Our babies winter home

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mary70

mary70

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That isn't really big enough as a permanent home, sorry. Two pigs need at least 10ft square. You could buy them a puppy pen for the day and it would be okay for the night I think. :) xx
 
PoppyandBillie said:
That isn't really big enough as a permanent home, sorry. Two pigs need at least 10ft square. You could buy them a puppy pen for the day and it would be okay for the night I think. :) xx
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I was assured by the lady who i bought it off who also has a degree in small animals and breeds and shows 100s of guinea pigs that it would be big enough until they were fully grown, my babies are only tiny
 
mary70 said:
I was assured by the lady who i bought it off who also has a degree in small animals and breeds and shows 100s of guinea pigs that it would be big enough until they were fully grown, my babies are only tiny
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4ft x 2ft is the minimum sized cage for two piggies, I'm sure this one is ok until they get a little bigger. My babies looked lost to start with but they grow sooo quickly - we went for C&C floorpens during the day so they had loads of running space and they just used the cages at night.
 
Easiest way to extend it for extra space would be to get some C&C grids or guinea pig indoor run thingies and make a little space for them to run around and in and out of the cage :)

All nice and cozy for the winter
 
mary70 said:
I was assured by the lady who i bought it off who also has a degree in small animals and breeds and shows 100s of guinea pigs that it would be big enough until they were fully grown, my babies are only tiny
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Never trust what a breeder says!
 
The thing about guinea pigs is they might not seem that big but they like their personal space. Especially males. I have to have a cage about the size of an average single bed for my two boys just so that they have enough room. And that is a minimum rolleyes
 
I know how frustrating it is for you to be told in good faith that the cage size is fine, then to find out it really isn't but honestly, the more space you can give your Piggys the happier they will be-and so will you because it's so much more fun seeing then enjoy the space :)
 
They seem quite happy for the time being and its either what they are in now or outside in the hutch there just is no other way
 
Hi. I've done this as my cage isn't big enough too. I leave it open so they can free run. Maybe you could do something like this?
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hiya mine are only babies too (but rex so maybe bigger than yours) they are 14 weeks now. We got them at 8 weeks and put them straight into a 5 foot by 2 foot cage. Then a couple of weeks ago we put a 2 foot by 2foot hay loft on. The fun they have in that cage is just so much fun for us to watch! I am convinced you just can.t see a full range of behaviour in a small cage - the speed they can popcorn and run at! They really make full use of all that space. Not only more fun for them but for us too. Also with a big cage you can have lots of tubes and toys. They really do love loads of space
 
I am sure they will be fine for the time being, you don't have to go out tomorrow to get a new cage, you have time to figure out what you want to do. But once they get bigger you might notice they have squabbles and stuff.
It happened to me and I ended up having them separate for about 3 days. One living in the bath tub and the other living in the cage. And in that time I had to find a bigger cage and figure out where to put it
 
Mary, I understand completely why you've bought them into a smaller cage for the winter - sometimes it's about weighing up the options and going with the lesser of 2 evils (so to speak). I'm sure they'll be absolutely fine in there just over the colder months whilst they're only babies. :)
 
I have got a similar cage for my two girls to have a nice cozy night. It is still nice during the day, today it was 17 degrees so I am letting them into their run and bringing them back in before it starts dropping again.

Can I ask at what temperature would you stop putting your piggies outside? In the run they have cover and houses to snuggle into which I fill with fresh hay every day. They seem happy during the day are are munching grass.
 
I havent put mine outside since they came in a few weeks ago, i bring them grass inside, i have dissmantled their outside run and stored it away for the winter :)
 
Please don't feel disheartened Mary.
When temperatures were reaching -15 the year before last, I had no choice but to bring my four piggies in over those months. We didn't have a cage and had nowhere to put a cage so they ended up spending the winter in a shallow, narrow, long storage box (no lid). It wasn't an ideal situation at all but they had daily free range time and were perfectly fine. It was either that, or they spend the winter outside in their hutch in those temperatures which would have been even crueler in my opinion.

The girls now live free range in a shed but if temperatures reach that again, no doubt they will be coming in again and we will be in the same situation as winter 2010.

It is clear that you care very much for your piggies and want to do your best by them. Just keep an eye out for signs of squabbling.
 
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