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is there an indoor cage suitable for 4 pigs?

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dollheart

dollheart

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I'm no expert, but surely if they have a place they can all go to get away from each other and there is plenty of room to run, and provided they have some "out of cage" time I'm sure it would be fine!

p.s. ive never seen one like the corner one before - looks great!
 
Ha ha, glad you found your way on here now. Will ask for this to be moved to 'Housing' for you. xx
 
I think the double storey cage you were looking at would be more than big enough for 4 girlies :) You will have to do something with the ramp as it's very steep - however you could attach a tunnel to it or make some sides to eliminate any piggie accidents

Ive got a 154cm single storey cage - and it's big enough for 3 - the single storey 140 cage you provided the link for i don't think would be suitable for 4 - better to give them too much space than not enough!

Good luck - i love going piggie shopping - it's amazing just how much money you can spend in such a little amount of time :))
 
Apparently guinea pigs have been known to fall off the ramp and kill themselves. Also, some guinea pigs struggle to use the ramps. My 2 are fine with ramps though. :)
 
I'm not sure about cm and stuff, but with the corner one, you may be losing valuable floor space. The ramp looks a bit steep and you would certainly need to build sides on to it. Space on the top deck is reduced because of the hole too. The second one looks better, and to give you even more space, you could build a mezanine into it.
Have you considered c & c cages? They are not for everyone, especially if you have other pets, but if you have a look in the sticky housing section there are some good examples. x
 
I keep my small pets in my bedroom so c&c cages are out as my rats freerange in there also (and the cats occassionally open the door to go stare) and I couldnt build one with a top to save my life lol

I think would prefer a longer cage like the ferplast 140 as opposed to a 2 tier as theres more uninterrupted floorspace for the pigs to run about in, just want to be sure I wouldnt be subjecting 4 pigs to a too small home,

so is 140x71x51cm ok for 4 pigs?
Whenever I'm in my room I have their cage door open so they are freeranging quite a lot of the time
 
4 guinea pigs need 13square feet minimum 140 x 71 = 10.73 so not big enough.

you could try and find a double tier cage (not a corner one)
 
The cages ive got are 154x75cm and going by minimum cage requirements mine are suitable for 3 pigs (i've just reserved a rescue piggie to put in with my two girls)

When it comes to free-ranging pigs i suppose cage sizes all depends just exactly how much time they'll spend each day out of their cage? I'm sure someone with more experience will verify this info.

The two girls you wanted to add are from a rescue yes? Have you contacted them and asked what their minimum requirements are on cage sizes? I presume you'll have to have a home check, so perhaps they are the best ones to ask as they'll have their own requirements on cage sizes.

good luck :)
 
The 2 girls are actually in the p@h adoption centre bit so...no help there lol.
My piggles have the option of being in their cage or freeranging as they choose for around 6 hours generally a day as when i'm in my room just open their cage...not sure if that makes any difference to cage size.
 
are the rats shut away when the piggies have free range time?
 
I've got what was at the time the largest commercial cage, the Trixie Rabbit 150 from Dabners Which I believe is 150 x 74. I don't use the upper story.

I've got 2 piggies in it and I think it has room for three, but four would be pushing it.

That said it would depend on the piggies. Priscilla mostly eats and sleeps and doesn't require a lot of space, but a younger more energetic pig needs more. Also mine don't much like coming out, but if they had lots of floor time it would make a difference. And considering what most guinea pigs spend their lives in then it would be virtually palatial.

I have a similar problem - my rather territorial chinchillas come out in my rodent room and both rats and chinchilla can be very aggressive with other small animals. One of mine escaped and got into my C&C cage a few years back - I was very lucky that I got to her quickly. Thankfully her mate who she had also let out (she learnt to undo the cage door) came and jumped on my husband and alerted us.

The only other thing I would say about adding rescues is to remember that guinea pigs don't always get on. The only reason I haven't offered to rescue another sow is my experience last time I introduced one to an existing pair and the girls took a disliking to each other. They lived together in the end but it was never peaceful.


Paula
 
dollheart said:
The 2 girls are actually in the p@h adoption centre bit so...no help there lol.
My piggles have the option of being in their cage or freeranging as they choose for around 6 hours generally a day as when i'm in my room just open their cage...not sure if that makes any difference to cage size.
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That sounds ok to me with all the free time. If you are going to mix them with your existing pigs, have you thought about quarantining them for a couple of weeks first, just in a temp cage. x
 
I havent given quarantining them serious consideration, In the past I rehabilitated rats as a fosterer and never quarantined them in another room. Would you advise it with guinea pigs?
My girls are 6 and a half and have slowed down considerably, sleeping and munching are their goals now lol one of the reasons am considering more pigs is I dont want for one of my old girls to be alone in the future.
 
Just to echo what paulag said:

The only other thing I would say about adding rescues is to remember that guinea pigs don't always get on
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By getting pigs from a reputable rescue you will eliminate any bonding problems - Pets At Home don't care about bonding, they just sell you the pigs and it's your responsibility - they don't care if they all get on (in fact if they didn't get on you'd go back to purchase another cage - so for them it's a win/win situation) a proper rescue will help with thje bonding process and will be on hand if you have any problems down the line.

Also what nutmeg said (and i really think it's important to take note):

have you thought about quarantining them for a couple of weeks first
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There was a thread on here just a few days ago about a member adopting ill piggies from the adoption centre of Pets At Home. So just to be on the safe side you will need to have a period (1-2wks) where any [piggies are kept away from your other two just to ensure they are free from any nasty illnesses - the last thing you'd want is for your current piggies to be passed an illness.

This is also why going to rescue will also eliminate that problem as they will have made sure they are free from any illnesses before re-homing them.

You could always ring a rescue like the RSPCA and tell them you are looking to adopt another 2 girls and ask what minimum cage size they'd recommend (taking in to consideration the free range time your current piggies get)
 
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