Choose Guinea Pig Cages Carefully!

Choose Guinea Pig Cages Carefully!

Are you interested in having a really happy guinea pig? A proven way to make certain of this is to make sure your guinea pig has a nice clean home to live in, and that he has quite a lot of room run around!

Generally speaking guinea pig cages really needs to be as big as your house space and your budget will allow. You don’t need to go overboard, but it is better to give your guinea pig more room than he needs than to give him less room than he would need to stay healthy and happy. As a guideline, your guinea pig cage should be between seven and eight square feet assuming you have just one guinea pig, and between ten and eleven square feet when you’ve got two guinea pigs. For each additional guinea pig in your cage you should have between two and three additional square feet of living space. If that sounds like a lot just remember that guinea pigs need lots of room to romp around and get exercise, and the more exercise a guinea pig gets, the happier he’s going to be. Without adequate exercise your furry friend will get fat, and overweight guinea pigs are more likely to develop health problems, and you do not need that to happen. If your guinea pig is lucky enough to have a 2-story home remember that any additional levels mustn’t be counted in providing the minimum square footage.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to find a good quality guinea pig cage at your local pet store. If you cannot find a cage that is big enough you can consider making your own. It’s not going to take you very long, and it can be very rewarding. Not merely because you will have a cage that your guinea pig really loves, but because it will more than likely outshine anything you might have purchased.

Guinea pigs really should be housed in cages composed of wire rather than glass enclosures because wire cages provide significantly better ventilation for your pet, and if a glass enclosure breaks it could possibly cut your guinea pig. Wood cages are easily chewed through and so are not your best option for your guinea pig cage.

Your cage of preference must not have a with a wire bottom. Wire floors are problematic for your guinea pigs feet and can trap your pet’s toes and legs. Wire can also corrode so it is not so popular among pet owners. The best type of floor for your guinea pigs cage is actually a solid plastic bottom which is the most common that you will find. The cages also needs to be free from all sharp edges and needs to be secure enough to prevent the guinea pigs from escaping. A convenient feature which will make cleaning the cage faster and easier is a slide-out tray type bottom – this should be on your list of must-haves for a cage. A big cage door is also a good addition to a guinea pig’s cage so that you have plenty of room to get your hand in to pet, love, and pick up your guinea pig.

A final tip I would like to pass on is to be mindful of where you keep your guinea pigs cage. Because guinea pigs are susceptible to upper respiratory infections you should avoid keeping your pet’s cage in any high-humidity locations like a a laundry room, and bathrooms with showers and baths also needs to be avoided.

Remember, keep your guinea pig happy – he is dependent upon you!