Most cells for guinea pigs are too small. Guinea pigs need a suitable place for movement and a separate place for a house in which your favorites could hide and sleep quietly. In addition, the cell should be a separate place for feeding and a playground. No animal should constantly live in a limited space, so make sure your pig can really train and run in your cell.
Cage size for guinea pigs
Why does the size matter? Guinea pigs are one of those major rodents who are kept as pets, and yet their typical cell is not too spacious, rather than the houses for rodents less, such as hamsters and gerbils.
While small animal cells are often higher than wider, guinea pigs, on the contrary, you need to increase the living area so that there is a place for movement and digging. Guinea pigs will mainly move at the bottom of the shelving and cells. Rampes and platforms at low altitudes are able to provide the desired space for the normal existence of a guinea pig. In addition to staying in a cage, guinea pigs must be able to run out of the shelving and cells.
Recommendations for the size of cages for guinea pigs:
- One guinea pig: Cage 230 kV. cm (minimum), as a rule, 80 * 90 cm is a good size;
- Two guinea pigs: 230 sq. M. cm (minimum), but preferably 320 square meters. cm; As a rule, 75 * 125 cm is a good size;
- Three guinea pigs: 320 sq. M. cm; As a rule, 75 * 155 cm is a good size;
- Four guinea pigs: 400 sq. M. See (minimum), but the more, the better, 75 * 200 cm is the optimal size.
Make a rack with your own hands
Creating a suitable rack for rodent is not too complex task. We bring to your attention step-by-step instructions.Plan a layout
The more the cage, the better. The pet house must be designed so that the rack has two floors. However, it will take a ramp for this, so if you plan to do this, make sure that your guinea pig will be able to climb such a ramp. Unlike many other small rodents, guinea pigs are not very sporty and may experience difficulties in the rise of a steep slope.
Please note that guinea pigs should not be placed outdoors. They should be placed indoors with a temperature of + 18-27 ° C (65-80 ° F).
Think up types of building materials from which the rack will be collected
The best are those that are collected from the wood array. Avoid cheap and fragile plywood. In addition, you will need a grid, wooden staples, screws or nails, galvanized latches and tools, such as an electric drill, hammer, screwdriver, tape measure, nippers and saw.
By the way, a large stand or a small cabinet can be perfectly used for the rack and turn into a functional free cage. It will relieve you from the need to buy all the new materials to create a frame on your own.
Before proceeding with construction, make a detailed project on a scale (with actual dimensions). This will allow you to know exactly how much wood, nails and other materials you will need.
Build frame
Start with the preparation of bars you need to cut in size from purchased wood. Depending on how big you want to make a cage, you will need three separate sizes for wooden parts: length, width and height.
For example, your sizes can be about 75 * 150 * 40 cm. You will need at least 4 beams of such length, widths and heights, if you want to build a separate part for a shelving with the opening door.
Measure wood and recheck before cutting. With the help of electric drills, drill holes for fastening a slightly smaller size than your screw, and then insert the screw with a drill. All sliced wooden parts need to be collected in one design. If you do not have experience with the tools, independent assembly and the construction of the rack may be problematic.
Install the floor, walls and roof
The cell must have a solid floor and a roof of wood or plastic. Although some people recommend using a floor grid, however, it can be dangerous for your pet and lead to a fracture or pinching legs, for example. Instead, make the walls of the wire mesh. It is just necessary to cut pieces of the mesh of the appropriate size and attach wooden brackets to the collected body.
Wooden floors, unfortunately, strongly absorb moisture. To avoid this, you can put something waterproof on the floor (for example, tarpaulin), under the thick layer of paper or chips, the tarpaulin will not be able to absorb moisture.
We independently make a pen for guinea pigs for open grass walks.
In addition to cells and rack, where your guinea pigs will be most of the time, you can make a special pen.
The pen is a large mesh cell without the bottom, which you can put right on the grass. Such a special design will allow your guinea pigs to exercise, run and just walk without risk to get lost while walking outdoors in fresh grass.
Many guinea pigs will also bite the wooden floor or other parts of the wood cell. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that over time you have to repair the rack.
How to create optimal living conditions for sea pig
Spacious cells have many advantages, for example, large enclosures will be perfectly suitable for rack or cells that you buy or make it yourself.
Guinea pigs are capable of living 5-7 years old and can turn into bored, depressed pets, if they have no adequate stimulation. Imagine that you will spend your whole life in the dressing room. Life would be rather boring, is it not true?
Sufficient space for classes means that your guinea pigs will have less chances to get sick with such diseases as heart disease, diabetes or other disorders. In a more spacious shelving, guinea pigs can train and run when they want.
Guinea pigs are usually most active in the morning and evenings. At this time, they can gladly eat and play, having fun publishing different sounds and misstaining.
If your pets have a place where they can dig the pits, it will significantly increase the likelihood of peaceful coexistence of several guinea pigs (since guinea pigs are social animals, they better cope when they are placed together).
Large cells and racks are in fact easier to clean, which means that the pets of the pets will be more often cleaned. This will prevent the accumulation of garbage. In a cage, guinea pigs should be pure and dry so that your pets remain happy.
It is impossible to use a cedar and pine chips as a rack and cell filler due to the gums and oils for guinea pigs, which they contain. Use paper towels into several layers to absorb moisture to be maximum.
About how to make a rack for guinea pigs, see the next video.