Building A Better Habitat

A single guinea pig or small rabbit can manage in a cage 60cm long x 40cm wide with plenty of out-of-cage exercise. This is a standard sized cage sold in most pet supply stores. However, your guinea pig or rabbit would prefer a larger area to move around in and explore, a place to exercise and feel protected — a habitat.

Building a habitat for your guinea pig or rabbit can be fun and is not difficult. The step by step design we feature here takes about an hour to make and uses plastic sign board (it looks like corrugated cardboard but is made of plastic). You can buy a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet from a sign shop, building supply store or plastics store for between $12 and $18.

From the flat sheet you will be cutting the sheet to size (see step 1), then scoring and folding the plastic (see step 2) to create a waterproof box. Your finished box will be 2x5 ft and be 3 times the area of the small 60cm by 40cm cage – the perfect size for one or two guinea pigs or a small rabbit (Note: For a rabbit you may find that higher sides work better).

Sides that are 12 inches high (30 cm) will contain a guinea pig, as these animals do not jump or climb. In fact, most guinea pigs will be very content in a habitat of this size, preferring to stay inside it rather than try to escape, providing their new enclosure is in a safe quiet location and is made comfortable with a nesting box and some tubes to crawl through.

To make the guinea pig’s enclosure safer it is a good idea to purchase a piece of 1 inch square wire mesh called “hardware cloth” from a building supply or farm supply store to put on top of the enclosure (you can also use special rabbit cage wire). Using wire cutters cut the wire to fit about an inch larger than the enclosure. Bend the edges down to make a lid. Twist-ties or pipe-cleaners can secure it to the top of the enclosure by piercing small holes along the top or the box (this is particularly important with rabbits). This will also protect your guinea pig from cats, dogs or other intruders.

For a rabbit enclosure you must use the wire mesh to keep your rabbit from simply hopping out. You may also want to add more height to the rabbit’s enclosure so there is more room for him to hop.

Add approximately 1-2 inches (3-5cm) of white wood shavings. Put the food dish and vegetable dish in one corner and mount the water bottle close to a corner by piercing a small hole in the side of the exercise area and using a pipe cleaner to secure it (see Step 4). (Hint: For more stability you could use one of the cut out pieces of corroplast for added backing.)

Mount the mineral lick in a similar fashion. Add a wooden or cardboard house, some hay and some fruit wood branches for chewing.

Place your new habitat in a quiet area away from drafts and direct sunlight. Your guinea pig or rabbit will enjoy being in this larger area. Guinea pigs can usually be kept in the enclosure at all times. Rabbits will still need some daily exercise outside of the enclosure.

Add interesting items to the habitat such as large diameter poster tubes or small cardboard boxes with guinea pig doors cut out of the sides. Some people use large diameter plastic plumbing pipes. Avoid objects like metal cans that might have sharp edges or small tunnels that your guinea pig or rabbit might get stuck in. Some guinea pigs and rabbits enjoy ripping apart brown paper bags or jumping over a small log. Be creative but only introduce safe, sensible items to your animal. Avoid objects that might give off harmful fumes (like carpets) or poisonous items (like treated woods), and any that have paints or dyes the animal might ingest. Stick to items that are natural such as wool, unbleached cardboard, or wood.

By keeping your animal’s physical and psychological needs in mind, you will create a habitat that is safe and enjoyable for your animal.

Step by Step

Tools/Materials/Cost
1 sheet corrugated plastic              $18.00
1 length of 1 inch wire mesh             $7.00
Roll of 2 inch masking or packing tape
Exacto or Utility knife
Tape measure
Square or straight edge
Wire cutters
Pipe-cleaners/Twist-ties
Total                                             $25.00

Step 1: Cut 1 foot off the length of the full sheet to make a 4x7 sheet.Mark out lines 12 inches (30 cm) from each edge. The 12 inch corner squares need to be cut out of the sheet.

Step 2: Score the plastic with a knife (being careful to only pierce one layer of the corrugated plastic) along the lines that make up the sides.
 

Step 3: Fold up each of the sides to create the box. Secure the end joints together with masking tape or packing tape from the outside (not the inside – guinea pigs will chew anything). Your waterproof box is complete.

Step 4: Add approximately 1-2 inches (3-5cm) of white wood shavings. Put the food dish and vegetable dish in one corner and mount the water bottle close to a corner by piercing a small hole in the side of the exercise area and using a pipe cleaner to secure it .

Step 5: Mount the mineral lick in a similar fashion. Add a wooden or cardboard house, some hay and some fruit wood branches for chewing.