Housing
Forums
All Things Cavy
Care Information
Choosing a pig
Food and Hay
Bedding
Housing
Vegetables
Cavy Company
Title 4
Title 5
SECTION 4
Title 2
Title 3
Title 4
Title 5
Title 6
Once you decide that you want a cavy you need to know how to house them! The main thing to remember is that Cavies are domesticated animals and therefore should be kept INDOORS and not OUTDOORS. There are many problems with keeping them outside.
- Less socialized
- Risk of being eaten by predators
- Risk of heat stroke and freezing weather
- Risk of being stole or killed by thugs
- You can’t notice illnesses as quickly which is vital in the care for guinea pigs!
Pet Store cages are too small and the breeder’s
standard of 2sq ft per pig is gone. A single pig needs at least 7.5sq ft and
you add an additional 2sq ft for every extra pig (More is always better!)
Since Pet Store cages are too small you will need to make your own! The most
commonly used cage is a Cubes and Coroplast cage; you can find more
information about these cages and how to build them at:
Cavy Cages
Another factor that you need to think about before building your cage is
location. The cage should be situated near family activity, the room should
be draft free, have a stable temperature (between 65F-75F) and the room should
be bright. The cage can be put on the floor but it is safer and the pigs
prefer being higher up; this way you don't look like so much of a giant to
them!
UK suppliers of Cubes:
Argos, is the cheapest and nearest to most! Some
people have had luck with finding the cubes in Pound Stretcher
USA suppliers of cubes
You can normally find Correx/Coroplast in any local
sign writing shop.
Now that you have you cage built you can start filling it up! See the
bedding section on what bedding to use. In your cage you should have a water
bottle, food bowl, two hidey houses and as many toys as you like! My pigs
favorite toys are Super Pets chairs, cuddle E cups and beds.
To see some example photo's of these cubes and coroplast cages please visit
the Cage photo page!
by Dr Doughnut:
Building Tips!
When I built my first cube cage, I made so many mistakes. Here is a guide that will help you build it.
1. Design
When designing, draw it on paper. This makes ideas more organized. Remember to design it where the weight is distributed everywhere. If you try making it supported by corners only, it will sag. If it is built with the support in the middle, it will stretch. Try using crosses, they work good. Also, a common mistake is accessibility. It may be hard to grab your pigs, or you may pull a muscle cleaning. Remember that although the sky is the limit in thinking of it, your height and reach are the limit to how big you can make it.
2. Materials
The recommended materials for building the cage are cubes and coroplast. They recommend using the little connecters. They work well, but not for making 2 story cages I found. Use zip ties too, if you plan to build it using support not by table, but by itself. They work much better, but a problem is they flex.
3. Does it work!
What I do is I spread a bunch of little objects suck as legos all over the cage. Then I try to remove all of them. If you cant reach certain spots, you have to start over. I tried 3 times before it worked.
Cavy spirit, a great site
Guinea Lynx, a medical site
Petshub, a great forum
Quick Links
Cavy Cages
Guinea Lynx
Cavy Spirit
Petshub
Pigloo
Wheekers
UK adoption
US adoption
Treens Page
Tyler Smith Site
