Cage Cage Location - Livingroom?

mama_ · Nov 19, 2012

Hey everyone,

So I'm in the process of building a C&C Cage...Due to the size of it, I have only two locations it will fit in: my son's bedroom or the livingroom. I have issues with both.

In my son's room, I feel like my son will be too loud for the piggies, and the piggies will be too loud at night for my son. I'm not very concerned with his access to the cage because it's built on a base so he can't reach in and I'm also making it a closed C&C cage.

I'm also concerned about it being in the livingroom - for the sole worry of what others will think of it. I know I probably shouldn't care too much what others think especially when it comes to my own home but I'm two months into renting my own place and, well, I just can't help worrying what others will think of it. I know the livingroom is the suggested location because the piggies are exposed to more and more likely to feel like part of the family out there. I know many people have their cages in the livingroom. But, for those of you who have your cages in the livingroom, do you ever get people who question the location like 'why do you have them out HERE?' I know there's a huge stereotype that guinea pigs are unsanitary little piggies - I'm using fleece liners so there will definitely be less mess (as far as scattered shavings, etc). I don't know...maybe I'm overthinking this.

Thoughts? Comments?

CandyApple · Nov 19, 2012

Hi

mama_ said:
Hey everyone,

In my son's room, I feel like my son will be too loud for the piggies, and the piggies will be too loud at night for my son.

With regards to the first part of the sentence.... That could be a problem. How old is your son? If he's old enough to be taught not to make noise (at least not too much) around the guinea pigs, it might be okay.
Just to clear up the second part of the sentence, piggies aren't actually nocturnal, they are daytime creatures, like us humans

So no worries of them waking your son up at night. I have guinea pigs in my room, and the only sound I hear is them munching their hay, which can actually be very soothing!

I'm not really sure about keeping pigs in the living room. I don't keep, or let any of my animals in the living room, as the chairs are leather, and I don't want to get droppings, hay or shredded paper all over the nice carpet. But then again, that is just me.If you have a wooden floor, or a not so new living room, unlike me, it would be so much easier to clean.
TBH, I wouldn't worry too much about how people react. The first visit is the worst, and after they've all gotten over the inital shock of keeping animals in the living room, they'll accept it and move on

Good luck, and I'm pretty sure either room will be good for them unless theres something I missed out on in my post

Colorado Cavies · Nov 19, 2012

CandyApple said:
Just to clear up the second part of the sentence, piggies aren't actually nocturnal, they are daytime creatures, like us humans So no worries of them waking your son up at night. I have guinea pigs in my room, and the only sound I hear is them munching their hay, which can actually be very soothing!

I just have to say that this is not even close to true for all pigs. Guinea pigs aren't nocturnal but they aren't like us AT ALL! They sleep for only very short periods of time, pretty sure the longest sleep cycle is about 2 minutes at a time, and the rest of the day AND night are fair game. My girls drink, eat, rumble, argue, wheek and race around their cage when ever they darn well feel like it. All of the pigs in my house, there are 12, are up and active during the night. I would not recommend putting them in his room.

Inle_Rabbit · Nov 19, 2012

The kids room it completely depends on the age. I'm a little worried that your son might be young since you said he can't reach into the cage. In which case I would not put the pigs in there. I have two young sons and when they get something in their mind not much will stop them especially if they are out of sight or it is night time. As he gets older and more able it only gets worse. Things seem to calm down quite a bit after 4 though. I personally wouldn't put pigs in a kids room if the kid was under 7 and then only depending on the personality of the kid. With my kids I doubt I would at that age, they are 5 and 3 right now, but I had guinea pigs in my room when I was 7. Most people here are anti-kids room completely and they have good reason but I think it depends on the child and family dynamic.

My guinea pig cage is in the living room and I think it's fine. No one has commented on the location and if it is built well even a C&C cage can look good. Matching fleece and accessories really make it part of the room. I pick fleece that matches my living room decor and it looks awesome, I think. Most people comment on the size and quality of my cage and never mention the location.

Agrimony · Nov 19, 2012

I've always had my guinea pigs in the living room, I'd never want them anywhere else! In my experience people (guests) either mostly ignore them or think they are cute or funny and comment on that. Some ask about them because they've never really been around one and some want to pet them. No one has ever been grossed out by them or been rude to me because of them. Frankly if that did happen I'd just show them the door. I've never had a problem with the living room smelling either, it's a big room and them ate on the far side, opposite the sitting area. I also keep their cage clean. It used to smell back when I used aspen but since I switched from that it's been great.

mama_ · Nov 19, 2012

Thank you for all of the great responses!

