Housing kits

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Joined
Dec 19, 2015
Messages
17
I discovered yesterday that my 2 week old kits can escape through bars that 1/2 inch wide! I've got them in an old Guinea pig run for now because the bars are too narrow for them to escape through. It takes up all the floor space and is not as practical as a cage.
Am wondering at what age they are able to go into an adult cage with levels and shelves?
Thanks
 
It's hard to believe that they escaped through a half inch bar. That is the recommended width for any breeder cage. Are you sure a door wasn't left open or maybe there is a broken bar? Or is the half inch wide with a very long length so that the bars are weak and easily pushed through? I've used 1/2 x 6 inch spacing and have never had a kit escape.

Putting them into an adult cage with levels and shelves will depend on how high they are from the bottom of the cage and how far apart for jumping. I personally wouldn't put them in an adult cage until they were 4-5 months old, and I would lean toward 5. You want to be sure they are able to jump from level to level, plus you would want to have lots of fall breaks in between in case they misjudged or fell.
 
Thanks for your reply. I hadn't realised it would be so long. Yes it is hard to believe but i watched them do it. They really squeezed through quite skilfully! 😂
I've ordered a hamster cage 100x50cm with .7cm spacing to tide them over until i can find something more suitable. At the moment they are on the floor in a guinea pig run 😕 but at least they can't escape through the wire.
 
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