is there an indoor cage suitable for 4 pigs?

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dollheart

dollheart

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I'm no expert, but surely if they have a place they can all go to get away from each other and there is plenty of room to run, and provided they have some "out of cage" time I'm sure it would be fine!

p.s. ive never seen one like the corner one before - looks great!
 
I think the double storey cage you were looking at would be more than big enough for 4 girlies :) You will have to do something with the ramp as it's very steep - however you could attach a tunnel to it or make some sides to eliminate any piggie accidents

Ive got a 154cm single storey cage - and it's big enough for 3 - the single storey 140 cage you provided the link for i don't think would be suitable for 4 - better to give them too much space than not enough!

Good luck - i love going piggie shopping - it's amazing just how much money you can spend in such a little amount of time :))
 
Apparently guinea pigs have been known to fall off the ramp and kill themselves. Also, some guinea pigs struggle to use the ramps. My 2 are fine with ramps though. :)
 
I'm not sure about cm and stuff, but with the corner one, you may be losing valuable floor space. The ramp looks a bit steep and you would certainly need to build sides on to it. Space on the top deck is reduced because of the hole too. The second one looks better, and to give you even more space, you could build a mezanine into it.
Have you considered c & c cages? They are not for everyone, especially if you have other pets, but if you have a look in the sticky housing section there are some good examples. x
 
I keep my small pets in my bedroom so c&c cages are out as my rats freerange in there also (and the cats occassionally open the door to go stare) and I couldnt build one with a top to save my life lol

I think would prefer a longer cage like the ferplast 140 as opposed to a 2 tier as theres more uninterrupted floorspace for the pigs to run about in, just want to be sure I wouldnt be subjecting 4 pigs to a too small home,

so is 140x71x51cm ok for 4 pigs?
Whenever I'm in my room I have their cage door open so they are freeranging quite a lot of the time
 
4 guinea pigs need 13square feet minimum 140 x 71 = 10.73 so not big enough.

you could try and find a double tier cage (not a corner one)
 
The cages ive got are 154x75cm and going by minimum cage requirements mine are suitable for 3 pigs (i've just reserved a rescue piggie to put in with my two girls)

When it comes to free-ranging pigs i suppose cage sizes all depends just exactly how much time they'll spend each day out of their cage? I'm sure someone with more experience will verify this info.

The two girls you wanted to add are from a rescue yes? Have you contacted them and asked what their minimum requirements are on cage sizes? I presume you'll have to have a home check, so perhaps they are the best ones to ask as they'll have their own requirements on cage sizes.

good luck :)
 
The 2 girls are actually in the p@h adoption centre bit so...no help there lol.
My piggles have the option of being in their cage or freeranging as they choose for around 6 hours generally a day as when i'm in my room just open their cage...not sure if that makes any difference to cage size.
 
are the rats shut away when the piggies have free range time?
 
I've got what was at the time the largest commercial cage, the Trixie Rabbit 150 from Dabners Which I believe is 150 x 74. I don't use the upper story.

I've got 2 piggies in it and I think it has room for three, but four would be pushing it.

That said it would depend on the piggies. Priscilla mostly eats and sleeps and doesn't require a lot of space, but a younger more energetic pig needs more. Also mine don't much like coming out, but if they had lots of floor time it would make a difference. And considering what most guinea pigs spend their lives in then it would be virtually palatial.

I have a similar problem - my rather territorial chinchillas come out in my rodent room and both rats and chinchilla can be very aggressive with other small animals. One of mine escaped and got into my C&C cage a few years back - I was very lucky that I got to her quickly. Thankfully her mate who she had also let out (she learnt to undo the cage door) came and jumped on my husband and alerted us.

The only other thing I would say about adding rescues is to remember that guinea pigs don't always get on. The only reason I haven't offered to rescue another sow is my experience last time I introduced one to an existing pair and the girls took a disliking to each other. They lived together in the end but it was never peaceful.


Paula
 
dollheart said:
The 2 girls are actually in the p@h adoption centre bit so...no help there lol.
My piggles have the option of being in their cage or freeranging as they choose for around 6 hours generally a day as when i'm in my room just open their cage...not sure if that makes any difference to cage size.
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That sounds ok to me with all the free time. If you are going to mix them with your existing pigs, have you thought about quarantining them for a couple of weeks first, just in a temp cage. x
 
I havent given quarantining them serious consideration, In the past I rehabilitated rats as a fosterer and never quarantined them in another room. Would you advise it with guinea pigs?
My girls are 6 and a half and have slowed down considerably, sleeping and munching are their goals now lol one of the reasons am considering more pigs is I dont want for one of my old girls to be alone in the future.
 
