Help

[Lovespigs]

Please help, so I’ve had guinea pigs for a long time, and they’ve always lived in my room in a 2x8 CandC cage. But recently my Mum has decided that they smell to bad and is making me keep them outside and threatening me if I bring them inside. I don’t mind them being outside, they have a very big outdoor enclosure for the day. But during the night my Mum insists that they sleep in a tiny hutch.
The hutch has 2 levels and she keeps saying stuff like “it’s a mansion” but as most of us know the upper floors don’t count towards floor space. I’m getting rather concerned. I’ve explained to her so many times that it’s not big enough and she just does not listen. It’s upsetting me that my piggies won’t be having the best quality of life that they possibly can. I just want my little piggies in a nice cage again

Oh I should also mention that I only have 2 piggies

 

[Lovespigs]

Please help, so I’ve had guinea pigs for a long time, and they’ve always lived in my room in a 2x8 CandC cage. But recently my Mum has decided that they smell to bad and is making me keep them outside and threatening me if I bring them inside. I don’t mind them being outside, they have a very big outdoor enclosure for the day. But during the night my Mum insists that they sleep in a tiny hutch.
The hutch has 2 levels and she keeps saying stuff like “it’s a mansion” but as most of us know the upper floors don’t count towards floor space. I’m getting rather concerned. I’ve explained to her so many times that it’s not big enough and she just does not listen. It’s upsetting me that my piggies won’t be having the best quality of life that they possibly can. I just want my little piggies in a nice cage again

Oh I should also mention that I only have 2 piggies

Sorry for anything I’ve probably misspelt or anything else

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum.

It is obviously your mums decision if you are living in her house but we may be able to help with some advice if you could give us some more information

What sex are your piggies?
What are the measurements of the outdoor hutch?
(the larger outdoor run doesn’t count given it isnt their main living space)

What are your piggies bedded on in their c&c cage and what is your cleaning schedule?

 

[Lovespigs]

Welcome to the forum.

It is obviously your mums decision if you are living in her house but we may be able to help with some advice if you could give us some more information

What sex are your piggies?
What are the measurements of the outdoor hutch?

What are your piggies bedded on in their c&c cage and what is your cleaning schedule?

Oh of course, sorry for not making that clear.

I have 2 female piggies, the hutch size that they go in at night is about 150cm x 50cm
And in their CandC cage I used a mixture of guinea dad cage liners, cage liners I made myself and some bath mats. And I clean their cage everyday and change the liners twice a week.

 

[Piggies2023]

Oh of course, sorry for not making that clear.

I have 2 female piggies, the hutch size that they go in at night is about 150cm x 50cm
And in their CandC cage I used a mixture of guinea dad cage liners, cage liners I made myself and some bath mats. And I clean their cage everyday and change the liners twice a week.

Have you tried changing the mats more often? Or changing to other bedding? I have two piggies in a 2x7. They would stink with just fleece after a few days. I have part fleece, one part I use teabag bedding with a load of hay they can bury in. They tend to wee mostly on the teabag bedding section so I take out wet bits twice a day.

Air purifier may also help.

 

[Piggies&buns]

In terms of the hutch size while narrower than would be advised (a hutch should be 60cm in width) it does just meet the minimum of 8 square feet for two females.
I appreciate it is smaller than that which they are used to in their c&c but it isn’t absolutely dreadful. If your mum is adamant they must be outside, perhaps buying a bigger 6ft hutch is an option. A 5 or 6ft hutch (150x60 or 180x60cm) is fine for a sow pair though (the measurements always refer to outside measurements, inside always comes in a bit smaller).
You obviously just need to ensure they are kept warm enough - hutch is insulated, lots of hay for bedding (no fleece outside), heat pads. You would also need a back up plan to bring them inside temporarily during any extreme heat or cold. Even a 2x3 or 2x4 c&c is fine for a temporary cage in extreme circumstances

You could try a different bedding, or try changing the fleece more often. Twice a week should generally be ok for a change though but it does depend on the fleece, how old they are, how well they are wicking etc.

 

[ThatPurpleB]

I normally use the same as you reusable liners and bath mats.

But I've had my piggie in a tempory set up for a while now with disposable puppy pads under a layer of fleece. It definitely smells less. If you did the bedding twice a week defo would not smell. Might be worth a try?