sadyandmrsk
Tin Member
2 Rescue Piggies On a better road to a better life with me :)
Posts: 67
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Post by sadyandmrsk on Oct 17, 2016 1:20:55 GMT
So i am moving my guinea pigs (Again). They were in a 4x5 c&c cage but now that we are finishing my basement they had to be moved to my room. recently me and my sister switched rooms (Because were weird haha) and I'm in the smaller of the 2 rooms. The girls are in a temporary 2x4 c&c cage. We both didn't like the chance so we are switching back which means more space for a cage! hehe. I want to build a cage similar to the picture: Attachment DeletedI am confused on which woods to use. I did a bit of research and the cheapest in my store is pine. since pine bedding isn't safe, is pine plywood? If its not the next choice is spruce. Its quite cheap to. For the glass part i would use Clear Coroplast or plexy glass (Sorry for my spelling) although its very expensive! For the bottom it would be made of plywood also but i will be putting in sticker tiles... not sure what they are really called lol. My last question is can guinea pigs eat the plant in the picture? i have one and its a type of fern. I just want to know your thoughts and tips
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Whimsy
Bronze Member
Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Oct 18, 2016 3:59:49 GMT
Wow, that's like a piggie mansion. I can't wait to see yours when you're done. Sorry, I can't help you with the wood selection, because I really don't know anything about it.
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Post by Bean on Oct 18, 2016 8:32:38 GMT
It's the oil that pine gives off that can be a problem. But any timber you buy will have been well dried out and aired so shouldn't cause a problem whether it's solid pine or plywood.
You will of course need to treat the wood to make sure the urine doesn't get absorbed and rot the wood, even if you're using another barrier right under the bedding. It's been a while since I've done it so can't think of any products to recommend, but it needs to be safe to be used around animals and to be dried out very thoroughly before you expose any animals to it.
Make sure that good ventilation is built into the cage, especially if it has any kind of a roof or the sides are high. Especially if you get warmer weather when air flow will massively improve the comfort of your pigs. It's a great cage though! When you're making something like that, it's also a good idea to first cut out something like a bit of paper or card the right size and make sure you'll be able to reach to the back easily to retrieve pigs or clean it!
Keep us posted with how you get on! I'd love to make a cage for my gang, but unfortunately I never seem to get round to it!
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Post by shades on Oct 18, 2016 12:51:32 GMT
Can I just add that I wouldn't recommend plywood as it's usually got a lot of glue between the layers. Solid wood is better, although that can make the cage much heavier. I wonder if you can use grids around the outside on a wooden base...
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 18, 2016 22:01:30 GMT
I was going to add that, Shades. Plywood isn't a great option, as Shades said. Also, any wood you use will have to be sealed with an oil the pigs can safely chew, so that's a consideration. Next, do you have a lot of power tools, and the skills to use them? That cage is like a doll house, built of specialty wood, usually found in 2'x4' pieces in home centers. Some craft stores may sell some of the parts prebuilt, such as the stairs, but they won't be very solid. Again, doll house solid. I advise you to look online for plans to build such a house. The plans will tell you all you need to have, including wood, fasteners, and tools, and sometimes a skill level. Then you know exactly what's required, and the plans might even list the types of wood to use. That's a piggy palace, for sure. As Bean said, make sure it has sufficient ventilation, and make sure it comes apart in ways that make it easy for you to keep it clean. Good luck, and I can't wait to see what you make
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Post by jolovespiggies on Oct 19, 2016 8:10:06 GMT
That is fantastic hun, yes please do show us when you have finished building yours.
Hugs Jo xx
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