Housing

[Kate Graham]

I recently bought two guinea pigs, they lived inside for about a week and I just moved them outside into a cage which is mesh the whole way around. They have a ladder and on each floor there is a sheltered area where they can hide with plenty of sawdust and hay. Temperatures of around 10 degrees, will they be okay?

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

If I'm honest, I do think it's too cold. They come from Peru where the average temperature is 24 degrees and the coldest is 17.

I know a lot of people keep them outside, but I personally don't think it's fair to keep them out in the cold. We wouldn't make our dogs, hamsters or children live in a cage in the garden.

If you're insistent on keeping outside, it is very important to make sure they have insulation, a cover, loads of hay and a lot of protection from predators, wind, rain and cold.

 

[Swissgreys]

The way you describe the cage - mesh all the way around - makes it sound like it is not designed to be a full time outdoor home for guinea pigs.
If you choose to have them outside they really need to be in a sturdy wooden hutch in a sheltered part of the garden, or better still in a shed.

Is it possible to post a photo of the set up you are using?
Also if you let us know roughly where you live it would allow up to be able to make a better guess at what the weather is like right now.

 

[ayemee]

I think housing guinea pigs outdoors can be perfectly fine. I have done for the past 7 years.

You need to ensure that they're safe from cool winds and any damp. Make sure they have plenty of hiding places that they can get snuggly in.

My girls are now in a shed which is easier to control temperature wise in my opinion. Although I know this isn't an option for everyone.

Do you have a photo of the cage?

 

[Lady Kelly]

My piggies live outdoors too though I have found different things help, e.g. my hutch only has mesh on the front and I also have an insulating cover and weatherproof cover. I also use ice pods and snugglesafes

 

[Tiamolly123]

In a shed with heating & lighting, is fine. I agree with Cavy Kung-fu personlly I am not a fan of piggies living outside. You have a wire cage all the way round, so they are going to freeze when they're out in the cold, & over heat in the summer. They have no shelter.
How old are they.
Why do you want to them to go out.
Did you get them from a rescue or pet shop. ( it's OK where you got them from, just wondering)
I have mine in the living, I'm constantly talking to them or stroking them. Also l can watch there silly antics.
Your going to miss all of that. You may find they are a little more distant, because there is no interaction or not as much. The hutch has to be 100% safe from dogs, cats & foxes.When you let them out for a run, the top must be securely fixed as you have to keep them from above prey, Kites, buzzards or even crows & blackbirds could do a lot of damage. How big is your hutch & have you got sows or boars.
Now that's a long message, I'm normally not out of bed at this time. So if I make loads of mistakes you know why.

 

[Kate Graham]

Thanks for or everyone's replies Well, I adopted the two guinea pigs from pets at home, one is two years old and one is 6 months old. I had them living in an indoor cage, however even though I was told this was big enough for them to live in, they started to fight really bad, and I was told this was because the older one wanted to gain dominance. However, when I rang the pet shop they asked did I have any other cage which would be slightly bigger, so I asked around and my friend had this one with mesh. This cage is definitly only temporary (for about a week), until I get my new garden shed and also I am building another cage which will lead into a run for the option of them going into the garden! Both of the guinea pigs are males, and the cage is extremely secure, I've bought loads of igloos and sheltered hiding places for inside as well, I have about 6 completely sheltered places inside of the wire cage for them to sleep and I filled it with hay and saw dust! I can't wait to get them into the shed!

 

[Kate Graham]

I live in Northern Ireland

 

[Tiamolly123]

The sheltered places you have,is maybe clogging up the cage, & they havent any room to run. Also do the shelters have 2 entrances front & back. That way the piggies can't get trapped by the other. It is possible that one of them is having a hormone. If it comes to one drawing blood, you will have to separate them, the drawback to that is they won't bond again. But you can't have them fighting & blood everywhere. The fall back there is to have them both neutered then put them in ONE AT A TIME. if you put both in there will be a massive fight. If one of them bond, you can take him to the rescue & get him bonded there with a girl or boy. Can you post a picture of your set up it'll help with any advice.

