Housing Your Guinea Pig Guinea pigs need housing that is well ventilated yet free of draughts. You will want a house that lets you see your pets but which also gives them some privacy. And it should be large enough to give your pets room to move (about 2 square feet per animal). We found that none of the commercially-produced cages or hutches suited our needs -- and we've tried them all! Wood-and-wire hutches are quite sturdy, but we found them very hard to keep clean; even those with slide-out trays. The wood also tends to soak up urine, and that can lead to smells. (Guinea pigs themselves don't smell, by the way; it's urine and droppings that will smell if they're not cleaned up.) The commercially produced plastic hutches also have problems. Most are too small, and the large ones tend to be flimsy. Some of these cages also have solid sides, which makes it hard for you to see your pigs except from above. We found that the best kind of house is an aquarium (see picture). It's see-through, sturdy, can be made to any size, and can be thoroughly and easily cleaned. You may have read that aquariums are not good houses - but that applies only to fish aquariums, which don't allow air to circulate. If you design your aquarium with piggies in mind and ensure there is plenty of ventilation, you will find it makes an excellent home. You can get large glass aquariums made up quite cheaply, but we chose to have ours made from strong perspex. The advantage of perspex is that it is lighter than glass; but it is also more expensive (about double the price). If you choose perspex, insist on 6mm thickness to ensure that the tank won't warp or buckle with changes in temperature. While some aquarium supply shops will make perspex tanks, they may not carry 6mm acryclic sheeting. We found it was actually cheaper to deal with a commercial plastics fabricator and have them make a tank to our own design. If you're in Perth, try 'Superline Plastics'. When you design your house, make sure you provide adequate ventilation. For our aquarium we had large circular ventilation holes drilled in the walls about 5cms from the bottom. (Don't put them right at the bottom or the litter will fall out through the ventilation holes!) We have a row of holes, each about 3 cm diameter -- large enough to ensure good air flow, but small enough so that piggies can't get out! We planned for easy access, too. As you can see, we've made the front panel lower than the back and sides, so that it is easy to reach in and pick up the piggies. With a large aquarium-style house you won't need to make a lid, unless you have other pets (especially cats) that need to be kept out! If you do need a lid, a wire-mesh type is best, since it permits plenty of air-flow while keeping out predators. It is a good idea to provide a "nest box" or some kind of retreat for your pigs -- even a small cardboard box will do. They like to have a cosy, enclosed space to sleep in, and this helps them feel less exposed. We built a small wooden house and gave it a sloping roof so the tenants couldn't jump onto the roof and out of the aquarium (see picture, right). This gives them 'indoor' and 'outdoor' areas. The little house has no base - just walls and a roof, so it's light and easy to remove even if your piggies won't come out! Finally, to liven up the house we taped aquarium display paper to the back wall. If you choose carefully you can find designs that look like flower gardens. Your piggies won't mind what it looks like, but guests might think it's a bit odd if your cage features an underwater scene complete with coral and starfish! Previous Home Next The Podbay's Guinea Pig Pages © 1999-2003 The content on this site is copyright. Unauthorised commercial use is prohibited.