Does my cage look ok?

LuLu431

LuLu431

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi, I’m new here and I was wondering is my cage looked okay. I have a 1 year old female American guinea pig. She lives in a XL dog crate (8 sq. ft.) I don’t have any bedding in her cage because where I live it is very hot and it helps keep her cool. Is this cage big enough for a second piggy? She lives alone right now but if the cage is large enough I will look into a partner for her.

here is a picture of her cage-
 
Hello,

I would be tempted to not use a dog cage, the bars are much wider and you don’t want an accident (or worse) if your piggy attempts to squeeze through. I use the smallest C&C as I’ve had younger pigs able to fit through the larger squares!

Though it’s hot, she will still need bedding to protect her feet from hard surfaces and keep her comfortable, plus bedding should be absorbent. Please also make sure she has a large amount of good quality hay for her dietary and burrowing needs.

Glad you are looking at getting her a friend, as she shouldn’t be kept alone.

Have a look at the housing and bedding guides:

Housing, Bedding & Seasonal Care Guides
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. 😃. Your piggy definitely needs a buddy to live with. I can’t really tell from the angle of the photo but how does she get into the hay box? It looks quite high. I’d also put some sort of absorbent layer on the bottom. Maybe some newspaper and hay. Or wood shavings. What’s in the other box? Again it looks very high for them to get in and out of. Have a look at the guides posted above. They are very informative. Also I’d love to see a picture of your lovely piggy. 😍
 
:wel:

I agree with the others. I’d personally not use a dog crate either. The whole cage does need an absorbent layer on it And I’d add a lot more hay. She also must have a friend. Yes 8sq ft is the minimum size for two piggies but even if the cage wasn’t big enough, then getting a bigger cage and getting a friend is a priority.

Companionship
Cage Size Guide
Member Gallery: C&C cages/homemade cages
 
Hello and welcome to the forum
Perhaps you could use a seed tray which has lower sides to make it easier for your piggie to up in and out of. Your base does need some sort of absorbent layer to soak up pee and also to stop piggie sliding around on the plastic surface. You can use newspaper or puppy pads and place hay or wood shavings over the top, or use a fleece blanket with an old towel underneath. I would definitely see if you can find a little sow friend for her, double the fun for you and her 😄
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Bradshaw Piggies said:
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I had to put screen around the cage cause she squeezed out once ☹️

What kind of flooring would you recommend? The entire box in her litter box is stuffed with timothy hay and is always full.

I should be able to get a partner within the next 2 weeks.


weepweeps said:
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She can jump to get in the litter box and the other box is filled with Kaytee soft granules- https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...VW9KzCh3jAg_vEAQYBCABEgL3n_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds She climbs on the bendable bridges to get in the box
here is a picture of her 😁
Piggies&buns said:
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Okay, thanks!
Bill & Ted said:
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she is fully litter trained and hasn’t had an accident for several months so do I still need bedding? If so what would you recommend?
Black piggies said:
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Thanks!
 
My cage is lined with newspaper, then a layer of a disposable bedding such as aubiose, megazorb and then the whole thing is fully covered with hay on top so they have constant access to hay wherever they are and dont need to go to a specific place for it. Its huge thick piles which they make beds in and hide under. There are lots of different ways though - some people use puppy pads and then lay fleece on top, others use proper fleece liners (with the absorbent layer stitched in the middle).
If she is using a litter tray then that fine, but as piggies cant be trained, there is no guarantee her new friend when she gets one would use it at all so you need to whole cage to be lined.
It is hard to see the size from the picture but again, your existing piggy may be able to jump into a litter box and get the hay, but it doesn't mean a new piggy will so just something to bear in mind

When finding a friend, character compatibility comes first so if you buy another piggy just from a pet shop for example, you need to prepare that they may not be compatible and won't bond and therefore would need to live in separate but side by side cages (each cage a minimum of 8 square feet). The way to find a friend is with the help of a rescue centre. They can have ensure the two piggies are compatible and if they aren't compatible then you would able to return the piggy to the centre and try another one (thus saving you have to have two separate but side by side cages and two piggies who dont like each other)

Below are our bedding guides.

Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview
A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding

These are our bonding guides. It explains how to carry out a neutral territory introduction - you cant just put another piggy into your current piggy's cage as it will be seen as a territory invasion and cause fights. Introductions must be done in a specific way.

Behaviour, Bonding and Bereavement
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
 
I would put hay in the other box as well. But ideally you should have a large(r) pile somewhere. Either a large tray or on the floor. But as said above, you must put some kind of absorbent bedding down. It’s sometimes trial and error to find what works for you.
 
LuLu431 said:
I had to put screen around the cage cause she squeezed out once ☹️

What kind of flooring would you recommend? The entire box in her litter box is stuffed with timothy hay and is always full.

I should be able to get a partner within the next 2 weeks.



She can jump to get in the litter box and the other box is filled with Kaytee soft granules- https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...VW9KzCh3jAg_vEAQYBCABEgL3n_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds She climbs on the bendable bridges to get in the box
here is a picture of her 😁

Okay, thanks!

she is fully litter trained and hasn’t had an accident for several months so do I still need bedding? If so what would you recommend?

Thanks!
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Aw she’s a poppet ❤️
 
I just made a larger cage out of kiln dried white pine. It’s 13.5 sq. ft. and I was also able to adopt another piggy. They have aspen bedding on one side and fleece on the other side.




the brown and cinnamon one used to be LuLu but we changed it to coco (short for coconut) because that is what I would call her sometimes on accident so it kinda just happened. The white, tan, and black one is Pineapple because I have a hamster named Mango so they are all tropical themed.

any advice on the new cage would be appreciated.
 
Your piggies are gorgeous. I really like the way they have fleece and bedding to choose from. My piggies like a fully enclosed hidey each and some fabric pinned over the cage or cage corners for security.
 
I would add another hide on the side with the disposable bedding and take out the tunnel. And maybe add piles of hay as well.
 
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