Cage Is this pet shop cage suitable for 2 pigs?

[Neil0968]

Hi there,

We are very new to keeping guinea pigs and the cage we currently have is too small according to this site. It was the biggest the store had and they assured us it was OK. We want to get them into a suitable cage as soon as possible and have considered the C&C route but wondered what peoples opinions were on this one....

JUMBO INDOOR RABBIT/GUINEA PIG/FERRET ETC CAGE & STAND on eBay (end time 09-Aug-09 14:16:56 BST)

It says it is 59" by 30" so internal may be 56" by 27" or 10.5 square feet.

We would welcome any advice as we want to get things right for our pigs.

Many thanks,

Neil

 

[Pollyerrington]

Min length needs to be 56" and width needs to be 28" so that size looks fine. I still think you should go with a c&c though there's so much more flexibilty. I bought the grids and correx for £100 total... so it would work out cheaper for you too.

 

[akstrohm]

It looks okay for size assuming your estimates for inner dimensions are correct, but a C&C cage would be much, much cheaper. It would also be customizable and most likely easier to clean.

 

[Fudgenrolo]

Looking at the picture you can see that the base staggers downwards quite steeply - so you'd be losing a fair bit of space as the actual base size won't be as big as the measurements imply - I know you've calculated that but it might be more than you realise.

My grids cost £56 for 3 sets (4 cube mesh system) including p+p from ebay and I have made a 2 x 5 cage (28" deep, 70" long) plus I've fitted a stand using the grids. So it's not that bad price-wise. I know I have the correx to buy too but like Polly I don't think it will end up costing much more than £100 in total.

I would want to know what access is like on the cage too - it's very annoying to get a big cage you can't get into properly.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

I don't think your internal measurements are accurate. It says on that site that the cage tray measures 24 inches across.

The cage tray is very shallow at the bottom. The manufacturer is likely measuring it from the higher point.

 

[Onetwo]

I would agree with everyone...C&C cages are cheaper, easier to clean, easier to replace pieces if need be, easier to expand and decrease, easier to fit into certain spaces (like a courner!) and such. ALso easier to attatch bottles to and fit houses and get the guinea pigs in and out (especially when there is no top).

 

[spiceroxs]

n onot sutible i thought the same thing with my first cage no no no my grids to make a 2x3 with roof casts 16.00$ my coroplast 30 some the candc are alot nicer and you cane design it however you want

 

[Neil0968]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the comments. At the moment I am struggling to find grids at a reasonable price in the UK but will keep looking.

 

[Nelli]

I actually purchased the exact same size cage for my 1st two piggies from Drs Foster and Smith.

The box gives you the manufacturers dimension of the cage which is the outer most measurements.

If the piggies could have walked on the grids the cage would have been fine. Due to the fact that you have to remove the grids because of the harm that can be caused to your piggies the actual cage size is minimized.

I only kept them in there for a few weeks. Shortly after I realized the simplicity of making a C&C. The cage (outermost measurements) is also equivalent to a 2x3 c&c.

If you only have 1 guinea pig, then the cage is fine.

If you have more than 1 guinea pig I suggest you go with a c&c (the c&c is also cheaper).

Somewhere on here I posted my experience with the store bought cages and c&c cages. If you have time check it out. Hopefully it will help you in making the best decision possible for you and your guinea pig(s).

 

[Fudgenrolo]

I have just bought some of (((( These )))) grids from ebay myself. I bought three sets of these as mentioned above - postage costs are reduced if you buy more than one so it worked out at £56 inc. postage for three sets.

I think that's pretty reasonable really - the other grids I saw for sale at Robert Mays (a website that sells shop fittings) would have worked out at about £30 more. I have used quite a few grids to make a 'one grid high' stand for my cage so if you have something to rest the cage on or you don't want a stand you could probably just get two sets. It's easy enough to work out how many you will need anyway.

My cage is a 2 x 5 - it's currently unoccupied so I haven't taken any 'photos of it yet but I will be taking some pics tomorrow to show the rescue I'm adopting my pigs from and I can post them on here too if that would help. It's just a bare shell at the moment though with no correx.

 

[hannah101]

Check B&Qs. They have them for £26 each. They are a discontinued line, but there are a few left in certain shops if you are willing to look around.

 

[Fudgenrolo]

Well; here's the pictures of my set-up so far. As I said - I used three sets of the cubes I linked to on ebay. I haven't bought the coroplast for the internal part yet. The coroplast you can see on the outside of the cage is part of a coroplast to prevent my rather crazy-but-cute Syrian hamster from climbing up the Guinea Pig cage when she is free-ranging!

I just put the fleece blanket in to give the idea of what it will look like. The food dish is to give some sort of perspective since I don't have Guinea Pigs yet!

 

[Neil0968]

Those grids look good. Can you tell if they are plastic coated (like fridge shelves) or painted? I have been given some grids today and they are plastic coated (although I still need some more). Thanks

 

[auburnmare5]

The cage you are talking about is fine to use for one guinea pig. But, I wouldn't bother with buying that one. With the C+C cage, it is not only cheaper, but if you end up getting another guinea pig or more, you can expand it according to how many you will have. Plus, you can make C+C cages into different shapes to fit where you want the cage to be.

 

[Fudgenrolo]

Those grids look good. Can you tell if they are plastic coated (like fridge shelves) or painted? I have been given some grids today and they are plastic coated (although I still need some more). Thanks

They're painted.

I will be using cable-ties to firm up the base but am very happy with them. x

 

[Neil0968]

Thanks for the info, where are you planning to get your Correx from, I can only find 3mm white at the moment for £15 a sheet.

 

[Fudgenrolo]

Thanks for the info, where are you planning to get your Correx from, I can only find 3mm white at the moment for £15 a sheet.

I plan to get it from ((( This Website ))) but it's not that cheap due to the minimum quantity you have to order. I plan to use a fair bit in 'walling' around the cage as I have done so with the red stuff I currently have so I don't mind having a fair bit extra. (The red stuff will then be used as a playpen for my very small furries!)

Alternatively; you could ring around the Sign Makers in your yellow pages and see if they can sell you any 8ft x 4ft sheets.