Hello

[waters]

New pig owner, so I thought I'd join the forum and learn some stuff.

Got Louie and Sophie about 4 months ago, and it became immediately clear that their 32"x10" cage was not exactly enough space. Sophie spent the first 4 weeks nearly motionless in her hut. It was sad to watch. Couldn't find anything bigger than about 48"x22" for $150, so I came here and stole some ideas.

Started with a 3x3 pen and added a 1x3 loft last week. I kept the ramp on the outside so as to maximum space on the main floor. I ran out of coroplast, so the caps on the ramp are temporarily cardboard. Strips of "grip" tape spaced along the ramp keep the towel from sliding as they run up and down. A trap door at the bottom opens to collect poopies etc.

We added a young female, Rosie, about 10 days ago, it only took a day for her to fit in. Louie got neutered three days ago, so we've got him back in the original 32"x10" cage, much to his dismay. We still do a bit of "community time" on the couch, but, presently, the girls rule the big house.

I may expand the 3x3 into a 4x3 so that there's more running space. We'll see. I'm learning as I go.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/waters79/newcage.jpg

http://www.members.shaw.ca/waters79/closepig.jpg

http://www.members.shaw.ca/waters79/pigline.jpg

[VoodooJoint]

Welcome to the forum. Nice cage but there are a few bigger issues.

If Louie was only neutered 3 days ago then he is still fertile and can impregnate the girls. You need to remove him immediately and keep him separated from them for a minimum of 2 weeks. That will allow the retained sperm to die out.

Of course, if you had him with the girls before his neutered there is a good chance the girls are already pregnant. Do you know if they are? If you aren't certain separate him until the two weeks are up. If you know for a fact they are then no further harm can be done by leaving him with them.

[waters]

Not sure if you missed it in my post. Louie is back in the original cage - hating it. You figure two weeks should be enough? I hope so. I want to see the three of them running laps again in their big home.

[VoodooJoint]

Okay, sorry I must have missed it. I'm glad you are doing the right thing (whew, big relief).

2 weeks is enough as long as you don't shorten it a all, not even by one day. Many sites (including this one) usually tell people 3 weeks because we don't trust most people. You tell people 3 weeks and they make it only 2. You tell them 2 weeks and the chance is they might make it less because they are so eager to get the male back with his girls and figure a couple of days couldn't hurt--and it can! Keep him separated for a full 14 days and you, and the girls, will be safe. He'll be back in and romancing the ladies before you know it.

[waters]

It's been 14 days and we've finally opened up the full cage again. Louie is no longer trapped in the loft. I also finished off the ramp with some coroplast lids and caps. They make cleaning the ramp a million times easier. We've started using little towelies as make-shift pee pee pads under the cabin and hut. It seems easier to change them every day than fight with the big towels. They love racing each other up and down the ramp.

Latest pic.


http://www.members.shaw.ca/waters79/cagedone.jpg

http://www.members.shaw.ca/waters79/cagedone2.jpg

[GuineaAddict]

They are all so adorable and your cage looks awesome!

[Ziggy&Herald]

Why did you choose to cover the cage with the coroplast? Looks great though. Very nicely constructed.

[waters]

Originally Posted by Ziggy&Herald

Why did you choose to cover the cage with the coroplast? Looks great though. Very nicely constructed.

All the coroplast pieces on top are lids. I keep the cage mostly covered for three reasons: in case my cat gets too curious one day, it gives them a bit more privacy, and also because Louie is a jumper/climber. He may have a big rumpy ass, but he's quite the escape artist. Here's a pic with it open. Excuse the mess.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/waters79/lidopen.jpg

[Ziggy&Herald]

Very Lovely cage. I've always heard pigs could be jumpers, guess I lucked out that mine aren't really. One of my Pigs name is Louie as well. He was named from the Gorilla in Jungle book King Louie. He is an Abby, so he has this little tuft of hair that sticks up on his head just like the Gorilla .