Need More Space And A Convinced Mom!

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kkschmitz

kkschmitz

Junior Guinea Pig
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i currently have two boars, Smudge and Fudge. I am afraid that they do lice in a gravely small cage. However, we have seven people, four dogs, a pig, a rabbit, a bearded dragon,and two guinea pigs, all inside together in a tiny house. We have a pretty big backyard. Obviously we have a lack of space with a whole lot of people's stuff.

Back to the cage. It is a two and a half by two foot ferret cage. The rabbit is housed on the bottom floor, the gps on the top. I have them out in a four foot by two and a half foot pen every day, from 3:15- 8:30.
I am worried because that is les than half the space they should be living in.

My mom thinks that they live in a huge cage, but I know they don't. It is TINY for them. I need some tips on how to convince her otherwise, and space/ convenient cage tips and ideas. Please do not reply back if your comment is going to be negative towards me. I feel bad enough as it is... I have looked at c and c cages and I think that they are wonderful. I just need to find somewhere to put it... Please help me out here.

Also, does anyone know of a good water bottle brand that doesn't leak? I'm fed up with all the junk. Gone through three water bottles in the past few months cuz they all LEAK! I come home to a wet cage every day :(

Ps. I am aware that the experts are in the UK and it it the middle of the night over there. Sorry for the inconvenience. And the long thread... :) :(
 
http://www.guineapigcages.com/ Hi, these are the recommended spaces for piggies in the US.

I've always used Penn-Plax Flip N'Fill water bottles. They've never leaked and I've been using them for over 4 years. They can be filled through a flip top lid without having to remove the water bottle from the cage. They can also be sanitised by placing on top of the dishwasher as they are a rigid plastic. They are not from Australia, imported from somewhere in Europe, so maybe the US has them too.
 
You could post a picture of the cage here and let people comment what they think of the cage and then show your mum the comments.
This would only work if all comments are helpful and without judgement, but it's a good idea so you can be like LOOK MUM, THE CAGE IS TOO SMALL, SEE!
That's probably what i'd do ;) haha

You could ask for an adequate sized cage for your birthday, that way it will be harder for her to refuse? Especially if you get one picked out and at the ready and say this is exactly what you want and say you'll keep it in your bedroom?
 
Ha ha, I could do that.. I have $110 ready to spend so the money is not the issue. The only space I have in my bedroom (which I've been looking at) is above a heat vent which is two inches from the floor. The only way I would be able to put them there is to have them on a table, but the desk we have is a wee bit too slim for the cage I'd want to put there :-/ any thoughts on it?

Thanks for the cage picture idea, but how do u exactly post pictures on this website? Ps. I post on an iPad if that information helps you describe instructions... Thanx!
 
Aww thats good, Obviously the bigger the cage the better, but I think 120cm is the smallest suitable size for 2 pigs :).
To raise it off the floor you can buy stands with wheels & pick the size that fits the cage
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/p...door-guinea-pig-and-rabbit-cage-(online-only)

I'm sure you can buy those from amazon and stuff too.

To post pictures, click the 'Upload a file' button on the bottom right next to the 'post reply' button and select the picture from whereever your pictures are stored on your ipad then once the picture is loaded click 'full image' and it will be added to your comment :)
 
I just realised you live in the US, hold on i'll have a look for them from US companies, you don't have pet's at home over there do you?
 
I had a look through american petsores & I cant find anything with a stand, I know alot of people in america have the midwest cages & seem to love them.
http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/c...6-5171983/cat-36-catid-600011?_t=pfm=category

The only way i can think round the height problem is to look on ebay, charity shops, etc and buy a cheap 120cm table to fit. That way you can store all their stuff underneath the cage? Hopefully some american members will be able to jump in and help you. @Mom2Gus @Jennifer D ?
 
