Baby gate type thing for guinea pigs?

[VenusClapTrap]

A guinea pig breeder has died leaving hundreds of guinea pigs in need of homes, and our local guinea pig rescue is involved and will be looking for local homes when they’ve all been vetted etc.

My dc are very, very keen. I’ve been making promises for years about ‘one day’ getting a shed and run built at the bottom of the garden and adopting some rescue rabbits/guinea pigs, so maybe now is the time.

As they would need to be inside for the winter anyway, I’ve got plenty of time to sort out the shed/run construction, and I’m thinking our pantry could be a good winter home for them. At the moment it’s just filled with crap and unused kid craft stuff, so a good clear out is needed. It has Lino on the floor and a secure door, so I don’t think we’d even need to buy a cage - just provide them with some snuggly boxes of hay and fleeces and tubes and things. Easy then to sweep and mop.

Does this sound like a good idea? It’s approx 1.5m square, so a reasonable size.

What I would need to sort out though, is some kind of baby gate to put across the doorway during the day so they could see and hear us in the kitchen. I’d close it at night in case the cat got any ideas - unlikely, she is elderly and not much of a hunter but you never know.

Does a small animal type baby gate thing exist? Lower than a normal baby gate, and with closer bars? Any suggestions?

Guinea pigs don't climb much so what you're suggesting would work, so long as the bars were close together. But I think you'd find it hard to keep clean and very quickly smelly. You'd need to put some bedding down (newspaper and/or hay) to soak up the wee or the guinea pigs themselves would become pee-soaked and smelly.

A better option might be a large indoor cage that you keep somewhere they can see you.

The bars woukd need to be very close as gps can flatten themselves to quite small ! Maybe a frame door with chicken wire would be better. Or make a run out of similar to fit inside the room. Not sure about lino, their claws might get long with no scratching or friction.

Guinea pigs wee (& poo) more than you would believe possible, so your pantry would ideally have a sealed floor (no gaps between lino and skirting boards for wee to collect). However, it's a good size, so if you could fit something like a childrens' paddling pool or sandpit base in there, that would contain the mess and could be hosed down outside when required.

I think you'd also need something more substantial than a baby gate to keep them in/the cat out. @LIZS's suggestion of a frame door covered in chicken wire sounds sensible, and would allow them to be at the heart of the family but still safe from the cat.

Guinea pigs really benefit from being able to see and hear you. Living in the pantry, they'll be much tamer being used to family members coming and going all day, rather than in a shed where they only see you a couple of times a day. I think it could work really well, although you would still need to build a run on the grass for them to enjoy the garden on summer days.

Guinea pigs are lovely, gentle pets. I hope you have many happy years with them.

I'd second what others say - we just inherited some guineas from a relative that had emigrated and I can't believe how much they wee and poo!

Hmm maybe I do need to buy a cage then. I suppose the advantage of that is it can be taken outside and hosed.

I’ve read that they can’t go outside on grass during the winter. We always used to put our pigs in their run on fine days when I was a kid, so that’s changed. Will they get sufficient exercise in a cage?

Ooh cross posted with two more replies! That’s encouraging constantinople; I must admit I prefer the idea of them having a little room rather than a cage. I’ll look into paddling pools etc and see if I can find something that might fit. It’s a good point about wee getting down the side of the Lino - that would definitely happen now I think about it.

I think it sounds great.

Mine are indoor only.
They are upstairs and the room is kept closed (I'm allergic to hay 🙄) but they aren't that smelly if you keep them cleaned out.

It's easy to clean the set up we have every evening. Takes 10 mins.

I have a good thick fleece and vet bed down in most of their large c and c cage. Then I use a big cardboard box with a towel over the top (to make it darker and feel safe) for their hay. I cut a couple of guinea pig sized holes in the side so they can get in and out. If I line that with newspaper and cover with hay, I only need to top up the hay in the evenings. Then change the newspaper every couple of days, and the whole box around every 2-3 weeks. It's the soggy cardboard that gets smelly rather than the rest of the cage. Vet bed is quite expensive but it really deals with the wee well and it's easy to sweep the poo off.

