Housing decisions - Help

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Romily

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Hello Again!

I have now brought my piggies in and I am trying to think of suitable housing solutions for them all. In total I have 13 (+ 1 due soon!) piggies. 3 are boars who will live together and then I have 10 (9 ladies and a very happy boy)who I need to accommodate. At the moment I have 2 x 120cm cages and the rest are in a variety of 100cm cages.

My OH have given me free reign to use the dining room as my new piggy space but since there is a dining table and piano in there I still want to be able to use these so I was considering a stacked cage solution. That way I could wheel them about the house as and when I need to use the dining room.

Having had a good look I have seen these:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/100_cm_cages/137454

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/137450

and I wondered how many could be kept in each? They do get plenty of lap and floor time so that should be taken into consideration.

Obviously I can keep the 120cm cages but I don't want them in the 100cm cages for much longer.
 
Depending on the pigs I guess you could get 5 in the 120 one. It's slightly smaller that 4x2 per floor so I wouldn't put 2 piggies per floor in it (I know the 3 floors are all open - it was just for ease of working it out.)

Less in the 100 cage. Probably 4?
 
Have a look at zooplus skline maxi xxl £39 . Very large cage. Lightweight and easy to move . I stack one on top of the other . You can easily lift them off to clean . Just be carefull if you have a toddler who might pull them over.They have a top door and a side door.Worth a look.
 
C & C? would they all get on living together? Perhaps ask Wiebke about her set up as she has quite a few females living together in a c&c cage. They are so much more spacious than the commercial ones, and cheaper and more flexible too :)) Alyson xx
 
you need 4ft by 2ft (1m20 by 60cm) for 2 pigs so no way could you fit 5 in a 120cm cage! and an additional 2 sq feet per additional pig. If you have no cats or dogs then i would recommend a c&c approach for a much cheaper way to build the sort of size cage you would need for 10! For 10 I think you would need a three tier 4 by 2 c&c cage - look in the hutch gallery for ideas - esp wiebke as she has a similar number as you.
 
We have cats and I still want the dining room to be used for guests so I would rather not have a C&C.
 
With the stacked level ones, if they are all on one level it would e a tight squeeze also they may not use the ramps as mine didn't:(

Personally I would put 2 piggies on each of the levels on the 120cm one and blck the ramp off thats 6 per stacked cage then and obviously plenty of floor time that would be fine:))
 
Mine are all happy using ramps as they had access to a two storey hutch within the shed they lived in.
 
Hi Romily

Completely understand your logistical nightmare....a couple of suggestions:

For 3 boars (I have my piared boars in this)
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/140_cm_cages/95921

It's a pain to assemble and the instructions are naff (but I have worked out how to do it so am happy to Pm) and I don;t put the top on as I rest a board with another cage on the top. I also didn;t put on the wire p;atform as I felt it was too loose and could trap a piggies toes....I am going to make my own platform when I get round to itl

Your biggest issue is keeping your 10 together..

The Essegi 120 will really only take 6 piggies. I did go and look at one and didn;t opt for it because I felt the ramps were far too steep for piggies..an also I was intending to shut one level off and a couple of reviews claimed it was not very easy to do.

So as an alternative
Can you put together a couple of metal dog crates with a selection of platforms/ramps to connect the two at ground floow level and build additional floors?
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_cages_carriers/carriers
The largest one on there is about 116cm wide so you mght find a bigger one by googling....e.g.
http://www.ukdogcrate.co.uk/dog_cages_cage.htm


HTH
x
 
I know you don't want c & c but have you thought of making your own cage? Someone on here (may have been Kimberleys Wheekers?) made a custom cage from a wooden bookshelf frame. You could put put a hardboard back on it, mesh the sides, make some simple mesh/ wooden frame doors and add ramps. It would be a bit of work but I'm sure you could make something that gave you much more rooom.

:)

Here it is
http://theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=54257
 
Last edited:
What size of C&C cage would I need for 10 guinea pigs?
 
lovelygirl said:
you need 4ft by 2ft (1m20 by 60cm) for 2 pigs so no way could you fit 5 in a 120cm cage! and an additional 2 sq feet per additional pig. If you have no cats or dogs then i would recommend a c&c approach for a much cheaper way to build the sort of size cage you would need for 10! For 10 I think you would need a three tier 4 by 2 c&c cage - look in the hutch gallery for ideas - esp wiebke as she has a similar number as you.
Click to expand...

Just in case people think I'm crazy...the 5 piggies I mentioned was for the 3 storey cage. Not just in a 4x2 area.
 
I have measured the space available and I have 120cm x 120cm that I can build on without having to move them to use the dining table.
 
I have spent the last hour trying to calculate the requirements for my C&C cage and I have been cursing and muttering the whole way through! How do you all do it!
 
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