Just to echo what paulag said:

The only other thing I would say about adding rescues is to remember that guinea pigs don't always get on
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By getting pigs from a reputable rescue you will eliminate any bonding problems - Pets At Home don't care about bonding, they just sell you the pigs and it's your responsibility - they don't care if they all get on (in fact if they didn't get on you'd go back to purchase another cage - so for them it's a win/win situation) a proper rescue will help with thje bonding process and will be on hand if you have any problems down the line.

Also what nutmeg said (and i really think it's important to take note):

have you thought about quarantining them for a couple of weeks first
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There was a thread on here just a few days ago about a member adopting ill piggies from the adoption centre of Pets At Home. So just to be on the safe side you will need to have a period (1-2wks) where any [piggies are kept away from your other two just to ensure they are free from any nasty illnesses - the last thing you'd want is for your current piggies to be passed an illness.

This is also why going to rescue will also eliminate that problem as they will have made sure they are free from any illnesses before re-homing them.

You could always ring a rescue like the RSPCA and tell them you are looking to adopt another 2 girls and ask what minimum cage size they'd recommend (taking in to consideration the free range time your current piggies get)
 
I don't know what P@H policy is on quarantining their adoption guinea pigs before rehoming, or if they even have one. If you do go with these I really would recommend a quarantine period when you get them home. Alternatively, if you have a rescue close by, they quarantine all their pigs to ensure they are free from illness. Or, if they do have any health issues, you would be made aware of them, then it would be your choice. xx
 
Something to think about is that pets adopted through the P@H scheme don't have illness covered so if they got (or were already) ill when you got them P@H wouldn't contribute to vets fees.

I would definitely quarantine before introducing to your existing pair x
 
Hi,

I have the double storie corner one and it is huge! but the ramp was so steep I ended up blocking it off so I now house my two boars on the bottom and my sow and her two babies at the top enough room as they are small but not bi enough for 4.

You could house 3 in the 152cm cag on zoo plus but consider a bigger c & c for four:))
 
I have the corner cage too and house two boars in it. My boys aren't particularly big and weigh only around 1.1kg each; I've found that the cage houses them comfortably but I don't think another pig would really fit. It all depends on how active your pigs are, how big they are etc. :)
 
I am not sure about P@H in general but I know our local one do quarantine all baby guinea pigs before they go on general sale as I asked about babies before and the said they only had ones that were in quarantine and were not available for sale yet and that also went for the adoption part aswell.
 
I have just had this at christmas for my 2 girls as I wanted them to have more space 24hrs...its been great - I can zip the roof on when I'm not in and my 2 cats are not really interested in the girls but I would never leave them in an open C&C cage just in case so this I thought would be a good option...I intended to attach it to their 120cm commercial cage but it didnt work very well. Downside is it is waterproof ish but if any wee gets through fleece, towel and newspaper then the material feels a little damp but its only happened twice -I change the covers daily and theyve had a good chew of it too - its quite sturdy. Looks like itd be dark but if you stick you head in - as if you were in there, it is nice and light :)..just another option maybe?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pet-Dog-Cat-P...4?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&hash=item2a0d5d4368
 
Personally if getting from P@H I would quarantine. As nice as some of the staff can be, they don't specialise in guineas and the decent staff will happily admit they can be wrong at times, my local one advises people new pets may not get on with existing pets...but from what I have heard it is one of few who go the extra mile.

Even a tiny touch of ringworm can spread like wildfire and upset your two existing girls.

Also if getting from P@H PLEASE double check their 'females' as again, even the better stores get it wrong...I will never forget someone in my local one saying to a customer 'hang on a sec, she will know' and asking ME to verify she was right about a boy being a boy as they know I am 'the guinea pig lady' :))
 
I bought the ferplast 140 just for my 2 girls.
If I do rehome more piggies either a lone girl will go in with them if they get along or I will house another pair seperately.
Thank you all for answering, good to know there isnt really a commercial cage suitable for more then 3 pigs before buying one and realising too late.

As an aside I rescue animals from any circumstance I don't mind if they have behavioural problems or likely health problems as a result of bad breeding from the likes of p@h etc, piggies need a good home whether they are in a reputable rescue or stuck in the p@h rehoming section to my mind.
Regarding illness I always find out when they were last checked by a vet and only bring them home if they are in good health or cant infect any of my pets lol
 
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