I am from the US. I also had an extremely hard time finding cages and stands. I think the best bet would be to use a C&C cage and go to a thrift store or something of that nature and find a table to fit the cage. Another thing I had trouble finding as I live out in the country is coroplast. As an alternative I used linoleum per recommendation from a guinea pig expert, and it has worked out really well. You do not specifically need a guinea pig stand. A table would do and it should not be too hard to find.
 
I've had a look at those Midwest cages and they look wonderful! Only one problem...they only have a canvas bottom, no shelf underneath or anything. I'm afraid because my boars' urine could do one of three things: seep through, absorb and stink terribly, which then I will have to constantly wash it, or it will stay on top and get smudge and fudge's bums wet! These all sound like bad options, And I really do like that cage... Anyone have experience with it? :doh: :hb:
 
Check out YouTube videos on the Midwest habitat or Amazon reviews? They are waterproof and washable.
If you possibly can, you should deffo aim for a c&c for the space. You could get a table that would support a 2x4. I think the midwests are the equivalent of just over a 2x3 c&c?
 
More space = happy piggies! Having space to popcorn around is a must for piggies. As you have boars, they need a little more space than sows do, simply to help prevent squabbles. Boars need to be able to get away from eachother if they want to, which is not possible if they have a tiny cage. A 2x5 c&c is good size cage for a pair of boars, bigger if possible.

Building a c&c might be a good option, c&c cages are cheap and spacious. You don't even need to buy a table, you can actually use grids to make a stand, this also allows you to store things underneath the cage. I don't live in the US, but I've heard you can get coroplast from Home Depot and you can look around on Amazon for grids and cubes. Here is a tutorial on how to make a basic c&c cage: http://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm

You may find it helpful to look through the member gallery for c&c/homemade cages for cage ideas ( https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/member-gallery-c-c-cages-homemade-cages.53210/ ), people have posted pictures of c&c cage stands and rooves they have built. Building a roof would be a good idea if your dogs have access to the room the piggies' cage will be in. In this thread, it is explained how to build a c&c roof: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/making-a-roof-for-a-c-c-cage.61100/

Of course if you'd prefer not to go through the hassle of building a c&c, another cage such as Midwest is perfectly fine. I would recommend buying two and connecting them so your piggies have more space: http://www.petco.com/product/116749/Midwest-Guinea-Habitat-Guinea-Pig-Cage.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch
There is also a "plus" one, it has a roof: http://www.petco.com/product/116477...lus-Guinea-Pig-Cage.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

A regular table is fine to put the cage on if you can't find a stand.
 
I have decided on a c&c cage, they seem way more convenient. Now I just need to find a place to put it. There is a nice spot downstairs, but I feel like that when I am not home, they would not get enough attention when I am absent- aka out of sight=out of mind. ( I switch between moms and dads every other week) :soz: But, they would be in the little sisters room, so I'm not sure then again. She "owns Fudge", my second boar.We unfortunately have zero spots to put the cage upstairs, so now I have to weigh my options. Bigger cage, or most likely but not definitely less attention every other week... Any more suggestions/ thoughts? :ple:
 
Hey, them, I'd go for the more space downstairs. What you could do is once you have the grids, cable tie some spare grids together so you can unfold it and use it as a run when your upstairs with some feece or towels underneath to protect your floor, then just pop them back in the cage downstairs at night?
& because you wont be handling them everyday, they'll deffo need as much space as you can offer :) does that mean your sister will be looking after them when your not there?

It should be easy for you to get the stuff over there in the US shouldn't it? Finding C&C stuff over here is hellish. lol

Deffo corrugated plastic base, cardbord will be soggy within hours. lol. Even the thin & bendy corrugated plastic is fine (the stuff they use for signposts), that's what I use now because it was much cheaper. I had the really thick expensive stuff before but because my cage is on the floor i tend to stand in it all the time when i'm cleaning it and i ended up slitting all the plastic. lol.
 
Agreed, more space but less attention is probably a better option. The piggies can keep eachother company, and all that space will make them really happy regardless of human attention.

