Cage Huge mess - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**itzdaphne** · #1 10-20-09, 04:07 pm

Hi everyone,
I just got my guinea pig on Sept 26, and she always makes a mess !
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...k/IMG_3392.jpg

Haha you can't see really well, but all around, there's bedding and hay everywhere !
My GP always runs around popcorning, and sure I'm so happy that she's happy, but it gets ALL over the floor.

Is this normal ?
or is there any way for me to prevent it ?

Also, I just put that box there just now, because I read this article that said they shouldn't be directly on the floor.
Is this true ?

I hope this is the right section, haha .

Tips are appreciated! =)

**2pigs2kids** · #2 10-20-09, 04:56 pm

I would start by doing some reading/research on C&C cages, which is all over this forum. Your pet store cage is not sufficient in size at all! It will be much better for your piggie to have a larger cage, which you can make at home. It will also help to use fleece for bedding.

**Tessa Bea** · #3 10-20-09, 05:07 pm

Firstly, I'd make a mess too if I had to live in a space as small as a pet store cage! I hope you look into making a C&C- it's well worth it.

Loose bedding makes a much bigger mess than fleece from what I've found, and lots of poo is normal. Fleece makes things easier to keep clean, you can vaccuum up the poo daily and sweep up hay. Do you have a designated 'kitchen' area? I've also found that this helps.

**itzdaphne** · #4 10-20-09, 05:08 pm

Thank you !
I'll do that right away.
Is it really too small ?
The pet store worker told me this would be fine .
Guess I should've done more research on cages..

Time to save up for a bigger cage !

Tdchewy · #5 10-20-09, 05:12 pm

Welcome to the forum! Enjoy your piggy!

**leyley904** · #6 10-20-09, 05:15 pm

I think you should get him a friend, too. Maybe he is bored, so he makes a mess. With a friend and a bigger cage, he won't get bored.

So that your cage you have now doesn;t go to waste, what you can do is but the petstore cage IN the C&C cage (which hopefully you decide to get) and make it a kitchen area. You put all the hay and stuff in there and it will be harder for him to kick it out. Then I suggest you get fleece to put in the rest of the C&C cage.

P.S. I'm not trying to be rude, but your cage is definitely too small.

**lissie** · #7 10-20-09, 07:03 pm

Please consider making her a bigger cage. It will be easier to keep clean.
Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home
How to Make a C&C Cage

**Dichotomy83** · #8 10-20-09, 07:28 pm

Everyone so far makes great points. Having a larger cage (and it looks like you have the space for one) will make a WORLD of a difference. I, too, started out with regular bedding, and have found fleece to be so much easier to keep tidy!!!

**Ly&Pigs** · #9 10-20-09, 07:41 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by leyley904

I think you should get him a friend, too. Maybe he is bored, so he makes a mess. With a friend and a bigger cage, he won't get bored.

So that your cage you have now doesn;t go to waste, what you can do is but the petstore cage IN the C&C cage (which hopefully you decide to get) and make it a kitchen area. You put all the hay and stuff in there and it will be harder for him to kick it out. Then I suggest you get fleece to put in the rest of the C&C cage.

P.S. I'm not trying to be rude, but your cage is definitely too small.

The original poster should work on building a larger cage environment first, then worry about a friend.

**leyley904** · #10 10-20-09, 07:42 pm

I know.

**itzdaphne** · #11 10-20-09, 07:45 pm

Thank you guys so much !
So I did a lot of research on C&C cages, and I'm definitely going to make/get one as soon as possible.

About getting another companion for HER* ( ;P ), I doubt my parents will let me. It took a lot of persuading for them to let me even get Botan. So I guess I'm just going to have to spend as much time with her as possible to keep her busy.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #12 10-20-09, 07:54 pm

Never listen to what the pet store tells you. That looks like the Petco starter cage. It's only about 2 and a half square feet, way too small.

If you build a C&C cage, you can make the tray higher so they can't kick bedding out as much. A bigger cage is easier to clean too. A C&C is pretty cheap to build. It probably costs half of what you paid for that cage.

**wheekers01** · #13 10-20-09, 08:32 pm

Also just pointing out but is that hay from Petco? You should get a better hay like Kleenmama's or Oxbow. People have found bugs and spiders in petco hay.

**lissie** · #14 10-20-09, 08:58 pm

Check this place for coroplast.
GE Polymershapes, Branch Locator
I got a 4'x8' for $10.

I got grids from Bed Bath and Beyond for $12.99/box (after 20% off, you can apply online for coupon).

**MissFormosa** · #15 10-21-09, 04:06 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by leyley904

I think you should get him a friend, too. Maybe he is bored, so he makes a mess. With a friend and a bigger cage, he won't get bored.

So that your cage you have now doesn;t go to waste, what you can do is but the petstore cage IN the C&C cage (which hopefully you decide to get) and make it a kitchen area. You put all the hay and stuff in there and it will be harder for him to kick it out. Then I suggest you get fleece to put in the rest of the C&C cage.

P.S. I'm not trying to be rude, but your cage is definitely too small.

Welcome to the forum. I am hoping you will be able to gather some info here to improve the life and happiness of your new pet.

I'd like to add onto what the poster I quoted was saying. Consider adopting a friend for your pig (after you have a proper size cage and supplies) from a local rescue. This forum has a For Adoption thread and you can check for pigs available for adoption on PetFinder.com. Please don't purchase another pig from a pet store. There are tons of pigs out there in rescues waiting for forever homes. Plus, almost all the pigs bought in stores come from breeders and pig mills. Oftentimes they have diseases. If you buy one from a pet store, you put another to suffer in it's place. PetsMart has been accused of animal cruelty and it would be best as an animal lover not to support a company like that.

You don't need to spend a lot of money to build a larger cage. The grids can be purchased cheaply, usually about $15-$18 and you can substitute a shower curtain for the bottom until you can get some coroplast. Poke around the forum and the photo galleries for more ideas.

One last tip, you may want to move the cage away from the window. Pigs are sensitive to weather changes and drafts.

The good thing is that you are here to learn more.

**trump_cinnamon** · #16 10-21-09, 05:45 pm

You may also want to consider bringing her to the vet if you bought her at PetCo. Among a number of illnesses she could have, she could be pregnant, or she could actually be a he!

**itzdaphne** · #17 10-23-09, 01:49 pm

ahh so much to do
thank you all so much

well i think near the window is okay, because i never open it and always keep the blinds down, but i might move her/him.

ahh
must buy better hay too. :/

**Ly&Pigs** · #18 10-23-09, 04:31 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by wheekers01

Also just pointing out but is that hay from Petco? You should get a better hay like Kleenmama's or Oxbow. People have found bugs and spiders in petco hay.

Bugs, spiders, partial to full rodent/reptile skeletons, weeds/thorns and other foreign objects can be found in any type or brand of hay. People who have purchased KM's and Oxbow's hay have found foreign objects in their hay too. It doesn't mean it's bad it just means the people/companies selling the hay have no control over what happens when it's cut in the fields.

KM and Oxbow do have better quality hays than many others.

"Thank you, 2pigs2kids, for this useful post," say these 4 members:
blackarrow (10-20-09), Emberlyn (10-21-09), MissFormosa (10-21-09), rabbitsncavyluv (10-20-09)

"Thank you, Ly&Pigs, for this useful post," say these 4 members:
fieryone (10-21-09), princesspoppy (10-22-09), rabbitsncavyluv (10-21-09), Tessa Bea (10-20-09)

"Thank you, rabbitsncavyluv, for this useful post," say these 2 members:
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"Thank you, wheekers01, for this useful post," says:
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