Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Cage Here's my Cage! (No rudeness for how small though)

lifesvr7

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 9, 2012
Posts
580
Joined
Sep 9, 2012
Messages
580
Madelineelaine: I can't i don't have the space. Yes, if i could find the mayierials, that would be raising my chances. But i would have nowhere to put this 2x5. I have barely enough room for the 2x4. Maybe i could add a second level? Could that work maybe?


A second or third layer could definitely work when needing extra room for piggies when your physical space is limited. Again, I would ask everyone that normally gets you Holiday presents for grids, coroplast, fleece etc. Even if you get "duplicates", you can never have too many of those things. Especially the fleece and grids as they can be used to make accessories, hay racks, floor time pens etc.

When drawing plans for various cage options, try out several
designs. They don't have to be perfect, just enough to give you and your parents an idea of what it will look like and how it will function in the space you have. Start by measuring the space you have and then draw it to scale. Meaning one inch on paper= one foot in reality or something similar. Keep a few things in mind when designing multiple layers:

1). How will you get to each layer to clean, wrangle pigs etc.

2)Space for hideys, food bowls, water bottles etc.

3)Will you have separate areas for feeding etc.

4)How big will your ramp be and how much space will it take up. You want to make sure that pigs can easily get to other levels, can not be trapped on other levels by another pig and that your ramp does not take up much of their running and playing space. View the ramp and steps in the photo forum for ideas. Will probably be best to find a way to put on the outside of the cage or to build the ramp into a tunnel on the bottom or something.

5)How many grids will you need and how much coroplast (or other base material). That means your have to decide how tall the walls will be etc. I STRONGLY recommend coroplast. Especially in multi level cages. Not sure where you live, but its usually around $17-$20 for a 4x8 sheet near me which is a fairly inexpensive holiday present AND enough to make a 2x6 single level so you could cut it to make multiple levels.

6)How will you give extra support to the upper levels. Again, check out the multi level cage photos to find something that seems logical for your situation. If the description or comments don't tell you how it was made, send a message to the person who built it. I'm sure they will be happy to help.

This all sounds like TONS of work but if it all works out, it will be more than worth it in the end. If you need help with the drawing to scale, cage dimensions etc, consider asking your math teacher or a "shop" teacher or something. Once you explain what you are trying to do and that it is a "surprise" for your parents, I'm sure they would help. You can also ask a friend's parents or neighbor for help if you know of any that seem to be handy in terms of building things.

Once again, good luck. I hope it all works out. Wish all kids who got pets were as willing to take care of them as you are and parents would think long and hard before they buy a pet they don't really understand. Once you make your presentation, try to get one or both of your parents to sit down with you to read the forums. Maybe they just don't understand what is required and need to be educated a little.

Sorry for the super long post (again)!
 

mufasa

Well-known Member
Cavy Gazer
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Posts
2,872
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Messages
2,872
You mentioned that your brother is into military things. Would it make the cage more palatable to him if you used camouflage or military-themed fleece? A cage themed to his interests might make him more willing to allow a larger on in there.
 

CathiiPiggie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Posts
600
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Messages
600
I really hope you can expand! The cage is smaller than my dwarf hamster's cage :/
[MENTION=22259]mufasa[/MENTION] had a great idea with the army pattern fleece.
When convincing my parents to let my piggies come indoors (we have a small 3 bedroom house between 5 people, a big dog and a hamster) I made a PowerPoint and showed them photos of really great cages from the forum and explained why they need space, etc. Maybe show them videos of guinea pigs popcorning? They would instantly see that your cage is way too small for them to even run laps let alone popcorn.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

G
Replies
3
Views
614
Anawilliam850
A
A
Replies
5
Views
376
iggy
Top