C&C cage help?

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Jadessa1

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I have a rabbit cage I divided into 4 floors, maybe about 48” by 35”?, along with 3 cages about 28”.

I need to upgrade since I have a total of 20 piggys.
-floor 1: 3 boars
-floor 2: 4 sows
-floor 3(in half): 2 boar separate.
-floor 4: 3 boars
-cage 28”: 1 solo boar
-cage 2: 1 solo boar
-cage 3: 1 sow with 3 newborns, along with 2 sows that are 2months old.

I can fit a 90” cage in my living room. Which is about 3 cages of 28” length wise and 2 cage of 28” height wise.

Any advice? I don’t want to give up my children, but I want them to have enough space. I have 4 solo boars that I can’t pair up. Both sets of the 3 boar pair doesn’t get along and All my sows gets along but cage is too small to currently keep them together.

So I was thinking of getting a c&c cage. But no idea where to start.
 
When keeping boars and sows in the same room in stacked cages, the sows must always be at the bottom with the boars on top. For a boar pair, smelling a sow can spell trouble for their relationship.

Three boars together usually fails. If they don’t get along, have you separated them?

You are going to need multiple c&c cages and stacking them is an option, but if you go too high they become unstable difficult to reach. It’s best to have two cages to a stacked c&c.

So, two boars together need a cage measuring 72 inches by 24 inches (6ft x 2ft). This is a 5x2 C&c cage
Each single boar needs a cage to himself of a minimum of 48 inches by 24 inches (4ft x 2ft) but ideally 60 inches by 24 inches (5ft x 2ft). This is a 4x2 C&c cage
The cage for four sows needs to be 84 inches by 24 inches. This is a 6x2 C&c cage
The cage for the six (depending on what sex those newborns are) needs to be a 108 inches x24 inches. This is approx an 8x2 C&c

If you plan on putting all the sows together in one herd then that cage needs to be bigger than 108 inches by 24 inches (so larger than an 8x2 C&c, probably a 10x2 C&c)

So i think it’s going to be tricky if you only have 90 inches to play with, as that is really only big enough for two boars together on top, with a cage of approx four sows together underneath.
You might be able to stack A C&c three cages high but that would be 68 inches high (almost 6ft) so reaching into the top cage would probably be hard and the cage not as stable
 
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Piggies&buns said:
When keeping boars and sows in the same room in stacked cages, the sows must always be at the bottom with the boars on top. For a boar pair, smelling a sow can spell trouble for their relationship.

Three boars together usually fails. If they don’t get along, have you separated them?

You are going to need multiple c&c cages and stacking them is an option, but if you go too high they become unstable difficult to reach. It’s best to have two cages to a stacked c&c.

So, two boars together need a cage measuring 72 inches by 24 inches (6ft x 2ft). This is a 5x2 C&c cage
Each single boar needs a cage to himself of a minimum of 48 inches by 24 inches (4ft x 2ft) but ideally 60 inches by 24 inches (5ft x 2ft). This is a 4x2 C&c cage
The cage for four sows needs to be 84 inches by 24 inches. This is a 6x2 C&c cage
The cage for the six (depending on what sex those newborns are) needs to be a 108 inches x24 inches. This is approx an 8x2 C&c

If you plan on putting all the sows together in one herd then that cage needs to be bigger than 108 inches by 34 inches (so larger than an 8x2 C&c, probably a 10x2 C&c)

So i think it’s going to be tricky if you only have 90 inches to play with, as that is really only big enough for two boars together on top, with a cage of approx four sows together underneath.
You might be able to stack A C&c three cages high but that would be 68 inches high (almost 6ft) so reaching into the top cage would probably be hard and the cage not as stable
Click to expand...
I think I might have room for a cage between 8x2 and 10x2, if I take out the tv stand.

Is it possible to put three paired boars into a 5x2 c&c cage?

If so, then I am looking at 8x2 possibly a 10x2 for the sows, with a 5x2 stacked on top for 3 paired boars. A non stacked 5x2 for the other 3 paired. And 4 separate 4x2 cage?

Can I get a 5x2 and divide it in half?


-3 paired, 2 of them are bigger then the average adult piggy size(18 to 20in) & 1 adult boar is no bigger then 8in.

-The other 3 paired boars are also 18 to 21in.

