Cage New To Cubes, Flooring Question, Second Level Question

By the time I was done typing I forgot about my second floor question! What would be good for building a ramp? How would you recommend building a second floor? Talia hates heights and will not climb but Shintari likes heights.

Also I changed Talia's cage to 2x4 instead of the previous configuration so that I would have the cubes necessary to build Shintari a cage in the future.

Also, I use a shredded paper bedding that they like to burrow in but it tends to be expensive after awhile since I not only use it for Shintari and Talia but the rat my younger sister rescued also uses it. Someone suggested using towels and fleece. How many layers of towels should I use? I am new to this idea.

Thanks for any help or suggestions you can provide, again!

Have you considered neutering the male so he can be in the same cage as the female?
If not, can you build them a divided cage so they can still see and talk to each other? See gallery:
Divided Cages - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
I think a 3x4 will fit under your loft bed. They'll each have 2x3 space.

If you don't have enough space for divided cage, can you build a stacked cage for them? So they'll both have enough space.
See: Stacked 4x2 c&c cages - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
You can use the bottom level for storage, or you can have the bottom cage sitting on the floor.

Call sign store for coroplast. I found mine for $10 for a 4'x8' sheet.
Take a look at this site. (broken link removed)

Please stop feeding the pellet mix. She'll eventually eat the plain pellets. Are you feeding unlimited hay? She won't starve herself. Are they both getting at least 1 cup of veggies?

Here's a list of toys: Guinea Pig Toys and Play

When in a divided cage they try to get at each other too much. I tested it. I am getting him neutered once I get the money. Then I will expand to a 2x5. My bed is just small enough that there isn't enough room for 3 grids across. Also I tried a stacked cage it does not work with the room I have. I do feed them unlimited hay and some veggies everyday.

I made her a cuddle-sock today, just stuffed an old toe sock and sewed it closed, she seems to love laying snuggled up against it. For the male I made him a tissue-box hay feeder to have fun with since he loves tossing things around.

lissie said:

Have you considered neutering the male so he can be in the same cage as the female?
If not, can you build them a divided cage so they can still see and talk to each other? See gallery:
Divided Cages - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
I think a 3x4 will fit under your loft bed. They'll each have 2x3 space.

If you don't have enough space for divided cage, can you build a stacked cage for them? So they'll both have enough space.
See: Stacked 4x2 c&c cages - Guinea Pig Cage Photos
You can use the bottom level for storage, or you can have the bottom cage sitting on the floor.

Call sign store for coroplast. I found mine for $10 for a 4'x8' sheet.
Take a look at this site. (broken link removed)

Please stop feeding the pellet mix. She'll eventually eat the plain pellets. Are you feeding unlimited hay? She won't starve herself. Are they both getting at least 1 cup of veggies?

Here's a list of toys: Guinea Pig Toys and Play

Click to expand...

As long as you are open to suggestions and doing your best, you are likely to receive only helpful advice.

My suggestions are:
-Stop feeding the pellet mix. Throw it away and get a high quality plain pellet like Kleenmama or Oxbow. It might seem expensive, but you only need to feed each pig 1/8 cup per day. It's fine if your pigs don't eat the pellets for days or even weeks--they will eventually try them, and a good variety of veggies will give them most nutrients they need anyway. The seeds are a choking hazard in addition to being unhealthy.

-Use a shower curtain liner instead of coroplast. You can also use linoleum. Get rid of the newspaper--it's not absorbent at all.

-Use fleece and towels instead of loose bedding. It's a bit of an investment up front, but it is FAR cheaper in the long run. Keep in mind that it won't work in small cages.

-Things that would help the chewing are getting her a friend and providing high quality unlimited timothy hay. Ordering KM's online seems expensive, but almost none of it will go to waste, so you will probably spend less money on it than little bags of Oxbow if you work out the math. It's much nicer hay too!

-Have you considered getting the male neutered so they can live together? This would mean that you could build one cage in the limited space you have and would help with chewing and boredom. As long as you have a vet that is experienced with exotics, it is a safe procedure.

