Girls Need A New Home...help

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Shelby

Shelby

Junior Guinea Pig
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So we rehomed 3 baby girls on Friday and they came with lots of gear their previous owners had bought for them. She'd clearly done her research and they are well provided for how ever I was shocked to discover they were being kept in what I would consider a single hutch. They do have a large run that they get plenty of time in but I really need to get them something else so they have plenty of space. My issue is that I'm a single mum without much spare cash so as much as I would love to get them the very best I just can't afford that right now. I want to bring them indoors and I love the look of the c&c cages but with a dog and a four year old they just aren't for us. So I'm thinking what's the cheapest but not naff indoor housing option for 3 piggies. Space is limited so I'm thinking a two story might be an option. I'm quite crafty so happy to carry out any alterations to cages.
 
You could get them a second hand hutch on sites like ebay & preloved from about £20 or new ones on ebay or amazon from £50 to £90.
 
Someone said yesterday Amazon are selling Ferplast cages cheap. For 3 you really need a 140cm cage if possible :)
 
Yes I was thinking along those lines but I'm wanting more specific advice on type and size. As in a size that I hopefully won't have to replace again when they are bigger.
 
I'd say for three pigs you'd need to go for a 160/150. Cages don't actually have the floor space the advertised dimensions suggest - you want something that gives at least 1.2 square metres.
 
Shelby said:
Thank you Helen that first one seems a good price.
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I have two pigs in that 140 cage and the don't have that much space, so can't imagine comfortably fitting three. The actual length of the base is only about 132cm, I think, due to tapering and it's not particuarly wide/deep either. I'd just imagine three would be getting in eachother's way all the time.
 
Hi I've been looking at the c&c cages recently and just wondered if you think they are not for you because they don't have a lid? If so, I've seen a few with lids. It looks like you just use cable ties to make the hinge and I'm sure you could tie it shut with rope/string/ribbon or I've also heard of bulldog clips being used to keep it shut.
 
PiggySmitten I really like the c&c cages and I know you can make lids for them but it's more the height of them that causes me concern. I know you can raise them but I don't feel like they'd be high enough and stable enough to deal with a big dog bumping it occasionally and a curious 4 year old. Maybe when my little girl is bigger I might consider it.

Cookie16 that cage is a bargain but still on the small side for 3 piggies.

One of my colleagues at work is very kindly giving me her old indoor cage. She says it's around 45inches long. I know that's still not big enough but it will allow me to bring them indoors and save for a cage that will fit them once they are fully grown. I'm really hating them being out doors and not being able to keep an eye on them, just hope they adapt to coming in and the indoor noises. I had originally thought they would go in my daughters room upstairs but am now thinking the living room would be better.
 
I count myself as an inexperienced owner compared to many on this forum but my impression is that becoming indoors piggies is easier than vice versa.

I've read of owners having hutches indoors too - so that might expand your options. Not sure what others think about hutches indoors?

You wouldn't have anything to lose by putting a wanted ad on preloved and free ads sites (costs nothing to do that) you can say what you would be willing to pay up to (optional). Freecycle might be another option?
 
I can definitely see them being indoors being easier. Especially with this awful weather we are having at the moment. It's constantly raining here at the mo so I have a cover over them it makes it hard to see them and if they need anything.

My work friend has also offered me another hutch, it a fraction bigger than mine but what I'm wondering is if I could join them together.
 
It is so mcuh easier having them indoors (not that I have a garden), you will be able to interract with them better and spot any illnesses too.
 
Do u have a garage? If so why don't u buy a C&C cage in there? I would say probably around 6 by 3. If u wanted to could give them a 1 by 2 loft for somewhere else to go but that's your decision. I love C&C cages too! And I also have a dog. She's barely knee height so would never reach the cage but she's a barker so she would scare my little babies!
 
No garage and my dogs an Airedale terrier so not small. He won't bark at them but is pretty curious in a rather boisterous way! I've spent today making a lovely big space for them in my living room, it would be perfect for a c&c but while I have a dog too it's going to have to be a more sturdy cage.
 
Why don't u get a C&C cage but make sure it is high enough from the ground that u can still see them but your dog cant! Make sure it has a roof aswell x
 
So today the girls came indoors thanks to a lovely work friend who gave us a cage she had just laying about. They are ridiculously happy and are popcorning and wheeking like mad. They also seem to be a lot more confident in there and aren't hiding away. In fact all three of them have been charging around like nut cases, it's so cute.
image.webp
 
I have a c&c cage and I was worried about stability but with connecter thingies on top and bottom a stand made of c&c and all the sections tightly double cable tied it is really stable.

I've seen some that don't supply the connecter thingies for the top but we got plain shelving sets off eBay. We got 2 sets of 30 grids and 30 connectors which made our 5 by 2 ache with double loft and stand. It's actually sturdy so long as you bash it together tightly when you make it (we used a rubber mallet). Then cable tie it each end of the grid.
 
Katiedid said:
I have a c&c cage and I was worried about stability but with connecter thingies on top and bottom a stand made of c&c and all the sections tightly double cable tied it is really stable.

I've seen some that don't supply the connecter thingies for the top but we got plain shelving sets off eBay. We got 2 sets of 30 grids and 30 connectors which made our 5 by 2 ache with double loft and stand. It's actually sturdy so long as you bash it together tightly when you make it (we used a rubber mallet). Then cable tie it each end of the grid.
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Would you mind/be able to share a picture of what it looks like at all please? What do you do with the space under the stand? Is it "dead" space?
 
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We just finished our piggies c&c yesterday. We were going to use underneath for storage but changed our minds and now the piggies litter/hay tray and food trays are under;it gives them a nice secure hidey hole and they love it. It also keeps the living room mess free, with more floor space. It is a very sturdy cage as we have tie wrapped as well as using connectors.x
 
That's awesome and I love the little door to the tunnel/ramp. Very lucky piggies. I'm definitely swaying towards c&c next but would build it a similar height to the stand they have now as it seems to work well for us and I need that storage space underneath. Also if its raised I won't need a lid. If I don't go the c&c route I think something very similar custom made will be the answer if I can sweet talk a friend into helping.
 
You can see from the photo how you put the connecters together to join the levels securely - it took me a while to work out how to do it! The ones on the base go cross downwards (curved edge upwards) so that the stand can slot in.
 
I'll be showering eBay in a couple of months for the biggest coffee tables (or two) I can find and then building them a c&c I've convinced my self this is definitely the best option and actually the dog and toddler have been really good with them so I'm not as worried now.

Oh and the same lovely lady who gave us the indoor cage has a friend giving away a two tier hutch, she's arranged for her son to collect it and drop it off for me tonight. It'll need some work done on it (lining, maybe a new roof, ramp altering and maybe a lick of paint) but it's free so I don't care. :)image.webp
 
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