Hutches indoors - do they work?

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sophieandhoney

sophieandhoney

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I don't know that I particularly want a hutch in the house but I know a couple of people on here have indoor hutches and I just wondered how well it worked.

What do you find are the pros and cons?

thanks
 
We've got a five foot single hutch under the window in our living room at the moment. It is housing our bunny who is currently single, but will hopefully be only a temporary measure until we can bond her and sort her an outside set up.

I guess non animal people would think it was weird (it's not ideal for me really, but I can put up with it!) to have a hutch in a main room of the house. Other than the appearance of it, there are no differences to an indoor cage.

Only problem with ours is that it is now being doubled up as a sideboard and the top is covered in papers and random objects!rolleyes
 
Yeah, it would have to be in my room which I REALLY do not want but there isn't anywhere that is suitable.
 
I have a double 5ft hutch in my bedroom.
I've decorated it with all sorts of stickers ect I love my bedroom! Mostly because I have my piggies with me, as well as the bunny who hops around the floor. My room doesnt look silly or messy as I clean every day, it really isn't that awful having a hutch indoors. It's much preferable to them being in the cold garden where they can't even interact with me! It doesn't mean you can't decorate the rest of your bedroom how you like, a hitch really doesn't take up that much room.
 
Yeah, I would paint the hutch, do you have any pictures.....As I rent placing it elsewhere in the house is not allowed. Out in the garden....... the puppies are very barky and basically nuts so I worry that that would stress out the piggies.

Also they have been indoor forever and I am not sure with my working hours outdoor would work for us. I like that no matter what time I get in I can let them out.

I just think it is a bit nuts to keep a hutch in the bedroom!
 
sophieandhoney said:
Yeah, I would paint the hutch, do you have any pictures.....As I rent placing it elsewhere in the house is not allowed. Out in the garden....... the puppies are very barky and basically nuts so I worry that that would stress out the piggies.

Also they have been indoor forever and I am not sure with my working hours outdoor would work for us. I like that no matter what time I get in I can let them out.

I just think it is a bit nuts to keep a hutch in the bedroom!
Click to expand...

I'll take a photo for you now. I haven't yet painted it but I've stuck stickers on it ect. We rent our house but luckily have amazing landlords who own a small holding, they adore animals! Honestly a hutch in a bedroom may seem crazy at first but it isn't, that is if you don't live in a box room. My room isn't huge but it isn't small either.
 
I have a double 6 foot hutch in my living room and I actually prefer it to all the cages we've tried previously.

It takes up less space because it's a double one and the piggies seem to love it. Also, I'm having less issues with hay going everywhere and it's easier on my back for cleaning out.
 
thanks, I am just trying to visaulise it in my head and it isn't really happening!

I could paint it - was going to even if it was going outside but now I think I may paint it white instead of green....
 
Ok here we go. My room is still kind of unfinished, I'm still buying bits and pieces and most of my posters ect are on other walls. The hutch maybe takes up 1/3 of my wall, it could be slightly more, but my door is also on that wall so I don't miss much space to be honest.

A view from my bed,


As you can see there is a cage on top, that is Wigner's temp cage and I'm building his C&C on top of the hutch ince the parts get here. I'm also planning on decorating the hutch more with stickers, dangly dice, charms ect to make it blend in more. The new stickers won't be Disney :p I'm not totally childish xD

The stickers I currently have, on Clive's hutch door.



(: so that's my current set up, as you can see its not that bad an eye sore and once I've decorated even more of it, it will look even better. The rest of my walls 'belong to me' so the hutch doesn't bother me at all.
 
Cat&ThePiggies said:
I have a double 6 foot hutch in my living room and I actually prefer it to all the cages we've tried previously.

It takes up less space because it's a double one and the piggies seem to love it. Also, I'm having less issues with hay going everywhere and it's easier on my back for cleaning out.
Click to expand...


You see that is what I thought...... my back is not happy with the lifting of the cage and I did think a hutch would be easier in that respect.

