darkness under 2nd floor

[jackie ramser]

I have a silly question for you all - is it very dark underneath the second floor of everyone's cage. When my loft is assembled, the underneath becomes very dark. The end result is that my two gp's constantly are in that part of the cage (like they are hiding). Is that normal and how can I fix this problem of lack of light?

Thanks in advance for advice.

jackie

 

[LuvMyPiggers]

I hate that because the same thing happens to me. I don't really know how to fix it. I have always dealt with it or had a one story cage. Try putting the cage on an angle where the sun points towards that area.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

How big is your cage and how big is the loft? Sometimes reducing the size of the loft to a 1x? (? = width of your cage in grids) will help with the light situation. Pigs love dark places to hide.

 

[aqh88]

I always kept the loft down to 1x2 and right now on the younger boys cage the loft is offset. I had another half grid space between the cage end and the wall so I pulled the loft back half a grid. I added grids to the end so it would be supported and the pigs only have half a grid to hide under. The 1x2 lofts have never seemed dark. I have seen cages that were stacked which had small flourescent light strips hung from the bottom of the cage above.

 

[jackie ramser]

The cage is a 2x5 and the loft is a 1x2 - just big enough for a small hay bucket and a cozy. The plan was to put it back up so that the boys could get away from each other at times - you know - puberty.

 

[pennick]

Well then the rest of the bottom cage shouldn't be dark, just the part under the 1x2. Make sure you keep your food and water on the other side of the cage so they have to venture to the other end.

 

[Piglet]

I had the same problem and the pigs become so anti - social (they would just plop themselves under the second floor). In the end, I just took it down. I am going to be rebuilding a second level, but in a way that the sun shines directly underneath it.

 

[Da Polga]

Well its sort of dark under the two top levels we got. The cage is standing right in front of the window so it gets sun in one side in the am and sun on the other side in the pm. I actually wanted it to be sort of dark as a hidey spot underneath. I just stuck a hidey house under each level and one more on one of the top levels.

The food and hay is on the top level only and they have a water on both the top and bottom.

Actually my pigs spend more time on the top level's running back and forth. They also like sitting on the hidey house and looking out the window or watching my daughter play.

So I guess its all just perception, we may think its dark but they love it. I think we should take the advantage of it and just socialize more with our cavys. They won't be hiding for long if they are well socialized.

Our piggys always come out for a carrot or an apple

Then again, our cage is big enough to where my daughter and I can sit in the cage with the pigs, so they can use us as mountains......

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Pigs do love dark places. If your loft is only a 1x2, I wouldn't take it down.

 

[jackie ramser]

we decided to keep it up for now. All we have to do is to get them to spend some time up there. Maybe if we put their food and h2o up there they would have to visit.

On a side note, the carefresh is not as great as I thought it would be. I'm going back to aspen on1/3 of the bottom level and fleece in the rest. It just looks more inviting and appropiate for the room they reside in. If only we could get them to pee in the aspen.(SIGH)

Oh well.

Thanks for all of the advice


jackie and the boys