Indoor Cage Extension

[Dom R]

Hi All,

I have recently been thinking of 'Upgrading' Ash and Peanut's Cage as they have grown up to a much larger size than first expected. Peanut weighing 1.3kg and Ash weighing 1.1kg and Increasing. I have started to see them become much less active in their enclosure. I must admit this is due to the large food bowl, a wooden boredom breaker and their hideout, which takes up a large amount of room. But they love every part of it.

But one thing I am wondering, is there a bad 'Upgrade'?

So their cage is approximately 60-70cm in height. This includes the base and the sides of the cage. So I'm thinking of making a second layer, about half way up so around 25-35cm off of the bottom of the cage. Would this leave them with too little room to run around? I would love to buy them some C&C Cages to increase the size of their enclosure. But the issue with this is that the size I would love it to be, would cost well over £100 (2x6 Cage with a loft).

So I thought, why not just add a second level in their current cage. There's enough room in there (in my opinion) for them to run around, popcorn and jump around safely. But make it out of plywood, and to add Floor lino to protect the wood, and some old, soft towels with other absorbent material to make sure the towels dry off.

And I just wanted some opinions from much more experienced people.

 

[Louise's Zoo]

I'm still new to keeping guinea pigs but I recently added a loft area to my girls cage. Details are here:

Added A Loft Area

 

[Dom R]

I'm still new to keeping guinea pigs but I recently added a loft area to my girls cage. Details are here:

Added A Loft Area

Quite similar to how I want it, and similar materials too.

But I'd rather have something that essentially doubles their space, as in, going from one side of the cage to another. As to me, their cage is now too small for them and the second layer should make me feel better, as it's starting to stress me out and feel like I'm not caring for them properly. But it's really difficult to find reasonably sized cages in shops (I prefer to see them in person before I make a purchase)

Edit: They get quite a while to stretch their legs outside of their cages, but it cannot be done daily if anything crops up. And it'll give them more room to run and jump around. While still giving them access to get away from each other, the hay and water bottle.

 

[Louise's Zoo]

The only issue if you create a whole floor is getting to the area underneath for cleaning or catching the pigs.

I don't think you can get many big cages in stores. I got mine online. There is a next size up available but quite a price jump.

 

[Dom R]

The only issue if you create a whole floor is getting to the area underneath for cleaning or catching the pigs.

I don't think you can get many big cages in stores. I got mine online. There is a next size up available but quite a price jump.

I've thought of that. The upper level will be attached to the metal bars, so it will be removed when cleaning is needed. And it will be held up by three long pieces of wood which will have indents to go over the bars, and can be removed easily.

 

[Dom R]

If you have any tips or things I need to include then feel free to suggest them. Same goes to anybody who views this post! More tips and tricks the better.

 

[Dom R]

Took some images with my prototype in the cage while I was cleaning Ash and Peanut's Cage. It looks like it has much more space than I first thought! I might make the ramp wider (Which is the gap to the bottom) but it looks pretty good! I also recycled some old cardboard and it worked pretty well! I think I am definitely going to do this!

 

[Swissgreys]

The prototype looks good - very creative.
If it works, and both boys will happily use the ramp (some do, some don't) then I would try and keep one level as clear as possible to give them maximum running room.
I try to use things like platforms and hanging fleece forests in the girls cage, as it is smaller than I would like, and I want them to have as much floor space as possible.

 

[Dom R]

The prototype looks good - very creative.
If it works, and both boys will happily use the ramp (some do, some don't) then I would try and keep one level as clear as possible to give them maximum running room.
I try to use things like platforms and hanging fleece forests in the girls cage, as it is smaller than I would like, and I want them to have as much floor space as possible.

Glad you like it, took me a short time to plan it out.

My piggies love using ramps, they have an outdoor closure and use that ramp happily, and it is quite steep. So they should be fine. I will make sure there's there's enough grip for them to get up easily, but I will modify it to make it easier for them.