Size Is my cage too small?

[Wheekers135]

I feel like my cage is too small for my two male guinea pigs. I made it this spring. It is a 2x5 c&c cage. I don't know if my pigs are just giant or what. Do you think it's too small? I would love to expand but I don't have room so I was thinkin maybe my parents would let me build a big square one on the floor in our basement (unfinished) and I can take them down there everyday for playtime.
Here are some pics. Please excuse the mess, the cage is getting cleaned tomorrow

Here is my boys compared to their medium sized pigloos

 

[Starthecavy123]

Well it does meet the standards for 2 boars. So really it would be all up to you. C&C's are addictive they should come with a warning label lol

 

[Wheekers135]

They really should!
i feel like they still don't have enough room to get out of each other's way and to play around. However they are both about 4 so they aren't that young anymore. I'm hoping maybe a bigger cage or play area would help them be more active.

 

[Starthecavy123]

You could also maybe add a loft or something mid grid high kind of loft.

 

[labgirl5]

Your pigs look a bit small for the medium-sized igloo, you might want to try a large one or an even better idea would be to get tunnels (like the large size of this: http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/t...zid36-21845/cat-36-catid-600014?_t=pfm=search ) so when your pigs do zoomies/popcorn they won't have to avoid the pigloo's, as they can go right through the tunnels!

 

[pinky]

If they don't compete for the pigloos, they should be fine. Mine liked to snuggle together in this size.

 

[Wheekers135]

I would love to get them each a large but I don't think my cage would be very big then. And they wouldn't share one. The tunnels are a good idea. The only time my two compete for the pigloos is when my stupid brother puts the pigloo on top of both of them and then they can't get out until I pick up the pigloo

 

[Wheekers135]

Also, would fleece make my cage appear smaller? Once I get my paycheck, I'm hopefully going to purchase some fleece flippers or make liners

 

[Wheekers135]

I think I'm going to make fleece liners and purchase some new toys and hideys and hopefully changing it up some will make them happy and I'm going to try to make at least a playpen or maybe a second play cage. My pigs love floor time so they will probably love another cage

 

[lissie]

How much do your pigs weigh? They look pretty big compared to the pigloos. They could be cuys.

More info about cuys.
http://cavyhouse.org/"Cuy".html
http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=61591

 

[Wheekers135]

Lissie, I'm not sure how much they weigh. I don't have access to a scale.
It says cuys are usually red and white. I have a brown one from petsmart and a black and white one from petland.

 

[pigger123]

You should be weighing them every week, I would get a scale right away. Weighing weekly is the best way to figure out if there's something wrong, since weight loss is often the first sign of illness. Guinea pigs hide illnesses very well, so it's crucial to catch any issues before it gets too late. Digital kitchen scales that weigh in both ounces and grams are ideal.

 

[lissie]

How long have you had them? Just wanted to kinda guess their age. Cuys might come in different colors if they are mixed with different breed.

It's a good idea to invest in a scale. You will need to weigh them weekly.
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

 

[Wheekers135]

I will purchase a scale the next time I make it to the store

I've had the brown one since about August 2010 and the black one i got a year after

 

[Wheekers135]

Will this scale be good?
http://m.target.com/p/taylor-mechanical-food-scale-white/-/A-13560443

 

[pigger123]

No, it only has a 1lb capacity. Even really small adults are well over 1lb.

 

[SativaFlower]

Personally I think pens/cages should be twice the size as suggested. In the wild they have open fields to roam around so I think the bigger the better, especially for two or more guinea pigs. That cage would be perfect for just one pig! It's a really nice set up though

 

[Wheekers135]

Oops I didn't notice it only had a 1lb capacity

 

[lost_lover]

Even though my boys get along fantastically I have been feeling the same way as you, they just need more space. I do have a loft on my cage that they both regularly use but I only have a 2x4. Since I am going to have to move soon I have delayed plans on expanding that cage but I still wanted them to have more room now.

What I am doing is taking some of the 'stuff' out of their cage. They do not use their hidies much so I took one out to see how they would do and that freed in more space. You could try something like only having one tunnel in at a time, rotate them every few days. I am sure you could find a bowl for their pellets that takes up a smaller footprint. Move things around a bit to make it seem like there is more room, the pigaloos in the middle probably make them seem like they take up more space.

Of course if you can expand do that! If you can make a pig playpen that is also great. Those are just the type of things I am currently doing since changing the cage size is currently not an option.

 

[Wheekers135]

That's a good idea lost_lover.
I actually usually have their pigloos at the end and usually only one tunnel but they like to rearrange lol silly pigs