Small space

Charllou

New Born Pup
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Hi, iv realised the space for my Guinea pigs is small. It’s what the pet store advised tho so I had no idea! However I don’t have space for anything bigger 😩 is this torcher for them should I get rid of them (we love them so much and don’t want to do this) or can anyone Recommend a solution? I do have a play pen I try get them out regular. We also have a outdoor hutch but I’m scared to put them out incase they get cold

Excuse the mess It’s clean out time before I took photo and they do have more hay usually Iv just took their stack out for the photo
 

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Unfortunately we see this a lot. You aren’t to blame, you thought you could rely on a pet shop to provide with good information but sometimes they just don’t.

As your piggies are boars, space really does matter. Two really boars need 180x60cm.

There are several issues with having too small of a cage. It obviously doesn’t provide them with enough space to run about, to have enough hides and enrichment in the cage. The other issue is that being in a cage which is too small is a real problem for boars who are territorial and need a lot of room. Lack of space can cause tensions, which can lead to fall outs and fights.
A separate run, while great, doesn’t count given as it isn’t permanent living space.

What are the measurements of the cage?

How big is the hutch outside?
Again, it needs to be 180x60 (a 6ft hutch). If it isn’t, then it still won’t be enough.
They won’t get cold out in a hutch at this time of year.

Can you add some c&c grids to the front of the cage to make an extension for their current cage? You can then leave the door of this cage open to allow them constant access to a larger space.
Can you fit a c&c cage in if you are able to make it L shape? Two boars need a 2x5 c&c
 
Thankyou for all the advice I think mines 120x60 so definitely too small :( the outdoor one is more than double the size of the cage it’s got a large wooden part for them to sleep and eat that leads onto a large run, i can always extend the run too. I don’t think I can really extend the indoor one even if I buy a C&C cage, I’ll have to look at the dimensions. I need a bigger house haha… I’m shocked at the pet stores advice to be honest they should know better I wouldn’t have got them if I know but now where attached to them I want to try my best to find space to keep them. I’ll have a look at c&c cages. My Guinea pigs can climb ramps easily would a 2 tier cage work or do they need one level? Thankyou for all the advice and for not judging me for keeping them in a small space
 
You only count the space on the ground floor unfortunately. One advantage of C&C cages is you can be a bit creative and build an L shape if that helps you work out a spot. My cage is literally taking up half of my living room floor space. I don’t have little ones though so don’t really use the floor much so it doesn’t matter I have none if you see what I mean.
 
I have a newborn and 3 year old so they would just constantly annoy the piggies if they where on the floor, Only solution I can think of is re arranging my dining table to fit a bigger cage on the floor (have a baby gate to keep the kids out) see if that makes enough room, I’ll think of something if I have to I’ll just try and insulate a area in our outdoor seating area (it’s covered to keep wind and rain away)

If you have a c&c cage what’s the thinnest you can make them? Thankyou
 
Hi, iv realised the space for my Guinea pigs is small. It’s what the pet store advised tho so I had no idea! However I don’t have space for anything bigger 😩 is this torcher for them should I get rid of them (we love them so much and don’t want to do this) or can anyone Recommend a solution? I do have a play pen I try get them out regular. We also have a outdoor hutch but I’m scared to put them out incase they get cold

Excuse the mess It’s clean out time before I took photo and they do have more hay usually Iv just took their stack out for the photo
Same thing happened to me and then I found this forum, extremely helpful members, I went online and purchased grids that you can build up and shape however you like, as long as they have at least 8 square foot bc they are quite active and love to zoom and popcorn
 
I have a newborn and 3 year old so they would just constantly annoy the piggies if they where on the floor, Only solution I can think of is re arranging my dining table to fit a bigger cage on the floor (have a baby gate to keep the kids out) see if that makes enough room, I’ll think of something if I have to I’ll just try and insulate a area in our outdoor seating area (it’s covered to keep wind and rain away)

