Cage: is a 20"x20" cage ok?

[mello]

hi everyone, im just a new GP enthusiast..
and im actually planning to get one or even two of them..
now, can i ask a couple of questions?

will a 20"x20" cage be good enough for a single or a pair of GP's?

and if in case it is only good for one, will that cavy be fine though i spend almost a day at work and at school?

will he be fine though i can only play with him when i come home at night?(except saturdays and sundays)

i really have quite a small room though, and i'm actually keeping 2 campbell dwarfs at present.. but still, i still want to have even a single cavy at my place.. would that be fine?

i really, really, need some help right now, and i guess asking you guys would enlighten me somehow.. thanks in advance!

[Ly&Pigs]

No, sorry but a 20"x20" is not big enough for a single pig let alone two. The minimum for 2 sows is 28"x42" and for 2 boars is 28"x56".

Cavies are best kept in pairs so that they have a friend of their own species to talk to and play with. They are social creatures.

[Wodentoad]

With respect, you have so little time at home, and you have other pets, why do you HAVE to have guineas? Why not spend more time on those pets you already have? Expand their living space and give them more attention!

Again, I do not mean disrespect, but I believe it is not responsible or adult to say "I must have this life in my hands even though I cannot provide adequate support or attention."

What if your employer said: I want to have more employees, but I can't afford to pay them or give them health benefits. I'm going to hire them anyway. Or if your school took on more students because they wanted the numbers even though they knew the support system for that many simply was not there.

Please do the responsible thing.

[Onetwo]

Ly and Wedentoad are absolutely right. Do NOT get another pet if you cannot provide the space, time, attention, or care. Guinea pigs are very expensive they need pellets, unlimited hay, 1-2 cups FRESH veggies every day per pig, litter and/or fleece bedding, vet care (start saving now!!!), large cage and so much more that they are one of THE most expensive pets. They are well worth it but its not fair to them to have to live in a dirty small cage. Plus they need their cage cleaned 1-2 times a day touchup and 1-2 times a week thoughrly when it is the proper size. They need a minimum of 1 hour a day to run (floortime) and 1 hour a day to cuddle and socialize with you (laptime).

[princesspoppy]

Originally Posted by Onetwo

Ly and Wedentoad are absolutely right. Do NOT get another pet if you cannot provide the space, time, attention, or care. Guinea pigs are very expensive they need pellets, unlimited hay, 1-2 cups FRESH veggies every day per pig, litter and/or fleece bedding, vet care (start saving now!!!), large cage and so much more that they are one of THE most expensive pets. They are well worth it but its not fair to them to have to live in a dirty small cage. Plus they need their cage cleaned 1-2 times a day touchup and 1-2 times a week thoughrly when it is the proper size. They need a minimum of 1 hour a day to run (floortime) and 1 hour a day to cuddle and socialize with you (laptime).

Plus please don't forget the vet bills and cost to keep guinea pigs.

[Ly&Pigs]

I must be missing something here.

Where did all this other stuff come in? What about families that work 40 or more hours a week or go to school full time? They still have time for their pigs.

I personally feel that a lot of assumptions have been made about this person. There was nothing at all that states this person won't have time for their pigs, nothing that states they don't have the money to properly care for the pigs, including vet bills. Where does it state that mello "must" have a guinea pig?

Mello is new to the world of guinea pigs and it looks to me like they are trying to get advice, not to get judged based on assumptions.

[JD In Van]

Mello, if you're gone most of the day I think that's fine, though be prepared to get up a little early in the mornings before you go to work/school as they will need veggies in the morning and evening.

Personally I think given cavies are dawn & dusk animals they're an ideal pet for a 9 to 5 (or in my case 8 to 4) person as long as they have another of their own species to keep them company when their human family is away.

They do need their floor and lap time daily, it's very important for them for socialization and excersise. At least an hour a day out of the cage in an open space that's larger then their cage. You'll want to make sure you have a suitable space before you get them though. (Personally I give mine run of the kitchen in the morning while I'm cleaning their cages and getting ready for work and then again in the evening after supper you just have to make sure they can't get behind the stove/fridge/other appliances.)

