Minimun housing size?

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Cozmo

Cozmo

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I was just wondering, what would be an acceptable size enclosure for a guinea pig. We have pairs living in about 2ft x 2ft and just over 1ft high.
However they get lots of floor time (either in the kitchen or in the garden).

I am a little worried that the spacing is too small for them, however we are saving for a big shed (10ft x10ft) to make bigger enclosures for them.

What would you guys consider as acceptable, we have got pigs from various rescues before, and have reserved one from the RSPCA (we've never been to them before) today and they are sending someone round to check us out. I've got the worst feeling that they will take all our piggies away because they aren't in big enough enclosures. Even though they get a life of luxury!

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The minimum recommended size per pair is 4ft x 2ft :) They'd not take your pigs away, please don't worry tho' if they deem the space too small will offer their advice to bring it up to what they require :)
 
So my enclosures are too small :( Its weird cuz I've seen some websites that say 2 x 2 for 2 guineas is fine, some say 7 x 2 isfine for 2 guineas. I'm so confused!
 
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Cozmo said:
So my enclosures are too small :( Its weird cuz I've seen some websites that say 2 x 2 for 2 guineas is fine, some say 7 x 2 isfine for 2 guineas. I'm so confused!
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The RSPCA guidelines are a 4ft x 2ft hutch but all rescues have their own criteria & the rspca may still allow you to rehome a piggy if they look at the overall housing situation it'd depend on the homechecker :)
 
But if they thought it was too small, they wouldn't take all our current piggies away or give us a warning or anything would they?

We've never had a problem before, but the RSPCA can be so strict, which is why I haven't been to them before but my OH wanted to visit some mates from when he use to work there and saw this really cute piggie.
 
Sorry for the double post but I feel simply dreadful about this...I can't sleep! I'm going to have to do something about it! I thought my pigs had enough room but apparently they don't. They are so important to me, I can't deprive them of space!
 
Cozmo, they can't take your piggies away! They do get floor time? Do they seem happy to you? My piggies started off in a cage smaller than yours, they were fine with it, but went crazy when they got upgraded! our four girl piggies ended up in a 3by6 c&c, we want to put our boy in it too when he's been done. currently they're in hutches at my parents, but when we move and can have them back we'll get them in a shed i think!
 
Oh yes they get floor time either every day or every other day. Sometimes I allow them to have an hour and a half of floor time so everybody gets exercise (as we are currently in the process of building more runs as we only have 1 at the mo) everyday OR they get a few hours every other day.

The plan has always been to get them more spacing by the end of this summer but I was panicing last night about the RSPCA.

At the end of the day, our pigs are so happy and get human contact daily, as well as exercise, a variety of fuit and veg daily, dry food and an ample amount of hay.

I love my piggies so much and they get treated better than alot of kids do...I was just in a panic last night.
 
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Bless you, I totally know how you feel.
We adopted one from the RSPCA and I was in the same mess, worrying they wouldn't think where I kept them was good enough or big enough etc etc.
I had the 4 of mine in one of the huge plastic cages on the floor in my then, 11x6' extension. All day, up until late evening, they had the run of the whole space but I was worried they would just see the only the cage. We got another one before they came for the boy, which we put next to each other and they all 'bed' hopped between them. There was no problem at all as I noticed that no matter how much of a living space I gave them, even now, they all congregate together in one section as I think they like the company.

I'm sure they will see you love your piggies and I know that even after 3 years with mine, with reading all the books, and with visiting the websites, someone will always be able to tell me that there is something I should or shouldn't be doing!
Hope you get him/her xx
 
Thanks Tani, you've put my mind at ease. I guess as long as the animals have the 5 freedoms, thats the main thing.

I don't like the RSPCA, because while they do alot for animals, I think there are areas that can be greatly improved.
 
Thanks, I'm sure we'll be fine because though the spacing might be a bit of an issue, they have everything else they could possibly ever want...and as I said, by the end of the summer they will have upgraded to the "on-suite" rooms :)

I hope we get her, she's a 1 1/2 year old white English Crested called Izzy who did have a friend but got rehomed...without Izzy :( I don't know why cuz she's beautiful, got a lovely nature. She wasn't mistreated (from what we know) its just the owners got evicted.
 
They wouldn't take your piggies away, they have to give a warning first and a chance for you to correct if if they do have a problem with you. The RSPCA recommend 4ft x 2ft, mine were in a 3.5ft for most of their life but have just been upgraded as we have the space. As long as they don't spend all of their time in their cages (which as you have said already, theyd on't) then its fine.

Best of luck with the homecheck and adoption :D
 
Yes, I know what you mean. The place I got mine from though were really nice - although I did deal with the foster carer and not the site itself. I guess it's the same for all organisations in that there will always be some brilliant ones and some bad ones!

