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Ideas to Put Together an Easy Cage for 3 cavies (small mama and two babies)

wizeoldowl

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Please help with ideas for exactly where to buy items to put together an easy (dog proof) cage. I understand target has the structure. Is there anything to use besides wood or coroplast for the base? Please help. Also, what else does a cavy need besides food and water, cover and hay? Thank you!
 

wizeoldowl

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Also, can you be more definitive about what size three cavies should have (a small mama and two babies that will eventually grow). Would it be 2 feet by 8 feet? Or something similar? Thanks!
 

Jessi B

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Wood wouldn't be a good bottom as urine will soak into it and it will begin to smell. Probably the best place to go for ideas on the cage is the main page and the gallery. Just go under the how to and then that should answer all your cage questions, also probably going to GuineaLynx will answer all of your care questions.
 

bbqbarbiedolls

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While most of us have used coroplast for the bottom, some have also used linoneum (sp). Guinea pigs also need veggies and toys for entertainment. You can look at the main page for ideas on what your cavy should have in their cage.
 
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Ly&Pigs

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You will need a babyproofed 2x5 C&C. Young cavies (up to 3 months in some cavies) can go through the holes in the grids or get stuck in the holes in the grids. You will also need hidey places which you can either buy or make yourself, toys- see https://www.guineapigcages.com/toys.htm, plain good quality pellets, water bottles (at least 2-3), unlimited grass hay and you can give some alfalfa but if you are feeding alfalfa based pellets you can stick with just grass hay. They also need at least 1 cup of veggies each per day of a good variety. Daily staples are any types of lettuce but iceburg, cilantro, zucchini and bell peppers of any color. There are many more veggies that they can have on a rotating basis. Fruits can be fed in limited quantities a couple times per week.

They already have companionship so that rules that one out.
 

rabbitsncavyluv

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Target has the grids, Home Depot has shelving unit you can use for the cage top and cable ties if you don't want to use the connectors. Then food, bowls, pigloos, etc. at a pet store (preferably that doesn't sell animals), but Target has a pet section. They usually only have Kaytee pellets/hay though.
 

wizeoldowl

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Thanks for all your ideas. They currently have an igloo, a water bottle and I feed them pellets mixed with dry fruit and Timothy Hay. The babies hide a lot while the mama is more friendly. She still seems rather small for an adult pig. I was told, and am pretty sure, though it's hard to tell, that they are all girls.
 

jdomans

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Please make sure you know the sex of the babies so there is no more breeding.
 

Piggy Friend

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If you can't infd coroplast look for uder bed shelvin gunits, you WILL need more than one to make a proper sized one and cut away so they all merge into one but it's a good idea because you can just lift it up and tip the lot into the bin!!! Try it, v. easy and a v. good idea.
 

wizeoldowl

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What are under bed shelvin gunits?
 

Percy's Mom

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I was wondering that myself. I think Piggy Friend meant that you could get the underbed storage boxes and cut them to make a tray large enough. It's really more work than you want to go through and harder to baby proof for the little ones. If you can find a sign shop that sells coroplast, it's quite easy to make a tray for the cage.

I noticed you said you feed plain pellets with dried fruit. It would be best for your piggies to remove the fruit from their every day feed. It's extremely high in sugar and cavies can be susceptible to diabetes. Keep it around for a special treat once or twice a week, and they'll probably like it even more than having it every day. What type of pellets are you feeding? There are several brands and formulations out there that have less than desirable ingredients in them.
 

wizeoldowl

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You know. This weekend I put together those Target shelves and used the ties. And I thought it was so unstable, I was surprised so many people love it. The connectors (the plastic ones that come with the packet) are always falling off and the whole thing is just not a very sturdy cage, from my perspective. I used carpeting and then some material my mother gave me used in boating that has like a plastic that you can wash. Over that I put a combination of pine and hay. Underneath the carpet. I tore up a box and made it into a holder inside the shelving. The cage is about 2x4 with a small second story. I used a piece of cardboard and made small indentations to allow them to climb up and down. They aren't fond of it, but they do use it when they want to get into their cubby hole. I also put a litter box in there with my rabbit litter inside, hoping they will use it. It's a mess and gets pine all over. Plus, to top all this off, I think I am allergic to my pigs. And I rescued them from a shelter. Talk about heartbreak all around.
 

jdomans

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Coroplast is simple to find. Yellow Pages and then sign company or something of that nature. No biggie at all.

I have no problem at all with my C&C cage being stable. It is great. I have some zip ties and mostly connectors. You maight need to take a hammer and do a tiny bit of punding to make sure they connectors are down all the way. Put a towel or something over them in case you get to excited and hammer them to bits!

Cleaning out shavings is easy with a dust pan and trashbag. You pick nothing up at all.
 

wizeoldowl

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The places I went all wanted to charge more than $20 per sheet.
 

Percy's Mom

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My coroplast was $35, but the way I figure it, even with that being more expensive than a lot of people on here quote, I'm still ending up with an enormous cage for far far less than anything that would even come close in a store.
 
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