Building a new home

[DavidEscapes]

Hello everyone

We are planning to get 2 or 3 rescued piggies in the new year and I want to check that my home plans for them are going to be good.

We have a large wooden garage in the back garden (not used for cars). It is dry and quite warm. The only downside is it has no windows.

Inside the garage we are planning on putting a 4ft x 2ft hutch. This will lead directly to an outside space via a small hole cut out of the back, with a ramp. The ramp should be no more than 10 inches from the ground at the top.

The outside space will be on grass, about 15ft square, with a variety of toys, tunnels ect. It will also have a small house just big enough for the piggies to shelter in. It will be solidly built by me, and use fox proof wire mesh all around. Including underneath where the bottom will be buried under about 5 inches of dirt and turf. The turf will also sit about 2 inches higher here than the rest of the garden, with an inch of small stones underneath too, to allow for good drainage.

In addition to the above the roof of the run will be slightly sloping, and will have a piece of clear polycarbonate which can be attached when there is rain. Keeping the entire run dry. This will not be on all year around.

The area the run is situated in is surrounded by tall trees, so there should not be direct sunlight at any time of the year.

My primary concern is winter care. The outside space will be dry, but still will be cold. Will this be ok. They will always have access to indoors (except during cleaning). We will have a door between the hutch and the run, but it is planned that this is kept open all year around except during very extreme weather (locked inside), and during hutch cleaning (locked outside, obviously!).

Will the piggies be ok using the outside space in the winter, Given that it will be cold, but dry due to the clear polycarbonate roof? We would not want to keep them locked inside for any period longer than 24hrs, and even then only due to serious weather problems, since they will be in total darkness if locked indoors. Outside they will also have additional shelter with a small 'day hutch' outside. And I could even add clear polycarbonate all around during the worst of the weather.

Some of the equipment I will be using is linked below:

Mesh: http://www.meshdirect.co.uk/Wire-Me...-1-2ins-x-1-2ins-holes-3ft-x-20ft-pr-395.html

Roof: http://www.casupply.co.uk/acatalog/6mm_polycarbonate_multiwall_sheeting.html

Sorry for the long post! I am trying to get this perfect for them and would appreciate any comments at all.

David

 

[clairelove]

if i was you i would shut them in at night as foxes can be very determined animals,and you could put in a battery light which you can put on the wall of the shed/hutch and leave it on in the night for them or even a solar paneled light would work good,maybe get some snuggle pads which you can buy off ebay for 18 pound each including delivery warm them in the microwave for 6 mins depends on wattage of microwave and they stay warm for 10 hours i have a shed in my garden and i have an extension lead that runs from the house plugged in,in the kitchen and its threaded in a hose pipe and ive put it in my shed and took the base of a lamp off and fastened the lamp head including bulb onto the inside roof of the shed so i can still turn on/off the lamp/light its works great that way they wont be in the dark..i have even put a small blow heater in which i got from argos for 20 pound it has safty cut out diff temp setting and walm up really great uses hardly any electric

 

[clairelove]

also if they are going into a wood garage i think you should look at building a bigger hutch for them if you have the space i would really make use of it especially for 3 guineas will also help stop any bickering which they all seem to do at times why not think of a childs wooden wendy house these are great for space and are really warm i think for guineas you would pay about 120 pounds from focus and places like that..push the back of the wendy house up agenst the wall of you garage and build the run off it this way..

 

[DavidEscapes]

Hi


Firstly, foxes.

We can shut them in at night, and may well do. We get foxes in the garden sometimes. Though I am pretty convinced that the mesh I have in mind will keep them out. Given that it will be on all sides and securely fixed into the walls of the run. That mesh (in the link) is 1.6mm (.6mm thicker than most welded mesh). Even the 1mm stuff is supposed to keep foxes at bay if it is properly fitted.

Light.

The garage has electricity, and we can leave a light on inside. That's not the issue. At night the light will be off. I don't see any issues with an animal having normal daylight/nighttime lighting (i.e. light in day, dark in night!). And it can also be on if they were locked inside for 24hrs or whatever. But I am more concerned about them having natural light than artificial light.

Heating.

