Temporary housing?

[new_pigsitter]

Hello, it's Robin! I'm back

I'll be pig sitting Minnie again in early August so I just wanted some opinions/ideas.

For those who don't know (or remember, I don't blame you lol), Minnie is a solo guinea pig of my mom's friend and is being kept in a pet shop starter cage. Last time I cared for her I kept her in my hamster cage (120x106cm), which worked out quite well! However, now that cage has a new inhabitant (an adorable roborovski named Hermes), so I'm not sure what I'll be doing for housing when I watch Minnie again.

I honestly can't bare to watch her in her tiny pet shop cage. I cry every time I see her I it. So, I'm in need of some ideas as to what I can do while she's here.

I do have a playpen that I could use, but it's only 23cm tall and I fear she'd be able to get over it. I also have another playpen made of a kind of tempered cardboard (it's kinda like lightweight, perforated wood-- I can take a pic then if need be) that's about as big as the hamster cage and 30cm tall, which I think may work but it doesn't have a bottom and I don't want a urine-soaked carpet (unless she lives downstairs on the hardwood...? Maybe; I'll look into it).

Thoughts? Ideas? I would rather not make a C&C cage if I can help it (I wouldn't be able to use it for anything but her), but if there's no other way I'll look into it.

Thank you for your support!

~Robin

By the way, I have no clue if the owner has fixed anything care-wise since last time, so I'll only know when she gets here :/

 

[Siikibam]

Is it wood or cardboard? Piggies like cardboard and can chew to make new doors

You could put down a waterproof layer then fleece on top for the base. Then she can be on carpet as well.

You looked after her so well I’m sure you were their first port for babysitting again

 

[new_pigsitter]

Is it wood or cardboard? Piggies like cardboard and can chew to make new doors

You could put down a waterproof layer then fleece on top for the base.

Thanks for the reply!

Both? I think it's technically made of a cardboard like fiber but it's stiff like wood and sealed. She'd have a rough time chewing out without being noticed, and if she did get some kind of obsession with it I would just put her back in the starter cage.

My dad and I talked about getting a new tarp (my current pet tarp is only a 3x5' [.9x1.5m] ) so that she can be on the carpet. I think it'll be something like tarp, some old towels, then fleece. Hopefully that works out well!

 

[Betsy]

Some members use a shower curtain as the waterproof layer. When I had to house mine inside as an emergency when the Beast from the East struck a couple of years ago, and it got to -10°C outside, I put down some black sacks as the waterproof layer.

 

[FarmGirl]

I used to keep my original Boys inside and at the time (a fair few years ago!) you couldn’t get hold of corex very easy/cheaply so I put down a couple of tarps then newspaper then fleece and had grids as the walls. I had litter trays for their hay but the back wall always ended up dusty and with hay down behind the grids It did however keep the carpet clean like new (no leaks or stains), so much so my (very surprised) landlord gave me full deposit back when I moved out a couple of years later!