Ikea Drawers Into Hutch

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PaulB

PaulB

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Hi All,

Just bought my first piggy yesterday for my 4 year old daughter along with a standard guinea pig cage which I want to upgrade as it's a bit small and I want to get a second piggy :)

I've been looking at custom hutches online and am going to try my hand at making a similar hutch as this one below which looks great. I am planning on getting a chest of drawers in Ikea and making a few modifications.

Anyone have any experience with this type of custom build? Any help or advice appreciated.

Thanks
Paul

Hutch.webp
 
Hi Paul,

Yeah pet shops do often sell cages far too small :(

My only advice would be to make sure the length is 120cm long as a minimum - I have my doubts looking at that photo, bear in mind also not all piggies like ramps especially if steep. The one in the photo does look at little steep.... make sure there is plenty of ventilation too and be careful of lights being too hot

Hope that helps
Lee
 
Thanks for the advice Lee, unfortunately I am tight for space so the max width of the enclosure is 80cm. The cage I have at the moment is 80cm x 50cm so I thought if I doubled or trebled this footprint by going up a few levels it would be OK? I plan on letting the piggys out to run around the sitting room too if that helps?

I'm not sure about installing the lighting, I could get LED lighting which gives off no heat but are piggys sensitive to lighting?
 
It looks lovely but far too small. Have you looked into c and c cages
 
Garden said:
It looks lovely but far too small. Have you looked into c and c cages
Click to expand...

I have and they look great, I'd love to have a 6ft x 6ft pen for them but unfortunately I live in an apartment so I am tight for space
 
Very creative and I'm sure you have the best of intentions, however it does look like an extremely restricted living quarter arrangement for your Gorgeous Piggie, from the photo couldn't you fit in at least a nice 3 x 3 C&C?
 
The chest of drawers I'm looking at is 80cm wide and 50cm deep so if I converted 3 levels with ramps to each level would that not give me the required footprint?

It would be basically 3 times bigger than the cage the petshop sold me
 
PaulB said:
Hi All,

Just bought my first piggy yesterday for my 4 year old daughter along with a standard guinea pig cage which I want to upgrade as it's a bit small and I want to get a second piggy :)

I've been looking at custom hutches online and am going to try my hand at making a similar hutch as this one below which looks great. I am planning on getting a chest of drawers in Ikea and making a few modifications.

Anyone have any experience with this type of custom build? Any help or advice appreciated.

Thanks
Paul

View attachment 53325
Click to expand...
Cool I can't remember. I think it was 4x2ft for 2 piggles, but not totally sure I'll ask someone. @BossHogg
 
PaulB said:
The chest of drawers I'm looking at is 80cm wide and 50cm deep so if I converted 3 levels with ramps to each level would that not give me the required footprint?

It would be basically 3 times bigger than the cage the petshop sold me
Click to expand...

Yes but piggies like to be able to do laps of the cage, they do grow quite large
 
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No even the Rspca say minimum 120 x 60. Pet shop should never have sold that cage for a guinea pig. I would go back and complain. If you really cannot get to the minimum size you need to 're home the pig. It's just not fair on it
 
PaulB said:
The chest of drawers I'm looking at is 80cm wide and 50cm deep so if I converted 3 levels with ramps to each level would that not give me the required footprint?

It would be basically 3 times bigger than the cage the petshop sold me
Click to expand...
The guidance does not take into account of additional levels when it comes to cage size. Not all pigs are willing to use ramps and even if the do, the structure itself impacts on the floor space so it isn't as simple as a three story hutch being three times the size.

Cage Size Guide

The advantage of a C&C style cage is you can creative with the shapes, perhaps build round a corner to make the space you need.

I sympathise with the lack of room, I have a good sized house but the cage footprint has been tricky to accommodate. I've ended up building a table on wheels to slide over the top of a sofa. It's not ideal but is a workable solution for us.
 
