Hello all!

[Meaghan]

I'm Meaghan, a new member here. I've had two guinea pigs since February, and I've lurked around the forums looking at some info. I figured I might as well join, since I couldn't post anything unless I did.

I've got two girls, sisters, that came into a shelter I volunteer at. They came out of a case of hoarding/breeding that ended up with 37 guinea pigs, half of which were pregnant. They are both albino, and their names are Sol and Luna (Sun and Moon). They were young when they first came in, and their birthdays are around New Years, so they are about 8 months right now.

This is a shot of them last night, my friend was playing with them in my bathroom while I was cleaning out their cage. (Sorry for the yellow haze, my bathroom light looks strange in photos when it's late.)



Sadly, I haven't started their C&C cage yet. I want to do something similar to a cage I saw on here (a 2x5 bottom with two 1x2 lofts on either end), because their current cage is a pain to clean (originally a large rat/ferret cage, they are quickly outgrowing it). Unfortunately this means shelling out another $100 or so on them, and as a college student in a college town, it's hard to find any sort of job at all. Any places to get discounted cubes or correx are appreciated. =)

Part of me wants to adopt a couple more piggies once I get a larger cage, but I already have plans to adopt one rabbit for sure, possibly a second to be the first rabbit's buddy, and a dog. What is the expense like adding more guinea pigs if you already have two?

Any other tips are also appreciated. =)

 

[mommmyof2]

Welcome to the forum finally. Lol. Your girls are very cute.
Do you like this type of set up for a cage? It would give them a lot of space to exercise. You can make the cage as big as you want to. Try looking into like the salvation army or good will by you. Sometimes you can find grids and connectors there. If you add one or 2 more piggies, the cost you pay now won't much higher every month or so.

 

[Meaghan]

That is a clever one as well! I do like it, but I have to keep any cage I make covered. Right now I am home from college, so our house cats stay out of my room. But when I return to college I live with a few other roommates, and they all have pets (two large dogs and three cats between the three of them), and it's not so easy to keep five animals out of a room they are determined to get into.

The particular cage that I liked a lot was this one (again, I'd have to make a cover). I am not sure who posted this cage set up, I just saved the picture to my computer with some others for ideas. Thank you to whoever created it!

View attachment 32436

I figured that the cost wouldn't be much more. I probably spend about $20-25 or so a month in food and bedding. But if I switched to a C&C cage, I wouldn't need bedding anymore, just fleece. (That is a whole separate adventure though, because I like so many of the colors and patterns I've seen on here!)

 

[mommmyof2]

Yea fleece definitely saves you money. A lot of money. You can put any cover on any c&c cage.

 

[Meaghan]

I can understand why fleece saves money. Out of the money I spend every month, a two-thirds or more is on their bedding. I use a cheaper Kaytee version (I used to use Carefresh, but it's just too expensive). But the initial investment of a couple changes of fleece and towels can be a bit expensive. Their food is relatively cheap in comparison. They go through a bag of pellets every 4-6 weeks, which usually are only $3-5, and about 5-7lbs of hay a month. But when you buy a large bale (100lbs), for $20, a dollar or two a month doesn't seem like a lot.

Some designs are a bit harder to cover, though, I've noticed. I was planning on using either the cubes or chicken wire/mesh reinforced with wood. I definitely need something sturdy enough to keep a heavy paw from a Rottie out, or keep from collapsing when a kitty sits on top of it.

 

[schavarry]

Hello, and welcome to the forum!!

One thing to keep in mind about fleece, you will have to wash it, which can get expensive if you have to pay for your laundry at a laundry mat or something like that which is typically the case in college...

You can use wire shelving for a lid for your cage, something like this: Bella and Mya's cage - Guinea Pig Cage Photos

I will say, it'll probably be difficult to put a lid on a cage with lofts on either side, if you want a separate kitchen space you might try making an L shaped cage, where it's 2x5 or whatever and then an extra 1x2? for kitchen area.

Good luck! Again, welcome to the forum

 

[xXMaggieXx]

Welcome! Cute piggies! Theres an album on the forum for multi-level covered cages :Closed, Multi-Level - Guinea Pig Cage Photos

 

[Meaghan]

Hello, and welcome to the forum!!

