We equip the house for guinea pig. How to make a cage and shelter for the animal with their own hands?

Pets make us kind and fill life with meaning. However, deciding to start a pet, it is important to provide him with suitable conditions. How to equip a house for a guinea pig, what is necessary for this animal for well-being?

Choose a cage

At first glance, guinea pigs seem to be animals passive and calm. But this is not so. A healthy animal, if released from the cage, will please its master with good speed, dexterity and cunning. And this means that the animal needs a large enough area for comfortable well-being. One individual can live in a cage, the dimensions of which are not less than 100 x 70 cm. If you are planning to have a couple, you should choose a house for a guinea pig with dimensions of 140 x 70. The only thing to which these animals are not too demanding is the number of tiers. The animals are quite comfortable in a single-storey cage. If you are going to purchase a cage or make it yourself, remember that it will need to equip a shelter, a zone for eating food, and also place other accessories.

How to make a cage with your own hands?

Today in the stores of goods for animals you can buy any accessories for the maintenance and care of animals. Remember and that you can also make a house for a guinea pig yourself. This option is good because you can choose the dimensions and configuration of the dwelling on your own. In addition, the finished dwelling will cost you cheaper than the factory option. So, how to make a house for a guinea pig? You will need tools and materials: metal mesh, connecting corners, dense corrugated cardboard (you can take a box from home appliances) or plywood, self-adhesive film.

Let's start with making a pallet. The paws of rodents are very sensitive, and therefore one should not allow the animal to constantly run along the grid, the floor must be level. Before settling the animal, pour on it sawdust or a special wood filler. From cardboard or plywood, assemble a box with low sides. This is done very simply - cut a rectangle with allowances on the side walls, then cut out and assemble the structure. Cover the pallet with a film to protect it from moisture. Now you can assemble the cage from the metal mesh. Connect the four walls with metal corners and always treat all sharp edges. If desired, make a roof, but experienced breeders argue that for guinea pigs only high side fences are enough. If your cage is closed from above, be sure to build the door on the side or at the top, through which you will release the animal for a walk and feed.

Master the shelter house

All rodents like to hide in secluded places, this is inherent in them at the genetic level. For large animals it makes sense to make a house that is placed inside the cage. The simplest option is to choose a suitable plastic box (you can use a canister for food) and cut out the entrance. The bottom of such a shelter should not be. However, many breeders are worried because the animal starts to gnaw the plastic. And it really is not very useful for the animal. We offer you simple advice on how to make a guinea pig house with your own hands from plywood or wood. The construction is a box consisting of four walls and a roof. The most difficult is to choose the best connection option. Remember that the animal will gnaw its shelter, which means that the glue does not suit us. Pick up short and thin carnations. When driving them, make sure that the sharp ends are not sticking out anywhere, and the animal can not break the shelter and run into nails.

Required accessories

Our house for guinea pig is almost ready, it remains only to equip it. For food intake, you will need a feeder and a drinking bowl. If you regularly give the animal hay, get a special mesh device for him - hay. You can also please the pet with edible tunnels and mineral pebbles for the point of teeth. From time to time, buy a delicacy in sticks, do not forget to change water and feed, and also to clean the cage in a timely manner.

List of items prohibited in the guinea pig house

If you make a house for a guinea pig, use only new and clean materials, at the most - packaging from food. Remember that a variety of paints and glues can be dangerous for the animal. It is inadmissible to contain guinea pigs in aquariums and plastic containers, in such conditions it is difficult to ensure good ventilation and permissible humidity. Cage house for guinea pig should be equipped only with accessories designed specifically for these animals. Never buy running wheels, as the legs of the animal are fragile, and do not give water in open bowls.