Duplex Living

Duplex Living for your Piggy Groups!

Your pigs will enjoy the two roomy living areas with less floorspace needed, but you will need to be able to walk around three walls of the cage for access. This cage setup includes a Large (2x4 grid) Cage nestled beneath a spacious XL (2x5 grid) Cage. The cages are offset the long way to reduce the cage footprint, provide additional storage, and create a cozy nook for the piggies on the lower level. We added colorful bedding and accessories in the Butterfly Garden fleece collection from Guinea Pig Market for a bright and cozy place to call home.

The lower Large (2x4 grid) Cage is recommended for 2 female guinea pigs. The upper XL (2x5 grid) Cage is recommended for 2-3 females or 2 males.

The rectangular floor footprint needed for this cage is 44" wide x 76" long (just under 4 feet by about 6 1/2 feet).

This creation is not for novices. Each item listed below has its own components and each item comes with assembly instructions, but we don't include a separate instruction sheet for this setup as a whole. You'll need to use the images here as your GUIDE. If you have any questions, we're always here to help and provide additional information.

Walk-around 3 sides access needed

Keep in mind, while this looks cool, it is not possible to reach the back wall from the front. Please be careful about considering it for your situation. This configuration cannot be tucked into a corner. Clearance on either side of the cage is required so please measure and assess your space appropriately.

If you need additional help with access in a tight spot, it's possible to put the whole cage on a DIY platform with wheels to move around a bit as needed. Please see our Table article (scroll down) for more info!

Like what you see? We used the components below to create this set up:

Please note, prices are base prices. Adding features and options can increase an item's price.

Items from Guinea Pig Cages Store:

Cage Structure Essentials

(1) Large (2x4 grid) Cage in Lime with White Grids and 12" Backwall - starting at $76.99 (bottom-level cage)
(1) XL (2x5 grid) Cage in Light Blue with White Grids - starting at $89.99 (top-level cage)
(5) Swing Grids in White (these replace 4 standard grids on the front lower level and one on the top right back end wall) - $4.59 each
(15) Standard Grids in White (to complete the floor of the upper cage and the stand) - $2.75 each
If you don't get the swing grids, you'll need regular grids instead for a total of 20 grids.
(8) Plastic Connectors in White (to complete the stand) - $0.52 each
(1) Pack of Cable Ties in White - $3.69
(1) Pack of Clips - $1.19

Cage Accessories

(2) Standard Cage Cubby Bins in Purple - $28.99 each
(1) Kitchen Suite - Pink Cavy Cafe with White Edging. Pink Regular Canopy. Lime Backsplash with Hearts cutout - starting at $59.99 (shown in top cage)
NOTE: If you COVER the TOP, get the UNDERCOVER Canopy option to go with it.
(1) Cavy Cafe in Orange with White Edging - $26.99 each (shown in bottom cage)
(1) Backsplash in Yellow with Center Heart cutout - $15.99 (shown in bottom cage)
(1) Hearty Acres Corral in Green - $18.99 (shown in bottom cage, back left)
(1) Large Hayrack in White - $13.99 (shown in top cage)
(1) Small Hayrack in White - $10.99 (shown in bottom cage)

For the Floating Fleece Forest (see instructions here):

(2) Ledge Grids in White - $4.29 each
(1) 1.25” Hinge (cut in half and attached to the end of the ledge grid to level it) - $3.99

Fleece and Accessories from Guinea Pig Market:

(1) 2x4 Cage Liner in Butterfly Garden - starting at $109.99
(1) 2x3 Cage Liner in Butterfly Garden - starting at $96.99
(1) Fleece Forest in Butterfly Garden with optional Potty Pad - starting at $21.99
(1) Magic Muff in Butterfly Garden - $42.99
(2) Water Bottles - starting at $15.99
(2) Food Bowls in assorted sizes and colors - starting at $4.99
Munchable Toys starting at $4.99

Can this be made as a single-family habitat?

This cage setup is very similar to our Piggy Penthouse setup which includes a special access solution to the lower level. Please see this post for the details.

Can this be a 2x4 over a 2x3?

Yes, it can. Change the XL and Large cage above to a Large and a Small instead. 4 instead of 5 Swing Grids.

Can this be COVERED?

Yes, it can. You would buy and use the Single-Level Cover for the TOP cage to match the cage size. The top level shown here requires the XL 2x5 Flip-Fold Cover. All covers are available here. There is no specific cover for the bottom portion. We recommend recreating the overlapping grid technique from the front portion of the Flip-Fold Cover: Large Standard.

You will (loosely) CABLE-TIE a row of overlapping standard grids to the front of the floor grids on the upper cage. It is important to offset the grids vertically by one grid hole so that the length of is longer than the base cage because it will rest over the side grids of the lower level.

For the 2x4 Cage in this setup, you'll need 7 standard grids to completely overlap each other.

Can this go on a STAND?

Yes, it can, but you lose the ability to easily open the doors to let your pigs out for floor time. And it depends on how much you want to build out the stand on the left-hand side as shown.

You would get the 2x5 Stand and then add 13 grids and 22 Connectors and more zip ties.