to kitchen, or not to kitchen. . .

[jacqueline]

i have two 2X4 cages, one with 1 boy, the other with 2 boys. i gave up have holders, since my guys LOVE to hide and snuggle in the hay as they're eating it - and i can't bear depriving them of that fun. so, i keep the hay, in small piles in one corner of the cage. i've seen and read posts about kitchen areas, and today i picked up some litter pans to try and make a kitchen area myself, to maybe contain the hay a bit better. but now i'm having second thoughts. i hate crowding the cage with yet another thing. so, do you have a kitchen area and how much do you like it or not?

[Inle_Rabbit]

I have two second level kitchen areas and I like them both. I don't let my guys lay in the hay unless they pull it down, it is too much mess for me with 4 guinea pigs, 2 preschoolers and the dog.

The cage with two kitchens on oposite sides


Bacon and Buddy eating hay


Ben and Eddy Pig's cute piggy butts!

[Mastershroom]

Nice setup.

We built Quee and Kwee a 2x5 cage with a 1x2 loft, but they would never go upstairs on their own, so we just took it off.

[Inle_Rabbit]

Thank you! I still need to get a new piece of coroplast for it. I've been holding off because I have a VW Bug and two toddler carseats I don't want to take out, they are a major pain to put back in.

It took me about 30 seconds to train Buddy (who was a baby at the time) and almost 30 minutes to train Ben (3 years old) to use the ramp. Now that they understand it they showed our newest addition Bacon how to do it and Bacon has been going up and down since day one. =)

[jacqueline]

your boys are very cute!

[boofp]

[Inle_Rabbit]

boofp's kitchen looks like it would work really well for you if you wanted to leave the hay laying around. The guinea pigs would have to jump out of that hole and leave the hay in the other side. =D

[boofp]

the two grids in front open too for easy cleaning. I found use for the petstore cage.

[MissJean]

I really like the upstairs kitchen loft that some people do. It looks so nice and out of the way!

[minniemingming]

I did an upstairs kitchen loft and it has made the downstairs so much cleaner... not much hay makes its way down. I recommend it!

[jacqueline]

thanks for all your posts! i'm limited because of space issues. as much as i love the idea of attaching a separate section, with store bought cage bottom, i can't add on to the 2X4 i already have. so, the kitchen area needs to be INSIDE the 2X4. because of health problems, i need to keep the cage at a level i can get to without bending, which means a second story wouldn't work either. i don't mean to be difficult. i guess more than trying to figure out HOW to set up the kitchen, i really want to know if you all think it's worth it. so far it seems like alot of you think it's worth it. any nay-sayers out there?

[MissJean]

As far as I know, the kitchen is supposed to make their cage stay cleaner and be easier to clean. If the benefits others experience would not benefit you with your health issues, meh. It's not an integral part of the cage. I just have a towel or 2x1 liner under their hay rack and switch it out occasionally.

I love the cool kitchen areas, but their not worth it to *me*. The hay bits that spread across their main fleece don't bother *me*. I have to sweep regularly for poos anyways.

[Delaine]

jacqueline: I feel the same as you. I also have a 2 x 4 cage with two females. My girls love to dig in, spread around and forage in their hay and that what piggies are supposed to do. I put a 6" wide by 1" high tray along my back wall. I put in some bedding and top it with hay. This gives the girls 6" x 56" of tray to eat from, run along, poop and pee in. It is so low it doesn't take up any space. I used to use litter boxes but like you I felt they crowded things. They also get a pile in the middle of the cage up against the tray. I do have more hay in a piggy height rack to ensure clean hay, but they eat from the pile first. It sure makes cleaning easier because I have two sets of trays so changing them out is pretty quick.

[boofp]

Jacqueline could you post a picture of your cages and their location. That could help us try to help.

[jacqueline]

@boofp - i'll try to post a picture at some point, but i'm a bit of a techno-phob. i'm thinking that maybe what i'll do is try @Delaine 's idea of a section along the back wall, just in one cage, and see what happens. i can always take it out again if i hate it. i'm sure i'm in good company when i tell you that i've already changed my cage set up 50 million times - those poor pigs!! thanks guys!

[boofp]

@boofp - i'll try to post a picture at some point, but i'm a bit of a techno-phob. i'm thinking that maybe what i'll do is try @Delaine 's idea of a section along the back wall, just in one cage, and see what happens. i can always take it out again if i hate it. i'm sure i'm in good company when i tell you that i've already changed my cage set up 50 million times - those poor pigs!! thanks guys!

I totally understand that. I know for a fact that piggies love it when you add new things and rearrange. Gidget runs around inspecting everything and then come approval popcorns to follow.

[Ladybug77]

I have a 2x4 cage and have a kitchen on one end that is a coroplast "tray" of sorts. I had a second story which Ferris didn't use so that is we're the tray came from. The sides are low enough to where he jumps in one side and can use the "door" to run out of the other. He seems to enjoy the jumping in and out. When it is time to clean you can just lift the tray out and start your mini cleaning. I put a puppy pad down and then a piece of uhaul blanket on the side where he pees most. On top of that I put a piece of fleece that covers the entire sides and bottom then clip it on the coroplast sides. It sounds like a lot but is really easy to change, about 10 min. every other day and then on the rest just sweep out the poo and fallen hay. We do this when he is having his floor time and eating his veggies. Seems to work really well and keeps the odor down. Plus since he mainly poops and pees in the kitchen I have a mini air filter near so it helps keep the odor down even more
Oh for the sweeping out in between cleanings I have a mini broom and pan from the camping section at Walmart. It plastic so it can be cleaned every once in awhile.