Hutches for outside

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piggywiggies

Hi,

I have found this brilliant site called www.rehutches.com they have some brilliant hutches here and they look really sturdy, I am thinking of getting a couple of guineas and am probably going to get the 3Ft double log lap cage and a run. Do you think this would be ok for my guinea pigs as I have no-where to keep them inside. They would also need to be outside in the winter, I have a very sheltered spot for them and I was going to use those disc things you heat up in the microwave the ones for pets to keep them warm.
 
It wont let me on that site for some reason :( but there are some great ones on ebay.
 
Hi,

Yes I have just tried the link and it won't work, if you type it in yourself to find the site it should work. Technology!
 
Not yet, I wanted something really sturdy and I thought if I have to keep them out in the winter as they cage was double lined it might be warmer for them.
 
hiya you should build your own if you know someone that is good at diy or just try yourself then you can build it to suit your space . the only reason i say build your own is my wife was looking at pets at home to buy one and when i saw it i said no way as the timber was to thin and split the plywood was only 4mm thick and not sturdy at all if you want to buy one that is very good quality it costs a lot of money as you will know sorry for going on but me and my wife built ours it took 2 days and was a double hutch and cost us about £40 for the material just a thought all the best with what you get .



pigsdad :) :)
 
Was it hard to build your own Hutch, what kind of timber did you use etc. and what kind of wire did you use to cover the cage.
 
Have a long think about keeping them outside over winter - you won't be able to bring them indoors for cuddles in the winter as they can't cope with big temperature fluctuations.

Unfortunately the microwave heat pads won't last the whole day and night, either. Could you provide them with a shed?
 
Mine are outside all year round undercover and I cover the hutches with blankets and extra hay,they are absolutely fine,I'm not suggesting it is not better to have them in,but I think as long as they are shelterd they can be fine also...
 
that looks a very good hutch and run at a bargain price well done .



pigsdad O0
 
I am going to have a go at building my own hutch now, at least I will get it how I want it. Surely if I use one of those microwave thingies and get two I could use one for the day and one for the night to keep them nice and warm. I was also thinking og using vetbed, do I use it in the whole of the cage or just the sleeping area?

Sorry I just want to make sure I get it right.
 
My piggy loves being outside and when i say its time to go in he hides in the corner of the run lol
 
Guinea-piggies-94 said:
My piggy loves being outside and when i say its time to go in he hides in the corner of the run lol
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That's just natural piggy behaviour and doesn't have much to do with the fact he lives inside or out!

Heat pads are great for the first couple of hours but after that it's only a dull slight warmth. Heat pads also can't dry up cold, damp air (I think this was what killed one of my pigs when I was a teenager, so did the vet) or keep out drafts, unfortunately.
 
Has anyone else used these Heatpads, if so what do you think of them. What about Vetbed do I use it in the whole of the hutch or just the bedroom?

Many thanks
 
piggywiggies said:
Does your piggy stay out during the winter?
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Yep mine do in the garage. They are covered at night with a single sleeping bag and lots of fleece inside. My girls will be 5 years old in august and have always been outside.
 
It good to hear from someone who keeps them outside. Everyone seems to keep them inside, and I really do not have the space.
 
I personally thi nkt hey should be outside. they are outside animals. as long as they are protected from the weather so a shed or garage is cool. my girls are 5 next month and are doing extremely well.
 
Piggiewiggy said:
I personally thi nkt hey should be outside. they are outside animals. as long as they are protected from the weather so a shed or garage is cool. my girls are 5 next month and are doing extremely well.
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I don't agree. If they were outside animals then they would be able to survive unassisted in cold weather, which they can't do. They get cold and damp, they die. It's as simple as that. The temperature in the UK can get well into the minuses in the winter - how can this possibly be comfortable, even with all the hay and heatpads in the world?

A shed or garage is not outdoors! Outdoors is outdoors! A hutch outside with no form of shelter. The guinea pigs I have now (indoor pigs with occasional time outdoors to get supervised play) are far more sociable and less skittish than those that I kept outdoors but spent hours with. You just can't give outdoor pigs cuddles indoors when it suits you in the winter, either - I learned this the hard way, believe me.

http://www.guineapigcages.com/location.htm
 
Believe me my piggies arent skittish. and i said it was my personal opinion. Not going to get into an arguement on the forum.
 
What if I use a hutch hugger as well as the heatpads do you think they would be ok with that. I really want guinea pigs and I really don't have a suitable place for two guinea pigs, possibly could manage to squeeze one guinea pig in in a very small cage.
 
piggywiggies said:
What if I use a hutch hugger as well as the heatpads do you think they would be ok with that. I really want guinea pigs and I really don't have a suitable place for two guinea pigs, possibly could manage to squeeze one guinea pig in in a very small cage.
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I don't think so I'm afraid, heatpads and hutch covers cannot keep out damp and some draughts. Piggies are warm blooded like humans - though they have fur I don't think it's fair to have them outside in temperatures we wouldn't expect ourselves to spend 24 hours a day in with nothing but a glorified hot water bottle and plastic cover.
 
piggywiggies said:
What if I use a hutch hugger as well as the heatpads do you think they would be ok with that. I really want guinea pigs and I really don't have a suitable place for two guinea pigs, possibly could manage to squeeze one guinea pig in in a very small cage.
Click to expand...

A hutch Hugger and Heat Pads in an unheated shed would be good but not good enough for outdoors.
Guinea pigs also need company of their own kind. If they survive the cold the damp will get them and there's no keeping that out of an outdoor cage. You could well end up with a Guinea who has fungal problems (caused by the damp) and maybe respiratory too.
 
I can always remember someone saying if you go outside in a t shirt and your cold then your piggys will be, mine are in the shed 24/7 except when they go out in the run so yes they can be kept outside but personally speaking i would put them in the shed or garage as long as your cars not stored there
 
If I could bring them in for the winter when would I have to do this and when could they go outside again?
 
Last summer mine stayed out all the time then come September I started bringing them in the house at night to thier indoor cage. By mid October they were in the house 24/7. In March/April time I put them into the shed with a heater then after a few weeks to the outdoor hutch. The weather this year has been awful so tonight my trio are getting a new huge hutch so they can go into the shed along with the other five that are still in the shed.
 
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