What Cage To Get

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dancegal

dancegal

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I am needing to upgrade my cage, my 2 boars are currently 9/10 weeks old and are in a 100cm ferplast as that was all i could get at the time, will a 120cm cage be fine for them.

what are some indoor cages, it needs to have a wide open front like the ferplast, I am not sure if want or am keen on a c&c cage in case have to move and living room is not that big
 
Hi, l have 2 boars in a 120 and they are fine , though thay do get several hours floor time
 
I don't really get floor time at the moment, only had them a week, they get lap time. what can be used for floor time, I want it to be secure due to lots of wires etc
 
A 120cm is ok while they are small but once fully grown they really need around 140cm or they could fight, I have 5 males and have found they get on a lot better in this sort of size or bigger. A C&C cage is good and you don't have to make them huge, they are a lot cheaper than Ferplast and you can make them any size you like. A 2x4 for 2 boars would be good :) They are very easy to pack up and move too, you can roll the correx, I've moved a few times with mine
 
I am not drawn to the thought of c&c and just don't like the idea and how it pressured on the owners and everyone must have one and nothing else is not good enough, I can get 120cm for £40 a 2x4 c&c cage is around the same size and will cost me £60 plus delivery
 
dancegal said:
I am not drawn to the thought of c&c and just don't like the idea and how it pressured on the owners and everyone must have one and nothing else is not good enough, I can get 120cm for £40 a 2x4 c&c cage is around the same size and will cost me £60 plus delivery
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I'm not sure they're pressured on people, I like many others I think have just found they work for us. I got mine for £19.99 plus correx for £7 and the cage I wanted was nearly £100 so just made sense for me. I didn't know you could get the Ferplast ones that cheap. That's great if you can.
 
dancegal said:
I am not drawn to the thought of c&c and just don't like the idea and how it pressured on the owners and everyone must have one and nothing else is not good enough, I can get 120cm for £40 a 2x4 c&c cage is around the same size and will cost me £60 plus delivery
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I hope this forum hasn't made you feel like that. There are a few forums who favour the C&C, but I do hope you haven't felt that our recommendations of C&C is the same as pressure.
If you take a look at the housing sections and photos of people's set-ups you will see many hutches and cages, as well as home-built and C&C, and we support all types of accommodation. Although I appreciate C&C doesn't appeal those who have them will recommended mainly for four reasons: 1) it can be custom-built to fit the room it's in, 2) it can be expanded both upwards and outwards if required, and 3) it often costs less than the larger cages on the market (but not always, it pays to shop around). 4) They are often open-topped, making interaction with the pigs easy and simple. We all appreciate that they are not for everyone, but next time someone suggests it, you'll know why they love them :)

Basically a cage has to work. It has to work for the owner and it has to work for the pigs. I also don't have much room in my house. There's lots of people (myself included) who have fold-away pens that they can attach to their cages to expand the piggy's space when it's convenient, and when we need the floor-space the pen gets folded away again. These can be very cheap, quick and easy to set up and put away. This is not meant as pressure to you, merely an idea that may work out for your house, but as I say, it has to work for you, so I can help you with this idea if it appeals :)

Bigger IS better, again it's not pressure, but the experience of many many piggy-slaves have shown that this is the case. There seems to be a large jump in price from 120 to 140cm (often anyhow), and 20cm doesn't sound like much, but there are people who have bought 120 and wished they had spent that extra for the next size up. This may not happen with you, but it is worth thinking about before you make your final choice :) x

Guinea pigs, like most mammals, do appreciate being able to run around though, and really this chance to exercise and express themselves in this way is a need, so it is well worth coming up with some kind of set-up that allows for them to do this for some of the day.
 
I am thinking of getting another 100cm cage and joining the two, not sure if that will work
 
dancegal said:
I am thinking of getting another 100cm cage and joining the two, not sure if that will work
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People can and do join cages together, with a bridge :) An advantage is having a separate area for hay and messy stuff, and another area for enrichment, but a disadvantage is they don't have one big area to run in, so again it's all something to weigh up :)
I'll try to find some examples though to link for you :)
 
No just some sort of play pen, as they are in the living room, don't have spare room for them, and living has lots of wires, and can't be chasing them around the room when need them back due to back problems
 
Would something like this be of any use? The floor area can be a simple vinyl table cloth covered with a layer of fleece, and the beauty of panels is you can shape them however you want or add to them cheaply.
The picture is just an example. There are plenty of pet panels available if this is the sort of thing that appeals.

