Outdoor run as an indoor cage?

[Nyanzai]

I live in Japan (originally from the UK) and hoping to get some rescue piggies as soon as we have our own home (hopefully this year). I’m starting to think about housing. I’ve found a small outdoor run and was considering using it as their indoor cage (with fleece underneath, probably on top of a waterproof mat). The size of the run I have found is 4cm too small on length BUT 49cm longer in width, making it 116cm x 109cm. Do the extra 4cm matter for length, or will it be compensated by width?

choices for large enough enclosures here in Japan are sparse, even people here rarely have enough room!
I was thinking I could also potentially extend the length a little using the grids everyone seems to use. I just wanted to have a lid because I have young children (don’t worry they won’t be the carers, that will be my job).
I’ll also need to add a hah rack, bed/house, water bottle, some toys etc.
Talking about bedding, can I use organic cotton fleece? Or does it need to be polyester? We try to be as plastic free as possible.

 

[Piggies&buns]

This is fine to use as an indoor cage. The width and length measurements are fine, it may be 4cm shorter but it more than makes up for it on the width measurement. The minimum size a cage should be is 120cm x 60cm for two piggies, but by giving them that slightly bigger width, you will be giving them more room so they’ll be happier!

You need to use the correct fleece so that that will wick urine through to an absorbent layer underneath it. Not all fleece will wick properly which means it will constantly be wet. A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding

 

[Nyanzai]

This is fine to use as an indoor cage. The width and length measurements are fine, it may be 4cm shorter but it more than makes up for it on the width measurement. The minimum size a cage should be is 120cm x 60cm for two piggies, but by giving them that slightly bigger width, you will be giving them more room so they’ll be happier!

You need to use the correct fleece so that that will wick urine through to an absorbent layer underneath it. Not all fleece will wick properly which means it will constantly be wet. A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding

Ah right yeah, perhaps the organic cotton would always be wet. I wonder if there are any natural alternatives. I am vegan so don’t buy wool anymore but I do have some wool puddle pads from before we went vegan. Perhaps they might help as an under layer

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’d not heard of wool puddle mats but I’ve just looked it up. Anything that can draw urine into it and hold it there is used as an under layer.
The alternative would be other disposable types of bedding, paper bedding, hay etc (although hay isn’t absorbent). Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview but of course those come with the requirement of needing to be easily disposed of

 

[Nyanzai]

I’d not heard of wool puddle mats but I’ve just looked it up. Anything that can draw urine into it and hold it there is used as an under layer.
The alternative would be other disposable types of bedding, paper bedding, hay etc (although hay isn’t absorbent). Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview but of course those come with the requirement of needing to be easily disposed of

The puddle pads are for kids who wet the bed. Oh the joys
I think probably that would be best as the bottom layer, maybe some towels as the middle layer and then micro fleece on top. I’m trying to think of what else they put in cloth nappies as a top layer. Usually its micro fleece so i’m guessing it has to be that.