Inside I don't think they will need additional heating to be honest. The garage is fairly warm anyway, and totally dry. In addition they will be inside an outdoor hutch in there with plenty of hay, things to snuggle in and so on. However if it did get very cold I would provide a heater for sure.

Does this sound ok?

David

 

[Wiebke]

2x4 ft is minimum recommend space for two piggies; ideally they should have more.

Make sure that the access to their hutch is well protected at night - rats will kill guinea pigs whenever they can get at them. You also have to think about how to keep things from overheating during a heatwave. Guinea pigs have as much of a problem with high temperatures as they have with cold.

 

[DavidEscapes]

also if they are going into a wood garage i think you should look at building a bigger hutch for them if you have the space i would really make use of it especially for 3 guineas will also help stop any bickering which they all seem to do at times why not think of a childs wooden wendy house these are great for space and are really warm i think for guineas you would pay about 120 pounds from focus and places like that..push the back of the wendy house up agenst the wall of you garage and build the run off it this way..

Yeah, I agree with this. However we just don't have the space in there. It is used for equipment storage. I am having to work carefully just to fit a 4ft x 2ft hutch to be honest. That said, while the hutch is minimal for 3 piggies, the 15 Square ft of outside space should more than make up for that I think?

 

[DavidEscapes]

2x4 ft is minimum recommend space for two piggies; ideally they should have more.

Make sure that the access to their hutch is well protected at night - rats will kill guinea pigs whenever they can get at them. You also have to think about how to keep things from overheating during a heatwave. Guinea pigs have as much of a problem with high temperatures as they have with cold.

Hi. The mesh is 13mm x 13mm so rats shouldn't have a chance at getting in. Not that we really get them around here to be honest.

The inside of the garage is cool all year around really. Never too hot or cold, and the outside space will be in a shady spot as mentioned above. So I think heatstroke is very unlikely indeed.

 

[clairelove]

also if you could get lighting and a heater in your garage you could build something like this what i have for my guineas its 6ft long 2 tier and sits on top of each other there is a drain pipe linned with carpet which ables them to climb to the top saftley just a thought (not shown) and can be made into 2 hutches as well has shown

 

[DavidEscapes]

also if you could get lighting and a heater in your garage you could build something like this what i have for my guineas its 6ft long 2 tier and sits on top of each other there is a drain pipe linned with carpet which ables them to climb to the top saftley just a thought (not shown) and can be made into 2 hutches as well has shown

As mentioned above there is electricity and lighting there already. I just want to give them natural light all year around if possible.

A lined drain pipe is a great idea for their ramp to the run. I think I will do that. No chance of falling off and getting injured.

I forgot to mention. I might well make the indoor hutch 2 levels so they have a total of 16 square feet indoors, rather than 8 (which they would have with a single 4x2 hutch).

David

 

[clairelove]

sorry missed your post about you having lighting guinea pigs wont really use the run in cold weather has my other guineas have a 5ft by 4ft run attached to there hutch out side and never used the run has it was to cold another point if the grass under foot is damp the guineas have a high risk of getting ill ie chest problems and could result in death i have now brought in the guineas into the shed for the winter until summer...i would really look at making the hutch bigger has i think they will spend most of there time indoors until the summer try to make it 3 storey this would be a lot better for them..

 

[DavidEscapes]

sorry missed your post about you having lighting guinea pigs wont really use the run in cold weather has my other guineas have a 5ft by 4ft run attached to there hutch out side and never used the run has it was to cold another point if the grass under foot is damp the guineas have a high risk of getting ill ie chest problems and could result in death i have now brought in the guineas into the shed for the winter until summer...i would really look at making the hutch bigger has i think they will spend most of there time indoors until the summer

I think 16 square foot (hutch space) is enough for 3 piggies surely? That will be the size of a 2 level 4x2ft hutch? This should really be enough for 4? But I will stick to 3 to give them all extra room.

I am hoping that the piggies will use the run in the winter if the roof and sides are on. It should stay dry, and the wind will be pretty limited too. But we will see I guess!

