Would any of these be a suitable cage for a young Guinea Pig?? Please Help =D?

Question

Ok, so i'm (hopefully) going to be getting a guinea pig, and he is quite small ( although he will grow of course!) and i was wondering, if any of these would be okay to house him in until i can afford a proper cage.

I will be keeping him inside, because of the bad weather, and the local cats and my dog. However, he will get plenty of exercise in our large garden, and when i can't be there to watch after him, I'll put him in a big run in sunny weather.

So i was wondering if ..

A large hamster cage, with the storey's taken out of it,

or a medium sized fish tank

or a largeish storage box

would be suitable for now, with the usual bedding ( wood chippings and hay) would be alright to use for now?

Or would it be much too small?

Answer 1

If its a baby it needs alphalpa hay until it is a bit older. Also guineas need as much space as you can possibly give. My two have a custom built cage.

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

That will explain everything you need to know about them. Including feed and bedding.

Just know to never ever use Cedar wood chippings. Highly toxic to them.

Answer 2

Congrats on the guinea pig, I hope you get one, they are great pets.

The hamster cage would not work, but the fish tank or storage box would be perfect. You could even keep him in the storage box as an adult! (I keep my 2-year old female Guinea pig in a large storage box)

Good luck with your guinea pig!

Answer 3

storage bins would never work, she/ he could sufficate. You should probably hold off on getting a guinea pig until you can afford to give it the proper care, and being taken from a cage at a store and being brought to a new cage is scary enough, you shouldn't put the animal through that twice. But If you really want to get it...poke holes in the storage bin's top.

Answer 4

No to the hamster cage, I don't know of any that could house a guinea pig of any age.

As for the other two, you really need to be more specific. Medium and large-ish are pretty vague terms, so we can't really tell how big they actually are. Guinea pigs need at least 7.5 square feet of space, that's the bare minimum.

If you're planning to get a bigger cage eventually, you should just wait until then to get a guinea pig.

Answer 5

They may be small, but guinea pigs require ample space to move about. Make sure their living quarters are at least 18 inches wide, 14 inches high, and 25 inches deep. Guinea pigs housed in larger cages are more likely to be active. Do not use aquariums, as they provide poor ventilation, and mesh or wire-floor cages hurt guinea pigs' tender feet.

When choosing floor linings and cage furnishings, keep in mind that guinea pigs will chew on just about anything to wear down their constantly growing teeth, so everything placed in the cage must be nontoxic. Use plenty of lining material—shredded ink-free paper or commercial nesting materials available at pet-supply stores, for example—because guinea pigs will use the material as both bedding and bathroom.

Remember also to provide plenty of high-quality hay, which these rodents use for nesting and snacking. Do not use materials such as sawdust, pine or cedar chips, or fabrics that may cause respiratory or other health problems. Finally, provide your guinea pig with a gnawing log (such as an untreated fruit tree branch), tunnels to crawl through, and platforms to climb on. Add a heavy food bowl resistant to tipping and gnawing and a water bottle with a sipper tube

. Give 'Em Their Greens

Feed your guinea pig a commercial guinea pig food, formulated especially for the species. These herbivores require a lot of vitamin C, so provide veggies such as kale and cabbage and ask your veterinarian about vitamin supplements. Treat guinea pigs to fruits, including melon slices and apples (but remove the seeds, which are toxic).

4. Help with the Cleanup

Guinea pigs try their best to keep clean, fastidiously grooming themselves with their front teeth, tongue, and back claws. But pigs—particularly the long-haired breeds—require frequent brushing and combing to stay clean and tangle-free.

Also, because their cage lining doubles as bedding and toilet, guinea pigs require daily housekeeping assistance. Scrub and disinfect the cage, then let it dry before lining the floor with fresh bedding and replacing the cage furnishings. Also clean the water bottle and sipper tube daily to prevent buildup of food, algae, and bacteria.

5. Pair Them Off

Guinea pigs are happiest when with other guinea pigs, so many pet care books urge owners to keep two or more together. Choose pairs that are the same s*x and compatible. (For example, more than two male pigs together are likely to fight.)

You can house your Guinea pigs either indoors or outside and you must decide this before you buy your guinea pig's cage. It is also very important to consider that in many countries like the United States, it is strongly encouraged to keep your guinea pigs inside the house because of the constant change in weather conditions and also your piggy can feel as a part of the family if it is kept inside.

If you are going to house your guinea pig outdoors you must see that the hutch or cage is weatherproof and have an overhang to stop rain. The cage or hutch should not be put directly on the ground. It should be positioned in a sheltered place, away from strong sunlight and draught. It should be secure to stop cats and other animals from getting in.

Always make sure that you buy your guinea pig a big cage for him to live comfortably.  

If you are going to house your guinea pig indoors you have to make sure that the hutch or cage is placed in a quiet area of the house and away from loud noises which can frighten them. If you have one cavie keep him in a room where he will see people so that he does not feel alone. Guinea pigs should be kept away from radiators, heaters, bright lights and draughts. Let him have natural light but away from direct sunlight.

In both cases the most important thing is that your guinea pig is that the hutch or cage must have enough space for him/them when he is fully grown. For example for two small guinea pigs they need to have a housing of 120* 60 * 45cm.

If your Guinea Pig is living in a small cage you need to let him out of the cage to make some exercise.

Answer 6

NONE of those are suitable, even for a baby.

Here http://www.guineapigcages.com/

Answer 7

Ok there is a problem with all of those and here they are Hamster cages are much much too small, even the large ones,it could work for maybe a week or two but no longer, fish tanks and storage boxes cannot provide enough ventilation and your piggie could get  very sick,so dont even consider those, also piggies are very social and you  should have at least two with the wood shaving dont use cedar or pine they can cause fatal illnesses and aspen doesn't trap odors, even the dor absorbing, i would use carefresh, for your cage i would build my permenant cage from a cubes and chloroplast, or corrugated plastic its cheaper and bigger also its very simple. Take a look at this website, www.cavycages.com  Hope it helps. :)

Answer 8

Hamster cage- no, too small

Fish tank- no, no ventilation

Storage box- That depends on the size. It'll probably work temporarily. But you would have to replace it constantly because piggies like to pee in a corner.

Remember to build a C+C cage... they only cost around $50 and are way bigger than petstore cages.

http://www.guineapigcages.com

Answer 9

anything he can fit in with his food and fresh water will be fine. Make sure he gets out like you mentioned and like was mentioned if you use a big box put something like a plastic garbage bag under it for the pee, you dont wanna ruin any floors.  Have fun :)

Answer 10

No. Not the hamster cage.

Depends on the size of tank. You would need a 25" by 25" tank to house a guinea pig.

If you have a storage box that is plastic then you will have to punch holes in it. But a large 40 litre box should do fine.

Also you can make a big run type thing out of carboard boxes stuff or bricks all stuck together or  and just put a lil house like this in it.

http://www.pets2home.co.uk/item--Imac-Al...

(there's one like it at pets at home and it's only £5.99)

Also a dog's kennel with some wire mesh over it inside is good to or a puppy run!

Pets at home's GP cage is half price at £14.99 just now.

Answer 11

not a hamster cage or a fish tank. With the fish tank there will be no air going through to ventilate, and its hard to clean out. If you can, find a large wire cage that is both wide and long. Make sure there is plenty of room to run around and grow. Your guinea pig will get bigger!

also, a good brand of bedding is just the store bought wood shavings.  Your gonna need alot of it, they p**p tons!

but for now, i guess a storage box would be fine if you keep the top open