Giant run!

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baypig

New Born Pup
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Hi, I currently have 3 piggy's- Eve & Whinnie are 4 months old & then Cookie is our old lady who is 6.

In the next couple of weeks they will be moving into a permanent 12' x 4' run - its 4.5' high so I can easily get in and clean it and spend time with them. It has a solid roof and is on concrete slabs. 1cm mesh sides & is vermin proof and can be wind/rain proof when needed.

I'm struggling with what to fill it with!
They will have a small hutch in there to snuggle in and 3 x log hide outs.
It is just a vast area & wanting to make it as interesting as possible for them. Planning on using Aubiose bedding on the floor- any other /better suggestions on flooring?
Any suggestions and links welcome!

Their is an inbuilt 4' square house above 1 end of the run, which will be winter accommodation- might poss add a shallow ramp so they can use it all year round- our old girl wont do ramps though.
Thanks.
 
:wel:

Do they already live outside?

It sounds like a wonderful space for them to play in!

Are you planning on them having year round access to the 12x4 foot space (I may have misunderstood)?
If so, how will you keep that space warm enough. Piggies don’t normally go out after autumn due to the cold and damp air, and instead remain either in their hutches/sheds or indoors until around April/May time.

I have something similar for my rabbits - except mine is three solid sides, and a solid roof. The front side is mesh and it gets tarps clipped on to prevent draught and rain on that front side. They also have a further attached open air run. Of course rabbits are different as they are winter hardy whereas piggies aren’t.
I have foam matting down on the floor. I don’t put any bedding on top of that as 1) it’s not necessary for rabbits as they are litter trained but 2) if would be expensive to keep it in clean and dry bedding.
 
They are outside year round, currently in a large-6ft double.
The plan is to move them into the upstairs part of the run( - 4ft square, might be slightly larger) at end of sept or when it starts to get colder. Is fully insulated, so will be toasty. The run will then stay empty till its warm enough in the spring for them to come out.
The hutch in run will be 4ft, but was planning on leaving open all time as run is 100% secure from anything gaining access.
 
That sounds good.

As long as you are certain it is fully predator proof and you are happy for them to be out overnight. It’s not something we would normally advise.

I pull the tarpaulin over the front of my rabbit enclosure every night even in summer.
Are you planning on doing something similar?

Covering the floor is not going to be easy in such a big space. I would be tempted to put some kind of matting down first though. A absorbent disposable bedding is probably going to be one of the only options given it is on concrete.
 
You're most welcome! Rubber matting for horses would perhaps be an option to put down first, before the disposable bedding?
 
I have looked at rubber matting for horses in the past as I know it is good stuff however, at the time , it seemed to come in large pieces, more in fitting for stables. Because you have mentioned it here in this thread I wondered if you had a supplier in mind that perhaps would sell smaller pieces?
 
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