I recently bought my new one from a breeder who was also a vet nurse. You would think that they would know the basics of keeping guineas as she seemed to genuinly really like them. She bred them for her shop but they were kept at her parents home in an outside caravan - heated, with lots of other animals. I came away with cinnamon then didnt sleep well that night because I thought of all the others kept in too small a run for how many were in there, on wood shavings, the water bottles were green (obviously never cleaned out), and the only fresh food they got were carrots :( . There were no hidy holes for them to have private time and there were at least 2 or 3 pregnant girls in with another 5 or 6 and loads of babies running around. Hubby told me not to think about it as I am being over sensitive, but a vet nurse and still doing that? However, they were obviously cared for generally, all in good health, all warm......
So, i think where the RSPCA are concerned, somone who knows their basic needs and caters for their run time and loves them, can often be more important than just having a big run.
x
 
I know :( - it wasn't till after I left that I really thought about it although I had clocked everything. I think because she seemed to really like them, it kind of threw me a bit. But then I thought that's even less of an excuse by giving them cheap stuff etc. I can understand that breeders dont want to buy piggies expensive food or hay etc, but I'm sure leafy greens aint that expensive once in a while! Made me quite sad and I did think about mentioning it to someone, but as they were all healthy, it's hard to get anyone there really.
 
Its so sad, cuz again its giving breeders a bad rap, and I remember (and still keep in touch) with the breeders I got Sway and Phoenix (my first guineas) from, and they weren't like that. They were bed on good quality stuff and fed a variety of greens everyday. Buy their dry food in bulk so it worked out cheaper. Shame.
 
I know. It's very sad indeed. I can't think about it anymore otherwise I get too upset. If they had been in bad condition, I would have contacted the rspca, but they weren't and they werent in tiny hutches (although some of the other rabbits etc were, in my opinion). That's the trouble - there are people who live for their piggies and treat them like children and then there are those who just see them as pets. It's the same with kids - not all get treated how the experts think they should be, yet we all have very different opinions on what that should be. V hard indeed.
x
Let us know how you get on tho!
 
I found this link on guinea-pig cage size really useful:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

The biggest advantage for me with providing more space is that I don't have to clean them out as often, which makes them far easier to keep. In December (before the snow), I moved my piggies' hutch into the shed and they now have 24/7 access to 6'x4' of the shed floor (as well as their 2-tier, 5ft hutch) and they love it! I wanted them to still have the space to exercise, even though they couldn't go out in their run. They're really active and a lot happier - it's also highly entertaining watching their antics.

Now that the weather has improved, they're out in the run on the grass during the day (weather permitting), but having access to the shed floor means they can exercise when they want to the rest of time (which I think is important). It also means if the weather is wet/too cold, they're not stuck in their hutch.

The above set-up works well for 6 piggies, however, we've just adopted 4 more so will probably have to upgrade (because I don't want to have to clean them out more than once a week).
 
I agree about the national RSPCA but please remember that local centres are independantly run and often have different standards.

If they say your cage needs to be extended why not get some C&C cubes? You could attach them to your indoor cage, if you have a hutch outside you could use them as a run inside, it shows that you appreciate they need the space.

I homecheck for the Manchester branch, don't be worried. It's only to make sure they can give you suggestions before you adopt it's not a test. :)
 
No problem, it upsets me when people get worried about homevisits, it's not like we don't want to rehome our animals and make our standards impossible. I can't speak for other branches but I believe my branch is fair and if improvements need to be made its on very friendly terms. Shame your not closer to us! :))
 
Hope all goes well for you Cozmo! Your Piggies obviously mean alot to you and i'm sure the RSPCA will see that when they speak to you! :)
 
hanna101 said:
No problem, it upsets me when people get worried about homevisits, it's not like we don't want to rehome our animals and make our standards impossible. I can't speak for other branches but I believe my branch is fair and if improvements need to be made its on very friendly terms. Shame your not closer to us! :))
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Sorry Hanna....its just I was worried the size of the enclosures they are in was too small, however the fact they run around my kitchen in their run everyday should count for something.

I can't wait for the bigger shed though...will be big enough for big enclosures AND runs so in the winter they don't take up all the space in my tiny kitchen! :)):))
 
Had the homecheck this afternoon. Passed with flying colours, Izzy will be the new edition to our family as of Sunday (when we go to pick her up).

All my worrying about enclosure size (and the sleepless night) was for nothing! She was completely and utterly gaga over our set up, and all our guinea's. Lovely LOVELY lady!

*PHEW*
 
Cozmo said:
Had the homecheck this afternoon. Passed with flying colours, Izzy will be the new edition to our family as of Sunday (when we go to pick her up).

All my worrying about enclosure size (and the sleepless night) was for nothing! She was completely and utterly gaga over our set up, and all our guinea's. Lovely LOVELY lady!

*PHEW*
Click to expand...

That's great! Hope she settles in well :)
 
Aww, that's lovely to know! Was the same with me, worrying over nothing! he he. At least it shows you really do care!

Good luck and post a piccy of her on this thread when you get her so I dont miss it :)p
 
Thanks guys. I'm going to try putting her with Sway (grandma sow) as she gets on with anything. So Sway will, I'm sure, show her the ropes as she does with any new sow she meets.

I'll be sure to post some piccies...She's a really pretty thorough bred, I just feel a bit sad that her friend got rehomed and whoever rehomed her friend didn't want her...I can't understand why. She's so pretty.

Anyways, bring on Sunday!
 
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