Need some Cage/Pen Advice

rjespicer

Post   » Tue Aug 21, 2018 11:51 am


It was my Step Daughters suggestion. I call her Chunky for short, because she kind of is. ;)

No one has been back up to the loft yet. I am hoping they will get the hang of it before long as it gives them a bit more space and a nicer sleeping area.

rjespicer

Post   » Thu Nov 01, 2018 3:31 pm


Had to change the pen set up slightly after we had some issues with the loft. For a start only one of them, Chunkita, had managed to get up and down the ramps. However while I was away she went up in to the loft but then on the way down decided to jump off of the ramp about halfway down scaring the wife half to death.

She landed a little heavily and just lay there for a while but then got up and trotted off as if nothing had happened

So the wife took the lift off and extended the cage to a 1 x 7 with an additional 1 x 2 L off of the end. She used the Cloroplast for the loft plus a few off cuts we had to cover the base but this wasn’t ideal so I bought a 2x 3 cloroplast base and used that to make sure it was all properly covered plus got a couple more fleece liners to fit the new area.

Will post a few pictures when I get my PC sorted out.

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Nov 05, 2018 12:03 am


Pictures as promised

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Nov 05, 2018 7:21 am


That is a great cage! I love all the space. Those are some lucky guinea pigs!!!

rjespicer

Post   » Mon Nov 05, 2018 6:07 pm


Yep it is pretty big, but not as big as some I have seen, it now works out to the equivalent of a 2x8 which gives them plenty of room to run about and also for us to put a few more toys and hideys in. I drilled a load of holes in the plastic one to make sure it is well ventilated. They seem to really like the straw ones though. The daughter likes to switch things around to stop them getting bored. That said they dont use the hideys that much and generally sleep in the cuddle cups or just under the covered area. Judging by the amount of squeaking and chirping and pop-corning I think they like it. They also get floor time most days as well so they get plenty of exercise. Even so Chunkita is still living up to her nickname. During floor time Nala will often just lie down on her side for a nap under the dining table.

The only problem now is trying to find someone to look after them while we are all away, having difficulty finding some one to pet sit that we feel will look after them properly, we have also looked at boarding but the only place I trust so far is fully booked. One of the other places needed us to supply the cage and bedding and this isn't really portable. They seemed to be expecting a Pet Shop style cage and since we are using liners I wouldn't know what other bedding to use and how much of it we would need. It didn't seem like they would be able to cover washing liners. We do have a Mid West Habitat but I wouldn't be comfortable with them having to stay in that for more than a week, especially if they dont get floor time.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Nov 16, 2018 2:51 pm


So after having said they didn't use the hideys we had this happen the other week

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Its not easy to tell but all 3 of them are in the one hidey.

When I lifted it up they were all ok and happy and trotted off but as soon as I put it back down again they all headed back in to it. So i dont think there was any issues with any of them being trapped or anything they just seemed to like snuggling together.

Anyway I didn't fancy the idea of they all being in there even with all teh extra holes I had already drilled in it for ventilation so I started looking for a bigger hidey without much luck. Remembering some of the comments about using stools I had a look for some but the local dollar store and other shops didn't have them so I got a Step stool online for about $11 which seems to have done the trick. I thought I would share in case it is useful for others but didn't want to start a whole new thread on, it so tacked it on here

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I plan on removing teh label but just wanted to see how they took to it first.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Nov 16, 2018 3:55 pm


Looks promising!

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Nov 16, 2018 4:06 pm


I did have a fleece draped over it but they pulled it off during the night. I might see if I can use velcro or something to keep it in place.

It is big enough for all 3 of them to sleep under. They do seem to like sleeping next to each other. The previous night Chunkita and Nala were sleeping with their noses just touching, it was kinda cute.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Nov 16, 2018 7:04 pm


Aw, that is sweet!

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GrannyJu1
Supporter in '21

Post   » Sat Nov 17, 2018 10:04 am


How do you keep them from burrowing under the fleece? I finally gave up and put bricks on all the corners. I don't like the bricks because it cuts into their running/playing space but I've yet to come up with another solution.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Nov 17, 2018 1:46 pm


I recall some people using binder clips and others bringing the edges of the fleece up the wall of the coroplast and using an 1" paper binding thing to kind of hold it in place.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sat Nov 17, 2018 2:24 pm


What a great space for those piggies! When I set up my play area I made a base using a sheet of wainscoting and attached wood strips for a lip all the way around. It’s like a frame and I put the cage inside. That way I can cover the entire base with a waterproof sheet, then I put the absorbent layer inside, and drape a layer of fleece over the edge. The cage is on top of the fleece and there is no burrowing.

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