Upper Levels Safe height for mid grid level lofts/bunk beds? Do I need to add loft sides?

[dani_starr]

I haven't even had my cage built for more than two days, and already I am trying to find ways to modify it and make it better. Curse this site and it's addictiveness! Lol.

I recently added a bent grid bunk bed, and a 1x1 grid larger bunk bed area attached next to it.

I can't post a picture, but I'll do my best to describe it. I have a 2x4 cage, single level. On the left side, in the front, I have 2 bent grids zip tied together to form a bunk bed with a top, which is at about 4 grids high. It's about 5" high from the base of the coroplast, with no bedding. Attached to it, on the left side in the back, is another full sized grid, with another grid hovering over it. They both have a piece of coroplast zip tied on them, and are attached to the cage with a million zip ties.

I plan to attach fleece strips to both the top and bottom grid, so that they have a lower level and upper level fleece forest. Oh, and to cover them with fleece pads binder clipped on, in case that wasn't obvious.

Is this a safe height to have it at, where they can comfortably jump up? Do I need to add corpplast sides to it? I don't get my piggies for another two days, so I've been using my boyfriends Scabbers stuffed animal and his pygmy puff stuffed animal for models. lol

Also, is 5" high enough where they have enough space to run underneath? I was trying to avoid using a ramp, as I don't want to take up any more floor space then necessary.

I would LOVE to do this

but just lower, at the 4 grid/5" high mark, with no ramp and no coroplast sides (let's just say, coroplast and I do NOT get along, excluding cutting a flat piece to cover the grids). Would that work?

 

[pigger123]

How old are the piggies you're getting? Most younger pigs will easily jump about 6 inches, but once they hit about 3 to 4+ they start to have a harder time jumping. If they're on the older side, I would hold off on the bunk beds. If they're younger then that should work, but be prepared to take it down as they age, or eventually add a ramp to make it easier to go up. I don't think you need coroplast sides since bunk beds rarely have them. 5" is enough space for them to run under, but most pigs treat the dark space underneath as a hidey and if you have it covering that much of the cage then they might not come out and run around as much.

 

[dani_starr]

Pigger123 Oh golly I thought I posted their age, but looks like I didn't. They are two years old. I think I might try to stop changing things until they get here, and then see what they like and go from there. My thought process was that they would run around more if given more areas to hide, but apparently, that isn't true for guinea pigs. Good to know

Spydoc- I have seen those bunk beds! That was my inspiration. However, when I tried putting the grids inside like that, with a supporting grid in the middle, they were too tall to put a lid on it. Basically, take the picture of snoop and his bunk bed (except, there's a roof on top made from another bent grid), and attach the bent grid next to the other full grid bunk bed (like in the bottom picture), but remove the middle supporting grid. That's what it looks like. Hopefully that helps, I will be able to take pictures later on today hopefully.

They are both american guinea pigs too.

Thank you for your thoughts!