-the 3 separated adult boar piggys are 18 to 21in and the 1 solo (3month) boar is no bigger then 5.5in.

-as for the 7 sows they are between 5 to 10in. 2 sow newborn & 1 boar.
 
As mentioned above, a 5x2 is only big enough for two boars to live together. You have two separate boar trios, so a 5x2 is nowhere near big enough. i only mention the size for two boars because you said the boar trios do not get on which implies they should be separated (most commonly into a pair and a single). If you are going to keep three boars together in one cage, then a 5x2 isnt enough.
if you meant that each trio doesn’t get on with the other trio, then that is to be expected as boars can really only be kept in pairs ie two boars in one cage. If you try to put six boars together, then the space would be far beyond what you have plus keeping them together would be rather difficult for the problems they will face with compatibility.

A boar trio need a huge amount of space, most boar trios do not survive together. Character compatibility is the main reason a trio will fail but space is also a major factor as most people will struggle to provide the space a boar trio will need. Each boar requires one square metre of territory so to keep three boars in one cage, that one cage needs to be a minimum of three square metres, so that means a cage for three boars of 118x40 inches. Given you have two boar trios, then you need two cages of that size

You cannot divide a 5x2 in half as it is then too small for any piggies at all.

The piggies physical size makes no difference to the amount of space they need

So

you are wanting to create one large sow herd
you then have four single boars
you have two separate boar trios

You will need the following cages

a 10x2 for the sow herd (provided the bonding works - if it doesn’t, then you will need more cages)
a 10x3 for one boar trio
a 10x3 for the other boar trio
a 4x2 for the single boar
a 4x2 for the single boar
a 4x2 for the single boar
a 4x2 for the single boar

None of these cages can be split in half, they are the size requirements for the number of piggies you are trying to keep in each cage.

The newborn baby boar will need to be separated from the sows when he is 3 weeks old or weighs 250g. Are you going to try to bond him with one of your single boars? If so (and the bonding is a success) then that cage will need to be a 5x2 instead of a 4x2.

If the sow bonding fails and they need to remain in separate groups, then their cage size would need to be made as appropriate for the number of sows in each group. The cage size requirements for sows are as follows

2 sows - a 4x2 cage
3 sows - a 5x2 cage
4 sows - a 6x2 cage
5 sows - a 7x2 cage
etc

if those boar trios fail (which is likely and if you say they are already not getting on), then you will need even more cages so you can split the boar trios up. This may mean they all end up as single piggies so you will need a further three 4x2 cages

While your boar trios absolutely do need more space than they currently have, you also need to bear in mind that changing the territories of boars will cause them to reestablish their relationship and hierarchy. In well bonded pairs (ie two character compatible boars living together), this should just be minor dominance which settles but in unstable relationships (and a boar trio can be rather unstable), then it can break bonds so you would also want to have a back up plan for living arrangements in case you end up with even more single boars when trying to change cages.
Ensure you use soiled bedding if you put them in a new cage as that can help them feel more secure.

it sounds like you may be trying to fit in too much
 
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Thank you.

-both sets of the boar trios gets along, just not when they get introduced to each other. -The 7 female originally lived together but due to the previous owner not telling me 2 was pregnant, I had to separate them, which resulted in one solo boar, 2 (3month sow) & 3 newborns.
-I’m slowly introducing the solo 3month old boar to one of the separate adult piggy. I will try to do the same with the newborn boar in 3weeks.

I wanted to keep them in the living room since that’s where the family is most of the time. If I’m not able to fit all the new cages. I will probably have half the piggys in the kids playroom.

As of now, I will get a 10x2, 10x3, 10x3, 5x2, 5x2. I will save the 28” cage I had just in case the new houses doesn’t work out.

Thank you for your help. I appreciate it
 
Jadessa1 said:
Thank you.

-both sets of the boar trios gets along, just not when they get introduced to each other. -The 7 female originally lived together but due to the previous owner not telling me 2 was pregnant, I had to separate them, which resulted in one solo boar, 2 (3month sow) & 3 newborns.
-I’m slowly introducing the solo 3month old boar to one of the separate adult piggy. I will try to do the same with the newborn boar in 3weeks.

I wanted to keep them in the living room since that’s where the family is most of the time. If I’m not able to fit all the new cages. I will probably have half the piggys in the kids playroom.