Really I just need to buy a house or meet a rich man!
 
I get hay on the floor but I think that's mostly to do with the rabbit not my piggies. It definitely is a lot easier to sweep the hutches out and clean. I'm hopefully getting a Lino floor soon so it should be even easier to sweep bunny poops and hay. It's a bit of a nightmare on the carpet to be honest.
 
Mine would slot in next to my desk........hmmmm. yours looks good there.

Am pondering, it would take up less room and be more "streamlined" than the cages....

They could have run space in front too...
 
I don't think you'd regret it. It's a cheaper and easier way to keep them happy, right under your nose! My hutch was only £99, I sectioned it off myself in order to make two separate hutches. As long as it isn't in the middle of your room it won't really stick out.
 
I think realistically it is the only option, if I did put them outside they would have to come in for winter which would mean living in the mess we are in now! so wouldn't solve the problems we are having.

plus I am putting the goldfish else where (pond building hopefully) and so that would give me room to play with in terms of Pancake and the Gerbils.

I would much prefer them to be inside safe from foxes and the puppies. I suppose if I painted it and some of the other furniture in the room white as well.......They would have more space and I suspect it would be easier to clean them out.
 
I use a hutch indoors. It lives in my home office computer room (supposed to be the breakfast nook lol). It matches the colour of my desk and file cabinets!
Here's a photo.
IMG_2603.jpg
 
that is really cute! with the matching fleece!

I do wish I could get on with fleece, I might do one level fleece and one level hay.......

so it can be done I have pictures to prove it!
 
It's actually vetbed with mattress protector underneath. I did use fleece with no problems but ended up getting vetbed because I thought the tile floor needed something soft on top for the piggies.
 
Just wanted to add one of my piggies was reluctant to use his ramp. So I added a ramp tunnel. Problem solved. Here's a photo.
DSCN0239.jpg
 
I am thinking of making a cc cage in the future though ..;) just because I think it will be fun! drool
 
No the ferplast cottage in my opinion is not suitable for rabbits. My guineas however love it ;)
They zoom up and down the ramps no problem... I was going to buy a ramp tunnel but they were up and down the ramp within 48hrs . It looks really nice but think I will explore c c cages un the future :)
 
I have a three tier 4ft x 2ft hutch in my bedroom. Probably the most extreme example!
When I first got it I used woodshavings so I installed perspex on the sides to stop it being kicked out as much . I also lined the entire hutch with lino so it's easier to clean and the wee doesn't soak into the wood.
I now use fleece but if you want to get a better idea of my set up here's a video:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53SymT5-omQ"]Guinea pig cage tour - YouTube[/ame]

I personally love it as it allows me to have cages all in one place. I would never have my guinea pigs outdoors now since they've been in, they get my attention all the time and have all blossomed.
 
ok I am persuaded.

It will be better for the gps and make more sense space wise and will mean less mess.

And I will paint it white along with my shelves and drawers and it will look like it fits in.

thank you x
 
You could also consider converting a sideboard for a piggy house. I'd love to do it as I don't like the look of our ferplast cage. You'd need a wood one rather than MDF/IKEA job by but they are cheap second hand. :)
 
Has anyone got any other arguments or suggestions or (pictures!) The hutch I have is so heavy so where ever I put it up it will have to stay. Am so reluctant to have the hutch indoors......but I worry about them being outside.

I have been ill and so the hutch has sat unmade and they had to go a couple of days over the cleaning out ness and the smell was awful poor piggies. They are ok now but it made me ponder the whole thing again, can be stuffy in my room, the only place the hutch will fit is in a part of the room that gets the sun (solved by drawing the curtains but arghhh)

The current set up is cage plus c and C and they "run" around my room and if no one is upstairs they have the run of the landing too.

In the garden it wouldn't be So easy to give them exercise. I couldn't really bring them in? Temp change etc.

I hate renting. in my house they will be in the living room in a giant c and c cage.
 
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