2 Tier Cage Same As 2 Side By Side?

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PiggySmitten

PiggySmitten

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In terms of making sure I have enough space for the number of pigs I have, if I have a 120 double tier cage, is that roughly the same as having 2 x 120 cages side by side and with free access between them or should I entirely ignore the top tier floor space when considering how many pigs can live comfortably in the cage?

I have recently bought a 120 double cage thinking it would be ok for 3-4 pigs as a 120 single should be ok for 2 pigs but a comment elsewhere has made me wonder whether I got that right or not.

The pigs will be put out in larger runs at least once and usually twice a day for a good number of hours.
 
Its single floor space that counts, an additional tier is treated as an "extra" rather than floor space, the reason for this is that pigs tend to stay mostly on one level, if all four congregated on one level they would be very tight on space and couldn't move round as they should. They are not the best climbers either.

Do you have 4 pigs currently? if so is it possible to send it back? I had three in a 120 double for a short while and they all sat downstairs permanently so I send it back and build them a C&C which was big enough for them instead all on one level.

The other option would be to try and modify it to sit the cages side by side somehow?
 
My boys are in a 2 tier and only use one level :( i think I'm going to get a ramp tunnel and see if it helps
 
Thanks for clearing up the confusion for me. We've got 3 pigs at the moment that are sharing. Rather than return it I can remove the ramp and cover the hole and effectively have 2 x 120 cages. I could then hopefully bond one of our sows with a new sow and have 2 live in the top and two in the bottom.
 
PiggySmitten said:
Thanks for clearing up the confusion for me. We've got 3 pigs at the moment that are sharing. Rather than return it I can remove the ramp and cover the hole and effectively have 2 x 120 cages. I could then hopefully bond one of our sows with a new sow and have 2 live in the top and two in the bottom.
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yes that would be an ideal solution. I found that was good for me in the short term. I bought plastic box designed to be a shoe box and found that the lid fitted the hole perfectly (I had ferplast 120 double). I then used fleece bedding on top tier to stop any substrate falling through to underneath!
 
newtoguineas said:
My boys are in a 2 tier and only use one level :( i think I'm going to get a ramp tunnel and see if it helps
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It is definitely worth a try if you only have two as it wouldn't matter if they congregated on one level. but didn't work with my stubborn three, You may want to experiment with a replacement ramp too if that doesn't work. I tried replacing with a longer ramp made from a gutter pipe but sadly my girls were just not climbers (I tried for around 6 weeks before sending it back)
 
Hey @PiggySmitten, covering up the hole would work well, i have 3 level 120 cage but each level is separate and houses a pair of piggies and have been using it like this for ages. I do have a playen for them in evening so they can run around though. :)
 
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I think a 4ft double is fine for 3 id not ad a fourth into that though. Or split into two cages for 2 pairs its cool too :-)
 
My hutch is 5ft x 3ft over 2 levels. Mine have no problem with the ramp and whizz up and down it all day long. ;)

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BossHogg said:
My hutch is 5ft x 3ft over 2 levels. Mine have no problem with the ramp and whizz up and down it all day long. ;)
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How many do you have in there? I think I'm going to split them into pairs when our 4th arrives and close up the ramp hole. Now just to decide what to do with the 2 unexpected extra ones we took yesterday from a very kind lady who had rescued them and nursed them. They've got a temporary cage which is just under 120 size I think and they are very small - we think they are about 10 weeks old - but that isn't going to last them long!
 
I have 2 sows and a boar, 1 of the girls is mother to the boy.
 
PiggySmitten said:
How many do you have in there? I think I'm going to split them into pairs when our 4th arrives and close up the ramp hole. Now just to decide what to do with the 2 unexpected extra ones we took yesterday from a very kind lady who had rescued them and nursed them. They've got a temporary cage which is just under 120 size I think and they are very small - we think they are about 10 weeks old - but that isn't going to last them long!
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they will be fine in that if just under 120 as from the sound of it they will get floor time as well.If you dont have any other animals you could add a run to the cage if you didnt feel they had enough space. congrats on your piggies. They are addictive. I have 10 sows now and was only having 2 which turned to four then 6 then 8 then 10
 
I have a big hutch that is split over two levels, I cant remember how big it is but I know its over 4 ft long. I have two girls in this and they love racing up and down the ramp. They use each level for different things, the top is their sleeping and eating level, the bottom has their hay and toys and then they have an extended run witv grass where they run around pop corning and eating.

It really depends on the pig if they will use both levels :)
 
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