As of now, I will get a 10x2, 10x3, 10x3, 5x2, 5x2. I will save the 28” cage I had just in case the new houses doesn’t work out.

Thank you for your help. I appreciate it
Click to expand...

You are unbelievably lucky to have two functioning boar trios. The overwhelming majority fail, particularly if they don’t have enough space.

You cant slowly introduce boars. It’s a one time thing - put them together in neutral territory and see it through to conclusion. If things go well, then they must remain together from then on. If you put them together and separate them repeatedly then they will never get to fully form a relationship and will cause stress to them all. This is even more important for piggies under four months of age, they must never be kept alone, so the three month old should be bonded with a compatible adult immediately and certainly before he hits his teens at Four months of age as bonding teen boars is harder

You say a 28 inch cage. 28 inches by what?
28 inches is only two feet which is too small for any piggy to live in. The smallest cage for two sows or a single piggy is 48 inches by 24 inches
 
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Piggies&buns said:
You are unbelievably lucky to have two functioning boar trios. The overwhelming majority fail, particularly if they don’t have enough space.

You cant slowly introduce boars. It’s a one time thing - put them together in neutral territory and see it through to conclusion. If things go well, then they must remain together from then on. If you put them together and separate them repeatedly then they will never get to fully form a relationship and will cause stress to them all. This is even more important for piggies under four months of age, they must never be kept alone, so the three month old should be bonded with a compatible adult immediately and certainly before he hits his teens at Four months of age as bonding teen boars is harder

You say a 28 inch cage. 28 inches by what?
28 inches is only two feet which is too small for any piggy to live in. The smallest cage for two sows or a single piggy is 48 inches by 24 inches
Click to expand...
Yes. I was surprised myself that two trios groups worked. It was original 7 boars in one small cage that were abandon on my front porch. Whoever had left them there mistreated them badly. The one piggy was paralyzed, and 2 were on the way to being paralyzed. Due to the limited cage I had, I separate them into group of 4 and 3 and tried my best to bring them back to life. Sadly, one died and I’m left with the two trio groups.😔

by slowly I meant having the cages side by side for few days, so they can at least see and talk to each other and then put them together to see how it would work out. If it doesn’t, I would try with a different solo piggy.

The 28” cage was the cage I received the solo boars in. I believe it’s 28in by 17in? It’s a Midwest cage that you buy from the pet store. The other two solo cages are a little bigger, perhaps 30 by 20in? Which is why I needed advice about c&c cages.
 
At that size you definitely need to get them out those cages ASAP - they fall far below welfare standards for guinea pigs. As I said a single piggy should be in a cage larger than 48 inches by 24 inches (this is the minimum welfare size)
 
Piggies&buns said:
At that size you definitely need to get them out those cages ASAP - they fall far below welfare standards for guinea pigs. As I said a single piggy should be in a cage larger than 48 inches by 24 inches (this is the minimum welfare size)
Click to expand...
Yes. Thank you once again. I currently order 3 c&c cages 10x3 and 1 c&c cage 5x2.

The bond between the solo adult piggy and 3 month piggy boar was successful. once the newborn boar is 3 weeks I will try to bond with 1 of the 2 solo boars.
-9 female herd
-1 trio boar
-1 trio boar
-1 pair boar
-1 solo boar
-1 solo boar
-1 newborn boar (soon to be solo/bond after 3 weeks)

-I will stack two 10x3 for the 9 female Herd and one trio group.

-I will stack a 10x3 and a 5x2 for the other set of trio and the new bonded boar pair.

since 1 boar needs 4x2, will I need a 8x2 if I plan on dividing the cage for the two solo boars? If so, I will need to buy an 8x2 and 5x2 to stack them or (either a 4x2 if the bond doesn’t work in 3 weeks with the newborn)

For the time being, I can keep both solo in the 4 level rabbit cage after adding the ladder back, so they can go up & down between two floors.
 
Yes an 8x2 and then split in half for single boars so each one has a 4x2 . Single piggies must live side by side for interaction through the bars

For the single piggy in the rabbit cage, as long as it is big enough then that’s definitely fine. Piggies are ground roaming and need a large single level cage, not multiple levels so you don’t need to worry about putting a ladder back in. The most important thing is that the cage meets welfare size requirements on a single level
 
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