DIY: Custom Guinea Pig Cage Build

Many of you asked how we made our guinea pig cage for Ginny and Pidge. Well, we had an idea of what we wanted, but it didn't exist. So, we created it!

This was definitely a project that required some handy work, but totally doable, and we love the end result:

Below I've put together a rough plan for you to use. These dimensions can change to what you'd like them to be, but basically:

1. We built the top of the cage to cover some standard base cabinets we got at Home Depot.
2. Then we built supports to hold plexiglass.
3. Finally, cut the glass to slide within the supports.

What you'll need:

• Table Saw
• Plywood
• Plexiglass
• 2x2's or 2x4's for supporting your plexiglass. Something you can rip easily on table saw and add/cut channels into
• Chop Saw
• Extra person for handling boards for safety
• Screws/Drill
• (optional) paint and hardware for handles

Dimensions for wood:

Plywood: 

• A: Back 86"W x 16"H
• B: Bottom 86"L x 26"W

Plexi Supports:

• C: 2 Corner supports 2 x 2 x 16H (approx)"
• D: 1 Center support 2 x 3 x 16H"
• E: 2 Back wall supports 2 x 1 x 16H"
• F: (optional): Back bumper 2 x 1 x 86L" - this can be shorter length, it just keeps the cage from shifting forward.
• G: Bottom supports around the whole perimeter of the side and front edges. 2 x 1 x 86" (front of the cage) and TWO 2 x 1 x 24" (sides of the cage)

Cabinets:

• H: Base Sink Cabinet from Home Depot: Click here We liked this one because it had a large opening without a divider. You can get one with a divider if you prefer. 
• I: Two Drawers from Home Depot: Click here

See images below for items listed above:

How We Did It

Cabinets

We started with the base cabinets. First we put the sink cabinet in the middle with the drawers on the outside. We cut our bottom plywood piece (B) to size to cover the top of the cabinets with some overhang on the front, back and sides. Our goal was to create a cage that would easily fit the 2x4 C&C GuineaDad Liners that we have, in addition to a coroplast kitchen for the pigs.

Tracks for Plexiglass

Then, we added a bumper on the back edge of the plywood to keep the bottom from sliding forward (F).

Next, we cut slits in a bunch of 2x1" pieces of wood that would act as the bottom frame to hold the plexiglass in place from the bottom (G). We found it best to cut about 1/2" deep into the wood with a table saw, and we sent it through the saw a couple times to make the slits wide enough to easily slide our plexiglass through.

After that, we attched the plexi "tracks" with screws to the bottom of the cage. At this point, the plexi tracks should be going around 3 edges of the perimeter of the cage: front and two sides.

Supports

Because we wanted our piggies safely enclosed without being able to jump out, we decided to have our plexiglass reach up 16". (This also prevents them from spraying pee out of the cage and hitting our walls and floors!) In this step, we cut our vertical plexi supports to our designated height, and cut channels in them with our table saw as well (C, D, E).

Once cut to the right width and height, and tracks were properly cut into the wood, we attached the back supports (E) to the bottom of the cage. Then we added the back wood piece of the cage to the supports (A). The supports help hold the back upright, and the back piece keeps the back supports straight.

Plexiglass

Once the supports were in place, we could measure the width of each piece of glass. Remember, account for the glass going into the "tracks" you made within the supports. Once all of the plexi pieces were cut, we slid them into place. Make sure the cuts are deep enough to keep the plexi from popping out. You don't want your piggies to be able to push the glass out of place. That's why we cut our channels/tracks at least 1/2" deep (or in some cases, deeper).

Kitchen & Fleece

We purchased coroplast from Home Depot and cut it to the size we wanted for the kitchen, approximately 24 x 24". This allowed the girls to have a ton of room to eat and poop. And a 2x4 C&C GuineaDad Liner would fit the remainder of the cage. (Excuse the mess, it's cleaning day!)

Final Thoughts

If (when) we build this again, i would make the cage a little deeper, about 27" total. As you can see in the photo, it's a little narrow so I have to fold over our liners a few inches. Also, I'd like more overhang on the front of the cabinets. So an extra inch or two would be ideal.

Leave some comments below and let us know how this plan worked for you! And post links so we can see your setup!