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Cage Is this cage suitable for 2 guinea pigs

Megan424

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Hi for my birthday I asked my mom could i get a guinea pig but as you know they cant be on there own so i have to get two but she said if i research everything and show it to her then she would let me gat the piggys, I am at school from 8 a.m. till about 6 p.m. and was wondering if this cage would be suitable for them. 55571_pla_ferplast_cottage_5.jpgIt is 108 x 59 x 102.5 cm.
 

Fay

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Welcome to the forums! :eek: It's great to see that you're doing research because there is a lot of misinformation out there so you've come to the right place! The cage in the picture won't be suitable for one let alone two guinea pigs. It's too small and there are steep ramps. For two females you want a 2x4 grid sized cage. For two males you would want a 2x5 (you don't want to mix genders unless one is neutered, pregnancy often results in fatalities so avoid breeding at all cost). Here you can see what the recommended sizes are in both grids and inches, just add an extra grid in length for males. You can also buy a properly sized cage directly from this store if that's what you'd prefer to do:

https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/about-candccages

But you can also find the materials for cheaper and build a C&C style cage yourself (that stands for cubes & coroplast) or an alternative cage using the same size guidelines but using different materials (you can get ideas for these in the photo gallery at the top). Cage size is very important for a guinea pigs mental and physical well being so please don't buy a petstore sized cage. Guinea pigs also become quite big as adults and they really need the room to run around. As for doing your research on guinea pig care, you will want to read the following two guides thoroughly and also give these guides to your mom and insist she reads them as well so you both know what care requirements guinea pigs have. This website is one of the best and most well respected websites for guinea pig care information on the internet:

https://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/medical_guide.html

Please don't rely on anything pet store employees tell you, they are often not educated in appropriate pet care and pet stores often sell items, cages, and food that is inappropriate for the pet in question so always, always do your research or you can just ask here on the forums. Some other things to keep in mind is that guinea pigs will need special exotic vets when there's a medical issue. Normal small animal cat & dog vets are not generally trained to treat guinea pigs. Exotic vets are more expensive so you will want to talk to your mom about keeping about $1.5-2k on the side for medical emergencies. It's not very common that it will be that expensive but you'll be glad to have that money available in an emergency and pigs generally do have to see a vet in their lifespan (you can read more about how to prepare for medical issues and signs of illness in the above medical guide).

Each pig will need 1/8th cup of plain timothy pellets (unless they're under 6 months in which case alfalfa pellets), 1 cup of vegetables (you can read more about that in the chart I'll link below and the guides I linked above), unlimited grass hay, and unlimited water. You will find more information about diet in the above guides. On these forums we recommend the brands KMS Hayloft and Oxbow for pellets, majority of other pellet brands are basically junk food/bad for your pigs but if you have one in mind don't be afraid to ask here if the food is okay! :)

https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List - (Scroll down to the second post beneath this chart for more information)
(broken link removed) - (It might seem expensive with the shipping but it works out about the same cost as buying food in a pet store so don't be intimidated)

The favorite bedding used on these forum is Fleece with either Uhaul blankets or Wood pellets underneath it as the absorbent layer but there are some other options. You can find more information about bedding in the Fleece forums and I'd also recommend reading all the sticky posts on the forums in general. Finally, please adopt the pigs from a rescue/shelter or a personal (non-breeder) ad rather than buying them from a pet store or breeder. There are so many pigs in need out there! Make sure to get your mom involved in all this because I think she will want to be aware of all this, especially if she's paying for their care and she might need to help you with some things now and then, like clipping their nails.

Best of luck and don't be afraid to ask any questions :D We're happy to help :eek:
 
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HollyLeaf

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Unfortunately no, that cage is not big enough. It's like two pet store cages stacked on top of eAchother, and we don't recommend pet store cages of any kind unless under special circumstances. Pigs need more floor space to run than anything, so extra levels have no importance whatsoever. I highly recommend looking into building A C&C. I guarantee it will be much cheaper than that cage, and much bigger. Plus you can customize it however you like. Building your own cage is actually a lot of fun. If you need help finding materials, just let us know where you are and we can help find stores nearby.

Also, please don't buy your pigs from the pet store. Look into adopting. There are so many pigs in shelters, and I'm almost certain you will be able to find a bonded pair easily. If you need help finding rescues nearby, we can help you there also.

edit: dang it @fay, you beat me to it! Lol :)
 

Fay

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Unfortunately no, that cage is not big enough. It's like two pet store cages stacked on top of eAchother, and we don't recommend pet store cages of any kind unless under special circumstances. Pigs need more floor space to run than anything, so extra levels have no importance whatsoever. I highly recommend looking into building A C&C. I guarantee it will be much cheaper than that cage, and much bigger. Plus you can customize it however you like. Building your own cage is actually a lot of fun. If you need help finding materials, just let us know where you are and we can help find stores nearby.

Also, please don't buy your pigs from the pet store. Look into adopting. There are so many pigs in shelters, and I'm almost certain you will be able to find a bonded pair easily. If you need help finding rescues nearby, we can help you there also.

edit: dang it @fay, you beat me to it! Lol :)

Haha :eek: Doesn't hurt to see two people confirm the same information :D
 

Megan424

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Thank you for so much information, I will read the all the wedsites and give my mom all the information too. :)
 
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