One thing to keep in mind about fleece, you will have to wash it, which can get expensive if you have to pay for your laundry at a laundry mat or something like that which is typically the case in college...

You can use wire shelving for a lid for your cage, something like this: Bella and Mya's cage - Guinea Pig Cage Photos

I will say, it'll probably be difficult to put a lid on a cage with lofts on either side, if you want a separate kitchen space you might try making an L shaped cage, where it's 2x5 or whatever and then an extra 1x2? for kitchen area.

Good luck! Again, welcome to the forum

Nope! I don't pay anything for laundry except soap and rent. I live in a house on a small farm (5.5 acres), and we have our own washer and dryer. (Electricity and water are included in the room rent.)

Unfortunately, that also means I can't put them in the kitchen. It's a shared space and my roommates would not be happy about moving our table to make room for the piggies. Thankfully, I have a fairly large bedroom (11x14ft), so building a cage isn't restricted by room size so much. (Although I do have it stuffed full of a TV and stand, desk, futon, bookshelf, coffee table, and my bed/bedframe!)

Welcome! Cute piggies! Theres an album on the forum for multi-level covered cages :Closed, Multi-Level - Guinea Pig Cage Photos

Thanks! I have looked through that album and there are several ones I downloaded and saved for ideas.

 

[coconutty78]

Hello and welcome. Its great that you rescued these two beautiful piggies. However maybe just start by getting yourself set up with a 2x4 cage and maybe a loft or side kitchen, get comfortable with that first and certainly get into the fleece i find it has saved me a lot since i switched and i do pay to do laundry and its still way cheaper. Once you see what your paying out just having two then consider expanding the cage and adopting more. Even though it is very exciting having pets you can still end up taking on to many and it would be heart breaking in several months from now to see a posting saying you need to rehome any of them because it became to much. good luck

 

[Meaghan]

Hello and welcome. Its great that you rescued these two beautiful piggies. However maybe just start by getting yourself set up with a 2x4 cage and maybe a loft or side kitchen, get comfortable with that first and certainly get into the fleece i find it has saved me a lot since i switched and i do pay to do laundry and its still way cheaper. Once you see what your paying out just having two then consider expanding the cage and adopting more. Even though it is very exciting having pets you can still end up taking on to many and it would be heart breaking in several months from now to see a posting saying you need to rehome any of them because it became to much. good luck

I thought about doing that, but I'm not sure how much I would waste in fitting fleece to a 2x4 cage only to make it bigger/change it around. That's why I was trying to find a nice setup to stick with so I only have to fit fleece to it once. Unless I leave the fleece too big for the cage, but I don't know how that would work, do you?

I definitely have no plans on getting any more unless I get a larger cage. Two is a crowd in the current cage, three or more would be insane (and I'm sure they would bicker constantly!); not to mention, I'm sure they would be a lot happier in a larger cage.

I would never rehome. Pets are a lifetime commitment, and I have enough cushion to take care of them if anything goes wrong. I always save up before adding anymore to my herd!

 

[coconutty78]

I hear what your saying about the fleece and fitting it to one set up. Honestly i don't have the answer for that. Some people prefer one big sheet for many different reasons. However i have been managing with three small fleece blankets which seem to fit really well and that way if i ever have to reconfigure which i am planning on soon myself then the blankets just move around easily with what ever works for me or you at that time. Glad to hear you have sound commitments to your pets

 

[schavarry]

Unfortunately, that also means I can't put them in the kitchen. It's a shared space and my roommates would not be happy about moving our table to make room for the piggies.

When I said "kitchen" I didn't mean your kitchen, lol I meant a specific space in your cage for your piggies to eat so they do most of their mess in one spot. I use a disposable roasting pan with a fleece "baby" blanket, here are the best pics I have right now:

I'll try to get a pic of my current cage later to show you what I mean... but basically the point is to have a separate space off to the side for food so they can do laps in the main part of the cage, many people use the loft for this area.

 

[Meaghan]

When I said "kitchen" I didn't mean your kitchen, lol I meant a specific space in your cage for your piggies to eat so they do most of their mess in one spot.

Ah! I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I have seen people put cages in their kitchens, so I assumed that's what you meant. I do know what you mean now, though. That's why I wanted to do lofts even though it's difficult to put lids on lofts. I was going to make the lofts be their "kitchen".