-Otherwise, could you give us a better idea of the dimensions you are working with so we can help you with cage ideas? You really don't want to go narrower than two grids, otherwise it's hard for them to run laps. You can build one cage on top of another or build a base that you can store supplies under to save on space.

-Are your pigs getting 1 hour of floor time (separately) each day?

-What veggies do you feed and how often?

I think you are doing a great job and the fact that you are researching and doing your best is wonderful

I agree with the divided cage suggestion, I hope you try that out.

I found my coroplast at a local sign shop...only $10 for a huge 4'x8' piece! We just called all the sign shops in the phone book until we found this one place, I think it was the 10th sign shop we called.

Bedding...I found my fleece on sale at Jo-Ann fabrics. There was a huge bin full of rolls of fleece. It was only $15 for 2 huge "blankets" that I cut down to the size I need. I just checked their website and the main page says "50% off Fleece"!! Wow! You can order from there and get it for REALLY cheap. Then you just put old or cheap towels under it! When you change out the fleece and towels, just wipe down the coroplast w/ a white vinegar and water solution in a spray bottle. I use a mini hand broom and dustpan to sweep up the hay and poops every day.

Accessories: Mine LOVE their cuddle cup (little fabric bed, you can find them in most pet stores and on-line). They love their wooden hidey houses and even gnaw on those. They have 2 toys hanging from the lid of the cage (if you have no lid, you just hang from the side) that are meant for birds. They have wood and a bell on the bottom. They love these and I often hear the bell and see them just go up to it and play with it. You can turn cardboard boxes into tunnels, just throw away or recycle when you see pee on them. They love toilet paper tubes and paper towel holders. A fun toy is to stuff a toilet paper tube with hay and let them get the hay out. If you can't afford hidey houses right now, you can clip a hand towel in the corner of the cage which will create a tent. You'll find pictures over in the picture forum. Use the picture forum for other ideas too

As for the pellets...I'd stop feeding the pellet you're using immediately. Regardless of nutrition, it's a choking hazard. They will eventually eat the new pellet, and the pellets are not the main source of their diets. Hay and veggies are.

I hope I've given a few good ideas!

Oh, and IF you go with fleece...you wash and dry it about 3 or 4 times before using it for the first time. Only use detergent that is for sensitive skin and fragrance free. Never use fabric softener or dryer sheets because those leave a coating on fabrics that make them less absorbent (they also will irritate your pig's feet and even respiratory system). The towels only have to be washed once before the first time used, but the care of them is the same as the fleece.

I will be trying the fleece idea - hope to snag it at JoAnn before the sale ends.

Also, I will be stopping the pellet mix and trying Oxbow's Cavy Cuisine pellet mix. Since Talia is a bit of a gourmet maybe this will suit her picky tastes!

I tested the divided cage but they will not stop whistling and trying to get at each other - going to neuter Shintari asap and expand the cage to 2x5. For now they cannot be housed in the same room.

Currently changed the cage to 2x4 grids. (Each grid is 14"x14".)

I feed them the following veggies:
Currently they get 1 baby carrot, 1/4 a roma tomato, 1/8 green pepper everyday each. They also get a handful of an organic spring mix I found they love. (The mix contains baby lettuces {tango, lolla rosa, red and green oak, red and geen romaine, red leaf, green leaf}, baby greens {tatsoi, mizuna, red and green mustard, frisee, arugula}, and radicchio. It contains an even mixture - not too much of anything, and as soon as I put it in they come running. It comes in a 5oz box and I use it up between the two of them before it goes bad.)

I'll think I answered all questions. I am not sure when this will get approved but hope I caught everything.

Update

Talia and Shintari are now roommates....sort of. I built an L-cage made of two 2x3 cages, one horizontal and one vertical. They are separated from each other by grids, don't worry I'm not about to put them in the same cage! It's so cute they will stick their noses through the grids and "kiss" and they often wheek and chirrup back and forth. But not to get off topic, let me tell you a bit more about their new environments. I also found out that my favorite pet store, Pet Supplies "Plus", carries both Oxbow Orchard Grass Hay (my sister is allergic to the dust in Timothy Hay but seems to be ok with the Orchard Grass) and Oxbow Benne Terra Organic pellets. It says on their website it has similar content to Cavy Cuisine and does include a stabilized Vitamin C.