Tigermoth said:
The guidance does not take into account of additional levels when it comes to cage size. Not all pigs are willing to use ramps and even if the do, the structure itself impacts on the floor space so it isn't as simple as a three story hutch being three times the size.

Cage Size Guide

The advantage of a C&C style cage is you can creative with the shapes, perhaps build round a corner to make the space you need.

I sympathise with the lack of room, I have a good sized house but the cage footprint has been tricky to accommodate. I've ended up building a table on wheels to slide over the top of a sofa. It's not ideal but is a workable solution for us.[/QUOTE ]
I Remember that Tigermoth, brilliant piece of creativity.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for all the advice, unfortunately I can't go around corners I'm kind of stuck with the space I have. I'll have to have a think but getting rid of the guinea pig is not an option because my daughter would be heart broken.

I plan on letting it run around the sitting room while I'm at home so that surely counts for something?
 
PaulB said:
Thanks for all the advice, unfortunately I can't go around corners I'm kind of stuck with the space I have. I'll have to have a think but getting rid of the guinea pig is not an option because my daughter would be heart broken.

I plan on letting it run around the sitting room while I'm at home so that surely counts for something?
Click to expand...

It is definitely good for them to get out, but with the best will in the world, life gets in the way! Mine can go a couple of days a week without getting out of the run because of work and shops and clubs etc. So to get the very biggest run you can manage is crucial. Any chance of a photo of the room? There are people here that have had really clever solutions to cage problems, sometimes you can see what you can't do but can't see what you can, especially when you don't know all of the available options out there.
 
:love:Have you looked into c&c cages? They are not that big tbh:D but perfect for the piggies I'm getting a 2x6 and it measures perfectly in My bedroom floor! Maybe you could've just brought a 2x4 (recommended space for 2 pigs) and get a 2x2 loft you could just find a space in your home and measure how much space it would take! :clap:
 
I wish I had the space I really do but the space I'm thinking of is just too small.

Anyone ever mount a hutch / cage on a wall? Trying to think outside the box here..
 
This graphic has been very helpful. We use a Midwest cage, which you can buy on Amazon and it's a good size for one or two pigs (we will eventually make an addition to it). The Ikea dresser is such a cute idea, but it is not very practical when it comes to cleaning, space, and air ventilation. C&C cages can be super imaginative and your little girl will definitely love to see all the different ways you can build the cage (kinda like legos!) as well as the little toys you can buy.

As a new piggy owner, this is a wonderful place to be. I commend you for doing research and asking other people! I also would like to point you to this thread, which is very helpful for parents who are also piggy parents. :P Children And Guinea Pigs - A Guide For Parents

14495399_694237710731455_3556339966362484470_n.webp
 
Here is little piggy having a snack on my lap :)
14761223030591208067539.webp DSC_3337.webp 14761223030591208067539.webp DSC_3337.webp
14761223030591208067539.webp
 
Thanks that is very helpful information. They have a wide diet which I will have fun watching her eating

The little piggy was making a loads of little noises while on my lap which I understand is a good indicator they are happy? Cute as anything, I never knew they were so affectionate..
 
Putting a cage on the wall might be a challenge as it is wide too, so would need huge brackets to get it stable. Just looking at your picture, could you get the tv and boxes on the wall and then put a cage below? Added bonus is you get to watch telly and piggies at the same time...
 
That's not a bad idea actually I'll run it by the other half and see what she thinks. My daughter calls her sweetheart :)
 
We put our TV up on the wall, not only did it free up the space below, it stopped sticky fingers from our grandkids, my pigs have their own shed, however, they are indoors in the hospital cage at the moment as my boy took a tumble and winded himself so they are all in the hospital cage for 24 hours to keep him company. ;)
 
Like the idea of tv and pig below. Thing is Paul they start off tiny like little Sweetheart who is adorable btw! and then turn into a 1.4kg beast like our Vimto she still very cute though:)) You never know how they are going to grow!
 
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