Sakura’s Stylish Cage

A stylish guinea pig needs a stylish, safe, and comfortable home.

From the very first time they were introduced, Sakura and Ginny shared a cute two-level C&C (cubes & coroplast) cage.   However, sometimes a cage becomes boring or outgrown.  In May of 2011, we decided it was time to redesign Sakura’s cage.

Points I considered:

• Miss Sakura had just celebrated her 5th birthday.
• Sakura had not been using the upper loft or mini-loft very often after Ginny’s death the previous year. Perhaps the lofts were not necessary?
• Sakura still enjoyed playing with draped towels and fabrics. She felt most secure when part of her body was hidden.
• If there was only one good hiding spot in the cage, she would not move around very much. She needed more than one hiding spot.

After a few tries, we finally settled on a cage design that fit Sakura and her lifestyle.

You might be wondering…

1.  Why not use a plastic igloo-style hiding spot for Sakura’s cage?

Well, as mentioned above, she really likes her hiding spots, and if there is something like a “pigloo” available, she will often stay there all day.  It’s not healthy — she needs to stay active!

2.  Is it safe to have an open-top cage with a dog (or cat) in the house?

For our home, it is safe.  Our dog, Goku, is an Australian Shepherd and has never displayed any interest in the guinea pig(s).  We always supervise Sakura closely whenever she is out of her cage, and our dog likes to be in her crate whenever the entire family leaves the house.  The crate is located in a separate room from the guinea pig cage.

Always be aware of the prey drive of any dog or cat.  If the dog or cat has a strong prey drive, make sure that there is a strong, safe, and secure lid on top of your guinea pig’s cage.

3.  Is it easy to build a C&C cage?

It is easy, and also inexpensive compared to buying a simple guinea pig cage at the local pet store.  C&C cages can also be easily customized and changed.  There are some wonderful ideas here:

• Guinea Pig Cages
• Guinea Lynx:  Housing
• Guinea Lynx Records:  A Home for your Guinea Pigs