Training Your Guinea Pig. Gerry Bucsis

a way that two adjoining sides end up hanging over the table, the whole cage will come crashing down—guinea pigs and all. To prevent this disaster, you need to make a wire bottom for any cage that’s going to be placed on a table. To do this, just zip-tie some grids together to make a flat base. Then, put the base on the table, set the grid walls on top of the base, and zip-tie everything together. Picture a big shoe box made out of grid panels to get the idea of what this will look like.

      The next step is to make a coroplast tray for the cage. This involves cutting and scoring the coroplast, and forming it into a shallow box shape that will fit inside the wire-grid walls. In order to figure out how large a piece of coroplast you’ll need, first measure the inside dimensions of the wire-grid rectangle you’ve just made, and then add 12 inches (30 cm) to the length and 12 inches (30 cm) to the width. Why add the extra inches? It’s because they’ll be needed to form a 6-inch (15 cm) side all around the coroplast tray. This mini wall is important because it keeps hay and bedding inside the cage.

Now, mark these measurements onto the coroplast using a felt-tip pen and a ruler. Next, trim the coroplast along the marked lines with a utility knife or sturdy scissors. Then, using your pen and ruler, draw a six-inch (15 cm) border all the way around the trimmed coroplast. Now comes the hard part—you have to score the coroplast all along the lines you’ve just marked out. Scoring means cutting the plastic partway through with a utility knife or razor blade. Be very careful; you don’t want to cut all the way through (see photo).

      You’ll notice that your marked lines intersect at each corner of the coroplast to form a 6-inch square (15 cm) (see photo). Cut right through one line of each square. Now flip the coroplast over, and fold up the scored parts to form a box. Tape the corners securely with good quality duct tape or vinyl-coated cloth tape. What you’ve just made is a shallow tray with 6-inch (15 cm) sides. Set the tray inside the wire walls and presto—you have an inexpensive, spacious guinea pig cage! The last step is to reinforce all the adjoining grid sections with zip ties (top, bottom, and center). This gives the walls added strength. Be sure to trim those zip ties so that you and the piggies don’t get scratched.

      If you have space for an even larger cage—one that will allow you to use the whole sheet of coroplast without trimming off any part of it—stick with six grids for the long walls, but use three grids for the short walls. The third grid at each short end will have to overlap the second grid and be secured to it with zip ties.

      When scoring the coroplast, be careful not to cut right through it.

      To make a corner, cut through one line of each square.

What about a lid or cover for the cage? Since guinea pigs aren’t champion high jumpers, you don’t really need to add a lid. But if you have other pets, such as a cat or a dog, you should top the cage with a cover to keep your cavies safe. Two lengths of epoxy-coated wire closet shelving will make a fine cover. The length of the cage will determine how long the pieces of shelving need to be. If the shelving overlaps the cage by a few inches, you won’t have to bother cutting it. But, if it’s longer and needs to be trimmed, use bolt cutters or a hacksaw, and cap the rough edges with plastic end caps. Join the two pieces of shelving together lengthwise with zip ties, and set this homemade lid on top of the cage. If you want to secure the lid to the cage, hook on a few bungee cords.

      A C&C cage makes the best guinea pig habitat.

      When you’re building a do-it-yourself cage, the easiest type to make is a rectangular one. But if you’re really handy, why not browse the Internet or go on YouTube to get ideas and instructions for more elaborate L-shaped or multi-level designs? Let your imagination run wild! For serious do-it-yourselfers, a custom-made guinea pig cage can be a really fun project.

Prepackaged kits

      Are you too time-strapped to be getting into cage construction? Or is D-l-Y not your thing? Not a problem! Your cavies can still have the large C&C cage they deserve, but with someone else doing most of the work.

      Yes, some enterprising individuals have come up with designs, worked out the measurements, assembled the materials, scored and cut the coroplast, and packaged everything you need into a convenient kit form. All that’s left for you is a simple assembly job; just follow the directions enclosed in the kit. How cool is that?

      Where can you find one of these kits? Do a Google search for “buy a C&C guinea pig cage,” or an eBay search for “guinea pig cages.” You’ll find everything from the most basic to the most upscale guinea pig housing. If you go the eBay route, be sure to check the “see other items” link on each site that you access. This way, you’ll find all the different cage shapes and sizes that a seller offers. Don’t forget to check the shipping charges, too!

Multi-level cages and extensions

      Which is better for your cavies: a single-level cage or a multi-story cage? What you don’t want is the traditional multi-story pet condo, which has several levels, each of them having very limited floor space. The ideal guinea pig cage should have as much floor space as possible. Guinea pigs like to run “piggy laps” around the cage, so the more room they have to run around on the main floor, the better. It is, however, perfectly fine to add a second story as long as you provide an adequate lower floor. But if you go this route, there are some safety issues to keep in mind.

      In some C&C cage kits, the second story of the cage is the same size as the first story; in other words, it’s a complete floor. But most owners design the second story as a loft that overlooks the first floor. If this is the design you go with, you’ll have to make sure the loft is enclosed or has a barrier along the open side so your cavies can’t fall over the edge onto the floor below.

      How do you design a safe second story? There are lots of ways to do this. Your best plan is to search the Internet or browse YouTube. You’ll be amazed at how many innovative designs other enterprising guinea pig owners have come up with. Think you’ve found a blueprint for the perfect second story? Great! Just make sure it will be sturdy enough and safe enough for your cavies.

      Your next concern will be how your cavies are going to get up to the second floor. Gently sloping ramps are the way to go here; guinea pigs won’t walk on anything too steep. You can buy ready-made ramps, or you can make them yourself. The most popular ones are constructed from coroplast or from wire grids. If you’re using coroplast, you’ll need to reinforce it. For example, you could duct-tape a piece of wire grid to the back to make the coroplast ramp sturdier. You should also cover it with a piece of fleece or carpet for better traction.

If you’re making a ramp out of a wire grid, use your knee or your foot to bend it into a U-shape; this will provide protective sides for the ramp. You can also bend it into an L-shape. Then, if you place it against an outside cage wall, you will have made a ramp with even higher protective sides. Whatever wire-grid design you choose, be sure to cover the ramp with a piece of low-pile rug or mat. Never let your guinea pigs walk directly on wire because it’s very bad for their feet.

      Toys and chewies can be hung on the gird wires of C&C cages.

      You could also be creative and use sisal-covered cat-scratching boards as ramps. These can be attached to the upper floor by drilling holes at the top of the scratching board and using zip ties to secure the ramp to the second story.

      Some guinea pigs run up and down ramps just fine; others are more timid and might need encouragement. To train a timid cavy, try placing a line of small treats up the ramp and onto the second level. Most guinea pigs will be so focused on the food that they’ll