Our new DIY cage.

[Levente3900]

Based on a tutorial (which we didn't completely followed) we decided to build a new guinea pig cage! Its not perfectly the right size for 2 guinea pigs but thats why we decided to build a second floor! The cage is 2 modified IKEA tables put on top of eachother with a shelf serving as the second floor, the wall which you observe the piggies through is made from plexiglass, we use IKEA bathroom mats as bedding but we might change it. The piggies seem to love it!

Note: We use a bowl as they way to provide water because when we observed it we found that its easier for them to drink from a bowl. Also note that we had this cage for atleast 2 months and they really like it, I just didn't post it earlier. I also think that the place where they can get the hay from is a little too small and that the way leading up to the second floor might be a bit uncomfortable but they seem to like it.

 

[Levente3900]

Note: The blue marking on the second floor plexiglass has been cleaned off after this picture has been taken

 

[Piggies&buns]

You have done a lovely job and put in a lot of effort.

I would definitely add hay downstairs as just that one area upstairs isn’t enough hay. They should have it available in multiple places.
I would also put a cover over the ramp to make it more comfortable on their feet but also remove the risk of toes being caught in the gaps.

I should add though that adding the second floor doesn’t make up for the bottom level being too small - upper levels don’t count towards the cage size. Their size requirements need to be met on the bottom level and that means the bottom needs to measure a minimum of 120x60cm (8 square feet) for two sows for the cage to be (minimum) big enough.

 

[Levente3900]

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunetly we cannot give them a bigger cage which is: 105x55 cm but I will definently consider and try to put some hay on the "main floor" of the cage. Also the ramp is something we actually plan to change soon.

You have done a lovely job and put in a lot of effort.

I would definitely add hay downstairs as just that one area upstairs isn’t enough hay. They should have it available in multiple places.
I would also put a cover over the ramp to make it more comfortable on their feet but also remove the risk of toes being caught in the gaps.

I should add though that adding the second floor doesn’t make up for the bottom level being too small - upper levels don’t count towards the cage size. Their size requirements need to be met on the bottom level and that means the bottom needs to measure a minimum of 120x60cm (8 square feet) for to sows for the cage to be (minimum) big enough.

Sorry for the late response.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunetly we cannot give them a bigger cage which is: 105x55 cm but I will definently consider and try to put some hay on the "main floor" of the cage. Also the ramp is something we actually plan to change soon.

Sorry for the late response.

It will be good to give them more hay. It is a form
Of enrichment as well as food. They spend a lot of their time foraging and like playing in hay.

Unfortunately at those measurements the cage doesn’t meet minimum requirements and only comes in at 6 square feet (two sows ideally need 10 square feet but no smaller than 8 square feet).

Do they get floor time? (Not that that counts towards cage size)

 

[Levente3900]

It will be good to give them more hay. It is a form
Of enrichment as well as food. They spend a lot of their time foraging and like playing in hay.

Unfortunately at those measurements the cage doesn’t meet minimum requirements and only comes in at 6 square feet (two sows ideally need 10 square feet but no smaller than 8 square feet).

Do they get floor time? (Not that that counts towards cage size)

They get floor time every day btw, when we are doing are routine cleaning of the cage (which we do every day) We take them out, to have floor time. (Basically someone does the cleaning and someone plays with the piggies)

I will try to think of ways to make the cage bigger but, it will take a while, we tried to make it so they have enough space to play around but we will definently try to expend it. Thanks for giving me these tips, and being helpful.

 

[Levente3900]

Also the floor time we give them lasts for about an hour on avarage. So we don't put them back instantly. We also take them out during the day.

 

[ScrufflesRules]

I don't know your circumstances, but have you considered a 'C and C' style cage? They are a lot cheaper and easier to adapt to your space than other cages.
You can often pick them up for free/cheap on second hand selling sites too.

 

[Levente3900]

I don't know your circumstances, but have you considered a 'C and C' style cage? They are a lot cheaper and easier to adapt to your space than other cages.
You can often pick them up for free/cheap on second hand selling sites too.

We know about them, but to be honest because we already had that table (didn't use it) we decided to choose that, we also wanted something unique, and the piggies seem to love it. Unfortunately space is a big issue for us, thats why we try to take out them from the cage often, since our flat is 80 square meters and pretty crammed we can't put the cage anywhere else, trust me I wanted a bigger cage but unfortunately we just can't but still thanks for the tip.