Smaller Space Indoors Or Larger Space Outdoors?

[Cavy Crazy]

Hi sorry for posting this again but I have been feeling very guilty about this I currently have my guinea pigs in the skyline maxi xxl,I don't have space anywhere indoors for a bigger cage and can't really afford one either so my question is,should I keep them in this set up,or use my shed(not waterproof) to keep a huge hutch inside I figured it doesn't matter about the shed not being waterproof since they're in a hutch anyway. I could have a triple level 8ft x 2ft(maybe 3ft) triple level hutch in the shed and I could attach an outdoor run.What do you think I should do ? It's for two sows.Thanks for any replies.

 

[PeanutandGus]

Is there somewhere your piggies can have floor time and they can run around for a while - maybe you could buy them an indoor playpen they can run around in of an evening..

I'm not sure putting them outside would be the best idea if they're used to being indoor! But I'm not entirely sure! As long as the piggies have somewhere to stretch their legs and can go out in the summer I don't see a problem with them being inside - unless it's a really small cage!

Hope this helps

 

[Cavy Crazy]

Yes I give them floor time every day,I have my rabbits cage which is a 4 x 4ft playpen,sometimes I put him out(he's completely free range) and let the guinea pigs play in it and sometimes I just let them run around the floor(the room is rabbit proofed it can't be much different can it?) under supervision. Their cage is 4ft x 2ft.They were originally kept outdoors but were moved indoors recently I love having them indoors but don't want to be selfish if they were happier outdoors.

 

[1GuineaPig1]

It might just be me, but I would never feel safe keeping my piggies outside. For one, you might not see them as often as you would with their cage right near you all of the time, and would therefore be less likely to notice signs of sickness or pain if your piggies were to catch something. In addition, all kinds of predators such as snakes, cats, dogs, and even people would have a chance of getting to the pigs, no matter how small it was. Yes, I have heard of many happy piggies living outside their whole lives, but what if yours are in the few percentages that are injured or killed because of their living outdoors?

You are definitely not being selfish. A 2x4ft cage is actually the size recommended for two sows, though I must say I can't blame you for wanting to give them more room. If you do feel that you really want to get a bigger cage, C&C cages are a great option-they are generally very affordable, and materials, depending on what you are using, could end up being very low-cost. Is it possible for you to move furniture around to give them a slightly bigger space to fit a larger cage? Usually, with just a quick look around, you can move an old bookshelf or scoot something over a few centimeters or so to make more room.

I hope this helped, and good luck with getting your piggies' living space sorted out!

 

[Cavy Crazy]

Thank you for the replies! I have moved all furniture around to make space,but I just don't have it my rabbits cage takee up a huge amount of space!(4 x 4ft) my space is very limited I barely have space for the cage I have. I was going to buy a 5 x 2 c&c cage but it would cost €120.

 

[lissie]

Can you stack the guinea pig's cage on top of the rabbit? Some people make a stacked c&c cage, rabbit on the bottom, pigs on top.

 

[Cavy Crazy]

I was going to try it but it's not east as it is a puppy play pen so more likely not strong enough. It's also 4ft tall do you think it could work?

 

[1GuineaPig1]

Thank you for the replies! I have moved all furniture around to make space,but I just don't have it my rabbits cage takee up a huge amount of space!(4 x 4ft) my space is very limited I barely have space for the cage I have. I was going to buy a 5 x 2 c&c cage but it would cost €120.

Actually, making a C&C cage is a lot cheaper than buying one premade! If you bought a shower curtain for around $5 or a sheet of coroplast/correx for 15(I live in America so I use American dollars, but I suppose it can't be much different if you convert the prices), grids for about $30, and fleece for around $2 a yard(I used about 5 yards for two sets of fleece bedding for my boys' 2x5 C&C cage)then the cost would turn out at around 45 or 55 dollars/pounds. That's at least half the price of the cage you were planning to buy.

As for stacking the cages, I've never used a puppy play pen so I don't know firsthand how strong it would be, but I believe 4ft would be tall enough. Does the pen happen to have a top? If so, you could just place the cage on top of it, provided it will hold safely, and if not, you could try to make a top for it.

 

[Cavy Crazy]

I have a shower curtain that I can use I bought it for €1.50 I went to a sign shop for correx and it would cost €43 for an 8 x 4 sheet! The grids delivered to Ireland work out at around €60 because of delivery,from amazon the cage doesn't have a top but I need to go in the cage for cleaning. He is never in the cage so I suppose it is a bit pointless having it for him.this is his cage.

 

[1GuineaPig1]

You could try to find some cheap wood or something to lay on top, just enough for your desired cage size, or something similar with closet shelving or something else. As for grids, you could also use some alternatives, if you shop around and see what you could find that would be safe and ventilated enough for your piggies.

In order to use the shower curtain as a base, you should lay it on top of something solid, such as cardboard or wood, and then lay the grids or whatever you end up using on top of it. Then comes the fleece, or, if you're using bedding, you could make a cardboard or wooden tray with sides so that the bedding doesn't fly out.

 

[Cavy Crazy]

Do you mean for on top of the rabbit cage? I have to go into the cage too and be able to access the piggies. Any suggestions?

 

[1GuineaPig1]

You could keep a stool near the cage to climb up whenever you need access to your piggies. On top of the rabbit cage, yes, but, of course, I don't own it so I'm not sure how stable it would be in your opinion.

 

[Cavy Crazy]

Do you think it would matter if it went over the edges? I'm thinking 4 x 4ft would be very difficult to clean because it's so deep and it's 4ft high without grids with grids on the side it'll be 5ft 2" high. To be honest I'm not sure if it would be sturdy enough but I could get legs for the board to be on. I'll send a link to the cage if it helps.

 

[lissie]

He is never in the cage so I suppose it is a bit pointless having it for him.this is his cage.

If your bunny is never in the cage, can you give the playpen to the pigs, and just free-range your bunny? Put his hay/litter box outside the playpen.

 

[lissie]

I think I have a solution for you.

Put this table inside the bunny cage, and put the pigs cage on top. You don't need to rely on the playpen to support the weight of the top.
ADILS/LINNMON Table White 120x60 cm - IKEA

You can wrap the table top with the shower curtain.

Can you find playpen like this locally? You can screw them onto the side of the table.

 

[Cavy Crazy]

@lissie that is a great idea but the measurements are 120cm x 60cm which is the same as their current cage. I thought about giving my rabbits cage to the piggies,and using the guinea pig cage as a base for the rabbit. I like to be able to put him away at times,when I need to so I would need to use the GP's cage.

 

[Cavy Crazy]

I would also like it if the Guinea pigs and rabbit can see eachother through the bars as they get along well and they are good company for my rabbit,I know they can't live together I'd just like it if they could see eachother through the bars. Any ideas? Would the rabbit cage work considering Guinea pigs can't be litter trained?