 

[clairelove]

i own my own guinea rescue and have seen how much space is needed for them to be happy i would say a 4ft 2 story hutch would be suitable for just 2 guineas as they can grow pretty large a 3 story would be much better a single 4ft by 2ft is too small even for a single guinea,,with this being the first time you have owned guineas the pet shop hutches what they recommend suitable for guineas and rabbits is wrong ask the RSPCA they will tell you the most recommended size for 1 guinea..then times this by 3 for yours you will see this needs to be a lot bigger really hope this helps has i have had guineas for 22 yrs now and things i did when i started owning guineas i would never dream of doing now this forum has really learnt me a lot..hope others on here will be able to give you a bit more advice..

 

[DavidEscapes]

i own my own guinea rescue and have seen how much space is needed for them to be happy i would say a 4ft 2 story hutch would be suitable for just 2 guineas as they can grow pretty large a 3 story would be much better a single 4ft by 2ft is too small even for a single guinea,,with this being the first time you have owned guineas the pet shop hutches what they recommend suitable for guineas and rabbits is wrong ask the RSPCA they will tell you the most recommended size for 1 guinea..then times this by 3 for yours you will see this needs to be a lot bigger really hope this helps has i have had guineas for 22 yrs now and things i did when i started owning guineas i would never dream of doing now this forum has really learnt me a lot..hope others on here will be able to give you a bit more advice..

I think you are misreading my posts. I am not getting a 4ft x 2ft hutch. I am getting a 2 level 4ft x 2ft hutch. Which is twice the size as a single level which is recommended for 2 piggies, and so should be ok for up to 4 piggies? Or am I missing something?

I have run a rescue (not for piggies myself) so I am well aware that there are people with much more knowledge than me! Its just that the advice given by the rescues (not the RSPCA, their advice is worthless as far as I am concerned) is that 4ft x 2 ft is ok for 2 piggies. So I assumed that twice that would be ok for 3?

 

[clairelove]

i know what hutch you mean has i have 2 of them and this is only recommended for 2 guinea pigs, has the RSPCA would state not 4 guineas.its another case of typical pet shops advertising that this size is suitable for 4 guineas or 1 rabbit when it is not in any way suitable these animals need a lot more space then people think you only learn about the space and size issue from owning then,if your in doubt then i would ask the RSPCA what the min size is for a guinea pig to live happy,if it becomes an issue for your guinea pig (space and size) in the end you will have guinea pigs that need separating this is the same with females when they come into season and defoe with the males..all i am trying to do is advise you on what i and many on here know about owning guineas and on what is needed for them and not what people think is ok for them.take a rabbit for instance pet shops sell these hutches what your talking about and say these are (rabbit hutches) when really rabbits need a big shed and a run the same size added on for them plus daily exercise out of there shed and run where many people dont know this and keep there rabbit in these hutches and think they are happy bunnies when really they are not you will see what i am talking about from spending time with your new guineas and give you a year and you will be making it bigger for them..

 

[DavidEscapes]

OK. Hutch size aside (we got a bit bogged down with that ) There were some other questions in the OP I would really like peoples opinion on.

Any thoughts? I really want to get this right for them.

 

[clairelove]

also another thing to think of guineas can eat there way through grass in no time and all you will be left with is mud mixed with wee and poo and dirty guineas covered in mud ive put mine out in a run for 2 hours a day in warmer weather and all the grass under foot was gone just mud was left even if its well protected the ground will still be damp and muddy after the grass has gone.
then you will be left with guineas covered in mud trampling back into there hutch getting there hutch muddy and anything like shavings or fleece what you use to line there hutch will get stuck on to them then your guineas feet will get rock hard mud stuck on to them which will end up causing health problems and money and lots of time for you cleaning them up 2 or 3 times a day in the end you will need to shut them in the hutch has the ground in there run will be to bad for them to go into.The boys for eg can some times suffer from penis problems where it doesn't retract back into there body properly these guineas are high risk any way of getting penis infections so this would aggravate it even more.You need to have a back up plan for when this happens and look at giving them more in door space than out door space

 

[clairelove]

i would say about 2ft in height per level as long has it allows them to fully stretched out up right with out touching the ceiling
also look at nest boxes for each guinea 3 diff bowls in the hutch and 2 water bottles for 3 guineas then this way there is less chance of fall outs
no straw is to be used look on my thread (my beautiful sponge bob) he lost an eye in his old home due to straw poking his eye out

 

[DavidEscapes]

Yes. I am fine on the space issues. Its no big thing for me to make it 3 levels if required. I am good with wood and am building the hutch myself. So lets leave indoor space aside for now

Good point on the grass. Keeping it covered in rain should help with the mud. But I guess I will have to lay down some sort of ground cover if the grass starts to vanish. That means I will have to put a 6 inch wall at the bottom of the run, to keep shavings or whatever in. OK, easily done.

