How to Build a Guinea Pig Cage

Finding the perfect home for your piggy pets can be a difficult task. Most store-bought cages are far too small for guinea pig quarters, and those that are not can be very expensive. You can create a custom built, homemade cage for your guinea pigs that is just the right size, and easy on your pocketbook too.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wire storage cube grids
• Sheet of plastic Coroplast
• Large package of zip ties
• Box cutter
• 2 Bolt snap clasps
• Wire cutters (optional)
• Silicone (optional)
• Wooden board: 2-by-4 inch width, length cut for a snug fit across inside/front of cage

1. Determine what size cage to build. Dimensions seen at a pet store are rarely an appropriate size. Guinea pigs require large cages. A single adult needs a 30-by-36 inch or larger cage. The more guinea pigs you have, the more room they require. For herds, consider building a multi-level condominium. With expansion, sometimes building up is easier than building out.

2. Purchase your supplies. (See Things You Will Need section.)

3. Connect grids together loosely with zip ties to form the three sidewalls, ceiling and floor of your cage. Do not add a front wall. Once formed, return grid by grid, tightening the zip ties as much as possible. Pull the 'heads' off to one side so they fall flush with the grids, rather than inside or outside the cage. Trim off all zip tie tails.

4. Measure the inner floor size. Cut the Coroplast roughly a foot larger for both length and width. Draw the exact floor size in the center of the piece, and then make the cuts to form a tray. You can find an excellent visual of a tray from http://www.guineapigcages.com/. Carefully use the box cutter to remove the front flap. Seal the back corners with a dab of silicone if desired.

5. Place the tray into the cage. Zip tie into place, heads sticking out of the exterior of the cage. You now have three sides, a ceiling, a floor, and a completely open front. Zip tie grids tightly together to form a front door. Attach the door loosely, at the bottom only, with zip ties. This forms a bottom hinge. Ensure hinge ties are uniform and slightly loose, and then trim the tails.

6. Insert the 2-by-4 inch board just inside the cage, across the front. This keeps bedding from falling out of the cage. Use the bolt snap clasps to close the cage door at the top. Attach it in this fashion for safety, to prevent an open door from slipping down and smacking your guinea pigs or fingers! You can now protect your guinea pigs from pets and small children by utilizing this completely enclosed cage.

7. Clean your new cage by simply removing the bolt snaps and letting down the front door. Take out the 2-by-4 inch board, and place a trash can beneath the cage. Reach in, and sweep everything directly into the trash!

Tips & Warnings

• Be creative and have fun! Grids can be bent into bunks, hay racks, tunnels and ramps.

Resources

• Find size requirements, purchase supplies, and view a multitude of cage styles.
• View another excellent resource for cage design ideas.

[PiggieLips]

on 11/17/2008 Oh for pete's sake. To really find out how to make a good habitat for your guinea pig, go to the SOURCE of this information which is at www.guineapigcages.com and click on the links on the left side of the page (How to Make etc). The site is ran by a guinea pig rescuer and friends who have nothing to sell you but an idea. Once you got the idea, and read up on it, then click on the Photo Galleries where there are hundreds of pictures that members have posted over the years of their "cube and Coroplast" (aka...C&C Cage) cages. If you still want to talk about it go to the GPC Forums which are extremely active. The forum has tons of wonderful old posts filled with information if you do forum searches as well. It's a guinea pig revolution out there, come join in!

[sniggle]

on 8/31/2008 CONTINUATION of below tip!!
...or pine shavings as the aromatic oils in them can cause skin and respiratory problems for the piggies over time. Aspen is the best wood shavings to use. It absorbs well and won't harm the animal in any way.

[sniggle]

on 8/31/2008 COMTINUATION of above tip!!
...or pine shavings as the aromatic oils in them can cause skin and respiratory problems for the piggies over time. Aspen is the best wood shavings to use. It absorbs well and won't harm the animal in any way.

[sniggle]

on 8/31/2008 If you don't have other pets that could possibly harm your piggies, the cages can be built without a top. Just cut the box so there's approximately 6" of coroplast along the front as well, attach the grids for the front loosely to the bottom and use the bolt snaps or something similar to keep the front in place. The coroplast in front eliminates the need for the board and is easier to clean...wood will absorb the piggies piddle and gets nasty and unhealthy for them as they will chew on it. Also, to clean the coroplast after sweeping the bedding out, spray with a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar. Let it stand about 5 minutes then wipe out with paper or terry towels. Its much healthier than using other products that can be toxic to piggies and any really soiled areas can be sprayed again and use an old toothbrush to remove the stain or residue.
Another tip...don't use cedar

[guineapig]

on 2/12/2008 Cages are super expensive. in the prosess of building a custom cage. thanks for the tips!