Talia is in the "vertical" 2x3. She doesn't seem to mind that she downgraded from a 2x4 since she now has a playmate to talk to. In her cage is a low, wide hay rack attached to the grid wall with cable ties in one corner. It is now her favorite bed, apparently she loves to sleep in hay. Talia is a cuddle-bug and is more apt to lay around and snuggle with something or someone then want to run laps - even her floor time turns into cuddle time! She also has an old toe sock I stuffed and sewed up that she likes to cuddle against as well. She also has a metal dog dish for her pellets and a small bowl that her veggies go in. (Today she had cilantro, 2 grape tomatoes, and some lettuce from an organic mix I buy that has a wide variety of things that are all cavy-safe, I checked. I alternate between two mixes, when one runs out I buy the other.) Talia loves the lettuce mix, she normally eats it up within a half hour, it's one of the first things I've seen her go that crazy about when it comes to food. She seems to prefer the Roma tomato I cut up for them over the grape tomato however. And the Cilantro she normally ignores for awhile till it's the last thing left. I additionally have bell peppers I cut up for them and they each get a baby carrot every night. She hasn't made up her mind on whether or not she wants to eat the pellets, though I think they smell much more appetizing then her previous pellet mix. She also has a paper towel roll cut in half and stuffed with hay. Finally she has one water bottle (that sorta leaks). I was wondering, should she have a second water bottle? I saw that mentioned somewhere. Also, her second favorite spot to lie down is under the lamp that shines under my bed for them - does that mean it's too cold for her in my room? Should I be keeping it warmer?

Shintari has the "horizontal" cage. He has his water bottle (which doesn't leak). He also has a tissue box with a hole cut in the side that I stuff with hay - he loves to toss stuff around. He even tosses his ceramic bowls for his food around. Because of the tissue box he has a slightly smaller hay rack attached to his cage the same way. He has two ceramic bowls, one for pellets and one for veggies. I am not sure why, but he tends to ignore his veggies, which led to an entertaining episode this morning when Talia figured out he still had lettuce left and tried to get at it. He had knocked his veggie dish close to the wall, I had to reach in and move it back.

To Summarize:
- Oxbow Benne Terra Pellets instead of the pellet mix
- Oxbow Orchard Grass hay to reduce allergies
- Plenty of veggies, even if Shintari is picky!
- Two 2x3 cages, noone is in a petstore cage anymore
- Still hunting down a source of coroplast or linoleum...
- Still waiting to get the money for the towels and fleece, payday might bring that into play

For my temporary quarantine cage, I used a vinyl shower curtain under fleece. It worked like a charm and was very, very inexpensive. You could probably wrap it around sturdy cardboard and it would work like coroplast.

You could try a thrift store or even freecycle.org for fleece blankets/towels to get you by until after the neutering/saving up more money to get the "cute" prints.

It certainly seems like you are doing a very good job of taking care of them and trying to make their homes better. Hope you are able to get your little guy neutered soon. It sounds like they'll be so happy to be together!

Thank you for those ideas! They will probably be a lot of help. I considered JoAnn even because with their 50% off sale the printed types are only $3-4 per yard.

I'm sure they will, they are happier even just with two grids between them to interact. However, we have to spay my sister's puppy first because she turns a year old at the end of march and after they are a year old the price goes up to almost double! I'm content to wait, it makes economic sense. We have such a soft spot for animals in this house though, my dad always make sure no matter what the animals have food! ; )

You can always check into the low cost clinics. A couple around me actually have vets that frequently work with "exotic/pocket pets" so I can still get the boars neutered if I wanted to (I don't have any girls). Then it could make it more feasible for you. You may also want to consider it for the pup as well. We got our lab neutered at a local clinic for $90 instead of the $300+ at our regular vet. Now we use the clinic all the time for shots & such.