Why say no to Wire Bottom Cages?

Why say no to wire bottom cages? ' Why say no their a so many cages on the market that have wire bottoms? '.

The above question is what many people realize once they go in search of an enclosure for their guinea pig/s without a wire bottom. The answer to both questions can be summarized into three categories:

- cleanliness

- safety

- bumblefoot

Cleanliness

A cage with wire on the bottom can very easily and very quickly become quite filthy. Clumps of dirt, excess feed and faecal matter can become lodged in between grooves of the wire and if the enclosure is left outside in damp or rainy weather the base with become even more unclean with solid matter becoming lodged in between the wire grooves. If this matter is left for a period of time naturally harmful bacteria will build up and if your guinea pig ingests anything your guinea pig could become quite sick.

Safety

A cage with wire on the base always runs a safety risk your guinea pig may accidentally lodge it's foot, leg or even a toenail underneath the wire and with one small twist can dislocate a limb, tear a nail, cause a wound or in a worst case scenario, break a limb.

Bumblefoot

As a person imagine what it would be like to walk on harsh/cold metal or wire or bars for the majority of your life. Like humans guinea pigs have soft foot pads and naturally walking on such a hard surface for the majority of their life has repercussions and would be painful. Bumblefoot is a very painful condition of the footpad it can be very difficult to treat and cure and it can derive from wire flooring. Symptoms of Bumblefoot are redness of the feet, swelling, inflamattion and in severe cases, infection which could lead to death.

To read further information on Bumblefoot click here.

But won't the wire bottom stop my guinea pig from digging out or stop a predator from getting in?

In answer to this question quite simply put if one chooses to have a guinea pig as part of their family the yard should be predator proof anyhow and the guinea pigs should be safe inside their cage. The cage should be sturdy and solid hence making it difficult to tip or move from where it sits.

Guinea pigs are not known to dig although information from people who have had guinea pigs in lawn enclosures with no wire base state that a guinea pig will dig a hole and try to escape it's enclosure only if it is left hungry or if the cage is on dirt. If a guinea pig has food and water supply readily available to them the guinea pig shouldn't dig.

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