Guide to Guinea Pig Housing Indoor Housing

Adding the finishing touches:
Indoor Housing
Line the plastic base with an old
towel & fleece on top. Place litter
trays (1 for each pig) lined with
newspaper and hay on top of the
fleeces. Piggies toilet where they
are eating, so if you keep hay to
the tray you keep mess to a minimum. Add a water
bottle, toys, hay racks, tunnels, hidey huts and other
enrichment items and your done!
C&C setup *Highly recommended*
Our branch believe that C&C cages are the best
way to house your guinea pig indoors. They take
a little more time to source materials and
construct but are much cheaper than pet shop
cages, which are often too small.
Cleaning:
Droppings can be swept off the fleece
everyday with a dustpan and brush.
Urine soaks through to the towel underneath. The towel and fleece can then be
popped in the washing machine once a
week. Empty litter trays as required
(usually every few days).
To build a C&C cage you need:
Pre-built C&C cages
Storage Grids/Cubes
There is now a market for pre-built C&C cages which
you can buy from Ebay and other online sites. So if you
would rather cheat this is another option!
These cubes are not specifically for guinea pig cages
but have become extremely popular for this use. You
just choose your size and shape and click them
together with the connectors provided! Zip tie once
complete for a sturdy structure. Find them online
including Amazon & Ebay for around £20-40 per pack
(including 24 grids).
Coroplast/Correx (sign making plastic)
This plastic sheeting is for
the ‘base’ of the cage. You
can buy sheets online for
around £10-£15. You can
even make sides to mimic a
shop bought cage to keep
mess contained. Easy to
cut and shape! It can be
wiped clean too.
Guide to Guinea Pig
Housing
Size measurements for C&C cages
Number of
Pigs
Min. cage size Min. size
in cm
in grids
2
127 x 76cm
4 x 2 grids
3
157 x 76cm
5 x 2 grids
4
193 x 76cm
6 x 2 grids
N.B A pair of male pigs should have at least 5 x 2 grids to help
prevent territory disputes!
Step by step guide on building a C&C cage:
www.guineapigcages.com
Includes:
C&C, shed, hutch & run setups
3
Housing: the Options
Outdoor Housing
Traditional Hutch & Run Setup
Creating a suitable home for your guinea pigs is
arguably the most important part of their care.
Sadly, many pigs spend their entire lives trapped
in a tiny hutch at the bottom
of the garden. Not only is this
failing to meet the welfare
needs of the animals but you
will never experience their
fascinating, natural behaviour.
This leaflet will hopefully
provide some inspiration to
make your piggy paradise!
Shed Setup *Highly recommended*
Hutches and runs are generally the most
popular way to house small animals. However,
these set ups are often too small & fail to meet
the welfare needs of the animal. If you do
choose this set up it is important to check the
measurements!
Don’t be fooled into thinking hutches are the
only way to house small animals. Our branch
much prefers more imaginative & enriching
setups like the shed examples below.
We recommend that guinea pigs live indoors if
possible. Although they can live outdoors, indoor
pigs generally receive the most attention & it is
often easier to meet their welfare needs.
The hutch should be at least 5ft (L) x 2ft (W),
weatherproof, slightly raised off the ground and fitted
with a lock for security. Your hutch must meet these
standards to adopt from us.
Styles of suitable outdoor housing:
Shed set up
A shed is by far the best set up for outdoor guinea
pigs. They are adaptable, spacious and secure.
Traditional hutch & run set up
Min. hutch size 5ft (L) x 2ft (W) with access to a
similar sized (or bigger) run in the daytime.
Styles of suitable indoor housing:
C&C set up
A cheap, large and versatile home for your piggy.
Can be built to any size or shape!
Shop bought cage
Min. cage size 5ft (L) x 2ft (W). Most pet shop
cages are far too small, even ones intended
for rabbits. Please check measurements carefully!
Sheds make a large and adaptable home for your
guinea pigs. They can be bought cheaply online and
can range in sizes. A 6ft x 4ft shed is a perfect size to
start with.
You can easily customise and make into a piggy haven
with toys, litter trays and hidey huts. Food and hay can
also be stored inside on shelves for easy access. You
could even add a cat flap that leads to an outdoor run!
N.B It is a good idea to line the shed floor with lino to
protect the wood (a large roll is around £15). It also
makes cleaning much easier.
Guinea pigs should be given the chance to explore
for a few hours per day in a
secure (must have a lid) &
weatherproofed run. A run
attached to the hutch is one
option or a separate run (ideally
the same size or bigger than the
hutch) filled with hidey huts, toys and tunnels is
another.
Guinea pigs do not
naturally like wide
open spaces; they
need to have places
to run & hide in.
Pigloos, cat tunnels
& boxes are perfect.