General Keeping carpet clean - inside cage - help

[Renee Smith]

hi Guys,

we are going to get Guinea pigs, that landlord has said yes...ish.

He would prefer them to be outside, as he is concerned about this carpet.
Which is fair.
But he has agreed that I can have them inside IF I can show that it won't cause any problems.
Otherwise I will have to keep them, outside.

So, since I have not had Guinea pigs before, my question is can it upset the carpet? And what can I do to prevent this. I am going with a store brought rabbit cage (for extra room).
as I think home made wont work in the pigs favour for being allowed to stay inside. I will also be getting an outside hutch from a friend so they can go outside in summer time from time to time.
So yeah, what can I do as I only have 1 shot at proving that this will work!

Thanks!

 

[miniver]

I put a plastic table cloth from the dollar store under the cage. It sticks out about a foot on either side. It protects the floor, catches spills and lets me slide the cage out for easier clean up. I also found one that is close to the floor colour, so it looks really nice. I replace it about every six months.

I think any plastic sheet would do. You could get clear plastic in the painting section of any hardware store.

 

[bpatters]

Anything waterproof piece that is covered with absorbent bedding will protect the carpet. You don't want their feet on a wire bottomed cage.

But why are you buying a rabbit cage? They're not really suitable for guinea pigs. You can build a C&C cage yourself for cheaper than you can buy one (see the Main tab at the top of this page), or if you don't want to build it, you can get an awesome cage from www.guineapigcagesstore.com.

 

[Renee Smith]

bpatters, the reason is because I think my landlord will be more happy with store brought then DIY. I'm in NZ so C&C is not readily available, so I think my best option is to go commercial till he's on our side then look at diy later when he's all happy. He'll be watching us closly until he's satisfied that indoor guinea's will work. The rabbit cage has a (i'm guessing plastic) bottom not wire.

 

[bpatters]

Actually, I don't see why your landlord would care where the cage came from as long as the pigs were confined and not running all over his carpet. The source of the cage shouldn't matter -- what's important is that it's appropriate for guinea pigs and keeps the carpet clean.