Indoor Enclosures!

Doragon

Doragon

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hi, guys! Long time no see!

I have flown the nest from home, per se, and I'm currently living in a one bedroom studio flat! While I have my hamsters, I'm going to gently try and ask the landlord if I'd be allowed to bring the guinea pigs along as I miss them so much! My parents are being angels and looking after them for me for the moment. I'm on the ground floor, with one set of neighbours next door and then two upstairs.

I don't have too much space at the moment, but i was wondering if you guys had any ideas for decent indoor enclosures for the guinea pigs? I have no idea where to start! I've seen people make some with some cube type things - how many across and up would I need?

Sorry to ask so many questions again! I'm really hoping I can have my piggies back with me soon! While I adore my hamsters, they just...I've been really unlucky and they're not living very long, so I'd adore having my piggies!
 
The cube things are called c&c cages. They are fantastic!
The length depends on how many piggies and their sex.
For Two females 4 grids long by 2 grids wide (you only need one grid high, unless you have some adventurous piggies and then you may want two!) , referred to as a 4x2. That measures approx five foot by two foot (150cm by 60cm). Any more than two female piggies and you would need to add an extra grid in length per pig.
For two males, 5 grids by 2 grids are advisable and that measures approx six feet by two feet (180cm by 60cm). You may get away with a 4x2 for two males but it would be very piggy character dependent.
The absolutely smallest you should consider would be a commercial cage which measures 120cm, but remember bigger is always better. If they are Male piggies, then this kind of cage at this measurements would be too small. They do make larger commercial cages though.
Check out the ‘cage size guide’ on this site for more info.
 
Aaaahhh, C&C Grids! The name was on the tip of my tongue! I'll ask my landlord veeerrryyy nicely over Christmas if it would be possible! he said no to my rabbit (sorry, Chappy...) but maybe the piggies will be alright if they're caged! It's not as big as I imagined and it would be for two females!

I'll see if I can manage it! I miss my snuggle buddies!
 
DoragonHinansho said:
Aaaahhh, C&C Grids! The name was on the tip of my tongue! I'll ask my landlord veeerrryyy nicely over Christmas if it would be possible! he said no to my rabbit (sorry, Chappy...) but maybe the piggies will be alright if they're caged! It's not as big as I imagined and it would be for two females!

I'll see if I can manage it! I miss my snuggle buddies!
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Some landlords are ok with pets, aslong as you professionaly de- fumigate the place when you end your tennancy and show a receipt. But there is the chewing skirting boards problem
 
Hello and welcome back. I hope that you can have your piggies back. When we rented, the tenancy agreement said no pets but we asked and he allowed us small cages animals (the pigs lived in the shed as we didn’t have room indoors) and a cat so long as we paid a deposit for the animals. May be offer to do that?
 
Claire W said:
Hello and welcome back. I hope that you can have your piggies back. When we rented, the tenancy agreement said no pets but we asked and he allowed us small cages animals (the pigs lived in the shed as we didn’t have room indoors) and a cat so long as we paid a deposit for the animals. May be offer to do that?
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I'll offer that! I already said I'd do the same thing in case the hamsters caused any damage....apparently it's no pets but there were 5 cats in here last year (incredible, for how small this place is!) and nothing was done! They're pretty chill. I owe my parents for taking care of Holly and Bramble as I get set up!
It's so nice to be back! I've missed you all - feel well old, been on this forum since I was 16 or so, turning 22 soon! Haha!
 
Hi @DoragonHinansho so good to see you back. Perhaps consider a larger c&c that gives your girls more room as you can tell the landlord that they will remain in the cage while knowing they have more than enough space. If it's going against the wall I would also recommend having a higher coroplast wall on that side as the girlies can be mischievous with spray urine at each other :))

My old landlord was fine with caged animals but if they aren't fine with your rabbit then it's about thinking it through to try and get in a position where you have as many basis covered as possible.

The things your landlord will worry about:
1. Smell
2. Damage from chewing
3. Dirt from wee and poo

So if you can show that you have minimised this and perhaps if you are willing to place a bigger deposit to cover any costs from damage they may be more willing to consider your request
 
You could consider an L-shaped C&C cage that fits in a corner of the room? We have a 5x5x2 L-shaped cage for 5 piggies, a 3x3x2 corner L-shape would give them more floor space than a rectangle 2x4...
 
If you are able to do this, I built my own cage. I have two male guinea pigs and their cage gives them just over 11 square feet of space and it has a second floor with even more space. It has a plexiglass front so I can see them and they love their cage. After taking this picture I painted the bottom with a water proof paint to protect the wood. You can also cover it with like a pond liner or something. Anything to keep the pee and water from getting to the wood. I think this was a cheaper option than the C&C cages if you have the resources.
 

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That's an incredible idea! I'm sadly not very good at DIY! My flat is rather...small, so I think I'd HAVE to go for the 2x4, simply because of limitations with space. no idea where I'd put the hamsters after that point, I'll need a stacking system! :lol: It's doable, if I moved some things around and being careful about space....

Honestly, the landlords are more than happy with the hamsters as they're caged, but I'm hoping a similar thing will apply with the piggies - I just miss them so much! My current plan is finish my final year (I'm doing Zoology, final year right now!) and then perhaps jump straight into a Master's Degree with Wildlife and Conservation. After that, depending on what my parents allow....I think I'd like to remain here in Manchester, there's more opportunities for me and I've made myself a home up here after these years at University! If I manage to get into my Masters of choice, I can do an internship at Chester Zoo!

Was honestly missing you guys! I kinda feel like I've grown up on this forum a bit and got emotional! It's crazy to think about!

Going back on topic - I'd have to measure. And maybe get rid of my couch. Who needs a couch when you have a nice bed?!
 
Are your piggies girls or boys or mixed? If boys I’d really advise you do 2x5. Boys can be territorial 🙄 I hope you get the go ahead from you landlord.
 
Siikibam said:
Are your piggies girls or boys or mixed? If boys I’d really advise you do 2x5. Boys can be territorial 🙄 I hope you get the go ahead from you landlord.
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The OP has said above that it's for two females so the 2x4 would be fine
 
Excuse the mess, but this is kind of the space I have to work with! I’d have to move the hamster cages, hmmm. Actually not sure if they’d fit in that gap....
I’ll havw to measure everything properly and see if it’s possible! Otherwise, could move some things around and have them in the middle of the kitchen! When there is a will, there is a way!09D8CE9C-80E0-4D90-9219-9680185A48C9.webp
 
If you stack the cages keep an eye on them in case the top of the bottom one starts sagging. They should be okay as long as there's nothing heavy in the top one. The little friends cages say don't put anything on top but I've stacked my piggie one with a C&C spreading the weight with a sheet of ply wood over the top first. The only heavy thing in it is Rusty, a chunky 1200gm boar! We are keeping a very close eye on it, the grids are cable tied to the topIMG_0278.webp so the whole thing can't slip off.
 
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