Am I Doing Something Wrong?

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court29x

court29x

Junior Guinea Pig
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Recently I've seen the majority of people on here have cages, indoor in particular, with fleeces and some hay areas instead of outdoor hutches with wood shavings and hay, at the moment my piggies are in an outdoor with wood shavings and hay but when the weather starts getting colder again we are getting them an indoor cage to stay in the house. I feel as if I'm doing something wrong with their bedding and housing? Thoughts?
 
I don't think you're doing anything wrong, a lot of great members on here don't have inside Guinea pigs. While in the shed not outside, @BossHogg uses hutches, though I think he uses snowflake wood chips ? instead of woodshavings, which encourage URIs. @Mother Hubbard also has them outside unless I'm wrong or thinking of someone else?
 
CarnivalPiggy said:
I don't think you're doing anything wrong, a lot of great members on here don't have inside Guinea pigs. While in the shed not outside, @BossHogg uses hutches, though I think he uses snowflake wood chips ? instead of woodshavings, which encourage URIs. @Mother Hubbard also has them outside unless I'm wrong or thinking of someone else?
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Okay thank you, and oh dear I never knew they encouraged URI's?
 
Shavings aren't the best bedding for them, I've noticed from other people's piggies than it can create issues with urine infections and URIs as said before.

There are loads of bedding options these days so it's not necessarily fleece or go home. I would steer clear of shavings though, I personally use fleece and my babies love it and are very spoilt :))

Being in a hutch is fine I'd imagine, as long as it's plenty big enough and the temperature is within their tolerance so it's nice to hear you'll bring them in for winter! :)
 
I don't use woodshavings but that's because I tried aubiose (hemp based chip bedding) and now I wouldn't go back. The urine makes the top layer of wood shavings clump and stay wet whereas with aubiose the urine goes to the bottom and the bottom of the bedding stays damp and clumps but the top stays dry which I find better for my piggies. Other than that my piggies live outdoors constantly, I just didn't get on with fleece when I tried it previously.
 
Where bedding is concerned it is really down to personal preference and what you feel is best for your piggies. In general shavings can be very dusty for pigs, so we recommend other types of bedding such as Aubiose or paper bedding like Fitch. You certainly aren't doing anything wrong!
 
My piggies are outside all the time as I have no room for them inside. I use newspaper and hay (LOTS of hay and more hay) In the winter the hutch is wrapped in bubble wrap apart from the top half of the door so that air can circulate and every morning and evening I put (yes you've guess it!) even MORE hay in to keep them warm. I also put an old blanket on the top of the hutch, halfway down the back and down over the front to keep out the worst of the cold. With the five of them in the hutch they keep nice and warm. This year I am going to buy a digital Min/Max thermometer with remote sensors for the top and bottom of the hutch so I can monitor the temperature once I have figured out how and where the monitors can be fixed so that they don't get chewed!
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
Shavings aren't the best bedding for them, I've noticed from other people's piggies than it can create issues with urine infections and URIs as said before.

There are loads of bedding options these days so it's not necessarily fleece or go home. I would steer clear of shavings though, I personally use fleece and my babies love it and are very spoilt :))

Being in a hutch is fine I'd imagine, as long as it's plenty big enough and the temperature is within their tolerance so it's nice to hear you'll bring them in for winter! :)
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Okay I will start saving some money for fleece then as I'm going on holiday soon and my sister is looking after them for me so I need to get their indoor cage too!
 
Flutterby said:
Where bedding is concerned it is really down to personal preference and what you feel is best for your piggies. In general shavings can be very dusty for pigs, so we recommend other types of bedding such as Aubiose or paper bedding like Fitch. You certainly aren't doing anything wrong!
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Thank you!
 
courtfranksx said:
Okay I will start saving some money for fleece then as I'm going on holiday soon and my sister is looking after them for me so I need to get their indoor cage too!
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I can recommend the Primark home department. They did fleeces big enough to make a liner or two for my 6ft hutch for less than £10. If you have market stalls that sell fabrics you might also be able to find it cheaply by the metre
 
All mine are outdoor piggies throughout the year barring when the cold gets to a temperature I feel is not right. However I do go to extra lengths go ensure they are warm enough, mine are bedded on auboise and hay. In the bed section in the winter they have fleece and tonnes of cozy enclosed beds. @courtfranksx
 
Mother Hubbard said:
All mine are outdoor piggies throughout the year barring when the cold gets to a temperature I feel is not right. However I do go to extra lengths go ensure they are warm enough, mine are bedded on auboise and hay. In the bed section in the winter they have fleece and tonnes of cozy enclosed beds. @courtfranksx
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Think I need to look up this auboise!
 
I use dust extracted jumbo shavings and various types of hay daily. I've never had a problem with it and I have a pig outdoors in a hutch and two boys inside in a cage - all with same bedding.
Frank who is outside all year is overwintered in his hutch in my greenhouse which is well ventilated and kept him happy and he loved it.
The best thing about doing that is that his whole hutch remained dry all winter.
 
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