Guinea pigs are wonderful pets that can give joy only by their presence in the house. Each owner of this fluffy miracle wants to create the best conditions for his animal. And although there is no shortage of various accessories for rodents in stores, many still do not spare time and imagination to have a home-made, unique cage for a guinea pig. It is about how to make a cage for this animal with your own hands, and we will discuss below.
Cell Material
We must not forget that the guinea pig is primarily a rodent. This means that the cell must be made of durable material that is not easy to gnaw on. In this case, the cage must be safe for the health of the pet. That is, so that he, even if he bit a cell slightly, could not poison himself and die. The most commonly used materials for the construction of such cells are multilayer corrugated cardboard and metal mesh. Corrugated cardboard is very convenient to use, it is lightweight, strong, durable and safe for a rodent. It can be pre-glued on both sides with wide tape or covered with acrylic. Practice shows that pigs do not at all strive to gnaw this material, moreover, it does not absorb odor at all.
A metal mesh is a very important element that allows you to construct really large cages for guinea pigs. Due to its strength, such a grid can withstand several floors of shelves, ladders and hammocks. That's just the size of the cells will need to be determined in advance. In general, 3 cm cells are sufficient for adult guinea pigs. However, if this is a cage for a family of rodents with babies, the cells should be smaller. There is another option with the construction of separate "mother cells" for the female and cubs inside a large common cage.
Guinea pig cage size
The size of the future cell needs to be considered before proceeding with its manufacture. There is a simple rule: there is no too big cell. The more spacious it is, the better. The only question is where to find a place in the apartment for a huge aviary. The animal, of course, will be more convenient in a large cage, but the possibilities of our standard apartments are also limited. We will proceed from average generally accepted standards. For every adult pig, you need no less than 0.7 m 2 . This is 100 cm by 70 cm. If you plan to breed pigs, then you need to multiply the area by 5-6 times.
Remember: guinea pig is not a squirrel or chinchilla. She will not jump on the shelves higher and higher, she likes to move on the floor more. The biggest thing you can offer her is the second floor with a smooth, cool climb. The size of the cage for a guinea pig can be different, but usually the cells and aviaries make one-story, spacious, more like corrals for herd animals.
Pallet making
No matter how wide the pallet is, its height should be at least 15 cm. After all, a cage for a guinea pig necessarily assumes the presence of litter, and with a low pallet it will constantly fall out. Small rodents like to rummage through sawdust and shavings, so it is better to make the pallet higher. On the other hand, you need to consider where it will stand. If the cage with a high pallet is raised high above the floor, the pig in the cage simply will not be visible, and the pet will not see the owners. It is best to put on the floor or on low tables or tables.
Corrugated cardboard for a pallet is convenient in that it is easy to give it any shape. Usually a rectangular box is formed with a wall height of 15-20 cm. The size of the floor can be any - this is the beauty of a handmade cage for guinea pigs. Photos of cells are presented in the article. The main thing is not to forget to glue the walls from the inside with several layers of adhesive tape or cover with acrylic. In the latter case, it will be necessary to wait at least a couple of days until the protective layer has completely dried before introducing the pig into the cage. But it will be better to ventilate the pallet in the open air for several days.
Walls and ceiling
When the pallet is ready, walls of metal mesh are attached to it. Most often they are attached with cable ties. You can also connect “tightly” wire. If the cage for the guinea pig will be with shelves, they need to be cut to size in advance, and then attached to the walls at the desired level. Do not make too many of them and place them high off the floor. These rodents do not like to climb and prefer to sit on the floor.
It is quite convenient to assemble and fasten the whole frame together with the floor from the net, and then just insert it into the pallet and remove it if necessary. This will be more convenient to do if you build a special handle on top of the roof. So it will be possible at any time to simply remove the cage from the pallet, clean it, and then insert it all back.
Arrangement
The main thing that makes a DIY cage for a guinea pig different from a store bought in a store is the unlimited possibilities of arranging the "interior." Drinking bowls, feeding troughs, minks, tunnels, hammocks, shelves and much more interesting things can be thought out so that the furry animal would be interesting and comfortable to live in his house.
It is better to buy a drinking bowl for rodents in a store. It consists of a bottle and a special tube with a ball at the end. Water from such a drinking bowl will not pour out and wet the litter. All other accessories can be made independently. The house is better placed on the floor, and not on the top of the shelf. In addition to a nook, you can make tunnels and labyrinths of cardboard. Guinea pigs like to climb into minks and run along narrow passages. Rises to the second floor are best made from wide wooden planks, and not from a grid. The guinea pig cage should contain several feeders. It is also recommended to build a sennik for fresh grass and hay. If you simply put them in a cage, the pet will spread the greens all over the floor.
Features of the manufacture of the mother liquor
Separately, it is worth mentioning what kind of cage a guinea pig with cubs will need to be built. This can be either a separate "housing" with a fine mesh and a spacious house-hole, or a removable mother queen placed inside a common aviary. The main rule is that the female giving birth and feeding the cubs should be kept separately from other animals.
The motherboard can serve as a large box no smaller than 50x50 cm in size with the entrance closed on top. In fact, this is a hole in which the pig will equip the nest, give birth to cubs and feed them. The bottom of the mother liquor should be lined with large non-coniferous chips. A feeder and a drinking bowl should be placed right at the entrance, as the female will not want to leave her babies for a minute at first. The very same cell with the mother liquor should be in a quiet, dark and warm place away from household appliances.
Big cage advantage
Large cages for guinea pigs have significant advantages over small ones, moreover, this is proved by the leading veterinarians of the world. Mumps just need to actively move in order to have healthy joints, heart, lungs and stomach. Indeed, in nature they are constantly in motion. In addition, in a large cage, you can place more toys, mazes, minks and different game zones.
Guinea pigs are friendly creatures. But if you keep several individuals in a tight cage, they can start to fight. In the spacious cage, each pet will find a separate zone, so that fights for the territory will be excluded. Also in a spacious enclosure is much more convenient to clean. And it’s very interesting to watch how the pigs frolic and run in full swing.
Wooden display case
Recently, display cases for rodents have been popular. Such a cage is made for a guinea pig from a tree, and watching the pets living in it is very exciting. You can remake an ordinary bedside table or a small chest of drawers under such a showcase. True, wood is not the most suitable material for rodents:
- Firstly, this natural material is a kind of delicacy for pigs. Toothy pets probably will not resist the temptation to gnaw at the walls and floor of a tree.
- Secondly, the tree gets wet and absorbs odors.
- Thirdly, the lacquer coating of furniture, from which homemade aviaries are made, can be dangerous to the health of the guinea pig.
Perhaps the purchase of a factory window that complies with safety and operating standards is the best option for caring owners.