Human Baby Proofing?

[Cherish]

Okay, so my husband and I are expecting our first baby in May.
As much as I believe that being around animals is good for kids, I definately don't want any sticky little fingers grabbing at the pigs until the child is older.

At the moment, our c&c cage is very low down to the ground, and has an open top. So it's not very baby proof at the moment.
What would be the best ways to keep the pigs out of the way, once the baby starts poking and prodding at things?
Putting more grids on top?
Having the cage higher up?

I know this might seem like I'm trying to cross a bridge before I come to it here, but I like to be prepared. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[dra&pigs]

When the baby is first able to walk and curious about the goings-on of the pigs, she/he probably won't be able to reach the cage if its high enough off the ground. I would also put a lid on it, because their little bodies can climb anything. I had to go through two younger brothers (twins) trying to keep those poor pigs from being prodded at all day. High off the ground, and a lid are probably the best precautions. I've also learned that if their interested, let him/her pet the pigs and incorporate them in feedings and floor time (you do not know how proud a two year old is to be able to put the veggies into the cage at night). If they know they can access the pigs, the less likely they are to get at them. Of course, they still will, but knowing they can interact with them will keep them from doing it excessively.

[Janelle]

And CONGRATULATIONS on your pregnancy!!!!! Babies are such a blessing!

[Harrys Dad]

Hmm how about putting the kid in the cage and let the piggie free? No huh? Ok just a thought

[RainKindle]

Originally Posted by Harrys Dad

Hmm how about putting the kid in the cage and let the piggie free? No huh? Ok just a thought

witty!

Oh! and I almost forgot, Congrats!!!!

[Drawingwords]

I'd be worried about the kid climbing on the cage and tipping it over. maybe somehow making it secure that way would help too. Congrats!

[Cherish]

Thanks, guys!

Originally Posted by Harrys Dad

Hmm how about putting the kid in the cage and let the piggie free? No huh? Ok just a thought

Actually, that reminds me. At the moment our pigs are free-range for the majority of the time (we only confine them to the cage when both my husband and I are out of the house, and when we go to bed at night) which of course won't be practical once the baby is moving around.
We'll still give them as much free time as possible, but it won't be all day, every day like they're used to at the moment.
Their cage is nice and big, but does anyone know if reducing the amount of space they're used to could cause them to fight, if they're used to access to the whole house?

Originally Posted by Drawingwords

I'd be worried about the kid climbing on the cage and tipping it over. maybe somehow making it secure that way would help too. Congrats!

That isn't something I'd thought of, but it is a risk, especially if the cage is higher up.
Our cage at the moment is bulky, but actually pretty light. Maybe we could weight it down in some way?

[dra&pigs]

Maybe if you put it on a large table, with enough space on the edges that the baby won't be able to climb up? As for the fighting, it shouldn't increase to much, as long as you have plenty of hideys, so they can all get away from each other. As long as the cage meets the requirments here, they should be fine-just maybe a little annoyed. Oh, and congrats!!

[Res Judicata]

Congrats!

We made a cage stand out of PVC pipe and plywood. It's sturdy and hard to knock over. Oh, and we have three kids. To keep little fingers out, we put a fiberglass covering over the front of the cage. At the time, our youngest wasn't tall enough to reach in the top and the sides were protected enough by other pieces of furniture to keep her from getting in that way. And with an open top and three sides of just grid, we figured a bit of fiberglass on one side wasn't going to enclose the piggies enough to hurt them.

[Amethyst]

My cage is going to be in my bedroom...where rugrats are a no-no.

And I like the idea about having your child help and have interaction with the piggies. They always want to get at whatever they can't have, so if you let him/her feed and pet the piggers sometimes she would be more content to just sit by and watch the rest of the time. Of course this wouldn't be an issue in the first couple of months.

And congrats!