Size 2x6 or 3x4 - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**TheJiraks** · #1 10-05-09, 12:22 pm

Hello all. Been awhile! Long story short, I have two males who have been seperated for about 7 months because of some pretty serious fights. For about two months now, I've let them have floor time together again and they really get along well. You can tell they are pretty jumpy when the other sneaks up from behind, but there isn't the teeth chattering and lunging that there used to be. So, I finally want to get them back into the same cage again.

Here is my question, would a 2x6 or a 3x4 work better? They currently each have a 2x4. When I tried to combine the cages a couple of months ago by removing the divider, they fought. Now I want to completely remodel, using new fleece and coroplast. A 2x6 would fit better in the room, but I have concerns that a width of 2 grids may be too narrow for these testosterone fueled boys. A 3x4, or even a 3x5 would work if I had to, just makes it harder to clean I guess.

What is your opinion?

**princesspoppy** · #2 10-05-09, 05:00 pm

I had my girls in a 2x4 and to be honest they were not happy. They didn't run laps,no popcorning.Just miserable looking. So i made a 3x4. Within minutes of getting into the new cage they were delighted. Such a small difference to us makes a huge difference to them. The 2x6 is 2 grids bigger So give it a try. The bigger your cage the better . An extra 3 minutes scooping poop is all thats needed.

**blackarrow** · #3 10-05-09, 05:24 pm

Princesspoppy, the cages he's talking about would be the same size in terms of square footage.

I don't like having to re-do coroplast, myself - I'd probably set up grids as a 3x4 and use a tarp or shower curtain for a few days as a base, and see how hard I found it to clean, and if it was a pain, I'd probably try it the other way and see if the peace was maintained. How's that for non-committal?

**akstrohm** · #4 10-05-09, 06:12 pm

A 3x4 might be a bit better. It's hard to say.

Intros should be a one-time thing. Give them only floor time together means they are repeatedly having to re-establish who is dominant. This is stressful and makes it less likely that they will get along in the future. So when your cage is ready, do intros properly, and then put them in the cage. But no more floor time until they are also living together full-time.

**ferndalezoo** · #5 10-05-09, 08:08 pm

For multiple males, in my experience (I have 4 boars co-habitating), a cage that is deeper front to back, rather than long and narrow, works best. When I had 2 boars, I had them in a 3x4. When I acquired the other two, I extended it to a 3x5. I find there are minimal squabbles in the "squarer" cage, because they don't have to be any nearer to eachother than they want to be. My cage isn't hard to clean at all, but it's on the floor, and I simply step into it to do the cleaning.

**heartpiggies** · #6 10-05-09, 09:08 pm

I've always wondered why cages are presented in 2x something rather than more square shapes. I have a deeper cage (alternative materials) and I think Gary likes it a lot. It's on the floor and I actually get in it to clean it LOL. It's really not a big deal. I sort of tamed him by being in his cage doing stuff all the time. He just got used to me like, "Oh there's that enormous human girl again...hi" LOL.

**lissie** · #7 10-05-09, 10:00 pm

I've asked this same question before and decided to go with 2x6 because I needed 2 levels of storage under the cage. I have 3 males. I have never seen them fight, just occasional rumbling. The rescue told me they are pretty mellow though. Here's my old thread in case you're interested.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...x4-vs-2x6.html

**TheJiraks** · #8 10-05-09, 10:55 pm

Thanks all for the helpful replies.

I know it can be stressful on them to keep putting them together and the seperating them in the cages, which is why I really want to get them together for good. Everytime I walk in the room, they are laying side by side with the divider between them. At the moment, they are laying side by side on the floor!

I decided to go with a 3x5, because I have the room for the extra length and width...bigger is better, right?!

I will post an update in a few days to let you all know how it turns out, and then maybe in the future if someone else has the same question they will find this post.

Thanks again for your help!