Cages & Bedding
Cages • Bedding • Hay Racks • Hidey/Houses • Water Bottles • Temperature
Cage Standards
Guinea pigs require a minimum of 8 sq ft. Most pet stores do not provide adequate starter cages, despite claiming that they do. Lofts can be a great addition, but do not count towards the required minimum sq footage. If you're planning to expand, it's often better to go out rather than up. Guinea pigs are not climbers like rabbits, hamsters, and mice. It is important they have plenty of room to run around and that they are not able to fall off any tall surfaces if they do have some sort of loft.
Good Starter Cages
Midwest cages:
We recommend removing the middle divider, as it takes away from the already limited space they have. Piggies get zoomies too, and you want to give them as much space as possible to run around.
Pros:
â—‹ Cheaper than most cages on the market.
â—‹ Provides minimum 8 sq ft.
â—‹ Easy to clean bottom. Some are machine washable.
â—‹ Can add a lid or buy multiple cages and connect them.
â—‹ Collapsible and easy to put together.
Cons:
â—‹ Doesn't leave much room for houses, hay, and other cage accessories. Should have some play time outside the cage if possible.
â—‹ Can't have more than 2 pigs in this cage.
â—‹ Dividers should be avoided.
â—‹ Sometimes poop and urine can stain canvas bottom.
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C&C Cages (cubes & coroplast):
These are some of the most popular type of cage for guinea pigs. They can make great starter cages and can easily be turned into mini piggy mansions​! They are made of a coroplast (corrugated plastic) base and 14 inch metal cube grids. The grids are usually attached with connectors and zip ties. There are many videos online that go into detail on how to build c&c cages if you want to avoid buying one. We'll link some helpful tips down below!
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Pros:
â—‹ Much easier to keep clean which helps keep away odors.
â—‹ Much more room = happier piggies!
â—‹ Customizable and easy to expand.
â—‹ Can be a great DIY project. Instead of buying the cage pre-made, you can buy the parts and make it yourself. There's many tutorials and tips online!
â—‹ Can easily add a lift, loft, and other cage accessories.
â—‹ Can use the grids to make storage space.
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Cons:
â—‹ Pre-made cages can be kind of pricy, although cheaper to
expand than a Midwest.
â—‹ More permanent setup, not as easy to take a part and move.
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Custom Built Cages
What requirements should be met?
- whatever the cage is made of is safe to chew on. Don't have exposed tape, glue, wires, and other things that can be dangerous to chew on.
-Make sure the cage has good ventillation! They need more thanjust a few air holes... If you're building it out of wood, glass, or other materials without gaps then consider having lots of openings around the cage as well as the top so they can get plenty of air.
-high enough that they wont jump over. C&C grids are usually 14 inches tall, but you can always go higher if you want! I would avoid going below this as some pigs can be quite the escape artists.
-Adding a loft? make sure the ramp is not steep, and that there is plenty of protection against falling off other floors or the ramp even. They can easily break limbs and teeth.
-Even with a loft, it is crucial that the bottom floor be a minimum for 8 sq ft (for a maximum of 2 pigs).
-Make sure the base material of the cage can be properly wiped down and sanitized. Even with bedding and fleece, sometimes urine can make it's way down to the base of the cage. If the base just aborbs all their urine and can't be wiped down, it is going to get gross and smelly real quickly.
