Indoor/outdoor piggies

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lizzie_71

lizzie_71

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Apart from about 6 weeks last autumn, my two guinea pigs have lived inside all their lives. But the plan has always been to move them back to the outside hutch when the weather got warmer. Does anyone else have piggies inside in winter, and outside the rest of the time?

I'm not quite sure when to do the move. I want to make sure there is no danger of frost/ice/snow before I do it, but what time of year do you think is OK? I'm thinking March (I'm in SE England by the way).

To be honest I'm quite keen to get them moved now, for me it is much better when they live outside. I can't believe I was such a softie and brought them in - everyone else I know with guinea pigs keeps them outside all the time and they are fine.
 
I will be moving mine out of the house in march weather depending. They will be in the shed without the heater on at first then I will slowly move them back out by end april/ may if its dry and warm they will be out untill september. :)
 
mine are outside in the shed only brought my old pig in as she had lost weight and needs a closer eye kept on her, she has Fudge for company. The other 5 are outside they love it, just seen them having a mad 5 min when i cleaned them out hiding and running through the hay. :) ;D
 
Last year mine were out in the summer but I missed having them in, so this year they're staying in all year :smitten:
 
Ours are always indoors, they've just been moves to the spare bedroom as they were beginning over run the front room! 98)

If we ever needed to permanantly get the spare room back for any reason, we would have to put them outside, but I think I would house in a shed in the winter and a hutch from late April / May personally, but that's just me. I would start to bring them in about October before the weather starts to get too cold and damp, but again that's just me. I prefer my boys indoors, I find I can keep an eye on them and spot any adverse behaviour or health probs quicker, but I appreciate that its not always practical for many people as they do take up tons of space (ours are in 6ft C&C runs!)
 
Ours go in the shed in the autumn, inside the house in the winter and outside in the spring and summer.
I'm probably going to put them outside in april, but if its still very cold then I might introduce them to the cold slowly by putting them in the shed for a while.
It depends what the weathers like.
 
Mine will be staying in all year round now but go out in the warm weather during the day into hutches/runs. I'll be bringing them in at night though. Personally I'd wait until May time. March can be pretty cold at night.
 
mine live outside all year round and are fine. admittedly i am getting through a bale of hay in 10 days at the mo coz i do tend to pile it in ;D
 
I was just about 2 post something like this so i will metion it here instead.

I live in central Scotland and Sccotland is colder than England this is really my first year with piggies because i got my piggies bak in August so around that time they were outside for a month or 2 then brought them in.

Was just wondering when it would be safe to put them back outside?

As where i stay can be funny for weather you can get frost out of the blue the temperature can just totally drop from being humid to freezing level.
 
Hi, I've just joined the forum and I'm shocked to hear that so many people have their guinea's indoors. I bring my 3 in if they're ill or if it's snowing or awfully cold, otherwise their out all year round. Did'nt think that they needed to be housed indoors...am I wrong?!?! :-\
 
I keep mine inside. Their cages are on a special table in my sons room. We go in many times during the day and talk to them even if we can't take them out to cuddle. I will bring them out during the day in the summer for fresh air and sunshine but I like to hear them scurring around at night. It is usually 20-35 degrees here at night and often it goes below zero. Would that be too cold for them?
 
mine will always be indoors too. they are so sociable i couldnt imagine putting them outside. bob would miss his mummy :smitten:
 
i love being woken up by Cookie when shes waiting for her veg ;D (but dont tell her)
 
I personalluy dont agree with guinea pigs being kept as outdoor animals, anytime of the year! OK in the run when its hot yeah, but not living out there!
 
