Let's Talk About Diy Wooden Cages

We recently designed a wooden cage for the pigs - it's still being made, so I can't show you pictures. However, I did research a lot about safe materials, and I found out that all sorts of particleboard, MDF, plywood, etc. are a source of formaldehyde gas, because the wax that's used to make the separate pieces of wood stick together is toxic. While the levels of formaldehyde gas that's emitted by furniture is safe for humans, it may not be for guinea pigs, because presumably they'd spend 90% of their time inside the cage, and because they're much smaller. There are no studies that evaluate the toxicity of these materials on guinea pigs, but I wouldn't risk it.

We chose solid birch for the sides, because it's strong and resistant, and the smaller details that needn't be as durable will be made of limewood, because it's cheaper. The cage bottom and front side will be made of scratch-resistant acrylic plexiglass. Finally, the wood will be treated with white-tinted countertop food-safe oil. I really hope it will look nice, but what's even more important is making sure all arts are safe to chew on and live in.
 
Danielle Smith said:
That looks very study and attractive @lissie! Are the supports made from pine too? I don't suppose you have any information or pictures about the build-in-progress? Was it hard to put together? Sorry for all the questions!

If you don't mind me asking, how expensive was the cage overall?
Click to expand...

Thanks! I spent about $200 USD for the materials. Built the whole thing myself. It wasn't hard to put together.

The support was not pine, I chose to use cheap stud lumber for the support.
Here's the step-by-step (click on pics to read description):
https://get.google.com/albumarchive.../AF1QipMAveQlwtlBff3Yi7wEctCIqE58YiEEDL2tFwfV
 
So far I haven't managed to get wooden cages; I'm too worried to do it myself in case I split the wood or don't drill straight (highly likely; I don't mind spending £250 on wood, but to then ruin it all...), and I haven't managed to get a quote off a joiner or cabinet maker (like all trades in Cumbria, they are very hard to get a hold of! Too much work available for them I reckon, why would they take on a little job like this...). Sigh. I just want nice cages.

In the meantime, I've moved the pigs from the spare/guest room to our larger room, which contains my crafting supplies (sewing machine, fabric, notions, and crocheting stuff mostly). All of the pigs are together in the same space, and the cages are muchly reduced in size (unfortunately... I don't have enough grids to make the cages larger). Everything seems okay, but two of the girls in the left-most cage (with 4 pigs, 3 sows and a neutered boar) are having strong seasons and being very randy. Things are a bit fraught in that cage.

To make things worse, this is the first time since being taken away from mum almost 3 months ago that Quint and Flash (on table) are in a room with other pigs and not in our bedroom. They miss us and are wheeking all the time like crazy. I don't know how they aren't completely hoarse yet. Even more fun, they are going crazy smelling the girls in heat and are chewing the bars, rumblestrutting, and generally being super-duper hormonal. I hope things settle down!

Pigture of the new setup below. I'm now just waiting on some kind local soul to offer their basic woodworking skills, or I'll finally go to the really expensive and high quality cabinet maker in Cockermouth for what will probably be £800 worth of cage :whistle: (I kid, I love them but there's no way I can spend that much on cages!).

bYEIFfv.jpg
 
A little update... I have the base of my cages made. I couldn't have done all this without the help from my wonderful dad. I have perspex and wood to made hinged fronts, but my dad is making those in his home workshop so I'll get them in a few months; C&C grids will be used for just now. It took 2 days of flat-out work. The wood, perspex, lino, and screws/bolts cost around £450 -- we got all the wood pre-cut to size from an online company. Unfortunately none of it was square, so putting together the cages was a lot harder than it needed to be!

The cages are 8ft long and 28inches wide; the entire structure is 65 inches tall. The design is based on one of @lissie's cages; sides of melamine, bottom is OSB covered with lino. I have a wait a few days for the sealant to cure and finish offgassing, then the pigs will go in their new homes. Does anyone have tips for fixing Ferplast Sippy bottles to the sides (they are too low for the suction cups)? Any "hay rack in a wooden cage" tips are also appreciated.

The cage is in our bedroom at the moment, so we can paint and refloor the pig room. This means that we can hardly get in the door, as you can see below :doh:.

I'm happy with the outcome but I would never ever do DIY like this again; it took up far too much money and time!
WTxBeEml.jpg

qkpo1zal.jpg

 
The cage looks amazing! A few very lucky pigs will claim it as their home :D

I have 6 of these in our wooden cage:
Trixie Hay Rack, Metal: Great Deals at zooplus

The pigs like and use them a lot in addition to their hay box (which also doubles as a litter box, oh well...). They're very inexpensive and easy to attach, prevent hay from getting everywhere but are easy enough to reach and pull the hay from.
 
Not daft at all. It is held in cos the lid is at the bottom. There is no way out ...

34j92ma.jpg


The rack sits on the lid so if you over fill it does make it unstable. I now have less hay and its fine.
 
I love the natural wood look! I built this cage for my 2 piggies when we got them 2 months ago and I'm about to build an extension (they are grow so fast!).

So far I'm really happy with the cage. I bought the materials from B&Q and had them cut to size for free. All I needed was the wood, a waterproof liner, a drill, some screws, mesh and a little latch.

They are now on fleece instead of shavings as one piggy has allergies :)

IMG_2289.webp

IMG_2290.webp

IMG_2291.webp
 
I love all these cages but I think you should move them into the living room. All you need in the there is 1 small sofa & a TV. Then you can take up all the rest with homemade piggy cages. Lol.
 
I'd love to see your extension when it's done @kyliebowers, your cage looks great!

We got the pigs installed into their new abode last night. Surprisingly few dominance issues, unless you count Tablet, who's hormones have worn off (or she's having a really strong season... I can't tell!). Bonus photo of "Team Big" in their cage. I will update when the fancy hinged doors are on, the grids are just temporary.

Ihirf4Ll.jpg

gpn5Q2bl.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top