How to make a cage for a guinea pig with your own hands?

For guinea pigs, you can buy a cage in a special store, because there is a huge selection of such devices. But if you fail to find a suitable cage for your pet, then you can make it yourself.

There are advantages and disadvantages of a hand-made cage.

The advantages are the positions described below.

Saving money - it is better to make a home yourself than to spend money in a store and acquire a small cell. To save even more, you can use a fleece litter - it is quickly cleaned and installed in place.

If you make a rodent cage yourself, then the pets will be healthy, fun and happy, because homemade design will not be small for them, and the animal will not have restrictions in movement.

You can also create unique, having many levels, g-shaped designs. There are many options for creativity.

You can use almost any materials and elements. Of the building materials that are prepared for housing the animal, you can make a food part, a feeding trough and a house. If there are bars, you can make bunk beds. It is necessary to bend them and fasten with ties to the edges of the dwelling.

A self-made cage is easy to clean. If you make a large and unclosed design, then you can clean everything up well and replace the litter. The self-made cage does not need to be disassembled - it will not have hard-to-reach parts.

Of the minuses worth noting the fact that in the absence of knowledge of all the rules and recommendations for the design of housing, made with his own hands, it may become unsafe for the rodent.

Before making a cage with your own hands, you should consider the size of the housing. You can create a small table of standard sizes for rodents.

For one rodent, the size of the cage should be 80 × 110 cm, for two - 80 × 150 cm, for three - 80 × 180 cm, and for four - 80 × 220 cm.

If you want to make the territory larger, then you need to add a little footage so that the animals move freely throughout the free space.

Before constructing a dwelling, it is necessary to know certain conditions.

• The site where the rodent will be kept must be dried and cleaned and equipped with ventilation.
• In order to have more contact with your pet, you need to make a home in a room where the whole family will gather. Pet easily adapts, if you hear a human speech.
• The dwelling should be installed on a flat, smooth surface so that there are no slopes and wobbly sections.
• The pet's dwelling must stand exactly so that the pet does not suffer.
• The height of the house should be about 36-41 cm. If the rodent is large and, standing on its hind legs, can reach the upper wall of the dwelling, then the height should be increased.
• If there are other pets in the apartment, the dwelling of the animal should be designed directly under the ceiling.The ceiling will be able to protect the pet from other aggressive pets, besides in this case any things will not fall on top of it.
• If the pet is already several years old, then it is not necessary for him to make a cage that has many levels.
• All walls in the house and the floor should have good lighting. It is better if it is natural light.
• Do not install a home near heating appliances. Also, the cage must be installed no closer than 52 cm from the outer walls of the house.

To start building a cage with your own pet You must have the materials and tools described below.

• Corrugated cardboard with multiple layers. You can take it out of the box or packing household equipment. In order for the cardboard to be waterproof, it must be glued with a wide adhesive tape on the inside - so all places will be protected from water. You can also cover with acrylic or fiberglass inside the prepared box. Such material is well suited for constructing pet cages. It is easily processed if you need to bend the edges of the cell at an angle of 90 degrees. Corrugated cardboard is lightweight and very durable material. There are many colors, but if the required color is missing, then the cardboard should be pasted with the necessary color adhesive tape.
• Lattice, made of metal, must have a cell with a size of 3 cm for a large pet and 1 cm for a small pet. The grid, which has the right size, can be purchased at a hardware store or on the market.
• Office knife.
• Tape, which can be glued.
• Scissors.
• Ruler or tape measure.
• Pencil.

Before you make a design, you need to choose the size for the home. If there are several sea rodents, then you need to make a big dwelling.

If pregnant or small pets are inside the cage, then they need to be equipped with additional protection at the edges of the dwelling.

It is necessary to pick up the sizes with rectangular section. The size of the lower base will depend on the size of the rodent's dwelling.

Recommended height is 16 cm.

It is necessary to draw on the cardboard the lower part of the future dwelling. To make the bead, you need to measure a distance of 16 cm on each side and connect them with lines. Corrugated cardboard can have 2 layers and air pockets between them. Cutting the top layer, you can bend the corrugated cardboard 90 degrees. On the first layer you need to make an incision, then cut the sheet, collect the box and glue it over with tape. Then you need to fold the edges. To do this, bend the protruding edges of the sides on the opposite side and, using adhesive tape, glue them together.

The result should be a box of rectangular shape that does not have a top.

Now you need to collect the walls of metal gratings - they will go around the perimeter of the rodent's dwelling.

Of them need to cut the panel. The panel height must be twice the height of the box itself. So that the individual is not injured, you need to handle the edges of the panels. Use cable ties to connect the panels. Cable tie ends should be trimmed. Each side needs to be assembled separately. The length of all sides must be appropriate.

Now you need to attach the cardboard box to the grates.

Using cable ties, it is necessary to connect the edges of the sides. You also need to bind the edges on the top, bottom and center. The angle that turns out should be straight. You can not tightly attach the sides between themselves, because of this it is impossible to connect the sides on the opposite side of the cell.

Items inside the dwelling should be well attached to the walls or located on the floor.Inside the cage, it is necessary to place a drinking bowl, a feeder, a hay tray, toys, and wooden sticks. Also for the animal, you must provide a place for privacy.

With the help of the drinker the individual will not splash water on the litter and will not be able to wet it. The volume of the drinker may depend on the number of pets inside the cage. If there are many animals, you can use several drinkers that are small in size.

Also inside the dwelling of the individual must be a site for food. It is necessary to purchase several feeders to pour in various types of feed. Green, juicy and tough food should be placed in different feeders.

For a rodent who lives at home, we need conditions similar to natural ones. For a pet are required rough materialsso that he can grind his teeth. Inside the cage you need to put sprigs but do not put branches from conifers. Branches that have large bones inside the fruit must be dried beforehand. You can also put the inside of the cell mineral stone.

Can be arranged hanging accessories, as they will not be able to cause injuries to the pet, if properly installed and secured. For example, you should look at the hammocks, on which sea pets can relax.

The animal is shy and modest. Next to caring people, the individual will become sociable and bold. But for the pet you still need a plot so that he can retire. Inside the cage should equip a nook, for example, a house.

If there are many rodents inside the cage, they will fight for it. Instead of a simple house, you need to put a canopy or protect the entire cell with good material. Another option is to put a pipe made of pressed hay.

If the guinea pig is constantly hiding inside the house, then it will not be possible to tame, because inside it the animal can feel detached and cannot see people. So that the pet could get used to the person the house needs to be temporarily changed for a handful of hay.

For an animal, you should buy toys so that the guinea pig could have a little fun. With the help of toys, a pet can quickly master the entire territory of the cage. In order for the animal to move more, you need to constantly change toys.

If you put a ball with hay in a cage, then many rodents will be able to pull straws out of it. But this design will not be convenient for eating. You can put a special tray, and the ball.

These pets feel comfortable on the territory that looks like a hole. For this reason, it is necessary to purchase toys that are shaped like a pipe. If several animals live inside the cage, then you need to purchase several pipes. Pipes can serve as shelter if pets clash with each other. Also pipes and labyrinths can make a pet's life more interesting.

The animal may be interested for a long time in various labyrinths. The main thing is that the rodent was active, as it has a good effect on the health of the pet - it will not suffer from obesity.

How to make a cage with your own hands, see below.