Cage Is this cage suitable?

[stellanova]

Hi everyone, I'm new. I'm from the UK and I currently have no guinea pigs but I have lots of hamsters. In the future I'd love to rescue a couple of piggies and I just wondered if this cage would be suitable? Please let me know your thoughts. It measures
56" long
28" Wide
25" high from bottom to top of feeding platform
11" high around the ground floor boundaries

Thanks!

 

[SweetiePig]

Awesome cage! It should work fine for a guinea pig or two. Whats it made from? Did you make it?
Welcome

 

[stellanova]

I bought it second hand, I think it's made out of the same plastic material c&c cages use but it is just taped together instead.

 

[sdpiggylvr]

It looks like a nice cage! Very open. It's the bare minimum for two pigs, though, so you'd have to keep that in mind when adopting. If you do put two pigs in this cage, you'll need to make sure they get plenty of extra out-of-cage time (not including handling time) in a piggy-proof area to run around and play. The only thing I would worry about is the ramp. A piggy could easily slip off of it. You need to have some kind of guard on both sides to prevent any injuries.

 

[stellanova]

Thanks for replying!
I would have the cage in my hamster room where they would get out to free-run as well.
Good point about the ramp, any idea what sort of thing I could use to put on the sides?
I won't be getting piggies for a good while yet but it's good to be ready
Do you think the cage is okay just with plastic? Most people use the grids but are the grids necessary?

 

[sdpiggylvr]

I would have the cage in my hamster room where they would get out to free-run as well.

Oh, that would be perfect! You'll have two very happy piggies!

Good point about the ramp, any idea what sort of thing I could use to put on the sides?

After thinking about the options, coroplast would probably work best for your cage. You can cut it to the desired size (length of ramp and width of ramp + 12 inches [for a 6 inch wall on the sides], score it like you would with a regular C&C cage (6 inches in on both sides) and bend it away from the score to form a little box around the ramp. You can just tape it down, but make sure the piggies can't chew it!

Do you think the cage is okay just with plastic? Most people use the grids but are the grids necessary?

If you were using just coroplast, you would definitely need the grids. Your sides are plenty high enough that the pigs won't jump out. It should be fine wtih just plastic. You'll need to put bedding down, and fleece would probably work best since your cage looks like it has a lot of nooks and crannies for disposable bedding to hide in.

Good luck!

 

[stellanova]

Thank you for all your help! I'll see what I can do with the ramp.

...I will no doubt post again once I have some piggles

 

[CavySpirit]

It's the bare minimum for two pigs, though, so you'd have to keep that in mind when adopting. If you do put two pigs in this cage, you'll need to make sure they get plenty of extra out-of-cage time (not including handling time) in a piggy-proof area to run around and play.

I appreciate the fact that you are encouraging larger cages. However, this is NOT the BARE MINIMUM for two pigs. It is the RECOMMENDED size for two pigs. This cage is the equivalent of a 2x4 grid cage. The minimum size for two guinea pigs is 2x3 grids and is still acceptable and should not be criticized either. If you have two young boars or unbonded older boars, then larger is better. Bigger is always better, but let's please stick to the cage sizes as published on this site when quoting minimums and recommendations. If you'd like to make a case for increasing the standards, let's make a new, independent thread. Thanks.

~~~~~~

I think this cage is okay, but having the 11 inch high walls all the way around is going to impede fresh air flow on the ground for the guinea pigs a bit. They really like fresh air and have a very keen sense of smell. That would be my only concern. If the material is Coroplast, I would make an attempt to cut and lower the walls, both on the ground floor and the upper level. At least 3 of the walls. You can leave one wall higher, especially if it's against a wall, it helps keep hay and such in the cage.

 

[stellanova]

I was hoping to adopt two female piggies ....Would cutting air holes be okay or is cutting it lower completely, best?

Oh and I'd thank you all for the posts but not sure how to "Thank"

 

[CavySpirit]

I think you are going to find it not so easy to cut against the grain in an already assembled cage held together by tape.

Honestly, it's why the combination of grids with coroplast is a winner. You can hang water bottles on the grids, and the coro is the right height.

Not sure what to advise in your case. You can try various things, but bottom line, what I would do is slit the tape on the sides, make the sides the right height and go get the grids for the outside. In the long run, I think it will be easier and more stable.

 

[CavySpirit]

Oh, and I previously had it set so that Newbies couldn't thank posts yet. (They tend to get carried away thanking everyone that replies to them). But I just changed it, so you should now see the Thanks option in the footer of posts.

 

[stellanova]

I'm just glad the cage is somewhat usable, I'm not great with DIY and those grids aren't that available around me, so seeing this for sale at a cheap price, I just went for it. If it wasn't any good I was just going to let my hamsters use it as a playground.

I haven't picked the cage up yet but I'll see what I can do with it when I get it.

Thanks

 

[CavySpirit]

I'm sure you'll be able to make it work for you with just a little creativity!

 

[kathlaaron]

I'm just glad the cage is somewhat usable, I'm not great with DIY and those grids aren't that available around me, so seeing this for sale at a cheap price, I just went for it. If it wasn't any good I was just going to let my hamsters use it as a playground.

I haven't picked the cage up yet but I'll see what I can do with it when I get it.

Thanks

Hello there !

I definitely think it is more than "usable" ! If you have some really sharp gardening shears, cutting it down some, would be very beneficial. ( What does DIY stand for ?) I also think you would also need some type of shelving/storage cubes for safety ( so they don't escape, if you decide to cut the sides/walls lower, for proper airflow) as well as for strength and support.

Sometimes browsing the photo galleries for ideas can help stir up some creative inspiration! I don't know what they have available in the UK, but most hardware or department stores would have some type of storage cubes, I would think...have you gone to look at different stores to see what they have to offer as far as something similar ?