Unless someone else can think of a better full time floor covering for an outside space than turf?

I want to give them a permanent outside space, but to do that I need to know what the floor should be. If not turf, then what?

 

[DavidEscapes]

i would say about 2ft in height per level as long has it allows them to fully stretched out up right with out touching the ceiling
also look at nest boxes for each guinea 3 diff bowls in the hutch and 2 water bottles for 3 guineas then this way there is less chance of fall outs

That high? Ok then. Was hoping you were going to say 18 inches

 

[clairelove]

That high? Ok then. Was hoping you were going to say 18 inches

it also depends on the size of your guinea as long has they can stand up right freely with out there head being pressed against the roof then this should be fine,what age guineas are you getting? work off fully grown guineas..
also line your hutch with kitchen lino they dont chew it and its easy wipeable and protects your hutch from wee rot ..
the run floor i use slabs if its well protected you can always put newspaper then vet bed on top but needs to be brought in at night this can be washed and doesnt hold in the damp or even lino again easy wiped but others may have better help with this one

 

[DavidEscapes]

Well, we are going to look for young rescues (under 1 year) but want the home to last a lifetime. So it needs to be built with adults in mind.

If I use slabs do they actually need covering with anything? I was thinking large paving slabs but don't it to be uncomfortable or too cold on their feet and tummies!

Yeah, seen the lino advice elsewhere

 

[clairelove]

Well, we are going to look for young rescues (under 1 year) but want the home to last a lifetime. So it needs to be built with adults in mind.

If I use slabs do they actually need covering with anything? I was thinking large paving slabs but don't it to be uncomfortable or too cold on their feet and tummies!

Yeah, seen the lino advice elsewhere

it is a little cold under foot just slabs but to be honest they tend to stay in a there hutch lot in colder weather this is why i thought about lino on the slabs it wont be has cold and its easier to clean
also dont go for baby ones ie 2mths to 4mths has in this weather they really need to be in doors its just to cold for them older ones are able to deal a little better than baby ones i would say

 

[DavidEscapes]

it is a little cold under foot just slabs but to be honest they tend to stay in a there hutch lot in colder weather this is why i thought about lino on the slabs it wont be has cold and its easier to clean
also dont go for baby ones ie 2mths to 4mths has in this weather they really need to be in doors its just to cold for them older ones are able to deal a little better than baby ones i would say

Well, we are not going to get them until the spring to be honest so it should be fine. Chances are they will be older than 4 months anyway.

 

[Niki]

Hi David

The minimum space for 3 piggies is 5ft x 2ft or 10sq ft, adding 1ft per extra piggy therefore your double decker 4ft x 2ft hutch "could" accommodate 4 piggies.

Regarding the outdoor run, mine is part paved, part turfed & a smaller part has bark chippings purely to give them different surfaces. Mine are most often to be seen either grazing or on the bark chips

Mine live in hutches within a shed & don't have 24hour access to outside, however, my old vet had hers free-ranging in her garden throughout the whole year - they had hutches filled top to bottom with hay where they could choose to go otherwise they were inbetween the plants etc & out in the snow.

My personal feelings are that if they are housed this way permanantly then they'd acclimatise to the changing seasons; i worry far more about mine when its hot as it's harder to keep the cool than it is to warm them up.

Foxes i do know are determined & would keep coming back if they got a whiff of your pigs. However, if the whole floor were meshed prior to laying the slabs/turf etc then this may work - i can't say definitely as i've no experience.

I think what you're planning sounds fantastic & can't wait to see the finished results

 

[DavidEscapes]

Hi David

The minimum space for 3 piggies is 5ft x 2ft or 10sq ft, adding 1ft per extra piggy therefore your double decker 4ft x 2ft hutch "could" accommodate 4 piggies.

