schavarry

Yeah, that's why I've taken breaks from the forums. It gets really old, really fast when people are dead-set on being irresponsible. Sometimes I have to take a few days to calm down about it.

Love your piggy videos! She's a cutie!

My piggies are in a store bought cage until I save up to make them a bit of a mansion (they are still fairly young, though, and only just now outgrowing their cage which is the equivalent of about a 1.5x3). I know some people keep them in incredibly tiny cages, but some really aren't so bad for young pigs. (I didn't buy my cage originally for the pigs, I previously had rats and bought a huge ferret cage for them.)

Despite being in a store bought cage, they still do laps on the bottom and popcorn until all hours. I think it really depends on the type and size of cage you have, and how it's set up. And although I am working on getting them a C&C type cage, they are certainly not unhappy in their current set up. Just getting a little too porky for it.

My girls love their C&C cage!

It makes me feel so good to see her running around like that after everything that she has been through. You have done so much for her. I wish she could stay with you. I hope her owner knows that Lily is alive today because of how much you cared. You are definitely Lily's advocate.

@MissJean - If I'm not online much in the next few days, this is probably the reason (cooling off because I cant stand idiots any more!)

@Meaghan - I apprecaite that you're planning on making a bigger cage for your piggies. A farret cage might suffice while your pigs are young, especially when they're so small you'd have to babyproof your C&C cage, but fully grown guinea pigs need more space. If your pigs do laps in the tiny cage they have now, imagine how happy they would be in a "mansion"! They might not be unhappy right now, but eventually they will outgrow the cage they're in, and they could be so much happier with extra space! BTW This isn't directed at someone like you who sees the needs of their pigs and intends to increase their space - it's intended for those who see that the suggestion of space is larger than their current cage but they just don't care.

@dukesmith - Thanks

@Kelsie - Thanks! I really have tried my best to take care of Lily. As much as I wanted her to stay, she looked comfortable with her owner when her owner picked her up today. She wasn't as comfortable with Gertie when they were reintroduced but apparently they're doing well now that they're at home. I too hope Lily's owner sees that she might not be alive if it weren't for me, and I hope she's willing to do what it takes to keep Lily healthy while she's still alive...

Lily will always have a special place in my heart I hope my story - HER story - can eventually help someone else on this site! Thanks for acknowledging how much I care for Lily, it's nice for someone to notice

Originally Posted by schavarry

@Meaghan - I apprecaite that you're planning on making a bigger cage for your piggies. A farret cage might suffice while your pigs are young, especially when they're so small you'd have to babyproof your C&C cage, but fully grown guinea pigs need more space. If your pigs do laps in the tiny cage they have now, imagine how happy they would be in a "mansion"! They might not be unhappy right now, but eventually they will outgrow the cage they're in, and they could be so much happier with extra space! BTW This isn't directed at someone like you who sees the needs of their pigs and intends to increase their space - it's intended for those who see that the suggestion of space is larger than their current cage but they just don't care.

I understand that. Just thought I'd put a bit of perspective out there. When I first got the piggies, rescued, I didn't have the $200 to shell out to make a new cage for them and my rabbit (just an estimate for my new cage I have in mind, on another thread. I don't know how to link it though), so I thought it better to reuse my old cage for the time being than to half complete a C&C cage. And not everyone has the money to spend on huge cages, either. I know I certainly don't, as a college student in a college town. (It's near impossible to get a job in that setting.) All I really meant by my comment was that sometimes people are just doing the best they can given their situation. I know I am.

But the people who choose to ignore an animal's well being, that's just cruel.

Just an observation, your gallery pics show Lightning and Cinnamon in 2x4 separated in to 2x2's? I know a 2x4 is big enough for 2 pigs but when you put the fence in there it becomes a 2x2 and a single pig minimum is a 2x3.

Originally Posted by Digital_Dad

Just an observation, your gallery pics show Lightning and Cinnamon in 2x4 separated in to 2x2's? I know a 2x4 is big enough for 2 pigs but when you put the fence in there it becomes a 2x2 and a single pig minimum is a 2x3.

This is true - those are very old pics. When I first got Lightning and Cinnamon we thought they were both boys, and I had a 2x4 set up for them. When I double checked, I realized Cinnamon was a girl - so I needed to separate them but I didn't have the grids or coroplast to build a 2nd cage.... My options were to have one piggy in a laundry basket while the other was in the 2x4 cage by themselves or to divide the cage so it was 2x2 for each pig and they could still see each other until I got more coroplast. I chose to divide the cage so they could still be "together" and one wouldn't have an excess of space while the other was cramped. This was also before I fully understood the benefits of a larger cage.

The cage was split for about 4 weeks, both of the piggies were about 2.5 months old when they finally got their separate cages. Lightning had a 2x3 stacked on top of Cinnamon's 2x4 cage until Lightning was old enough to be neutered in July. In July I changed their cage so there's an L shape, and they have even more space - even though it's not linear. I intend to change to a 3x4 when we move (assuming we have the space).

I understand your point, I should probably remove those pics since they "condone" smaller living spaces than appropriate for a guinea pig. But I think you've missed the point of this blog - I was irritated with people saying they had no intention of getting a larger cage for their guinea pigs because "according to the pet store, this cage I bought is big enough". True I had my guinea pigs in a smaller cage at one point too but I fully intended to increase their space as soon as possible - this was not directed at those people who were waiting for supplies to be able to increase the space their GPs had to roam, but those who were unwilling to change their mind about the space needed for their pigs.