Going to have to move piggy outside in two weeks-is this too early?

[rubynoodles]

Hebe has been living in our conservatory over the winter but we are having a new sofa delivered within the next 2-3 weeks and there wont be enough room for her cage as well.

It has been quite lovely during the day, over the last few days and today (whilst oh decorated the conservatory) we put Hebe in her outside hutch which she seemed to love

However, whilst OH wants to keep her there during the night I am worried about her getting too cold so have brought her back in for tonight.

Is it too early to have her out all night and also what is the best thing to cover the hutch with. Last year we used an old piece of carpet and a bit of heavy plastic sheeting incase it rained.

On a sperate note, I am really worried that my 1 year old jack russell (who we didnt have last year when Hebe was outside) is going to terrorise her. He just would'nt stay away from the hutch all day, kept barking and trying to jump up at the hutch. I dont have a big enough garden to separate them and am worried he is going to stress her out over the summer months when she really needs to be in her run

 

[twiams]

Personally i would say that you can’t really plan when they can go out because it all really depends on what the wether is like at the time, as it’s always unpredictable !

If you’re putting your piggy outside i would recommend still brining them in during the evenings/nights as temperatures can often drop quite a bit as night falls and it’s this quick temperature change that effects piggies the most. But it all really depends on what the weather is like where you are.

If your covering your piggy cage try a really thick old blanket and some tarpaulin that seems to work quite well, or maybe you could get a specific hutch cover made for your run ?

When it comes to your dog, is there anyway you feel you could try and train her to leave the hutch alone? i know some dogs can and some dogs just don’t get the idea of leaving something as interesting as a guinea pig alone! Maybe you could look online at some tips with what to do if your dog is pestering another animal, as it is likely to cause your guinea pig stress as guinea pigs are prey animals and naturally a dog is a predator in their eyes.

Hope that helps

 

[Hermes]

Iknow it's going cold again this weekend with overnight frosts but I've no idea what the weather will be like in two weeks! It should be warmer by then asw we'll be in to may so I would think she would be okay to go out. This thread gives plenty of ideas on keeping hutches warm -http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?54309-Cold-Weather-Care-For-Guinea-Pigs. Having a companion to snuggle up to also helps.

As for your dog you need to put some form of barricade in place so he can't get to the hutch and work on teaching him a reliable 'leave it' cue and calmness around the hutch/guinea pig. If you look for a APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) trainer in your area they will be able to help you with that using positive reinforcement techniques.

 

[helen105281]

Can I just ask what your plan is in the winter when it gets colder, if there is no longer any room in the conservatory?

 

[Guinea Fan]

Mine live outside all year long. My husband built a cover lined with 2in thick polystyrene and they have perspex covers over the fronts. They have loads of hay, and a snuggle safe and are fine. If you are putting them out now, they will have time to acclimatise before the winter

 

[claire8234]

Hi

My two boys are outside and loving it! They have been out for about 2 weeks. We had them inside for a while in a C&C cage which I just didn't get on it at all so they are back out in the hutch. They have plenty of hay in their bedding area and I put a snuggle safe heat pad in there for a couple of nights but to be honest I don't think they really needed it. Draughts and damp are more of a problem from piggies so just make sure you have a good cover for the hutch at night and they will be fine

x