How soon can/should I put new guinea pigs in their run?

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piglew

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We just got our first (9-10 week old) guinea pigs 4 days ago (they're sows, if that makes a difference).

My question is: How soon should we be trying to get them into their run?

My 7yo daughter is desperate to get them into it, and I know it's good for them to have chance to stretch their legs a little more. But equally, I don't want to stress them out when taking them from the hutch to the run (and I'm worried we won't be able to catch them to put them back in afterwards!)

Interested to hear what your views are. They seem happy enough in the hutch at the moment and are still very shy, though they have been eating from my daughter's hand.

Also FYI: They're currently in an outdoor hutch (but will be moving indoors before too long once the weather turns).

Many thanks!
 
I would leave them for now. You should give them a week to settle in before you start hand feeding and weighing etc. I’d consider not putting them in a run before they’ve been home maybe two weeks. It really depends on the piggies.

Were they living indoors when you brought them home? If so, I would bring them indoors now. They would not have had time to get used to living outside - it’s a little late to be putting them in outside housing.

The other thing I would suggest is that you double check the sex now. We’d love to see photos if you want post some 😊
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Thanks @Siikibam for the info, very helpful. Glad I asked, especially as it sounds as though we'll need to bring them in sooner than planned.

Will post some pics once we get them properly settled! :)
 
I agree with siikibam

They need time to get used to you and settle in before changing their location ie putting them into the run. It’s a big thing for them and a lot of piggies will be scared being in a run.
When it’s time for them to go in the run, cover it with a blanket so they feel protected. Ensure you can stand on the grass in bare feet for five minutes without feeling damp and cold. If there is any chill on your feet, then it is too cold for piggies to be Out on grass.
You must also ensure you build any time on grass up slowly as any grass on unprepared tummies can causes stomach upsets and soft poops. They should only go out for a very short period at first, building it up slowly over time. This goes for every spring time once they have not been on grass for the winter.

As siikibam has said, if they lived indoors before they came to you, then I would definitely not have them living outside at this time of year. Nights are below 15 degrees now so is getting a little cold for young and unprepared piggies.
 
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