Commercial cage

F

FirstTimePigs

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Aug 17, 2022
Messages
86
Reaction score
41
Points
195
Location
UK
We are hoping to get guinea pigs in a couple of months time. We are planning a custom indoor enclosure (approx 100 x 80 cm) but also want a commercial cage in case we need to arrange for family members to mind them etc. I was looking at the Ferplast 120cm cage (£50 at Pets at Home). Or is anyone aware of a better option in this size?
 
The bigger the better really! A 100 cm x 80 cm is very, very small. Unfortunately most commercial cages in pet shops are unsuitable for guinea pigs. pets at Hime are one of the worst offenders in this respect
If you want a good commercial cage look at a Ferplast Krolik 160 cm cage, I have this cage and it’s a good size for two piggies. I would not go smaller than this as it can lead to fights breaking out.
Have you thought about rescues? There are many, many lovely piggies in rescues at the moment. By rescuing you will get a bonded pair of piggies that have been health checked and a guarantee that if anything changes in your circumstances you can hand back. This offers are far better route than buying from a pet shop where animals often arrive with health issues and not even bonded

If you take some time to read through the Guinea Pig Info guides you will find them really helpful, I did 😊

Helpful Info Collections for Wannabes & Owners
 
It is great you are doing your research in advance.

Please bear in mind that your plans for a homemade custom enclosure barley reach the minimum size guidelines, and would really only be appropriate for a sow pair - it is much too small for boars.
If it isn't built yet then now would be the time to consider making it larger if at all possible, because more space is always better!

It is a great idea to have a 'spare' cage as this can also be useful for cage cleans and as a hospital cage (hopefully never needed).
Bill and Ted have made some good recommendations above, but it might also be worth looking into C&C grids as these cable tie together and can be fitted into almost any space, but take up very little room when packed away.
 
Thanks for the input - we would be getting sows. I understood the min guidelines are 120x60cm (which is 7200), though of course we are trying to exceed this. 100x80 would push this to 8000, and we may be able to go marginally bigger. We will also have an indoor run and also an outdoor one for suitable weather.

We will likely only need the cage for rare occasions, but would likely need a cage rather than C&C for these (but may use that for indoor run).
 
Yes that is the minimum welfare measurement, but if you do have the option to go bigger then always take that opportunity, even for sow pairs.

——————-

When you consider that the sizes are external measurements, the space piggies actually have inside in some, particularly commercial cages, can be considerably less - yes of course all cages including hutches and c&c have the same issue but some are definitely worse than others for loss of space. The bases of some commercial cages slant making even less usable internal space. So by the time you’ve got the necessary two hides in there, the space for any other enrichment and of course zoomies is depleted.

The pets at home commercial cage product dimensions say it is actually 58cm wide.
Also reading deeper it also says the door is 116cm wide (and it appears to go all the way to the edge) meaning the cage is more likely 116x54/55cm (6380). I would discount it outright to be honest.
It may only be a cage for very occasional use, but you don’t want them to go into a new environment (which can cause a change in behaviour anyway) and into something too small and then risking them having a fall out because of it.

The same will be true of a wooden indoor cage or hutch. (Unless you specifically know, that 100x80 is the internal measurement) the thickness of the wood taken into consideration (the indoor wooden cage I looked at like the one you were considering on your other thread seems to be around 2cm) and a 100x80cm cage becomes 96x76 of space which comes in slightly smaller than a 2x3 c&c (and we wouldn’t encourage a 2x3 c&c for a pair of piggies really).
 
There's only one cage where I'd call the measurements exact, and that's the Midwest. Looks kind of like a C&C, except it comes with a canvas floor, folds up into almost nothing, and has a lid. It's also designed to expand with other Midwest cages, they slot together neatly. I had Comet and Blitzen in two Midwest cages. One Midwest would be the absolute minimum for two sows though.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes that is the minimum welfare measurement, but if you do have the option to go bigger then always take that opportunity, even for sow pairs.

——————-

When you consider that the sizes are external measurements, the space piggies actually have inside in some, particularly commercial cages, can be considerably less - yes of course all cages including hutches and c&c have the same issue but some are definitely worse than others for loss of space. The bases of some commercial cages slant making even less usable internal space. So by the time you’ve got the necessary two hides in there, the space for any other enrichment and of course zoomies is depleted.

