alternitves to the storage cubes for cavy cages

[calicojenn]

okay so Friday I'm going to be getting the first Guinea pig I've had since my beloved Toby died.  The poor little guy or girl has been tossed around a bit, I'm unclear on it's first home, but some how this piggy and 4 others ended up in the home they are in now when it's first owner moved. the current owner rehomed the other 4 and kept this one as a pet for their son,  well the son is allergic  so they put the poor thing in their garage.  All they could really tell me was that it was brown and black and comes with the cage all for free. well i have no idea what sort of cage this is so I'm looking into building one in case, I  love the c &c cages, but i cannot find the stupid cubes around here anywhere, i was thinking, i have the second biggest reptarium they make, which is not currently in use.  obviously it's made from pvc and mesh so a pig would be out in no time, but i was thinking i could lay it  flat  and use the pvc for a frame, attach hardware cloth to the inside to protect the pvc frame, and make a base out of linoleum.  any ideas on that?  or any other ideas for a good  cage of appropriate size?  i cannot wait to get the little doll out of that garage.

[~Fala~]

Hope I can post this . .

www.guineapigcages.com

www.guinealynx.com

I don't have a guinea pig. I wanted one for awhile until I pet-sat one. Although I adore them, not for me. I used those sites when researching and learned a ton. If I ever got a piggy it would be very well cared for I can say. I bought and used Cubes for the pig I watched, it lived normally in a pet store cage though. (small and evil, but that's my opinion) However I didn't use coroplast as I was just watching it. I used a shower curtain and it worked great, have seen it work well for perminant piggers too.

Anyway, to answer your question, the first site is extremely helpful..especially with cages. It provides a whole bunch of pictures, ratings/ critiques of the cages, and there is even a section in the gallery for "alternative cages" which is exactly what you're looking for.

Yes,  I agree the cubes are hard to find. On the first site (guinea pig cages) they have a link and you can order both cubes and coroplast from the site!! However prices may be higher, I am not sure. I found my cubes on a shelf it wasn't labled for and it was on sale..box was a little beat though xD  They only sell them before school/college as that is what they are meant for I guess. However if you look closely at office supply stores, some have them stored at the very top shelves for some reason. I have no clue why they don't just sell them year round. Hope this helps . .word of advice, be carefull if you decide to join the guinea pig cages forum people on there CARE about animals and most jump at you if you mention something they don't believe is correct. (at least in most cases it is NOT correct) I am a member but I don't post too often, if not at all. All is good though, great information, and they are trying their best to get the information across but to some people it scares them or makes them mad I've heard. (there is even a thread about this, not necessarily guinea pig cages site they are talking about, didn't mention) The other site/link is mainly for research, if you haven't absorbed everything about guinea pigs, that's a great place to make sure you know everything there is to know. Good luck with your new piggy!!

Also sorry if I ever referred to you not ever having a guinea pig before, I just had that in my head. Even when you said you had one before.

[calicojenn]

yeah I've seen both of those sites, and im on another guinea pig forum. I love cavies, and tend to be just as passionate about their care as the people on those sites, but i tend not to jump people, i try to educate in a gentler fashion, if you scare people off by being agressive, you do not help the animals. I have had quite a few piggies over the years, i always took in the ones other people no longer wanted when i was younger. I'm happy to be in a place in my life where i can start helping the little sweeties out again.  i made the cage i was talking about, and she loves it, it worked out really well, though i do plan buying some cubes next time we visit my in laws in Nashville to build her an even bigger c&c style cage. 

[dream_chaser023]

you can try building something like this, but using the dimensions of the cavy cages. 


(photo from the Rat and Mouse Gazette)