To clarify, my son is 5 years old. I'm not very concerned about him bothering the pigs (reaching in, messing with them, etc) if they were in his room. He can just be quite loud while he plays sometimes (very imaginative play....things exploding, stuffed animals laughing, etc). I've read not to keep your piggies too close to a television because they can be sensitive to noise so I figured the sound of him playing may be disruptive to the piggies.

This will be my first time owning guinea pigs. I previously had hamsters and hated how messy things got with the bedding flying everywhere so I've decided to go with fleece liners to avoid anything getting kicked up. That being said, I have BRAND NEW 2 month old carpeting in my home. I'm not entirely worried about it getting messed up because I assume the only possible mess would come from food. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think a hay bin and the 6 inch Coroplast sides would prevent most hay and food from leaving the cage. I plan to use little pee pads that I will change out daily as well as sweeping up the poops daily and washing the fleece weekly so I'm hoping this will keep any odors from developing.

I think I'll wind up putting the cage in the livingroom. I definitely don't mind telling guests that the piggies are part of my family and I honestly think I'd be able to give them more frequent attention when they are out in the livingroom (where I often am) rather than in my son's room (which I'm only in for about 30 minutes a day).

T1ggerPigLuvur · Nov 19, 2012

mama_ said:
Thank you for all of the great responses!

To clarify, my son is 5 years old. I'm not very concerned about him bothering the pigs (reaching in, messing with them, etc) if they were in his room. He can just be quite loud while he plays sometimes (very imaginative play....things exploding, stuffed animals laughing, etc). I've read not to keep your piggies too close to a television because they can be sensitive to noise so I figured the sound of him playing may be disruptive to the piggies.

This will be my first time owning guinea pigs. I previously had hamsters and hated how messy things got with the bedding flying everywhere so I've decided to go with fleece liners to avoid anything getting kicked up. That being said, I have BRAND NEW 2 month old carpeting in my home. I'm not entirely worried about it getting messed up because I assume the only possible mess would come from food. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think a hay bin and the 6 inch Coroplast sides would prevent most hay and food from leaving the cage. I plan to use little pee pads that I will change out daily as well as sweeping up the poops daily and washing the fleece weekly so I'm hoping this will keep any odors from developing.

I think I'll wind up putting the cage in the livingroom. I definitely don't mind telling guests that the piggies are part of my family and I honestly think I'd be able to give them more frequent attention when they are out in the livingroom (where I often am) rather than in my son's room (which I'm only in for about 30 minutes a day).

I think that you made a good choice. Pigs are more apt to get loved when they are in a central area of the house.

(I know this from experience. I moved my pig from an empty room to our family room so she could get more attention. lol )

madelineelaine · Nov 19, 2012

I think the family room is the best place

More attention, you can watch for ilness better, remember to feed them etc. Hay can get a bit messy, but you can lay down a shower curtain (clear) underneath the cage to prevent hay from getting ground into the carpet. It won't come out of the cage, but as you put it into the cage it can get everywhere.

Aertyn · Nov 19, 2012

In my 'kitchen' I use higher sides, I went with ones that that go nearly half way up the grid and then the 'back wall' goes the complete height of the grid. The only hay that escapes is from Hay Bin to cage (and I keep the hay bin right next to the cage so it's minimal at best). As long as you have a decent Vacuum hay, pellets etc shouldn't get ground in. We have brand new carpet as well with quite a thick pile and in the time we've been here, nothing has escaped the vacuum.

mama_ · Nov 19, 2012

I have successfully moved the cage to the livingroom!

pinky · Nov 19, 2012

My two double decker 2x4 cages are in my dining room which is visible when you walk in the front door. If someone doesn't like it....oh, well...... It does keep my on my toes keeping it clean.

mama_ · Nov 19, 2012

My roommate (who is very vocal about her dislike in animals) completely flipped out when she came home and saw it in the livingroom. Oh well!
I am a little concerned because on the other side of the wall the cage is against is her bedroom. If the piggies wheek at night or sip on their bottles, will she be able to hear much?

mufasa · Nov 19, 2012

Your roommate shouldn't be able to hear those sounds through the wall unless it's very, very thin. I doubt the piggies will wheek much at night anyway. Most do that when there's a chance of veggies, and they'll know that's not likely at night.

I hope it works out for you to have the cage in the living room. That's where mine is now, and the pigs and bird have taken over what was once my pride and joy. It was the only clean, tidy room in the house, since the family room gets all the use, but not it's full of pig supplies and whisps of hay and bird seed. My friends all know I'm a crazy animal lady, so it doesn't phase them when they come over. Even if it did, I wouldn't care because a true friend doesn't care about things like that. I literally change the fabric in the cages daily to prevent smells.

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Cage Cage Location - Livingroom?

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