How to Make a Double Decker Guinea Pig Cage

Have you ever considered giving your guinea pig a double-decker cage with more room for play and accessories? A double-decker cage allows you to keep food and water on one level and toys or a bedding box on another--and your pet will get plenty of exercise running up and down the ramp between the cage levels.

Things You'll Need

  • 3 pieces of 14-gauge woven wire measuring 20 by 15 inches
  • 1 piece of 1/4-inch plywood measuring 20 by 10 inches
  • 4 pieces of 1/4-inch plywood measuring 15 by 15 inches
  • 2 pieces of 1/4-inch plywood measuring 20 by 15 inches
  • 100 1½-inch nails
  • 10 ½-inch screws
  • 4 1-inch hinges
  • 4 boards measuring 1 by 1 by 15 inches
  • 4 boards measuring 1 by 1 by 13 inches
  • 6 boards measuring 1 by 1 by 19inches
  • 1 board measuring 1 by 4 by 22 inches
  • 8 boards measuring 1 by ½ by 4 inches
  • 4 eyehooks
  • Staple gun
  • Hammer
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Instructions

  1. Building the Cages

    • 1

      Make four square frames using the 1-by-1-inch boards that measure 15 inches and 13 inches long. Place two of the 15-inch boards parallel to each other, 13 inches apart. Then place two of the 13-inch boards in between to create the frame.

    • 2

      Nail these frames together using two of the 1½-inch nails through the 15-inch boards into the 13-inch boards on each corner.

    • 3

      Place one 1-by-1-by-18-inch board in between the corners of two frames and nail it into place from the outside of the square frame. Repeat this step in each corner until you have built two complete cubes.

    • 4

      Starting at the top of the cube frame, wrap 1 inch of the woven wire over the inside of the top board and staple it into place. Stretch the woven wire over and down the side to the bottom of the frame, wrap it around the board and staple it down. Repeat this on the opposite side of the cube. On the second cube, attach the woven wire in the same manner over the top of the cube.

    • 5

      Hammer one of the 1/4-inch plywood pieces that measures 20 by 15 inches onto the bottom of the cube with the woven wire on two sides. Hammer the other two same-sized pieces onto the sides of the cube with the woven wire on the top.

    • 6

      Nail the piece of 1/4-inch plywood that measures 15 by 15 inches on one end of each cube and connect the other two pieces on the opposite ends using two 1-inch hinges on one side and two eyehooks on the other side of each level.

    Assembling the Double Decker Cage

    • 7

      Attach the 1/4-inch plywood piece that measures 20 by 10 inches to the top of the cube with the mesh on two sides using the nails. It should be flush with one side, leaving a 5-inch gap from one end to the other.

    • 8

      Nail one board that measures 1 by ½ by 4 inches to the base of the board that measures 1 by 4 by 22 inches. Then nail another ½-inch board every 2 inches, working your way up the board. Place this board diagonally in the gap that you left open. This is the ladder your guinea pig will climb to the second story.

    • 9

      Place the cube with the open bottom and mesh top on top of the base you just created.

    • 10

      Nail the top cube onto the bottom cube through the square frames on the ends.