Still having housing dilemna!

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claire8234

claire8234

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HI everyone

I posted on here a while ago about where to house my piggies when it starts getting really cold outside. They are outdoors in a two tier hutch at the moment and the plan is to bring them inside and house them in my daughters room.

Well having measured the space I have to house them indoors it is only just over 3ft across which is not going to be big enough for my two boys. making a C&C two tier cage was an option until I realised I just cannot get hold of it and it is sooo expensive.

My husband bought a single tier cage at the weekend from a car boot (great condition) as it was only a tenner it is just over 3ft and has a sloped top. It only just fits in the gap where we plan to keep them.

Any suggestions as to how to get round the space issue? I had thought of getting another cage the same size, cutting a hole out the bottom of one and stacking it - is this safe? has anyone done this?

If B&Q start doing C&C again I can have a go at building a piggy home but it will only be 3ft across (with an upper feeding deck).

Thanks
 
As I'm sure you already know, 3ft isn't really ideal for 2 pigs (especially boars) but I can understand you wanting to bring them indoors during the cold weather.

I've not heard of anyone joining 2 shop-bought cages which have been stacked but I have heard of people joining 2 shop cages laid out next to eachother, via a tunnel, so perhaps it is feasible to do it vertically as well? My worry with stacking 3ft cages would be that the ramp from one into the other might end up being too steep but perhaps others can advise on that.

I have heard of people adding an extra level to shop-bought cages, like a mezzanine floor/hayloft. If the cage has enough height then maybe that might be a possibility but again, I'd imagine that a ramp would be very steep so perhaps out of the question.

Sorry...not much help! I hope you can find a way round this problem though.
 
BellasMummy said:
Is there nowhere else apart from your daughters room with a bit more space to put them?
Click to expand...

Hi

Sorry if this sounds rude, but if I had more space then I would keep them somewhere else other than in my daughters room.

The space is on top of her chest of drawers so its a little over 3ft long by 2ft wide. THIS IS THE ONLY SPACE I HAVE.

I will have to try and get hold of some C&C and try to make a two tier cage. It makes me so cross that companies charge so much money for a decent indoor pet cage.
 
Two tiered cages would be ok, it's great fun making and designing your own - makes it unique :))
A small wooden house or something to place the end of a ramp would make it less steep. Only other option I can think of is what we first did when we had 4x2ft pens and bought an indoor run similar to this:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/runs_fencing/pens_with_racks/33111
Or something like this is proving very popular:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_cages_carriers/other/30135
The piggies played in the run all day until we went to bed then they were popped back in their pen overnight.
I agree c&c are outrageously priced now, I only paid £18 per pack for mine last year.
 
Have you looked for something secondhand, you could try local car boot sales or Ebay, Gumtree, local paper etc. Having a cage on top of a chest of drawers sounds a bit unsafe, pigs don't 'climb' exactly but they could possibly fall out and get hurt.
 
I think the bottom line is a 3ft by 2ft enclosure really isn't ideal. I wouldn't try stacking two hutches, the ramp will take up more space than a second level creates. The best way round it I can think of is have them in a run or large playpen in the daytime and just use the 3ft hutch overnight, unless you can get hold of some C&C and build something larger.

I'd also have a search on Ebay. I got quite a large indoor cage for about £10, it's 4.5ft by 2.5ft. I just had it on the single bed in my spare room, but obviously that isn't an option for everyone. It's in the shed at the moment though!
 
Hi

We are in a rented house so I can't screw anything into the wall.

I could possibly use an indoor playpen during the day but again I have the issue of space. Our house is very small and we just dont have the floor space for a 5ft C&C cage or an indoor run plus the cage just for the night.

Will have to work round it
 
Some guinea pigs can get out of a closed cage very easily, plus I wouldn't put it past them to knock the whole thing off the drawers. You came on here and asked for advice and yet all you have done is dismiss everything everyone has suggested.

Do you have a shed or garage you could put the hutch into? so they are not taking up room inside.
 
?

I understand rented houses are small (I'm looking at them atm, eeeek!) However, one solution MAY be, to build a 3x3 C&C cage, on a plywood base, *secured to the base, and the draws (without screwing, sort of so the base is like a small lip over the sides of the draws)* and pull the base about 7 inches away from the wall, then the cage would only stick out the front a further 7 inches.

