Perspective owner: cage, bedding, diet questions

[artgecko]

Hello! I am a perspective guinea pig owner and have been doing some research on various sites. I had a few questions that I haven’t been able to find the answers to online, so I thought I’d post them here and see if I could get some feedback from current owners. Please feel free to move this post if it is in the incorrect forum or redirect me to another post if an older one answers the questions I’ve posted below. Thank you in advance for your time and advice! I greatly appreciate any help you can give me.

Background: I currently have 1 indoor cat and 3 geckos (I have kept planted aquaria in the past and last had small animals when in middle school). We have a “cat free” guest bedroom, which is ideally where the guinea pigs would live. I work during the day, but would be able to spend time with the pigs before / after work and plan to have a wire playpen for their use when I’m there to supervise. I know that guinea pigs can live 5+ years, so I don’t want to enter into ownership lightly.. I have posted questions below about their cage needs, bedding, and diet to help me make the right decision.

Cage size / type
1. In regards to cage size, I have heard a minimum of 7 square feet for 2 guinea pigs. The piece of furniture (a desk) that I have available to put a cage on is apx. 20” W x 42”L. Would this be too small for a pair of guinea pigs?

2. Would any of these store-bought cages work, or would I be better off trying to build my own?
www.petco.com/product/116477/Midwest-Guinea-Habitat-Plus-Guinea-Pig-Cage.aspx?CoreCat=MM_SmallAnimalSupplies_CagesHabitatsHutches,

www.petco.com/product/108250/Super-Pet-Habitat-Defined-Home-for-Rabbits.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Small%20Animal_1-_-Super%20Pet%20Habitat%20Defined%20Home%20for%20Rabbits-108250

www.petco.com/product/117684/WARE-Living-Room-Rabbit-Home.aspx

Bedding / fleece?
3. I live in an apartment and find the idea of using fleece / cage liners very appealing vs. traditional bedding (since I could just poop-scoop and then wash the liners when dirty).. Keeping their enclosure as odor-free as possible would be priority #1 for me. For those that use fleece, how often do you have to wash the fleece to keep the cage as stink-less as possible? Also, do you find that using fleece increases or decreases the smelliness compared to other bedding?

Diet / Care
4. I would plan on offering them a quality pellet food, hay, and fresh veggies daily. On average, can you give me a ball park figure for how much it would cost to feed 2 GPs a month?

5. We (my husband and I) occasionally go for an overnight trip. We get a sitter for the animals if we will be gone several days in a row. Would GP’s be OK if left alone (given a full water bottle and plenty of extra hay and pellets) for a 1-2 night trip max?

Thank you again for your time and help!
Sincerely,
Artgecko

[3piggles]

Hello, and glad you stopped by. I will try to address all your questions.

Avoid store bought cages. Pigs like to be in a conveyance or held with both hands, which you can't do with the little openings. C&C is better, as you can build it with a hinged top, if you even need a top. Also, buy the grids at a local store if possible, as the cages on Amazon are ridiculously expensive. You table is minimal, and two small for two boars. Boars need more space, as they are more territorial.

Fleece wicks liquid to an absorbent layer below, usually towel or some sort of pad. If a cage smells, it could need another layer of absorbent padding, it could be what the pigs are eating, or both.

Clean out the poos and used hay daily, change the bedding weekly. Wash the bedding in scent-free detergent, no fabric softener or dryer sheets.

FOOD: My ball park figure is probably about $40/month. I use Oxbow pellets and buy my hay online. Buying at a pet store is the most expensive. Buying at a feed/grain store saves money but you have to find one that sells what you want. Start with a store that sells Oxbow pellets and hay, if possible.

The pigs will be fine left overnight, though the bigger the cage the better for the amount of poos that pile up! Also add an extra water bottle, as those bottles can let go and empty all the water, leaving the pigs without water.

I hope this has answered your questions and not overwhelmed you completely!

[artgecko]

3piggies- Thank you for your advice! After doing some more figuring, I think I have something large enough to sit this cage on: www.amazon.com/Midwest-Interactive-Guinea-Habitat-Plus/dp/B001NJ0DQ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344371302&sr=8-1&keywords=midwest+guinea+pig+habitat

I've read good reviews of the cage above and think it should be large enough for 2 pigs... I'd probably get sows if I can find them in this area and hopefully locate some that have been housed together and get along already.