Regarding the outdoor run, mine is part paved, part turfed & a smaller part has bark chippings purely to give them different surfaces. Mine are most often to be seen either grazing or on the bark chips

Mine live in hutches within a shed & don't have 24hour access to outside, however, my old vet had hers free-ranging in her garden throughout the whole year - they had hutches filled top to bottom with hay where they could choose to go otherwise they were inbetween the plants etc & out in the snow.

My personal feelings are that if they are housed this way permanantly then they'd acclimatise to the changing seasons; i worry far more about mine when its hot as it's harder to keep the cool than it is to warm them up.

Foxes i do know are determined & would keep coming back if they got a whiff of your pigs. However, if the whole floor were meshed prior to laying the slabs/turf etc then this may work - i can't say definitely as i've no experience.

I think what you're planning sounds fantastic & can't wait to see the finished results

Hi Niki

Thanks for your help. The total space would be as follows. 16 square ft indoors, 15 square ft outdoors. So 31 square ft total. Should be enough for 3 I think.

Yes, I feel that they will acclimatise too. The downside of the garage lacking any windows also gives it an upside I mentioned before. It's cool pretty much all year around, never really gets hot or cold in there. So I am not concerned about indoor temp extremes, and outdoors is shady and well protected, so that should be fine too.

Yes, the mesh will be fully underneath for sure! No way am I taking chances where foxes are concerned. I love them, but I am fighting them all the way on this one!

Realistically I would think it would be more than a nights work for a fox to get through that netting. So I would always be able to see any damage and fix it/start locking the piggies indoors at night.

I'll have to give the floor some serious though. I wonder if outdoor (yacht) plywood would work as a floor. It shouldn't rot for years, and would be a better surface to walk on for the piggies than paving slabs. I can put a slight slope in it so the water doesn't pool.... I wonder how well lino would stand up to the weather for that matter. Lots to think about now.

 

[Niki]

I'll have to give the floor some serious though. I wonder if outdoor (yacht) plywood would work as a floor. It shouldn't rot for years, and would be a better surface to walk on for the piggies than paving slabs. I can put a slight slope in it so the water doesn't pool.... I wonder how well lino would stand up to the weather for that matter. Lots to think about now.

I don't know about anyone elses grass but mine, for the past 3 years has died off - this year i turfed instead of sowing seed & this too has gone but i will see if it comes back next year. Paving slabs help keep their nails shorter & in summer they do like to lay on them to keep cool, obviously they'd need to be out of direct sunlight - just something else for you to think about Good Luck!

 

[DavidEscapes]

I don't know about anyone elses grass but mine, for the past 3 years has died off - this year i turfed instead of sowing seed & this too has gone but i will see if it comes back next year. Paving slabs help keep their nails shorter & in summer they do like to lay on them to keep cool, obviously they'd need to be out of direct sunlight - just something else for you to think about Good Luck!

I think I will start the run off with a layer of new turf, with a slab for them to cool off on, scratch their nails ect. With a view to laying slabs down all over later in the year if they go through the grass to quickly to reseed. That ought to do it

 

[ROsguCreations]

Would it be an idea to block part of the grass off so that it has chance to grow while they're grazing on the other grass. And transfer the blockage when areas need regrowing?

 

[DavidEscapes]

On the same subject. What type of wood do people recommend for building a hutch.

I would like to be able to use thick mdf since it is very easy to work with, however I am concerned that it might be chewed through, be poisonous etc?

 

[Furries]

I can say with certainty that if you don't move their outside run around, they will demolish all of the grass within a day; it will soon be just dirt (or mud). I have an 8'x4' run that has 6 guinea-pigs in it and by the end of the day the grass is bowling-green short. I personally think your outside run is too small; I would make it at least 6'x4'. If you will end up moving your run around so that they mow your lawn for you, then I find that having a bigger run works much better; having to keep moving the run around the lawn is a pain (I find), and so the bigger your run, the less often you'll need to move it. My rabbit run is 100 square feet for two rabbits (but they do need heaps more space) and I only have to move their run once a week, which is much better. I'm going to build the guinea-pigs a bigger run so that I don't have to move it around as often.

Here is a link to guinea-pig cages which provides recommendations on cage size:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/