Cage SAFE or NOT?

[fess2]

OK, so I got a great deal on a puppy play pen. Going into this I assumed I would have to reinforce the bottom half of the cage with some time of grid or chicken wire. I was doing some reading (elsewhere)and on several occasions, I have read that the max spacing you can have for guinea pigs is 1.5. Is this true? I assume that that only goes for adult pigs. I am going with my gut and saying I should reinforce this. I have on adult and one 7 week old. Also, what would be the most economical, yet safe material? Right now, I have some cardboard in my garage that I could cut and zip tie and keep an eye that they don't chew it through, but they will be in my view and I can remove it if needed.
Thanks!

 

[bpatters]

It's big enough, but you need something to stabilize the sides and the corners so it stays square.

The adult pig wouldn't be able to get through those holes, but the baby would. You could get coroplast for a bottom to keep the floor dry, and make the sides high enough that he can't get out. Then you could cut the sides down when he's too big to get through the holes.

 

[fess2]

Oh, it is completely stable. Maybe it does not look that way ;0. I think I will head out to home depot to see what I can find. I want something that will break down easily because this will not be a permanent structure or at least is has to be easily moved. I am going to put rugs or some time of protection down for the floor. Thanks

 

[bpatters]

You'll need something waterproof to protect the floor, or you're going to have a wet, smelly mess. Take a look at the photo galleries at https://www.guineapigcages.com for some ideas.

 

[Inle_Rabbit]

With wood flooring you will want something like linoleum or a shower curtain to protect the floor. Home Depot has coroplast sheets in the back by the plexy glass.

 

[fess2]

Finished product! Quite happy with the results. Used zip ties to reinforce the rabbit fencing. Piggys have not even considered chewing on it. Used two waterproof mattress underpads for protection. Cage can be broken down easily and reconfigured.

 

[AmberCalzone]

It looks awesome!!
I actually use the same exact cage for my piggies
https://s1008.photobucket.com/user/ambercalzone/media/photo19_zps2753cb7b.jpg.html (<div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="photo19_zps2753cb7b.jpg" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi1008.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf205%2Fambercalzone%2Fphoto19_zps2753cb7b.jpg&amp;hash=0e0295abd43d320240e17fea96c78ae6" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi1008.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf205%2Fambercalzone%2Fphoto19_zps2753cb7b.jpg&amp;hash=0e0295abd43d320240e17fea96c78ae6" data-url="https://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af205/ambercalzone/photo19_zps2753cb7b.jpg" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="photo19_zps2753cb7b.jpg" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" /> </div>)https://s1008.photobucket.com/user/ambercalzone/media/photo18_zps9423d34c.jpg.html (<div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="photo18_zps9423d34c.jpg" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi1008.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf205%2Fambercalzone%2Fphoto18_zps9423d34c.jpg&amp;hash=da96e094e737a28e2b960df77b9697e3" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi1008.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf205%2Fambercalzone%2Fphoto18_zps9423d34c.jpg&amp;hash=da96e094e737a28e2b960df77b9697e3" data-url="https://i1008.photobucket.com/albums/af205/ambercalzone/photo18_zps9423d34c.jpg" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="photo18_zps9423d34c.jpg" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" /> </div>)

As you can see, I currently have it separated into two areas to keep the boy away from the girls ^.^
To echo what others have said, your baby can definitely fit through the bars (so it's a good job you meshed yours), I had to make a temporary lip on mine as well. Once he gets older you can take that down if you want, though, because the older pigs are not able to fit through.

I see you have pads for the floor... this is what I use for my floor, if you're interested in other ideas;
(broken link removed)
It fits the cage absolutely perfectly if you put it in the shape of a square (4 feet by 4 feet). I then use a layer of towels and fleece over the pet cargo liner. The liner can go right into the washer and drier, and it does not stain or shrink. It also protects the floor wonderfully.

 

[fess2]

@Amber-I like the cargo mat idea! Is your pen their permanent cage or just the exercise area? I keep my pigs in this pen whenever I am home. They only go back into the cage when I leave the house or overnight. Because of this, I definitely need more covers for the floor. I got these at Walmart for about 8 bucks. I will see how it goes.
JoAnne fabrics has a 50% off fleece sale right now -going to buy some for the cage and whatever else my mom is willing to make. I eventually want to build them a grid cage. I just need to wait a while before taking on another project. In the meantime, I am researching. I found another option besides Walmart and C&C for buying grids:https://www.storesupply.com/pc-1219...1&zmap=30101&gclid=CIGIiorLnr0CFclDMgodSBMAlA. I will have to figure out the math to see if these are any more or less cost effective.

 

[AmberCalzone]

It's their permanent, every day cage ^.^ I used to use it as their exercise area, but I decided to switch over a few months back. It's not like it's not piggy safe, so I just didn't see the point of moving them to the smaller, pet-store cage at night after a while. Both me and the girls love it a lot more anyways lol