Adequate Housing Material & Size?

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Pigglywink's Rachel

Well, before venturing to find a pair of guinea pigs in the later winter/early spring, I'd like to have a proper house built. I can't use C & C cages, due to the cat (poor thing... I just can't let her keep getting beat up by smaller animals... she'll develop self esteem issues). I was thinking of having a hutch built, for stricly indoor use, as the largest indoor cage I've been able to find is only 44 x 20 inches.

First question, what type of wood would be best to use. Of course I know that it needs to be untreated, but was wondering what type would be best. I know that you shouldn't use cedar or pine bedding, does the same apply to the structure of the hutch itself?

Second question, would a hutch with three sides enclosed, be unhealthy for indoor guinea pigs? Since I'm going to have to have it custom built (please, don't let it cost more than $200), I could have it with wire on more sides, but I'm concerned about drafts if i do that.

Third, I've read about putting lino on the floor for easy cleaning, and to keep the wood from warping due to animal messes, but would it be necessary to have something put on the sides as well? I wouldn't think it would be that necessary, but just wondered if anyone had any thoughts.

Finally, would a hutch measuring six feet long by two feet wide by two feet high be big enough for two guinea pigs? I was thinking of having the last foot on one end enclosed to provide a sleeping area, or would it do better to just leave it open, although, of course, providing hiding areas (bridges, pigloos, etc.) for the guineas to hide and sleep in.

I won't be getting any more piggies until, as previously mentioned, sometime in probably February or March, since I need time to recover, and I want to make sure there's no lingering germs in the air (phobic reaction, but understandable under the circumstances, I think). However, if I'm having this custom built, I think probably the sooner I can get my request in, the better it would be, from the carpenter's perspective, so if I could get some thoughts and advice soon, I'd really appreciate it.
 
I've got my pigs in my spare room in pens that my brother-in-law made for me. They are made out of hardwood frames with mesh on the sides, along with small 2-3 inch panels around the floor level to stop the sawdust falling out. The floors are solid pieces of hardwood which are cut to size but not fixed so that they can be taken out periodically and given a really good clean. My pens are open topped but if you want yours to be covered then there's no reason why you couldn't make a hinged wood/mesh panel for them. Oh yeah, & I've put a piece of lino underneath the pens, just to safeguard against any unexpected liquid leaks! So far so good though. I've attached a photo so you can see my pens for yourself. Good luck with your new pigs. :)
 

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Leilalouise said:
I've got my pigs in my spare room in pens that my brother-in-law made for me. They are made out of hardwood frames with mesh on the sides, along with small 2-3 inch panels around the floor level to stop the sawdust falling out. The floors are solid pieces of hardwood which are cut to size but not fixed so that they can be taken out periodically and given a really good clean. My pens are open topped but if you want yours to be covered then there's no reason why you couldn't make a hinged wood/mesh panel for them. Oh yeah, & I've put a piece of lino underneath the pens, just to safeguard against any unexpected liquid leaks! So far so good though. I've attached a photo so you can see my pens for yourself. Good luck with your new pigs. :)
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how long does it take you to clean one pen out? Is it OK being on the floor?
 
Well it takes roughly an hour & a half to clean all three completely, so that works out at 30 mins each. By OK on the floor do you mean the pens touching the floor or do you mean the pigs being bothered by draughts etc? I've got a wooden floor with lino on top so the pens sit on top of that & I take the bottoms of the pens up once a month & let any damp spots dry out before I put them back down. The pigs don't seem to be bothered by being on the floor, they are always lively when I go in to see them & bless them, they come running to meet me. :)
 
no I meant for your back. My cage is on the floor is and find it difficult at times to muck out with the bending. I've been poorly of late and it has affected my balance... @)
 
My only concern with having it sitting on the floor is that the cat will sit in front of it staring at the guinea pigs all day, and stress the poor little things out. And since I live in a flat, the only other option would be to leave the cat locked up in a bedroom all day, which doesn't seem fair at all.

As for the wiring on all sides, my concern there is that they'd be exposed to drafts. The only draft free space is the front hallway, which gets no natural sunlight, so I'd really like to be able to have it in the living room, but want to make sure that it won't be overly exposed to drafts in the winter. It's -17 celsius outside right now.
 
MrsM said:
no I meant for your back. My cage is on the floor is and find it difficult at times to muck out with the bending. I've been poorly of late and it has affected my balance... @)
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Ah, I see. Well I have to admit it does get a bit awkward at times trying to get the last bit of soggy sawdust out of the furthest corner but I generally end up actually in the pens anyway. What I'll be like in 10 years time though is anybody's guess...might not have any knees left either :)) Sorry to hear you've been poorly, hope you feel better soon. x
 
Pigglywink's Rachel said:
My only concern with having it sitting on the floor is that the cat will sit in front of it staring at the guinea pigs all day, and stress the poor little things out. And since I live in a flat, the only other option would be to leave the cat locked up in a bedroom all day, which doesn't seem fair at all.