The pets at home commercial cage product dimensions say it is actually 58cm wide.
Also reading deeper it also says the door is 116cm wide (and it appears to go all the way to the edge) meaning the cage is more likely 116x54/55cm (6380). I would discount it outright to be honest.
It may only be a cage for very occasional use, but you don’t want them to go into a new environment (which can cause a change in behaviour anyway) and into something too small and then risking them having a fall out because of it.

The same will be true of a wooden indoor cage or hutch. The thickness of the wood taken into consideration (the indoor wooden cage I looked at like the one you were considering on your other thread seems to be around 2cm) and a 100x80cm cage becomes 96x76 which comes in slightly smaller than a 2x3 c&c (and we wouldn’t encourage a 2x3 c&c for a pair of piggies really).
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking a look. I‘ll take a tape measure to look at commercial cages, good tip! We have decided to have something custom made by local carpenter (so a bit different from what I previously posted), partly so we could max out useable space a bit more :-)
 
Looking at C&C options too on Kavee website. Because space is tight, I need to be sure of sizing. Anyone know if the sizes posted on their site are accurate - e.g. is a 4x2 cage 140x70cm? Does it make a difference if you use connectors or cable ties? Thanks all for your support
 
Lorcan said:
There's only one cage where I'd call the measurements exact, and that's the Midwest. Looks kind of like a C&C, except it comes with a canvas floor, folds up into almost nothing, and has a lid. It's also designed to expand with other Midwest cages, they slot together neatly. I had Comet and Blitzen in two Midwest cages. One Midwest would be the absolute minimum for two sows though.
Click to expand...
Looking to expand the C&C main cage but probably get a Midwest as a back up/temp cage. How small does it fold and how quick is it to put up/down? Thanks for the tip
 
I travelled from Brighton to Wigan, via train, with two guinea pigs, my clothes, and two Midwests, heh. The 6 metal sections fold flat on top of each other, the canvas folds too although it can take a bit more work, but when folded it's no bigger than the metal sections.

The 6 metal sections are attached to each other, unfold them and stand them so they make a rectangle, and the canvas base goes inside for the floor. It attaches via velcro straps, and that's your sides and base done. The first time it always looks a bit odd, but once it's done, it's easy to do again.
 
Lorcan said:
I travelled from Brighton to Wigan, via train, with two guinea pigs, my clothes, and two Midwests, heh. The 6 metal sections fold flat on top of each other, the canvas folds too although it can take a bit more work, but when folded it's no bigger than the metal sections.

The 6 metal sections are attached to each other, unfold them and stand them so they make a rectangle, and the canvas base goes inside for the floor. It attaches via velcro straps, and that's your sides and base done. The first time it always looks a bit odd, but once it's done, it's easy to do again.
Click to expand...
Lorcan said:
I travelled from Brighton to Wigan, via train, with two guinea pigs, my clothes, and two Midwests, heh. The 6 metal sections fold flat on top of each other, the canvas folds too although it can take a bit more work, but when folded it's no bigger than the metal sections.

The 6 metal sections are attached to each other, unfold them and stand them so they make a rectangle, and the canvas base goes inside for the floor. It attaches via velcro straps, and that's your sides and base done. The first time it always looks a bit odd, but once it's done, it's easy to do again.
Click to expand...
Brilliant- very helpful! I love your guinea pig travels 😂
 
Comet and Blitzen coped better with it than I did tbh, but honestly everything just got shoved into one suitcase, and it all fit just fine. And because it doesn't have a solid base like Ferplast and other cages it's much easier to chuck in a car boot or footwell.
 
Lorcan said:
Comet and Blitzen coped better with it than I did tbh, but honestly everything just got shoved into one suitcase, and it all fit just fine. And because it doesn't have a solid base like Ferplast and other cages it's much easier to chuck in a car boot or footwell.
Click to expand...
How long do you find they are OK in a small carrier? Already thinking ahead to possible travels with pigs :-)
 
Comet and Blitzen were fine, they had watery veg on hand as much as possible, with plenty of hay in there too. And if I could give them a small dish of water every so often I would but mostly they weren't interested. The trip to the south of England happened via car and the poor pigs had to listen to Queen's Greatest Hits (and the karaoke) for a good chunk of the journey :)) I think we were all glad to be home at the end of it, mind you.

Edit: The travel guide courtesy of Wiebke
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top