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KezFlav

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Hello everyone.

we are looking at getting 2 male pigs next month so looking at making something inside for them to live in.

rather than a traditional cage. Is it ok to have a little ‘house’ for them and then for this to be positioned in a pen that they can roam in?
How big would the ‘house’ need to be and how big a pen would they need?

sorry...full of questions! What would you use on the floor of the pen? I’ve seen so many different things from playmats to tiles whilst researching, I wondered what was best.
thanks in advance 😊
 
Hi and welcome! Whatever they are housed in needs to be at least 150x60cm. If you’re planning to close them inside the ‘house’ then it needs to be that big at a minimum. If they have access to the pen then it can be a little smaller. But bear in mind if they’re sleeping inside the house then it does need to be big because you don’t want them arguing over it due to lack of space.

There are a lot of threads on people’s setup. One I can think of which could work for you us a hutch with a play pen area. Otherwise have a look at the threads I’ll link below, there’s a lot of useful info on here.
 
:wel:

I’ll attach some guides below which will be very helpful to you with information on the things you need for them.

C&c cages are a very good cage for piggies as they are larger than commercial cages and offer flexibility in shape and size. Two boys need a larger cage - a cage measuring 180cm x60cm is advised for boys (150 x 60 is the absolute minimum for two boys) as they need more room than two girls. My two boys started with a 150 x 77 cage but it was too small for them and teen boys need a lot of room so their cage was upgraded within a matter of a couple of weeks of them coming home with me!

They will need multiple of hidey houses (at least one hidey house per piggy) with multiple exits so to prevent any piggy being cornered by the other. Boys need multiple hideys and multiple of all items such as bowls and bottles, hay piles etc, to prevent any territorial behaviour. Not all piggies will cuddle together - mine never share a bed together.

These guides below will help you with a lot of information. There are also specific guides on the requirements and behaviour of boars

New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information
 
Piggies&buns said:
:wel:

I’ll attach some guides below which will be very helpful to you with information on the things you need for them.

C&c cages are a very good cage for piggies as they are larger than commercial cages and offer flexibility in shape and size. Two boys need a larger cage - a cage measuring 180cm x60cm is advised for boys (150 x 60 is the absolute minimum for two boys) as they need more room than two girls. My two boys started with a 150 x 77 cage but it was too small for them and teen boys need a lot of room so their cage was upgraded within a matter of a couple of weeks of them coming home with me!

They will need multiple of hidey houses (at least one hidey house per piggy) with multiple exits so to prevent any piggy being cornered by the other. Boys need multiple hideys and multiple of all items such as bowls and bottles, hay piles etc, to prevent any territorial behaviour. Not all piggies will cuddle together - mine never share a bed together.

These guides below will help you with a lot of information. There are also specific guides on the requirements and behaviour of boars

New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information
Click to expand...
Do they then choose a hidey hole to sleep in and wouldn’t require a house?
I had guinea pigs when I was 7, and in those days the only chose was a hutch with a bedroom and main area 😂
 
KezFlav said:
Do they then choose a hidey hole to sleep in and wouldn’t require a house?
I had guinea pigs when I was 7, and in those days the only chose was a hutch with a bedroom and main area 😂
Click to expand...

Yes, they choose which one they like at the time of requiring a nap! They don’t take themselves off to the same thing every time. As I say, my two never sleep in the same hut together. And with boys, it is so important that they have plenty of areas and spaces to hide and get away from each other. We see it sometimes that one area of the cage or favourite hidey can be claimed by the dominant piggy and the submissive isn’t allowed in - this is normal piggy behaviour and the dominant’s right to choose his spot, but it is also important to ensure there are plenty of other options for the other piggy.
My boys live in my shed and have free roam of the whole shed. They have a hutch in the shed but they aren’t locked into it (only during winter for warmth). They have 8 different tunnels, huts and beds to choose from within their entire living space but they very rarely take themselves off into the bedroom area of the hutch for a nap. They’ll do it wherever they fancy and feel most comfortable! Even during the winter when they are locked in their hutch more (I can’t let them out to have free roaming time in the shed if it is too cold), they have several different beds and huts within the entire hutch to choose from but they don’t often just huddle up in the bedroom area of the hutch.
 
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Welcome to the forum.
I have a C&C cage which I’ve been able to make into an L shape to fit the room.
They are great cages for indoor piggies.
Piggies will choose where to sleep and it will undoubtedly vary from day to day, or hour to hour.
We will look forward to pictures when you get your boys
 
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