Cage Question about multiple cages. Would this be okay?

[Akiira]

I don't currently own guinea pigs but I have in the past and would like to again. Right now I'm reviewing how reasonable that is in my life. The most likely issue I've come across is cage location.
From what I've read the recommended size for two guinea pigs is about eleven square feet and should preferably be one level. That would be difficult on the main floor of my house.
I do have room for that in my bedroom. The problem is that it's on the third floor and I don't necessarily spend a lot of time in there. I know I would spend more time if I had guinea pigs in there (the main reason I don't is because I don't have anything to do lol), but it greatly reduces the amount of time other family member would spend with the piggies.

The one idea I had would be to have their normal big hutch in my room (the eleven square feet one), but also have a smaller hutch on the main floor. That way on days when we will be spending a lot of time at home we can just bring the guinea pigs down to the small hutch to visit and socialize. Then the rest of the time (when we're not home and at night) they'd have plenty of room to exercise and play in the big hutch.
Would that work? I know some rodents don't like moving from one cage to another and I've never heard of anyone else doing something like that with guinea pigs.

I don't know if this would make a difference but I am currently hoping to get two sows and will mostly get them an outdoor run/playpen.

 

[CavyChrissy]

Welcome @Akiira ! I had a similar situation to figure out when I got my Lucy and Snickers last month. I decided to put their cage in our home office, which is on our main floor, but not a very high traffic area. However now that the pigs are in there, myself, the kids and even the hubby are in there a lot more to visit them.

I also made them a "play pen" for us to take them out and play sometimes. Here's a pic (excuse the messy room, this was when we first got them and were building the new cage and figuring out where to put everything):



It's just a vinyl tablecloth to protect the carpet and a bunch of grids zip-tied together. You could do something like this to take them to your main family room area for a while. I like that you can just wipe down the stuff, fold, and stash away somewhere. Just a note, my vinyl tablecloth is already looking worse for wear, so you might want to try a heavy duty shower curtain or something similar. Snickers has chewed several small holes in it and also the backing came a little lose when I washed it.

I also like that me or the kids can sit INSIDE the playpen with the pigs. Then the pigs are free to explore around us at their own pace. Just make sure you give them some boxes or hidey houses to retreat to.

Good luck with everything!

 

[Akiira]

Thanks for the help Chrissy.
I really like the idea of the pen but we have cats and dogs so I wouldn't really feel comfortable with it.
Right now what I'm thinking is I would slightly remodel and old rabbit hutch we have. As far as I understand the wire bottom is bad for the guinea pigs because they can get their feet caught in it. So I could just have my dad cut out a board the same size and put it over the wire (since it's just a square it should be easy). It's not very big (probably about the size of the too-small guinea pig hutches you find in pet stores) but I don't think that should be a big deal because it isn't an all the time thing. It would probably just a few hours every day (or every other day) around mid-day (if I understand correctly they're most active in the mornings and evenings).

I am just concerned that there might be some other factor I forgot about so I thought I'd run the idea by some other guinea pig owners first.

 

[CavyChrissy]

I'm sure that a few hours a day is no big deal if they can run around in their bigger cage the rest of the time. However, if it's too small they might still fight in there. My girls have lived together their whole 3.5 years (according to the rescue where I got them), but they had serious squabbles for the week or so they lived in a small cage when I first got them - lots of rumbling, butt sniffing, and some nipping. They still rumble at each other occasionally in their big cage. Just something to keep in mind.

You are right that wire bottom is bad for guinea pig feet. Instead of a board, you might want to consider making a coroplast insert for the hutch (or at least just a flat coroplast bottom). The pigs are going to pee and most likely, anywhere in the cage. If you have a wood bottom, the urine might soak in and you can't really clean it out. Coroplast is a corrugated plastic sheet. Basically like a piece of cardboard box, but made out of plastic. I have a coroplast insert in my large wood cage and it's so easy to clean! Which is good, because recently I've noticed spray marks (like a line of dots) up the sides and realized it's probably urine they are spraying at each other when they are feeling crabby. Way gross! But I'm glad I made my coroplast go all the way up the sides so it's easy to clean. Another potential situation to keep in mind...

