My name is John Evans and I have been keeping and raising guinea pigs now for over ten years. I have worked out a system where my guinea pigs can remain fit and healthy and live happy lives. I have two cages for the four pigs that I have at present. A divided grazing run where the pigs can graze on the grass during the day. I also have two cages for them to spend their evening and night. The sleeping cage has their bedding area. There is no bedding area in the grazing cage.
The grazing cage is made of a wooden frame with two hinged doors on top at either end. These doors are so that the pigs can be easily caught and removed when they are being moved between cages. Every morning the pigs are removed from their sleeping quarters and moved over to the grazing cage which is placed on fresh grass for the day. The grazing cage is covered in a fine mesh wore so that no wildlife or birds can interfere with the pigs. The top of the cage is covered with shade cloth which allows them to have shade in the bright sun. I have a waterproof cover which covers the majority of the grazing cage if the weather is going to be a little wet. If it is really stormy they spend the day in their overnight cage which has an exercise and feeding area and also their sleeping quarters.
You'd be surprised at how much grass the guinea pigs will eat in a day. I currently have four, two males and two females. The divided cage keeps them apart most of the time although I have found a cross over when the ground has been a little uneven and there has been room enough for a determined young lady to go and visit her beau. Fortunately we have not had any unwanted problems from the unscheduled visits. We have chosen not to breed at the moment. They eat enough that I could move the cage onto fresh ground halfway through the day but I normally supplement their grazing with an apple shared between the four of them.
You can buy two story cages that are open on the ground level allowing your guinea pigs to graze. My grandchildren have one of these cages and they move it around to fresh grass every day. The cage is light enough to be easily carried and moved by two young boys. The ramp from their sleeping quarters down to the grazing area allows their pigs to enjoy their grazing at will. They have access to their sleeping quarters by a ramp which can be secured to prevent them from going down to graze if you choose to. The variety of grazing combined with the security of their sleeping quarters makes for a very happy group of contented guinea pigs.
John Evans is a lifelong guinea pig lover. For more great guinea pig care information, check out my website.
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