 

[Tiamolly123]

What happens if they fight & your not near, to stop it?

 

[Swissgreys]

If the cage is not designed to be used outdoors then I would definitely bring them back inside until you have your shed and new cage set up.

As far as their behaviour goes you might want to start by reading this thread.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Space is so important for males in particular, and I know of several members on here who were having problems with their boys, and as soon as they gave them a bit more space things settled right down.
Hopefully this will be the case with you too.

A good guide to minimum cage sizes is here:
Cage Size Guide

An excellent thread on outdoor accommodation for guinea pigs is here:
Member Gallery: Hutches

Hopefully some of this will be helpful.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Yea a piggy shed is a great idea, once it's insulated and such it'll be just like a house anyway

You could always keep some kind of thermometer in there to keep track of temperatures too

 

[Kate Graham]

What happens if they fight & your not near, to stop it?

I'm just doing what my pet shop said, apparently it's nothing to worry about in this new cage!

 

[Lady Kelly]

Hi Kate, it sounds like your younger male is hitting the hormonal stage which can trigger tensions so you are doing the right thing about following guidance to give them as much space as possible. There are some useful guides on here about boar behaviour in the "behaviour and bonding" section which might be worth a read. Don't worry about not being around because piggies can fall out anytime and we can't be there 24/7 to watch them. Unfortunately emotions can run high on the forum and there are members on here that completely disagree with having guinea pigs outside which can come across harsh at times, I myself stopped posting a couple of years back because I got fed up of constantly feeling attacked despite my guinea pigs being very well looked after, pampered and very healthy.

Have a look at the behaviour guides as it will help you decide whether its just hormones and dominance scrapping or whether the fighting is going beyond that and causing problems.

 

[Kate Graham]

If the cage is not designed to be used outdoors then I would definitely bring them back inside until you have your shed and new cage set up.

As far as their behaviour goes you might want to start by reading this thread.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Space is so important for males in particular, and I know of several members on here who were having problems with their boys, and as soon as they gave them a bit more space things settled right down.
Hopefully this will be the case with you too.

A good guide to minimum cage sizes is here:
Cage Size Guide

An excellent thread on outdoor accommodation for guinea pigs is here:
Member Gallery: Hutches

Hopefully some of this will be helpful.

If the cage is not designed to be used outdoors then I would definitely bring them back inside until you have your shed and new cage set up.

As far as their behaviour goes you might want to start by reading this thread.
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

Space is so important for males in particular, and I know of several members on here who were having problems with their boys, and as soon as they gave them a bit more space things settled right down.
Hopefully this will be the case with you too.

A good guide to minimum cage sizes is here:
Cage Size Guide

An excellent thread on outdoor accommodation for guinea pigs is here:
Member Gallery: Hutches

Hopefully some of this will be helpful.

Thanks for your help, this was useful! My cage is designed for outside!

Hi Kate, it sounds like your younger male is hitting the hormonal stage which can trigger tensions so you are doing the right thing about following guidance to give them as much space as possible. There are some useful guides on here about boar behaviour in the "behaviour and bonding" section which might be worth a read. Don't worry about not being around because piggies can fall out anytime and we can't be there 24/7 to watch them. Unfortunately emotions can run high on the forum and there are members on here that completely disagree with having guinea pigs outside which can come across harsh at times, I myself stopped posting a couple of years back because I got fed up of constantly feeling attacked despite my guinea pigs being very well looked after, pampered and very healthy.

Have a look at the behaviour guides as it will help you decide whether its just hormones and dominance scrapping or whether the fighting is going beyond that and causing problems.

Thanks for your reply you were very helpful , yes my guinea pigs are very well looked after! It seems like my younger guinea pig does not want the company of the elder one, but the older one loves the company! Their cage has two floors, and each guinea pig has their own hiding spot on different floors, for the last 2 days they haven't been up/down the stairs to see eachother that I've noticed. Although today they were both trying to go to opposite floors of the cage and both became very protective and started clattering their teeth at eachother when they were getting too close. Not sure what's going on! I'll definitly read those threads, thanks!