Sounds like you need something with a lid, which makes sense with your other pets. You could add a top made of grids to the play pen idea. Or you could get a Midwest cage with a lid. The cage without lid is usually like $60, but I saw them on Amazon a week or two ago for $38. Or you could see what kind of used C&C cages you can find on Craigslist. Whatever you choose, I highly recommend something where you can remove the entire top for cleaning. It's a real pain to stick your arm in a little door and try and clean a whole cage, even just spot cleaning. I experienced both, first using a large pet store cage, then using my truly large DIY wood and coroplast cage.

It's funny that no matter how much you research and prepare, you never know if your ideas will all work out until you bring those pigs home!

 

[wombats]

Hmmm...what kind of space is your main floor like? As in, the room where you and your family frequent most. Is it just plain cramped with no possability of fitting a cage, or is it because an 11 sq ft cage is too long (by c and c standards)? If you are/were planning on making a c and c, I can attest that a 2x4 (11 sq ft) is actually not that long when it's in a room. A 2x3 is very easy to accomodate in most spaces, and a 2x4 is only 14" or so longer. I understand if space really is an issue though, and I hope you can find a practical solution.



(Also, if you haven't considered this already, because you have cats and dogs I'd suggest using extra grids or a table to make the cage a stand and use a wire closet shelf (16" wide by cage length) and some grids to make a cover. This is only if you're making a c and c of course, but even so it should have a lid and closet shelves are very sturdy and make good covers.)

 

[Akiira]

Thanks for the help guys!

We probably could make room for the cage in our living room. I just want to have several options whenever my parents ask me where we're going to put the guinea pigs (I know the question is coming soon haha). Chances are my mom will rather have the smaller cage in the living room and bigger one in my room just because of how things are arranged. I just needed to make sure that'd wouldn't be bad for the piggies or anything.

 

[wombats]

You're welcome! I think it's very good that you're thinking ahead and giving yourself options like this...especially with parents (or anyone really) it's always nice to have options and think about what's best for everyone instead of saying it's one way, or the highway. I think either way, you can probably make it work, and I wish you the best of luck with your potential piggies. Keep us updated if you can, and feel free to ask questions if you are unsure of anything else

 

[tzarius78]

I don't currently own guinea pigs but I have in the past and would like to again. Right now I'm reviewing how reasonable that is in my life. The most likely issue I've come across is cage location.
From what I've read the recommended size for two guinea pigs is about eleven square feet and should preferably be one level. That would be difficult on the main floor of my house.
I do have room for that in my bedroom. The problem is that it's on the third floor and I don't necessarily spend a lot of time in there. I know I would spend more time if I had guinea pigs in there (the main reason I don't is because I don't have anything to do lol), but it greatly reduces the amount of time other family member would spend with the piggies.

The one idea I had would be to have their normal big hutch in my room (the eleven square feet one), but also have a smaller hutch on the main floor. That way on days when we will be spending a lot of time at home we can just bring the guinea pigs down to the small hutch to visit and socialize. Then the rest of the time (when we're not home and at night) they'd have plenty of room to exercise and play in the big hutch.
Would that work? I know some rodents don't like moving from one cage to another and I've never heard of anyone else doing something like that with guinea pigs.

I don't know if this would make a difference but I am currently hoping to get two sows and will mostly get them an outdoor run/playpen.

keep an eye on them for outdoor play pen. They can jump. I have seen a male jump a Grid. Also if you have any predatory animals in the area then you will want a top on it. I mad a C&C cage that will fit in the corner of my room. The corrugated plastic (coroplast) you can buy at a sign shop. Look for one that is in an industrial area. They will sell it to you cheap. I got one sheet for 15 Dollars at the 4mm size. I rolled it up and put in my back seat of a nissan versa. (small car). If you have to do a Dual level and stack one on top of another and buy a ramp from here or make one. One advise tho. If you go with a watter bottle for drinking. PUT a littler pan below it. My piggies like to let it dribble down their cheeks and cause a mess. That will save you some headache on cleaning.

 

[pinky]

I'd concentrate on adequate indoor space and skip the outdoor run. There are too many risks outdoors. You can cut fresh, untreated grass for them to snack on.