You probably knew this already, but while you are away someone will still have to feed them every day, maybe your sister. I don't think she will have to clean their cage as long as you make sure the cage is cleaned out once a week, you could clean it first thing after you arrive at your mum/dad's house (whichever one has the piggies) or shortly before you leave. Normally it is recommended to spot clean (remove soiled bedding) every day and do a full cleanout once a week, but larger cages don't really need spot cleans inbetween full cleans because they don't smell as quickly, which is yet another advantage to bigger cages, so it is fine to just do a full clean once weekly.

Alternatively you could do a full clean out twice a week if you find the cage starts to smell too quickly, with you and your sister (or whoever is happy to clean them while you are away) taking turns doing the cleaning, or do just one spot clean between the full cleanout to freshen the cage up. Maybe you could do the full cleanout while she does the spot cleaning, or the other way round, whatever works for you. :)

Sorry if I bored you with my rambling, lol!

Definitely go for corrugated plastic. Sorry I just said correx, I should have been more clear. Correx (or coroplast) is the same thing as corrugated plastic.
 
Thank you so much for all your help! We actually will be doing some cage rearranging UPSTAIRS, so we will be able to have the pigs upstairs AND in a bigger cage! We are going to build the cage and work on the switches this weekend! The pigs' cage will be on the kennel, and the bearded dragon ( with some help from a little plexiglass and my stepdad ) will be moved into the double decker cage with the rabbit! (He will be in the upstairs where the gp's are now). Thanks again to everyone who has helped me, especially @Coco&Luna and @Ruby Inferno. So very excited! :yahoo::hug::lol::)):clap:
 
That's a very inventive use of a cage! sounds like you have a small zoo over there! lol What do you use as bedding for your beardie?
Good luck, I hope everything goes well!
Any chance of seeing photos of the results? including the bearded dragon/rabbit house, sounds interesting!
Your welcome, anytime!
 
:agr: For the liazard, we just lay newspaper down. It seems to work pretty well. I will try to post some pictures and pigtures, I will have to figure out how first though :D
 
We used panels for suspended ceiling lights for the sides and a plexiglass panel for the door/window. Pretty awesome, and the beardie seems to really like it :nod: We couldn't find any corrugated plastic or cubes, so we decided to makeshift it. We used two eight foot closet organizers for the sides, cut to have it 5' by 30''. We decided to use a wooden base with linoleum on top. It isn't quite done, but I will post pigtures when it is! :lol:
 
Wow those cages look amazing, very creative! And beautiful piggies! I love it how you have an actual pig asleep, so cute. :love:

On a side note, I've noticed you have some muesli-type food labelled "guinea pig". Sadly, muesli-style food often cause health problems in the long run and aren't particularly healthy, it may be a good idea to invest in some proper guinea pig pellets instead, such as Oxbow Cavy Cuisine. An 1/8th cup of pellets per day is usually ideal, but it does depend on how old your piggies are.

Also it seems you just feed them hay as a treat. They actually need to be able to graze on unlimited hay 24/7. They should eat about their entire body weight in hay every day, Hay makes up around 80% of their diet, veggies make up 10-15% (a cupful/nearly 2oz), and pellets make up 5-10%, the amount of pellets depends on their age (information from: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/)

Here is a list of veggies you can feed:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

And of course, they need access to fresh water, which has to be unlimited just like hay. I'm not sure if your piggies already have access to water or not as I can't see a water bottle/bowl in any of the pictures, correct me if I'm wrong though. If they don't, all they need is a cheap pet water bottle from a pet shop, attached to the cage with the nozzle at a comfortable height. Although if they don't know how to use water bottles you can use a bowl, but piggies can be a bit messy so it would have to be refilled preferably twice daily. Sorry if it feels like I'm lecturing you, or if you feel I'm criticising you. You seem like a great piggy mummy, I'm just trying to help you become an even better piggy mummy. :)
 
I live in a small apartment and this is my cage. I have 6 piggies in it and it's enough space pulse during the day they get the run of the sitting room. I just keep building up it cost me maybe 100 bucks to build.image.webp
 
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