 6 hours a day in the week, and 12 hours a day on weekends in a pen in the living room, which is 190cm x 95cms, so they are used to loads of room in there.

Basically, on the weekend, we are going to stay at my mums for a few weeks as we are waiting for dc1 to arrive. We will be taking the gps in their little travel cage, and because space in the car is going to be tight from now on (because of dc), we want to buy a cage to keep at my mums for when we visit.

The thing is, when we put them in the pen at mums, there won't be room for the whole thing, just half of it, but we will still put them in it. However, if I'm in hospital in labour for days etc, they may end up staying in the cage (with someone giving them food/water etc obviously) for a few days at a time, so they won't be getting the space they are used to. :(

I'm wondering if it would be really cruel for them to be left in a cage the size they have at the moment for longer than they are used to. So does anyone have any suggestions about what size cage would be good, and where to get one from?

We have tried them with a two tier one before but they refused to go upstairs, so we'd need a 1 tier one.

TIA!

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 13/07/2015 21:12

First of all, good luck with your forthcoming baby. Flowers

And , if you are taking the piggies somewhere new and different they will most likely hide in a box anyway. I have a 4'x2' indoor / quarentine cage which is ok for two pigs at might in winter (full of hay with a duvet over it, then out to their Pighouse by day)

Last winter , I made a lovely big C&C run for our 2 sows+ 1 boar. They spent the entire time in a washingbasket full of hay (2 doors cut in the ends) Hmm

So i put them back in the 4'x2' to sleep in and they didn't complain.

When we had 2 boars , they didn't like the cage.(unless it was full of hay)

If you want a flexible roomy cage, try C&C (I put cardboard on the base and tarpaulin under the cage).

Put lots of boxes in to keep them busy .

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Penguinandminipenguin · 14/07/2015 20:24

What us a c&c run sorry?

They are used to being at my mums and going in the car etc, it's just we usually take their cage and soon we won't have room so makes sense to have one at mums. As we will be buying one, just wondering if they need a bigger one as I feel it's mean on them :(

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Penguinandminipenguin · 15/07/2015 16:54

Bump

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 15/07/2015 21:41

C&C are grids that are about 14" square, so you build them according to your needs. ( I didn't buy the proper C&C , I got the shelving units from Costco but it's the same idea).
It has corner fastenings that you line up and click but they didn't seem particulary secure on their own though that might be my dodgy assembly so I added cable ties as additional fastening then clipped the end so the little rodenty teeth don't get them.
I put the C&C on the base and sides but you need to put something on the base to protect their feet. I used cardboard changed regularly.
Most people line with a thin plastic or lino type material.

If you put C&C cage into Google you will get loads of different pictures posted.

Advantage is- you can alter it, (I made a big open rectangle and a smaller bit for the hay in the vain attempt to keep my pigs tidy)

You can make levels but my pigs are too flipping lazy to climb so I didn;t

You can take it all apart to store in sections.

Downsides - it's not contained like a cage (so not good if there are cats or dogs)

My guineas (I have three) share a Pighouse (my DC old playhouse which is about 6'6" x 6'6" IIRC) so they do get very Hmm in a cage though 2 guineas should be ok in a 4'x2' but bigger is better.
Cages over this size though are £££. I saw a huge rabbit cage in Jolleys but it was about £80+ and where would I store it?

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Penguinandminipenguin · 15/07/2015 22:41

We have a cat and mum has a dog, so seems that's a no go, but thank you for the suggestion!
They didn't have any cages in the Jolly's by me this week, other than the starter ones which are smaller than what they have now. Maybe I will just buy another one the same size they've got to keep at my mums and just try and get them out in the pen as much as possible, although it won't be as much as at home :(

I just feel do cruel, but then other people I know just keep their gps in their cage around the same size or smaller, and they don't have a pen to run around in, so maybe I'm just over thinking it.

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