Newbie cage set up

[Rachel SG]

Hi everyone,
I've had Harry for about 2 months. I've read a lot about using mats etc in his cage , when I adopted him he was a wood chippings guy .
Can you see if this looks ok to your expert eyes and tell me if I need to add / remove anything? I can't afford a Kavee cage so this is it I'm afraid but .... He's free in the room and he has a guinea pig friendly balcony to use too ( that's a lot of square footage in French terms )
He seems happy , he purrs all of the time and enjoys sleeping under his canopy ( the annex as I call it )
I can't get another piggie for him for many reasons .
Thanks so much x

 

[Piggies&buns]

The only thing I would say about the cage itself is that do you ever lock him into it? I ask as it doesn’t look big enough for him to be closed into it at all (although picture can be deceptive - the minimum cage size to be locked in is 120x60cm) what do you do when you go out or at night, is he still left free roaming?
If you want to contain him a bit more for any reason, you don’t need to go to the expense of a full kavee cage, but you can buy the grids themselves from Amazon, for example, rather cheaply. My cages are just made from grids from songmics which I got from Amazon

As the open door of the cage is wire, I woukd either cover it with a fleece so he doesn’t walk in it or remove it and replace it with a proper wooden bridge. Use something so he doesn’t have to walk on those wires as they aren’t safe for their feet. (Although it looks like in one picture that you may have done that)

I would remove the hanging chew stick youve got in his cage. They are not suitable to be given. The ingredients are unsafe if they contain seeds (choke risk, risk of breaking teeth, also some seeds arent safe in the diet) plus they usually contain far too much sugar. A much healthier treat is fresh herbs or a different type of veg for occasional use.

What other enrichment do you use for him? As a single piggy he needs lots of mental stimulation - foraging, wooden hides, cardboard boxes - lots of things to run through and hide in.
One great way of providing foraging is to not use food bowls - instead throw his veg and one tbsp of pellets loose into hay so he has to search for them.

The guides below may also help further

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Thread 'Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs'

Mar 11, 2019

1 Company and interaction
- Company of their own kind is the best enrichment
- Human interaction
2 Excercise
- Daily run time and exercise
- Race and obstacle courses
- Outdoors time and how to bring it indoors
3 Sensory enrichment
- Things for the nose and the palate
- Working to get their daily food
- Romping and burrowing in soft...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Housing, Enrichment, Travel and Climate

• 
• 

Thread 'Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities'

Jun 6, 2019

Introduction
1 When is a 'single' really a single?
- Bought singles
- Fallen-out and aggressive piggies
- Bereaved guinea pigs
- No interest in other guinea pigs
- Disabled and special needs guinea pigs
2 Companionship options (with pros and cons)
- Dating
- De-sexing (neutering or spaying)
- Living alongside
- Buying a baby companion
3 Caring for single guinea...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Behaviour, Bonds and Species Understanding

• 

 

[RosieLily]

I got my cage from candcmodularcages.com, they're really good quality and cheaper than Kavee. They ship from Poland.

Lookie around, perhaps you'll find better deals around France (construction stores?). Maybe you can also join some Facebook groups where they sell used cages for cheap

 

[Rachel SG]

Hi everyone,
I've had Harry for about 2 months. I've read a lot about using mats etc in his cage , when I adopted him he was a wood chippings guy .
Can you see if this looks ok to your expert eyes and tell me if I need to add / remove anything? I can't afford a Kavee cage so this is it I'm afraid but .... He's free in the room and he has a guinea pig friendly balcony to use too ( that's a lot of square footage in French terms )
He seems happy , he purrs all of the time and enjoys sleeping under his canopy ( the annex as I call it )
I can't get another piggie for him for many reasons .
Thanks so much x

I got my cage from candcmodularcages.com, they're really good quality and cheaper than Kavee. They ship from Poland.

Lookie around, perhaps you'll find better deals around France (construction stores?). Maybe you can also join some Facebook groups where they sell used cages for cheap

Thanks for the cage idea x

 

[Rachel SG]

The only thing I would say about the cage itself is that do you ever lock him into it? I ask as it doesn’t look big enough for him to be closed into it at all (although picture can be deceptive - the minimum cage size to be locked in is 120x60cm) what do you do when you go out or at night, is he still left free roaming?
If you want to contain him a bit more for any reason, you don’t need to go to the expense of a full kavee cage, but you can buy the grids themselves from Amazon, for example, rather cheaply. My cages are just made from grids from songmics which I got from Amazon

As the open door of the cage is wire, I woukd either cover it with a fleece so he doesn’t walk in it or remove it and replace it with a proper wooden bridge. Use something so he doesn’t have to walk on those wires as they aren’t safe for their feet. (Although it looks like in one picture that you may have done that)

I would remove the hanging chew stick youve got in his cage. They are not suitable to be given. The ingredients are unsafe if they contain seeds (choke risk, risk of breaking teeth, also some seeds arent safe in the diet) plus they usually contain far too much sugar. A much healthier treat is fresh herbs or a different type of veg for occasional use.

