My piggies are sleeping in the kitchen.....??!!

[trvlpk]

Ok all of you g. pig owners. I need suggestions of what I should do now. I have 2 pigs and 3X2 C&C cage with a 2X1 upper kitchen.

Now before anyone comments on the size, yes I do realize that a 4X2 is recommended for 2 pigs however, with the size of cage these guys came from 3X2 is a mansion...not to mention it is all I have available to me at the moment - my upper kitchen is their old cage top.

Anyways, I have had these piggies now for 4 weeks and thought I had their likes/dislikes figured out, but they have changed it up on me, as they have their right to do. the LOVE sleeping in the kitchen and have been avoiding the 3X2 lined with fleece?! In the kitchen I have pine shavings on the bottom and then their hay, food dish, water bottles etc. I have even found them sleeping on the coroplast (my entrance to the kitchen has a small "landing" of sorts that is plain coroplast). What suggestions do you seasoned piggy owners have for me? Do I remove the fleece and start using affordable pine or paper bedding in the bottom? If I do in fact use paper, I would like to make it, can I use newspaper to make it? Why would you think they would be sleeping in this tiny area and not the comfy fleece with hideouts, fleece forrest and tunnels?

[Mastershroom]

Let them sleep where they like. If they like the tiny kitchen better than the main floor, why not let them enjoy it?

[trvlpk]

I suppose, just feel bad cause I have the whole bottom of the cage and would like to make that comfortable for them as well.

[Tunundary]

They might just be more comfy in their old cage right now. Test it out by filling the bottom with shavings for a few days.

[spy9doc]

In my experience, cavies don't like change..........at least mine don't. They get overwhelmed by a new much larger cage and will seek something familiar.

I just adopted a little girl and she was accustomed to living in a much smaller cage. I have frequently found her in the litter box in the kitchen area and I'm thinking that the smaller area feels more secure to her. Just in the last 24 hrs. she has begun to sleep in a cozy on the main level.

[pinky]

When I had a kitchen, I had one that always slept in there. It could be that they can scout the room better from there, they like whatever bedding you have in there, they want first dibs on the treats or like smaller spaces. If they like it, that's good.