As for the wiring on all sides, my concern there is that they'd be exposed to drafts. The only draft free space is the front hallway, which gets no natural sunlight, so I'd really like to be able to have it in the living room, but want to make sure that it won't be overly exposed to drafts in the winter. It's -17 celsius outside right now.
Click to expand...

Good point about the cat & I agree that it's not fair to shut the cat in. A friend of mine has a similar set up to me but she has hers on a custom-built table which is about waist-height. Better alternative maybe? Also handy for storing hay etc. underneath. With the draughts thing, mine don't seem to be bothered too much but then again we don't get those sorts of temperature drops in the UK! :) My pigs have a 3 sided wooden shelter at each end of the pen so they can huddle if they want to but if you want to shelter yours a bit more then I don't see any reason why you couldn't replace two of the walls with something a bit more substantial than wire.
 
Sorry, just to reiterate a couple questions that I'd asked originally that I'm still waiting for answers on, as I'd like to get the plans for the hutch to the handyman as soon as possible.

What type of material is best to build with... Leilalouise suggested hardwood flooring, but for the size of hutch I'm building, the cost for that much hardwood would be prohibitive. Would kiln-dried pine be all right to use?

And would six by two feet be large enough, or, after taking closer measurements, five by two and a half feet be sufficient? For those of you are are using metric, that would be 152 by 76 cm. Would that be large enough to house two guinea pigs comfortably?
 
Unfortunately I'm totally useless at anything related to DIY so can't comment on your choice of wood, but that size of cage should be fine for two piglets.
 
Well, I've decided to go with a cage that'll be 5 x 2 1/2 feet (total of 12.5 square feet, minus a little bit for the walls, so say 12 square feet total). I'm thinking this should be plenty of room for two guinea pigs, should it not?

I've also decided to do wire on two sides of the cage (front and back) in order to aid air flow through the hutch. It will end up that the front and back will be made with two panels of wire mesh, each measuring a little less than 2 feet square (since the cage will be 2 feet high), each panel to be at either side of the front, with a 1 foot wide solid section in the middle. I've decided to use this design for added stability, since I think that a 5 x 2 foot section of mesh may not provide enough stability. In addition, the design will allow for the hutch to be divided if, heavens forbid, the guinea pigs should begin to fight and need to be separated.

The ends of the cage itself will be solid wood to provide protection from drafts, and of course they'll be provided with pigloos to hide in if they wish.

Before I pass this drawing off to the joiner, does anyone see any fundamental flaws with the design? Not enough space, etc.? Finally would 1 inch square galvanized steel mesh be fine? I know it's small enough that they won't be able to get out, but are they likely to get their teeth or anything caught in there?
 
It sounds like a piggie palace to me! Can't see any obvious flaws & the mesh size sounds OK - my boy BillyPig is renowned for chewing & seems to catch his teeth in the wire regularly, but the size doesn't seem to be an issue, he gets caught in the wire in his outside run as well which is loads bigger - think he's just not very good at judging the chewability factor :)). Can't wait to see the photos. xx
 
I'll get some photos as soon as I get it built. Will talk to the joiner after the Christmas break, and get it built hopefully by February, then give it a couple weeks to air out, so hopefully in a position to find some guinea pigs in March.

Someone told me that the local SPCA is supposed to be getting in a couple pregnant sows in January, so I've contacted them to put me on a list to contact when they get guineas. A little nerve wracking at first, as part of their application process is whether you've ever put an animal down and why, and I made a bit of a muck of it filling out the form, but then the lady asked me some questions, and called the vet, and said that my application wasn't likely to be denied, since I'd already gotten one animal from them who was thriving (the cat), and poor Pigglywink had obviously been ill from the moment I got her (I'd imagine taking her to the vet four days after getting her was a good clue).
 
Just a quick update... I've finally finished the plans for the new hutch, and gave them to the carpenter today. He's promised to have it ready for me by the end of the month (probably sooner, judging by the look on his face when I asked if it was likely I could have it by then and he said yes... the look that means, "yes, you silly little lady, I can have it for you by the end of next week"). I'll take pictures as soon as I get it and post them here. And even better, because he likes me (he does all the work for the office I work in), he's going to do it for $100 (which is a little less than 50 GBP), since he reckons he already has all the materials he'll need, as he never throws anything away from any other jobs he's done.
 
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