What other enrichment do you use for him? As a single piggy he needs lots of mental stimulation - foraging, wooden hides, cardboard boxes - lots of things to run through and hide in.
One great way of providing foraging is to not use food bowls - instead throw his veg and one tbsp of pellets loose into hay so he has to search for them.

The guides below may also help further

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Thread 'Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs'

Mar 11, 2019

1 Company and interaction
- Company of their own kind is the best enrichment
- Human interaction
2 Excercise
- Daily run time and exercise
- Race and obstacle courses
- Outdoors time and how to bring it indoors
3 Sensory enrichment
- Things for the nose and the palate
- Working to get their daily food
- Romping and burrowing in soft...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Housing, Enrichment, Travel and Climate

• 
• 

Thread 'Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities'

Jun 6, 2019

Introduction
1 When is a 'single' really a single?
- Bought singles
- Fallen-out and aggressive piggies
- Bereaved guinea pigs
- No interest in other guinea pigs
- Disabled and special needs guinea pigs
2 Companionship options (with pros and cons)
- Dating
- De-sexing (neutering or spaying)
- Living alongside
- Buying a baby companion
3 Caring for single guinea...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Behaviour, Bonds and Species Understanding

• 

Thanks so much for all of these tips xx
I measured the cage and it's just within the measurements that you mentioned, he's out all day and only in it to sleep but often during the day he goes back inside for a nap on his hamac.
I'll definitely look at the grids , thanks . I'd like him to have space but he's peeing everywhere at the moment so a controlled area would help .

Treats have gone .

Thanks once again . Harry has really changed my life , I'm off work with cancer and he's the absolute highlight of my every day , I never knew that they could bring so much joy !

 

[Piggies&buns]

A c&c cage would be a great solution for you then - you can have it fit your space, contain him but still give him plenty of room.
Piggies can’t be litter trained so any free roaming is going to cause pee accidents!

As I say things such as a different type of herb or veg can be a great treat. Something like a green bean or parsley - things which shouldn’t be fed daily so they really enjoy them when they get them.

I’m sorry to hear of your diagnosis.
Piggies certainly are huge characters in tiny bodies!

 

[RosieLily]

Thanks so much for all of these tips xx
I measured the cage and it's just within the measurements that you mentioned, he's out all day and only in it to sleep but often during the day he goes back inside for a nap on his hamac.
I'll definitely look at the grids , thanks . I'd like him to have space but he's peeing everywhere at the moment so a controlled area would help .

Treats have gone .

Thanks once again . Harry has really changed my life , I'm off work with cancer and he's the absolute highlight of my every day , I never knew that they could bring so much joy !

Harry's a gorgeous chap and a total boss strolling around exploring

Piggies add so much to our daily lives, wishing you much health and strength

 

[CTWC]

Lovely to see such a caring guinea slave sorry to hear that you are fighting cancer at the moment but pleased that Harry is helping you through it

 

[fluffysal]

I agree about the cage, mine too are from amazon. You can get a very decent amount of grids for much, much less than kavee. Correx can be a big expense but you don't need to use it. I had interlocking recycled foam play mats as the base in the old set up, soft and warm for little feeties, just make sure they're covered.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree about the base also - I don’t have correx, I use oilcloth tablecloths on the floor in the shed (and then bedding on top), and shower curtains if they need to come inside

 

[CTWC]

Waterproof ground sheets?

 

[Ramia]

Je vous fais part de ma compassion. ( You have my compassion for the diagnosis).

 

[Rachel SG]

I agree about the base also - I don’t have correx, I use oilcloth tablecloths on the floor in the shed (and then bedding on top), and shower curtains if they need to come inside

Shower curtains.... You are a genius!

 

[piggieminder]

Be careful which type of shower curtain you get. I used one and it wasn't piggy pee proof, only shower proof!

 

[Rachel SG]

Be careful which type of shower curtain you get. I used one and it wasn't piggy pee proof, only shower proof!

will do

 

[Bill & Ted]

Those cheap plastic shower curtains are best, not the cloth ones. Hope you are better soon Good on you for taking the little dude in, he’s beautiful

 

[Rachel SG]

Those cheap plastic shower curtains are best, not the cloth ones. Hope you are better soon Good on you for taking the little dude in, he’s beautiful

Thank you . He's making me feel better day by day !

 

[fluffysal]

I have chronic health issues that finally forced me to give up work just over a year. My Beastie Boys really help me emotionally, I'm especially lucky as they are both cuddly.