I like the idea of using a product like the piggy bedspreads or cage liners with a layer of fleece and something more absorbent that I've seen for sale on etsy (maybe with some smaller pads under the feeding areas / igloos, etc. that I can change out more frequently).

I will have to do more research into the cost and availability of feed.. I don't know of any feed stores around me and I don't have an outdoor space to store hay in bales even if I could get it locally.

Thank you again for you help!
Artgecko

[3piggles]

If you can see one in a pet store, just check that you can get both arms in the openings to handle the pigs. I have seen those cages, and I think, if you go to the housing thread in our Wheekerpedia section, a member has a good set up with those cages.

Piggy urine can really stain, and I have heard that the inside of the base of these cages can get really stained. Don't use newspaper, as the ink also stains. You might try clear, self-adhesive contact paper over the canvas or plastic base covering, just to protect it. You can wipe it clean easily, and it will preserve the cage base.

[artgecko]

Thank you again so much for your help! I never would have thought about contact paper, that's a great idea.

I will check out the cage in store if I can before buying it. I may also be able to do a C&C cage if I can buy something to sit it on and find the room to put it somewhere... Otherwise, I'll probably have to go with the midwest cage... I'm thinking the midwest cage will be a lot cheaper as well, than doing a C&C, so we'll see.

Thank you again for all of your help!
Artgecko

[yodelpig]

Hi and welcome!

2x4 ft (8 ft square) is actually the current minimum recommendation. If you want to get boars, we recommend a minimum of 10ft square (2x5 ft). If you go C&C, you are so much more flexible and can extend easily.

It would be great if you considered rescue. Sadly, that is not as easy in the US as in Britain, but it is worth looking around for rescues and shelters within your reach.

Please get two guinea pigs of the same gender; piggies are group animals and not really wired to be on their own.

[artgecko]

yodelpig- Thank you for your advice! I would love to give them a big cage, but I have to consider room size and whether or not I can find something to put a large cage on. Even if I have to go with a slightly smaller cage (the midwest one) I will still purchase a large x-pen for them and give them lots of floor time daily. My only qualm with eh C&C cages is stability and lack of availability of the pan material (cloroplast?) locally. If I do a C&C cage, I'll have to order at least that online.

I would prefer 2 females over males (I had a male when I was a kid and remember having impaction issues, etc, so would like to give the ladies a try). I will definitely check out our local shelter.. There are no guinea pig rescues in towns around where I live and no guinea pigs posted on craig's list or petfinder. I would prefer either rescue or getting the pigs from a good breeder over buying them in a store, but I may not have much choice where I live.

[3piggles]

Males do have impaction issues sometimes, but females have reproductive issues that can be very costly. I don't know if we've mentioned it, but have a vet fund or a credit card you keep paid off enough for some expensive vet visits.

Also, call around your area to find a good exotics vet. Ask if they have many guinea pig clients, and if they ADVISE neutering all guinea pigs. They should answer "yes" to the first question, and "no" to the second one. Neutering requires anesthesia, which can be fatal if the pigs are kept under too long. Any really knowledgeable vet will tell you not to neuter if you don't have to, and to neuter only the male if you want to mix the sexes.

Prices for vet services vary so much between vets and different locations, it's also good to get a basic fee list for office visits/exams, xrays, meds, etc. Whatever they have listed. It's also good to have a back up vet, as they do take vacations or get sick.

[justagrrl]

We put the c&c cage on a dresser that we put plywood on top of. That way the base was solid. We had the plywood cut to the size of the c&c bottom. You can find coroplast at sign stores and hardware stores. The cubes are 19.99 a bundle here. I had to buy a couple of packs. Coroplast was about 20.00 a sheet. There's video instruction on you tube of how to make it. I wish I'd just gone the c&c route to begin with as I wasted a lot more money trying other things and then moving onto the c&c.

[3piggles]

About the same as it is here, Justagirl! Also, I've looked at the fabulous cage designs sold on Ebay, and some would be major back killers to clean. I've had to modify my designs over the years for that reason.

If the corners of the plywood are sharp, there are corner pads available at Walmart, Babies R Us, Target, etc. They come with double-sided sticky pads to attach them to the corners. Protect babies from bumping into table corners, us from getting caught on plywood corners!

[jolovespiggies]

A very warm welcome love, glad you have joined us.

Hugs
JO xx