Lots of housing questions

[blue292]

I am trying to decide where to keep my pigs - they are all outside in a hutch at the moment but not getting as much attention as I would like. Today I'm experimenting by bringing the girls in to the house, using their run (which I fashioned out of fired guards so is a bit similar to a c&c from what I've seen).

Anyway, my questions are -

What do you use for flooring indoors on a floor cage - I have just put down some towels and a fleece blanket over them?

How do you make a proper c&c cage - where to buy the grids, what do you use for floor and to keep it steady, does it need a roof? And how much does it cost - we are on a very tight budget!

If you have indoor pigs, do you still let them outside for a run or not bother?


And I'm thinking of getting one of my boys neutered and putting him in with the ladies. How much does this cost and is it likely to be successful - they have never been housed together but have been living close to each other so probably know each others smells. They are all around 1 year old.


Thanks! x

 

[twiams]

For one piggie cage I use towels with a fleece blanket on top and for the other a bedding called "back to nature" which is a recycled paper bedding.

C&C cage grids can be bought on eBay for about £38 I think but it depends on how many grids you need etc. they don't have to have a roof that's all optional people with cats often out one on for safety it's steady enough with connectors and cableties
here is my C&C

It probably cost me just under £100 to make with two boxes of grids and correx plus the little boxes
It really depends on how big your cage is to how much it will cost, you can price these things up though by doing a few designs (:

My pigs are all indoor and still get runtime in the summer when it's nice and warm outside (:

With the neutering thing it depends on how your piggie's are set up ? How many boys do you have in each cage ?
Personally if it isn't necessary it's not an operation i'd go through as it can be quite high risk in an animal as small as a guinea pig (:

 

[catherine]

I use C&C too, I wouldn't have anything else now tbh!

I got the cubes from eBay, can't really remember how much I paid but I think the most you will pay is £2 per cube. I've used 16 cubes for my current pen (5x3) but obviously if you want a second level you will need more (don't forget the floor when doing calculations for second level!). The wonderful thing about the cubes is you can re-use them. Mine are recycled from my last cage, and they tend to hold their value as they are hard to get hold of!

The correx I did pay a bit more for, as I wanted very thick stuff. On my old cage it was 2mm and it was a nightmare, so bendy and rubbish! I have gone for 5mm and protected all the edges with plastic edge protectors so no chewing.

I find the most expensive part are all the cage liners, cosies, tunnels and beds that I keep having to buy them :redrolleyes

As for the neutering, I have a neutered boar with 2 (hopefully 3 - bonding in situ!) girls and it works really nicely for me. He was neutered by the rescue before I got him, but as long as you have a competent exotics vet I'm sure the procedure is less risky. If you are worried, why not contact a rescue and see how many boars haven't made it through a neuter - I expect it's not many!

 

[blue292]

What is corex? And do you just put the cubes straight on to the floor over a fleece? I have wooden floors and dont want them to scratch them up.

I'm loving having them indoors though so think we might try it - What do you put in the ebay search, i cant seem to find any c and c.

I have 2 boys and 2 girls but have been weighing up if i need to rehome one or a pair. If they come in i only have room for one cage so i could either keep one pair or three if i got a boy neutered. Would also solve the problem of my other boy being a bit of a bully. Would hate to put him through it it i didnt have to though...

 

[blue292]

By the way I absolutely love both of your set ups! xx