Otherwise the added cage that you suggested could be a good option if you want to expand their area more permanently (like in the link I added in the other post), but it wouldn't provide as much room as panels do. :)

These are not your only options of course, but may be of help?
 
A 120 cage is the absolute minimum for two piggies and it will depend on the personalities of your boys as to whether they will manage in that size cage. I've had pairs who have loved life together and others who couldn't cope, but it all evened out when they were given a larger cage to live in.

A Ferplast 140 is a nice size for two boars and has a wide door at the front. (There are two types of cage top, so make sure it's the right one - the other has two small access holes at the top).

We've also got a 150 cage. https://www.jollyes.co.uk/liberta-indoor-rabbit-cage-150cm.html The base is deeper, although this doesn't seem to bother them (and isn't any deeper than that of a C&C to be fair) and because of this, it offers more scope for adding a mezzanine floor. It is pretty huge though, so measure up before you invest!

As for the playpen - wire cooling racks - the kind you'd use for baking. Can pick them up in Wilkos/B&M and the like for about a quid each. Use cable ties to attach them end to end and you'll have a folding pen, as big or as small as you want it.
 
I was thinking about it and living room is not that big and still need to fit other funiture in, Will they be fine with the ramp in a 2 storey
 
Mine have taken some time to get use to it so I have been putting them down stairs so they have to go up to get into bed, then put grass ( or what motivates the most) on the ladder at top first then lower each time so they gently have to go a little further each time for the grass then lastly gently helping them down and now they have it and are dashing up and down so yes lots of work and time but we'll worth it for the space they gain x
 
Adding stories helps, mine has stories and gives the pigs opportunities to have their own space at times, but 100cm still doesn't give the opportunity for them to run. You can get two stories in 120cm size though.
However attaching a run to the bottom story solves the running around issue. It depends on how many hours in a day you can provide them with their run.
Ramps are something that some pigs struggle to get used to. The shallower the ramp, the better, and commercial cages usually have steep ramps. That doesn't necessarily mean you can't make them work though.

For alternative cage sizes have you tried Little Friends? I'll link it.
Indoor Square Cage Rabbit & Guinea Pig by Little Friends (100 x 100cm)

Indoor Double Corner Cage Rabbit & Guinea Pig by Little Friends

Rabbit 140cm LARGE Indoor Rabbit & Guinea Pig Cage (140cm)

If you COULD have room, this is what I'd recommend, but I appreciate it's probably out of the question: Rabbit 160cm LARGE Indoor Rabbit & Guinea Pig Cage
 
I would steer clear of 2-tier cages as guinea pigs aren't natural climbers & there's a lot of wasted space. At Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue these are the cages we recommend. I would personally go for at least the 1m square cage which at £59.99 inc postage is really good. The Zooplus 1.2m cage is currently on offer at £29.99 inc. postage but if you want to save a further 10% inbox your email address & I'll send you a voucher code worth 10% off first order:-

Great 1.2m x 0.6m cage from Zooplus. Suitable for 1 or 2 guinea pigs:
Skyline Maxi XXL Small Pet Cage | Free P&P £29+ at zooplus!

Another great 120cm x 60cm cage but this time with built-in stand:-
Little Friends Aston Indoor Rabbit Cage with Stand 120cm

Great 1m square cage giving your piggies loads of room. Size is 100cm x 100cm. Would suit 1 to 3 piggies:

Great 150cm x 75cm cage with built-in stand:
Little Friends Aston Indoor Rabbit Cage with Stand 150cm

This is probably the best cage available for guinea pigs if you've got the money to spare
RETREAT XL - Overall measurements: 154cmL x 78cmW x 93cmH (inc. stand) 69cmH (without stand)
Retreat XL Indoor Rabbit Cage with Stand - DYR6A. Ideas-4-pets

Also I would recommend you to get 2 log bridges which make good houses especially for boys living together so they do not get cornered causing a possible fight. Go for the Size L: 50 x 30 cm 227525.2 from the start or you'll just have to upgrade as they grow to maturity.
Wicker Bridge for Small Pets at zooplus
 
Could someone please delete the above Amazon link please. I popped it on in error - sorry xx
 
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