By the way, when I say childrens paddling pool, I don't mean the soft PVC kind that has wrinkles and seams inside, as the guinea pigs will nibble them and it could be dangerous. A rigid plastic base would be best, I think, one that doesn't have protusions inside, and about 15cm high to contain hay, poos etc.

I'd probably just make a gate yourself. Make a frame out of wood, the width of the door, about 50-60cm high, and staple chicken wire to it. Cap or file off any sharp bits. Screw hinges to one side and screw into the door frame. Put a bolt on the other side.

Gosh - can someone confirm whether they're ok to go out in the winter? On fine days I'm still putting them on the grass and they seem keen to have a play and a nibble, feel bad if I'm doing the wrong thing!

Mine lived outside all winter and lived to a good age (oldest as almost nine when he died!) We insulated the hutch and made sure they had plenty of bedding/hay then put them up at night with a cover over. I also used a snuggle safe which they loved.

Obviously this will depend on where you live but my garden was quite sheltered.

You will benefit from some sort of indoor cage- pee will quickly damage the floor and it'll smell bad. I think they can be litter trained though.

www.argos.co.uk/product/8496915?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=30f62ea9-9626-4cac-97c8-9ff3921f8558&istItemId=ixilqqrml&istBid=t would probably work.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.
I can’t find anything with a rigid plastic base that’s large enough. I think it’s going to have to be a cage after all. But it can still go in the pantry where they will be close to us.

This in Argos is probably best to keep the tiny ones inside and away from the cat. Sounds perfect, good luck!

They could get under that and can gnaw at fabric.

Our 3 live outside in a hutch all year with a cover and a fleecy covered cat bed if they need it.

They wee and poo absolutely constantly.....

We also put ours on the grass on nice days and they are fine

Yeah they would eat that fabric stairgate!

If you don't feel confident to make a gate yourself, you could probably get a local handyman to do it for you. Or purchase a garden run/hutch and just take a side/the door off.

With keeping them outdoors, it's overnight you need to be careful of as it gets below freezing and they can die of hypothermia. If they have warm enough bedding it's fine, but it can be hard to judge what's warm enough, so easier/safer/kinder to bring them in or at least have them in some kind of shed or outhouse so they have more protection from the elements than a single-walled wooden hutch maybe with a tarpaulin to shelter from rain.

Putting them out in the run on dry days in winter is fine.

I would just make a frame with chicken wire and nail some battens to the door frame so that you can slide it in and out when you need to. It would be really easy to make with a hammer and a junior hacksaw.

If they are indoors in winter most people recommend not putting them outside as they are very susceptible to temperature changes.
Lots of people use a correx base in cages, it's like a thick plastic sheet, I'd think you could line the area with it. If you are on Facebook look on Guinea pigs uk.

confusednortherner I have now been down a rabbit hole looking at correx bases and c&c cages! It’s a whole new world since I had piggies as a child! I think this might be the solution. I can build something to fit the space and it will avoid the door-gate issue. Thanks.

Our pig goes outside as long as it's dry!

@VenusClapTrap oh yes our piggies have the luxury of a two storey playhouse and run for the summer and indoor hutch with attached run my husband made them for winter. I definitely didn't spend hours making my rabbits fleece hammocks and hidey holes like dd does 😂

@GlennRheeismyfavourite

Gosh - can someone confirm whether they're ok to go out in the winter? On fine days I'm still putting them on the grass and they seem keen to have a play and a nibble, feel bad if I'm doing the wrong thing!

Not on wet grass no, they eat it and it's not great for them.

Whereabouts in the country was this breeder ?

@VenusClapTrap

confusednortherner I have now been down a rabbit hole looking at correx bases and c&c cages! It’s a whole new world since I had piggies as a child! I think this might be the solution. I can build something to fit the space and it will avoid the door-gate issue. Thanks.

These are great, alternatively you can use some black flexible sheeting which we bought from a diy store, we have it under puppy pads and fleeces.

Whereabouts in the country was this breeder?

Chichester.