If you have a c&c cage what’s the thinnest you can make them? Thankyou

Mine was 2 grids wide and 4 grids long each grid was about 12 inches
 
Thankyou for all the advice I think mines 120x60 so definitely too small :( the outdoor one is more than double the size of the cage it’s got a large wooden part for them to sleep and eat that leads onto a large run, i can always extend the run too. I don’t think I can really extend the indoor one even if I buy a C&C cage, I’ll have to look at the dimensions. I need a bigger house haha… I’m shocked at the pet stores advice to be honest they should know better I wouldn’t have got them if I know but now where attached to them I want to try my best to find space to keep them. I’ll have a look at c&c cages. My Guinea pigs can climb ramps easily would a 2 tier cage work or do they need one level? Thankyou for all the advice and for not judging me for keeping them in a small space

At that measurement it is minimum size for two sows (although even for sows we recommend bigger).
The shop has just gone by RSPCA minimum sizing without considering that minimum isn’t usually big enough but more importantly without considering that boars need a lot more room than sow minimums.
The absolute minimum for two boars is 150x60cm but for some pairs minimum won’t be big enough which is why we recommend 180x60 for boars.

I’m afraid being two level doesn’t count towards the floor space. Piggies are ground roaming and need their cage to be meet size requirements on single level. So even if you did have a two storey cage it still needs to be 180x60 (and the upper level would just be considered bonus). A two storey commercial cage of that size doesn’t exist anyway, in fact a single storey commercial cage of that size doesn’t exist either.
The biggest commercial cage you can buy is a Ferplast Plaza 160 which measures 160x60cm (it is a single level cage). This is just above minimum for two boars and would be fine for some pairs, but for others it may not be and this is why a lot of boar owners go for c&c cages because they absolutely can be made big enough.

What are the measurements of the outdoor hutch - the actual hutch part itself, not including the run part?
A run (even if attached to a hutch on a single level and not via a ramp) can never be used and counted as permanent living space no matter how big it is, it won’t be worth you extending it. They cannot have access to a run year round or at night (it isn’t protection or able to be kept warm, and and this is why it isn’t living space)
It is only the hutch part which is living space and it is that part which needs to be big enough - again 180x60cm (6ft). If it isn’t then it still won’t be big enough.

I have a newborn and 3 year old so they would just constantly annoy the piggies if they where on the floor, Only solution I can think of is re arranging my dining table to fit a bigger cage on the floor (have a baby gate to keep the kids out) see if that makes enough room, I’ll think of something if I have to I’ll just try and insulate a area in our outdoor seating area (it’s covered to keep wind and rain away)

If you have a c&c cage what’s the thinnest you can make them? Thankyou

A c&c cage must be two grids wide and no thinner. That will be around 70-77cm wide (connectors make a difference to the measurements, some people use cable ties and not connectors to make it a bit narrower - never any narrower than 60cm though).
You cannot have a c&c which is one grid wide.

Boars need a c&c cage which is 5 grids by 2 grids (t can be bigger than that but no smaller and no narrower) which would measure approx 180x77cm

C&c cages cage be put on stands (made out of grids), which will raise it off the floor. (To do this you must use the connectors which will make it the 77cm (approx) width measurement
 
Thankyou, we have figured out a way to get them a bigger c&c cage, just means they will be in the front room. Can you use the wood shaving in these cages? Everyone has fleece liners but we tried these before and they stunk the house out so wood shavings work best for us.
 
Thankyou, we have figured out a way to get them a bigger c&c cage, just means they will be in the front room. Can you use the wood shaving in these cages? Everyone has fleece liners but we tried these before and they stunk the house out so wood shavings work best for us.

Yes you can use whatever bedding works for you.
You will just need to make sure the Correx base is the cage comes up high enough to keep the shavings inside.
 
Yes you can use whatever bedding works for you.
You will just need to make sure the Correx base is the cage comes up high enough to keep the shavings inside.
Yes, make sure the sides are high! I made that mistake myself, bedding every where. The coroplast was only 2 inches tall. :doh:
 
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