Would you say this is big enough?

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MushiiPeas

MushiiPeas

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Hi everyone,

At the moment my six piggies live in this,

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/137450

It seems quite spacious to me however the more i look online and do research i really feel that i should try and build a 3 story C&C cage or something better, I'd have to have it 3 storied because i don't have room in my bedroom for a long floor cage and two of piggies don't get on with the other four so live up the top separately.

I live in the UK and having a bit of trouble finding cheap grids for the amount I'll need to make a suitable cage for six piggies.

On a rough basis how big are your C&C cages and how much did they cost to make?

Thank you!
 
Do all 6 piggies live together? If so its "floor space" that is more important... 120cm is only big enough for about 2 guinea pigs...from what i understand...extra levels don't count as extra space...sorry.
 
jenniferanneharris said:
Do all 6 piggies live together? If so its "floor space" that is more important... 120cm is only big enough for about 2 guinea pigs...from what i understand...extra levels don't count as extra space...sorry.
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That's what i was misinformed about, and now that's why I've started to worry, i thought i was doing what was best for them as i wasn't expecting to have six.

I was thinking of getting a 2x5 for the 4 girls and then a 2x4 for my neutered boar and his sow.

Would this be more suitable?

Will they be okay for a while so i can save up to build/buy this for them?
 
MushiiPeas said:
Will they be okay for a while so i can save up to build/buy this for them?
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Just make sure you give them floor tie as much as possible :))

Plus if you buy the grids first you can use things like tarpaulin or a plastic dust sheet for the bottom of the cage as a temporary base. Poundland have both.
 
theoretikos said:
Just make sure you give them floor tie as much as possible :))

Plus if you buy the grids first you can use things like tarpaulin or a plastic dust sheet for the bottom of the cage as a temporary base. Poundland have both.
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Thanks it's just i might not be able to build this till after Christmas as my moneys a bit short this month.

I'll need to of those sets of grids because I need lids on the cages as i have cats and wouldn't want any accidents.
 
Basically i have 1.6 meters one way for the larger cage could maybe fit a 2x6 or 2x5 in it for the four girls and then 1.4 meters for the smaller cage maybe a 2x4.

Thank you for the help.

I'm get it done as soon as i can for them and make they get lots of floor time.
 
A 2x4 would be an upgrade for your pair but you'd need to go for a 2x6 for your other four. A 2x5 would actually be a downgrade in overall floor space compared to your current setup and a 2x6 would give them a small amount extra floor space (1.44 square metres vs 1.46). The debate is whether they are better off with greater floor space on one level or whether it can be divided. I feel that if you have four pigs then it isn't always necessary to provide all the space on the bottom level so long as you provide the minimum for two pigs per level. This is because the minimum is the amount of space they need to be able to run around and it allows them to move away from each other if they want to. In a multi-level cage they can go to a different level if they want to move away from the other pigs and so long as food/water/hideys are fairly distributed then it shouldn't be an issue.

There are things that affect all this though, shop bought cages aren't true to the dimensions they claim because it's the outside that's measured so you're probably gaining more space with a 2x6 than I've suggested above, floor space is also lost through the use of ramps, pig temperaments affect how tolerant they are of each other, hideys/food etc. can be better spread out in a cage with greater dimensions meaning the floor space is used more efficiently and pigs can run around even better in a cage that's got a bigger single floorspace and has been properly arranged.

In essence - I wouldn't worry for now but I'd save up and go for the biggest cage you can afford given your space limits. You could go all out and do a triple level 2x5. You can get plastic grids which are cheaper than the wire grids and can be useful for making the floors or back of the cage. There are also other ways to make homemade cages depending on your DIY skills so have a think about what you want to achieve. :)
 
Would it be better if i split them into two pairs for now as well and block the other hole up, the two up the top are separate anyway?

They seem to separate into pairs as it, is so wouldn't be much different.
 
If,you,split them into three pairs you might not be able to ger four together again.I would have the two on top and the four girls in two levels for now until after christmas.My quartet of girls are in a 5x3 and my duo in 3x3 and once you have a hidey each and litter trays not a lot of space left
 
Could you do a stacked cage? Just don't put ramps in there, so each level is for each group of pigs.
If space is an issue, you could make an L-shaped cage.





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Hi guys thanks for all the helpful tips, I've decided as soon as i can afford it I am going to build a 6x3 on the bottom for my 4 girls and then a 3x3 on top for my other two.

So all together i would need 39 grids and then the correx, i use bedding cos I've tried fleece before and it just doesn't work for me and my brother got cos about the washing machine, what size sides would you recommend so it doesn't get everywhere and how big would a sheet have to be?
 
theoretikos said:
I just saw a paddling pool style cage would that work as a temp solution?
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Can you show it to me, it is just a big paddly pool?

I have to keep the two up the top separate or all hell breaks loose between the piggies!
 
My 7 piggies live in a 5 x 4 grid cage which is ideal for them. :)

Ideally I'd like to go slightly bigger but they do seem really happy in this space. They certainly do lots of popcorning! :))

If you can go slightly wider to a 3 grid cage it makes a huge difference space-wise but I know it can be hard to fit a big cage in. I'm lucky as I have a spare bedroom which is where they are.

I've just moved mine on to fleece for the winter (no more Green Bin collections until Spring which is where their waste was going on substrate) and it's great watching them zoom about on it lol.

I used lino / vinyl from ebay instead of Correx (non-slip stuff) which worked really well for a larger cage.
 
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