Also you mention the cage will be in your room. GENERALLY we recommend that piggies be kept in high traffic areas of the house hold so that they'll have more socialization with family members. Is there a place in your home that's higher traffic where you could place a larger space?

[Peggysu]

I work a 56 hour work week and I have plenty of time for my piggies. With that being said though I made sure that they have another of their own kind to play with and a cage that exceeds the size recomendations of this site. That way if they don't get floor time a few days I don't feel to bad because their cage is big enough for them to play. Getting up a little early to feed and sweep the cages doesn't really bother me because my piggies give me much joy.

[Onetwo]

Ly no one ever said she didnt have money but she did state that she works and goes to school so she seemed to say she was worried about them being lonely. we were just informing her what she would need and expected as far as materials and time. No one was pointing blame, assuming or judging.

[CavyMama]

The question at hand was if a 20" by 20" cage was large enough. That's less than 2 ft by 2 ft so no, it's not enough room for 1 let alone 2 pigs, as Ly said. A 2X5 would be much more suitable for 2 pigs.

[mello]

@LY, thanks for the support.. i guess i should have specified everything so that i could have cleared some points better.. but thanks anyways..

thank you guys for your opinions,(no hard feelings)
i think i should really get them a bigger cage.. and place it maybe at the living room? the time, the money, and other things i believe i could handle them.. i usually give time for my pets about 1-2hrs before i leave for school/work and another 1-3 hrs when i get home(saying that mostly i leave at 8am and be back at 7pm at weekdays).. so i guess the playtime and socialization won't be such a problem..

by the way, sorry if i caused some misunderstandings around here...
my apologies..

[Wodentoad]

My feelings on the matter are about the space. The poster mentioned that they had hamsters already, and only a small room.

Hamsters require less space and a very different set up from their much larger cousin cavies. They require different maintenance and care. If the person is in such a small room, beyond vets and veggies, I feel more concern for space. It was said that they did not have room for a cage any larger than 20" x 20". This is not adequate, as we all know.

But forcing a guinea pig to live in inadequate space simply because you MUST have them, is like forcing an employee to work for lower wages because you want one more face on your payroll. It's irresponsible and frankly childish. While this person lives in the small room, perhaps they should focus their attention on the pet that they DO have, until they have the room to spare for a large guinea pig set up.

I am sure they are aware of the right things to do, the right hay, the right pellet, the right bedding--all of this is listed on the site--but it may just not be possible for them to have the right amount of space. My fervent hope is that they wait until this IS possible, hence, doing the responsible thing for the life of the guinea pig in question.

[pigsmakemesmile]

A 20" x 20" pen is way to small for one pig let alone two. If you'd like more information, please read up on cage requirements and social behavior on this forum...this may answer your question even better and give you some insight into what guinea pig parenting really involves...it's truly a committment that requires dedication.


Because you have a small room and have animals already, are at school and at work all week, and only have time on the weekends, then please reconsider your thoughts and hold off for now getting a guinea pig. They are expensive to maintain and require much more space than what you can probably offer. You also need to consider what you situation and circumstances will be in the future as guinea pigs have a life expectancy of around 5 to 8 years more or less.

Housing isn't just one aspect in parenting them, other things equally important is the ability to provide the proper nourishment, exercise and the ability to care for their medical needs if a problem were to occur. A simple example is if the pig where to get sick, antibiotics, xrays and office visits can be costly. Do you have the ability to pay for their medical bills??

I'm just giving a little food for thought. I ask that you take a little time and ask yourself these questions and think about the answers before making the decision.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by mello

will a 20"x20" cage be good enough for a single or a pair of GP's?

and if in case it is only good for one, will that cavy be fine though i spend almost a day at work and at school?

In human terms that would be a little like the question of whether a person could live in near solitary confinement in a 5x7 bathroom. It isn't going to be fatal, but it certainly isn't what you'd want for someone you cared about. I don't see anything to recommend it, no matter how much time you had to play with it.