Tag Archives: cage

is my guinea pig's cage too small

Is My Guinea Pig’s Cage Too Small?

Making a home for your guinea pig

A mistake that a lot of piggie owners make, especially those new to owning guinea pigs, is having a cage that is too small for them.

It is easy to get a cage from a pet store or get it second hand and think it is sufficient for a guinea pig will be happy enough in the cage.

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However, the truth is that the cage needs to be big enough for them to run around in and exercise.

The minimum size for keeping one guinea pig is 7.5 square metres.

This is really important as they get bored very easily and their quality of life will deteriorate. Often in pet stores, you will see cages or hutches that are just far too small for them (like the one above) and being in a small cage makes for a miserable life for a piggie.

So as to work out whether your guinea pig has enough or will have enough space in their cage or hutch, here are some things to consider.

1. Firstly, when getting a cage always think about whether they will have sufficient space to run around in. Do you have sufficient space in your home to make this available?

2. Standard guinea pig cages are almost always too small for your piggies. Why not be creative and try and expand the area around them so they can exercise in, especially if you have more than two piggies. You could also use a good wooden box. The piggies don’t care. If your cages are outside this can be done by combining two cages around a pen which can be used to give the guinea pigs space to run around. If its inside then, make a space and create a tray like space for them to run around on.

3. Why not build your own with a C&C cage. These are the best on the market for good sized guinea pig cages. These are different form cages you might find in a pet store and are such that you can construct with the guinea pig’s happiness and well being in mind. Check out their site for more details and some great ideas for alternative cages.

4. Here are some good measurements to go by;

If you have two guinea pigs the minimum size should be 7.5 square metres.

If you have three guinea pigs the minimum size should be 10 square metres.

If you have four or more guinea pigs the minimum size should be 13 square metres.

These are generally thought to be the measurements that most piggie owners use to ensure that their piggie cages are the appropriate size for their guinea pigs.

So if you are pondering the question ‘is my guinea pig cage too small?’ then use those guidelines and you’ll get the answer.

There are some great ideas out there for building great cages for your piggies with a good amount of space, here is one idea;

can guinea pigs share a cage

Can Guinea Pigs Share A Cage?

Making a home for your guinea pig, , , ,

Guinea pigs are very popular pets.

They are beloved all across the world for their cuteness, their geniality, their amenability and can become very tame the more you get to know them and the more they get to know you.

It can be hard to know whether you should have one guinea pig or two or even more when you first get a guinea pig.

Many people just have one guinea pig especially if they are first time owners, but many owners may choose to have more.

So if you happen to have a guinea pig on its own or have acquired multiple guinea pigs, can guinea pigs share a cage?

Can guinea pigs share a cage?

It’s absolutely fine for guinea pigs to share a cage, in fact, they will much prefer sharing a cage than living on their own.

Guinea pigs are social animals and so are not at their best when they live on their own.

When they live with other guinea pigs, they much prefer it and so even if its just another guinea pig they share with, it is much more preferable to being left on their own.

They enjoy the stimulation of being with other guinea pigs. Guinea pigs talk to each other, they help each other, they keep each other company even if they aren’t talking to one another.

They much prefer living with other guinea pigs than being on their own.

Males and females

Just make sure that males share with males and females share with females unless of course they are neutered.

Putting male and females together is a recipe for more guinea pigs than you can handle and a situation that could be detrimental to bother guinea pigs.

Cage and hutch size

Also, make sure that the cage is large enough that they have enough space to walk around in and have their own space.

The cage or hutch needs to be as big as possible for your guinea pigs to roam around in. They enjoy running around to exercise themselves.

The bigger the hutch or cage, the better it is for them.

There are different types of hutch or cage such as wooden cages, metal cages, or even very nice c&c cages which can be constructed to the owner’s specific needs.

So yes, they can share a cage and it is for the best of each guinea pig that they do share one.

bringing home a guinea pig

Bringing Home a Guinea Pig: Arriving Home

Making a home for your guinea pig, , , ,

In the second part of this series we look at what do before and after you arrive home with your Guinea Pig.

Before bringing home a guinea pig make sure that you have in place these essential things;

Being prepared for bringing home a guinea pig

Get a good Guinea Pig cage

Do you house the guinea pig in a cage or do you have a hutch that the guinea pig can stay in?

They will need about 7.5 square foot of space each, which is a rough guide to the kind of cage you need to think about.

Also think about where you want to put the cage.

Obviously it needs to fit around your family requirements but what also needs to be brought into consideration is that Guinea pigs are very social animals and being on their own is not good for them.

If you can, having them around your family will be very beneficial for them.

If you have any pets in your home , think about whether they can handle having another pet in the home. Some may feel threatened by this so do take this into consideration for the benefit of your guinea pig and the present pet.

Guinea Pig food

Make sure you get enough food in for the Guinea Pig.

What i have found with Guinea Pigs is that they are always hungry and never tire of eating. So it is worth having a stock of food to feed your guinea pig.

Get some guinea pig food from a pet store and a stock of vegetables such as carrots to feed your Guinea pig.

Lettuce is also a favourite and worth stocking up on.

Water for your Guinea Pig

Purchase a water bottle as one of the first thing s you do so the Guinea Pig does not get thirsty and fill it and attach it to the side of the cage in an accessible place that it can get to it easily.

Hay 

It is worth purchasing some hay to lay down in the cage for the Guinea Pig to eat and to make its bed on.

A Run 

Guinea Pigs need exercise and love to run. Have a place where they can run around in.

If you have the garden to do this in, it might be worth making an enclosed area where they can run around in.

You can also purchase large grids that you can place on grass that will allow the Guinea Pig to run around in.

What to do when you get your Guinea Pig home

When you get home and you have its cage all ready to go, carefully lift the guinea pig out of the carrier and give it a good cuddle.

Its important that it gets to know you and what you are like as its owner, building up the trust is important.

It may appear nervous and wriggle around but that’s perfectly normal as it will be nervous and its first instinct will be to go and hide.

After a few minutes of holding it, place the guinea pig in the cage and shut the door.

Believe it or not, talking to the guinea pig will help it acclimatise and get to know your voice. This is important for the guinea pig in getting to know its new surroundings.