Sad Bored

[Shannon563]

My 2 Guinea Pigs look so bored in their cage! What do I do to entertain them?

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[katkor03]

Hide some veggie pieces around their cage and watch them sniff em out That usually keeps one of my pigs entertained! Another is that I love to change out their hideys and tunnels when they do or switch them around the cage so they go and investigate XD It's so cute.

 

[Shannon563]

Awh! I just hate that their cage is small, I mean it's not that small because it Does say it's for Guinea Pigs

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[lunarminx]

Awh! I just hate that their cage is small, I mean it's not that small because it Does say it's for Guinea Pigs

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

That doesn't make the size okay. They sell small cages that would be like you living forever in a small bathroom.

What size is it?

 

[Shannon563]

28-1/4-inch width by 17-1/4-inch depth by 15-1/2-inch height.

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[bpatters]

@Shannon563, that cage is less than half the size recommended for one guinea pig.

You can see anything and everything in stores that are supposedly ok for guinea pigs that aren't -- leashes and balls/wheels that can injure their backs, cages too small and with dangerous ramps, foods with hard nuts and seeds that can choke them, treats with way too much sugar for them. Your best bet is to research before you buy. That way you won't waste your money on things they can't actually use.

Pet stores are in the business of making money, not in the business of protecting animals. Think of it as things that are advertised for you -- you see cigarette/liquor/whatever advertisements, but that doesn't mean they're good for you. Part of being a savvy consumer is figuring out whether a product is actually beneficial, or is just lining the pockets of the manufacturer with money.

 

[Shannon563]

Well I do let them both out for excersise where they aint in the cage all the time.

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[bpatters]

How would you like to be locked up in a room the size of your bathroom most of the time?

Lack of space is a major reason for guinea pig fighting. You're apt to wind up with gashes on their faces, or worse, abscesses that will take expensive antibiotics to heal, if not surgery.

If you can't provide adequate space for them, maybe you should rehome them and get something like a hamster.

 

[Shannon563]

They have never fought. I've had them for a long time. But it's not that small.

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[Shannon563]

I'm sorry

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[sallyvh]

You don't need to apologize to us but I would highly recommend looking into building a more appropriate cage for your guinea pigs.

It's their lives that we're concerned about and it's their lives that would be made infinitely better by having a proper sized cage.

 

[Shannon563]

I understand, but by looking at it, it's plenty enough room for them. They play all the time in. They seem to be happy. I understand where yall are coming from. That's all I could afford at the time. An I love my guinea pigs!

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[sallyvh]

That's obviously your opinion but the sad reality is that your size cage would be much better suited towards a hamster, not a pair of full grown adult guinea pigs.

The absolute recommended minimum is 8 sqft, while your cage offers 3.38 sqft. Honestly you could purchase a Midwest guinea pig cage off of amazon for $50 with free shipping and it would be much more suitable.

The fact that you made this thread saying your guinea pigs are bored tells me that you noticed they have nothing to do in their small cage.

 

[Shannon563]

I appoligize. I thank you for this advice, I'll probably take it an find another cage for them, thanks. ☺

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[PudgePig]

It's a lot of fun and very cost effective to build a c&c cage. Here's some info. https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/about-candccages
Go look at the cage pictures on this site for ideas.
When you provide a bigger cage for them, they tend to do zoomies and popcorn more. It's so cute!

 

[Shannon563]

Thank you!

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[Fay]

Welcome to the forums! I definitely agree with everyone here, a bigger cage would mean they are far less bored, they exercise more so they stay healthier both physically and mentally from the stimulation. They need to be able to run laps in their own time not when you let them out of the cage. You can see the hundreds of testimonials written here about how much a bigger cage has improved the lives of peoples guinea pigs:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/testimonials.php

Since you're also new to the forums I would highly recommend thoroughly reading these guides as well, they have lots of good information:

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

If you need any help finding materials for a cage let us know! You can find materials to build your own C&C style cage pretty cheaply in a lot of places or if you have the money you can buy them straight of the cages store, just remember the bigger the better . They just need to be able to run around like this:

[video=youtube;YUOEElsL6Is]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUOEElsL6Is[/video]

And please don't believe anything the pet store told you, they don't care about the animals just the money. The stuff they sell as people have pointed out are dangerous, unhealthy, and sometimes even fatal. While not everything they sell is bad, do not trust them for care advice. Pet store cages are not big enough for guinea pigs. Their sizes are based on laboratory standards. Just think of it this way, while you'd survive living in your closet, it wouldn't be healthy or interesting for you. The same goes for your pigs. If you want them to do more than merely survive in a tiny space but also have a good quality of life, definitely consider upgrading your cage to meet recommended cage sizes, which you can view here: Good luck!

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

Good luck!

 

[Rywen]

The other day I gave mine an empty toilet paper tube stuffed with (washed) corn husks, they loved it!

 

[Shannon563]

Thank you everyone

Sent from my LGL22C using Tapatalk

 

[lissie]

Materials are pretty inexpensive. You can get a box of grids for about $20, and coroplast for less than $20.
See this thread: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107825-Where-to-find-C-amp-C-cage-materials

How to make: https://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm