Chewing Is Chicken Wire Safe?

Are you going to be keeping them outside?

No, sorry I should have specified. The chicken wire is so the cat can't reach between the grid spaces like she currently can.

You'd have to be sure that none of the sharp edges of the chicken wire are within reach of the guinea pigs. Overlapping grids might be a better option or using mesh grids instead of cube grids and adding a lid.

When I was a kid our guinea pig cage was built out of a wood frame with chicken wire on the outside, specifically the kind that's a square grid with each square half an inch long. My experience with it was that adult guinea pigs can't stick their nose far enough into the holes to chew on the wires, so as long as you're very careful with the edges (that stuff tends to be sharp where it's cut) it's safe for the pigs. That said I think it would probably just be easier to overlap the grids.

I'd say no on chicken wire. Too much risk of sharp ends. Grids are a much stronger option - both literally and figuratively. @pinky is right. Overlap your grids to make the holes smaller. Add a lid to keep the cat out.

When I was a kid we kept out bunny in a cage made out of chicken wire. Those sharp edges is seriously sharp, we kept them away from the bunny but I used to get covered in nasty scratches. If you are going to use chicken wire it would be worth every second you or your boyfriend spends getting l edges taken care of. Doubling up the grids is more expensive than buying chicken wire but I think in the long run you will be a lot happier with the end result.

Just to throw in, I have two cats and aside from a lid I have not needed to take any extra precautions to keep the piggies safe. Occasionally they will stick a paw in the cage but between the amount of time it takes them to move a paw out of one hole and into another and the piggies being able to run around as much as they want (including into hidies if they don't want to play around) it has been no issue. They can reach in just far enough to touch them but not far enough to scratch or grab them. My cats are pretty chill though and maybe yours is more of a hunter.

Heather Ost said:

No, sorry I should have specified. The chicken wire is so the cat can't reach between the grid spaces like she currently can.

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Chicken wire is very flimsy/weak but if its your only choice at the moment, I would suggest framing it on both sides with 1 x 2 inch wood strips. Make sure you have no exposed wire ends. Welded mesh wire would be better than chicken wire. It comes in various gauges (thickness) and grid size and various lengths. Still needs to be cut, frayed ends need to be smoothed or curled and for extra safety and it should be framed. This is very time consuming and you would probably pay a bit more money doing it this way. Just remember that after some time, the piggies would probably nibble at the wood, exposing the ends of the wire. This is more labor intensive and costly due to types of wire used and wood.

The cubes shelving (tied together) or flat wire (storage/refrigerator) shelving are more convenient as well as durable. They are also safer due to the protection coating and smoothed ends. Less labor intensive and cheaper.

Everyone will be relieved to know that the chicken wire was too big to use so we bought some plastic meshing that we'll zip tie to the grids so that my cat can't reach through. I've looked everywhere around here for additional grids but haven't had any luck finding them at any major retail store or the thrift stores. I'm hesitant to order any online because I've had identity theft problems recently.

The way the cage is set up, the piggies won't be able to reach through the grids to chew on the plastic mesh.

Now I just need to figure out how to reinforce the cage so that it won't collapse if my cat puts her weight on it. My boyfriend says it'll be fine if we just ziptie some dowels to the grids.