Sadly you cannot just double the area by adding another level as the area is given because piggies run laps to keep fit, tthey are not climbers.

The reason people are urging you to get a bigger cage, is having a cage under 7.5sqft for two male guinea pigs can often cause fighting between them through lack of space (even a well bonded pair of males needs space to escape eachother) We are not trying to be nasty, just trying to help you come up with a solution thats best for your piggies.
 
BellasMummy said:
You came on here and asked for advice and yet all you have done is dismiss everything everyone has suggested.

Do you have a shed or garage you could put the hutch into? so they are not taking up room inside.
Click to expand...

Yes I did come on here for advice and I am not being difficult, but no one has actually listened to what I have said.

Do you not think I would put them in a shed or a garage if I had one mallethead

I am well aware that a 3ft cage inside is NOT big enough but I am sure that if I left my guinea pigs outside over winter in their nice big hutch, with plenty of hay and snuggle pads and covered the hutch in blankets, that that would be wrong as well!
 
I found a run recently that is fabric play pen and it folds up into a small flat bag, I'd post the link but I'm on my phone atm, if you search guinea pig run on eBay or amazon they come up, about £32 for the medium, they could go in there in the day then back in the cage over night maybe?
 
I think its a question of a shortage of floor space, although the pop up run is a good idea but maybe using that at night might be a better idea?

How about using the outside hutch during the day, with all the blankets and snuggle pads etc and the inside cage at night?

No, a 3ft cage isnt ideal, but sometimes people have to make do with the situation that they are in. Its only for winter after all, its not going to be a permanent fixture.

I feel for you I really do, you are obviously trying to do the best for your piggies.

I dont know what to suggest for you hun...I just hope that you manage to sort it out without too much trouble.
 
Not a popular opinion, but mine have stayed out over winter. There is a shed on one side, wall opposite and the house is the other side, so really they are in a v well sheltered position. We put a carpet over the front at night/on windy days to keep out the draft. We get through a tonne of hay, refresh a couple of times a day. We also use a heat pad. Its not ideal, but mine have never seemed to suffer any ill effects and don't slow down or anything. I think it is possible to insulate/shelter an outside hutch well enough if inside really isn't a viable option.
 
have you considered building your own? or having something custom made?

You could have it build to your exact sizes, with as many floors with secure, low gradient ramps, as you want.

My OH builds runs/hutches and things, so just pm me - I can probably help with some designs or at least how to construct one if you need it :)
 
I have my boys in a 120 on a side board in my front room lol, and in the year and Half ive had it, it hasn't moved mind you the base has lips round it so I push in near to the wall so the front lips and level with the front, it over hangs about an inch at the back and an inch at either end, and no over hang at the front, we only live in a small 1 bed flat :-( hopefully will be able to move in another year year if things pick up as then I can make a proper c and c for them, instead it's a 120 for now and I've just got some grids from screw fix and corotherm from b and q as I'm going to make an upper level for hay and food, same height as the hut they have in there at the mo but so both can get up at same time as I've got the log things leaning against it so they can both get to the bowl at same time, I did try 2 bowls but they still want to eat together either way. It's like giving them each a piece of carrot but they both want to eat the same bit lol
 
Thank you to the last few posters for some very helpful suggestions. We just aren't in the position to have a 5ft inside cage as much as we'd like one


I have kept guinea pigs outside all year round, moving them into a shed when it gets really cold but unfortunately we don't have any outbuildings and yes floor space is a massive issue!

I may have a look around local garden centres to see if I make an indoor "hutch" with a lipped base so if it does have to go on top of a piece of furniture then it wont move around.

x
 
Hi everyone

Thanks for your suggestions - Problem solved :)

My daughter is now sleeping in a midsleeper bed as we had to replace her old bed. Thankfully it was a second hand frame so we saved a fortune.

There is now a lovely big space underneath of just over 4ft by 3ft to build a winter home for her guinea pigs (two tiers if I am clever enough!) :)

She'll now be able to spend more time playing with them especially as it gets dark so quickly after school

I fully expect that she'll want to have her guinea pigs in her room forever!
x
 
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