House for guinea pig: types and selection rules

A cage for a small rodent must be comfortable so that the animal is comfortable inside it. Often it is equipped with houses, which makes the animals very happy. About what these houses can be, why they are needed, and how to choose them correctly - read on.

The guinea pig's house is nothing more than a place of her personal space. This animal is rather shy, and therefore needs a place where it can hide in case of "danger". In addition to the fact that the house is considered a kind of fence from others, it is a place for breeding and eating.

In fact, this is a cage accessory in which the animal can hide, eat, sleep, and be in solitude.

In the house, they feel safe, and therefore can relax. The fearful animal is badly disposed towards the owners, uncommunicative and seeks constant solitude.

There are several ways to classify guinea pig houses. From the point of view of manufacturing, they can be ready-made - made in a production environment - and homemade (made from scrap material).

It is difficult to say unequivocally which product is better, because often the options that they create on their own at home turn out to be more interesting in terms of design and convenience.

Products differ in the type of installation: modifications are floor-standing and suspended. The choice of the correct option depends on the type and characteristics of the cell itself.Floor options in most cases do not have a bottom, while hanging products do. Otherwise, the differences depend only on the design. Hanging options of a soft type are something like a hammock, however, more rigid.

A house can have not only one, but also two entrances; often its facades are decorated with decorative cuts of geometric shapes. Other structures are actually a reduced copy of a log house with a gable roof. By the type of streamlining, models can be angular and with smooth or even rounded edges.

Particularly spacious products provide a place for offspring inside.

Products differ in the type of material of manufacture. Often it is this factor that determines the choice of the model, which is carried out on the basis of the pros and cons of the raw material.

Wood is considered to be one of the best raw materials. Such houses are especially durable, environmentally friendly and durable. They are rarely bought, because one product can serve for a long time. Their disadvantage is their high weight and the need for careful grinding, as well as the limited color scheme.

Plywood is convenient because it is easy to process and assemble. Such products are lightweight and beautiful. However, plywood is not as practical as the original wood and is therefore less durable and may delaminate over time. In addition, it is more susceptible to rodent teeth. Another disadvantage is the limited color gamut.

Cardboard structures are remarkable only for the fact that they are easy to make. Unlike wood and plywood, fewer tools are used here, because you do not need to saw anything, but you can simply cut it out with scissors.

These houses are unique in their own way and can be very diverse, depending on the complexity of the cut and the degree of skill of the manufacturer. They are characterized by a rich color range and can create especially comfortable conditions for a pet.

Glass options are considered an original cage accessory. In fact, tanks for an aquarium are used as them. Unfortunately, breeders do not think that such houses easily hurt the pet when he wants to sharpen his teeth. The glass gets inside the body, which is the cause of death.

Plastic houses are unique in the richest colors. They can be of a wide variety of configurations and sizes. Sometimes such models are even created from plastic pipes. However, neither their convenience, nor their lightness can compensate for the harmfulness of the material itself.

In order for the guinea pig to feel good inside the house, you need to pay attention to the size of the room. The average dimensions of a rectangular house can be 25 cm in length, 15 in width and 15 in height. The minimum values ​​are 23x15x11 cm.

If the product is cylindrical in shape, and this is a suspended version, it is usually small, or even completely compact. For example, the bottom of such a house can be 12, 16 and 21 cm, height - 11, 16 and 21 cm. There is no corridor inside such models, some of them are good only for small pets. Self-made models are often very spacious.It is convenient, because the animal inside can turn around as it is convenient for him, without causing himself discomfort.

When choosing a house for a guinea pig, you need to take into account a number of nuances. For example, material will be the key. You need to look at its environmental friendliness, harmlessness to a rodent and durability. This is definitely wood or plywood without any painting (remember that an animal can chew it off a wooden surface).

The price of the issue is often an indicator of quality. However, when buying, it is worth referring to the products of a trusted manufacturer. It is important to find a supplier that does not use poisonous glue or, even worse, small staples when securing the material, which can injure the pig. The product must be flawless in terms of quality and workmanship. There should be no chips, cracks, or other defects.

You should never take the wobbly option. If it is initially poorly made, then no independent gluing will fix the matter. Such a product will not last long. Moreover, it can injure your pet at some point.

When buying, pay attention to the size of the entrance: if it is too small, it will be inconvenient for the animal to enter and exit. Make sure that the house does not have too small decorative slots in which the animal's legs can get stuck.

In this case, the size of the entrances can be different, but always rounded so that the guinea pig does not get hurt.

You need to select a house taking into account the parameters of the existing cell. In standard versions, its dimensions should not be less than 40x80 cm with a height of 50 cm. If you want to purchase a suspended model made of wood, pay attention to the cage accessories. It should be convenient for the animal to climb to its house, it should not jump up, and the structure itself should not be loose by weight. As for the model, it can be either a tunnel, a ladder house, or a boudoir, or even a cover house.

For more information on the needs of guinea pigs in huts, see below.