Ours are in a warm shed in outdor style hutches or outdoors in very well insulated hutches, little ones/pregnant girls/ill guineas come inside. As long as the hutch is draught and damp proof, in a sheltered area, insulated, and the temperature in the hutch does not drop too low I think guineas can live outdoors. Ideally it would be lovely that every guinea was an indoor guinea so they could be toasty and have lots of fuss, but bringing 34 indoors in a small bungalow just is not practical.
We re-home guineas to outdoor homes as long as a shed and hutch insulation or indoor accomodation is available in the winter.
As all our guineas are in sight and sound of several other guineas and I spend a lot of time out there with them they still get lots of socialisation and cuddles ;D
 
emma76 said:
Hi, I've just joined the forum and I'm shocked to hear that so many people have their guinea's indoors. I bring my 3 in if they're ill or if it's snowing or awfully cold, otherwise their out all year round. Did'nt think that they needed to be housed indoors...am I wrong?!?! :-\
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It's a matter of opinion really and what's practical. I used to have mine in a shed with overnight heating but I thought they looked miserable in the cold and it got much too hot in the summer. I'm lucky enough to have the space indoors (we don't have kids!) so I brought them in. I don't personally like them outside. What you need to watch is the extremes in temperature - you're bringing them inside when it's freezing cold which is a kind thing to do but to bring them into a very warm environment and then put them back outside in the very cold can be dangerous. The answer is to try to avoid extreme temperature changes.
 
mine are otside for most of the year and in a shed for the cold winter months. But yes sudden temperature changes are bad had a guinea pig a few years back get a rattly chest because of it so be cautious!
 
Now mine are inside theres no way I would consider putting them out again until at least march
 
Jennifer1990 said:
I was just about 2 post something like this so i will metion it here instead.

I live in central Scotland and Sccotland is colder than England this is really my first year with piggies because i got my piggies bak in August so around that time they were outside for a month or 2 then brought them in.

Was just wondering when it would be safe to put them back outside?

As where i stay can be funny for weather you can get frost out of the blue the temperature can just totally drop from being humid to freezing level.
Click to expand...

I'm not far from you. I wouldn't have them outside in the summer either. Two summers ago it was getting down to 10C at night and was 30C odd during the day. It's the temperature fluctuations that harm the piggies most of all.
 
my 11 live free range in a shed with an outside run with paving slabs under it,the shed isnt insulated but they have lots of wooden hay filled hides in there which they love,all different sizes so they can choose where to sleep and who to snuggle with,though all 11 are usually in the same one all piled on top of each other,i lift the top off and they all bundle out,even if its one of the smaller hides they all love to be together, its so cute :smitten: when the door is closed on the shed it does seem a bit dark,but there is a window,and they have access to outdoors at all times, but we also have a wire mesh inner door so in the day time the shed can turn into an extra large hutch with lots of sunshine and fresh air just by opening the door and pinning it open. i love my piggies,i would like to have them indoors but unless i could give them an entire room to themselves i dont feel its fair on them,i hate to see piggies in small hutches or cages,and we barely have enough room for us 4 let alone an big colony of piggies,plus i think my dogs would love to snack on them :o
 
those of you that keep your piggies outside are they in sheds or hutches i know alot of people keep them out all year in a hutch
 
i think most people who keep their piggies outside keep them in a heated shed :)
 
ok was just wondering lol i dont have a garden big enough for a shed or i would do that too hopefully when i get my own place i will be able 2 fingers crossed eh lol ;D
 
When mine are outside, they are actually outside in a hutch on the patio. It has a raincover but that's it.

I'm getting it every day now - those guinea pigs should be outside, why aren't those guinea pigs outside, when are you moving those guinea pigs outside? I'm holding out still but it's wearing me down. My OH really hates them :( I wonder if I'd bet better giving them to a family where everyone would love them, I'm fed up with having arguments over them.
 
Mine doesn't like guineas either, before I did rescue I had indoor guineas but as I got more they went outside in their own purpose built shed. In my opinion there's no point in fighting with your humans over the guinea pigs. My pigs have everything they would have in a house. Is there anyway you could use this as a way of getting a shed with electric for the pigs? I even got a sink and water supply in mine :)
 
well when i was about 7-8 i had 2piggies back then and they were out all year in a hutch with a protective cover to keep them sake from wind and rain but now with me being older i dont think i could do tht 2 my piggies my OH isnt really that keen on them but he sorta understands that its too cold outside so he has 2 deal with it lol

but he cant wait untill they can go outside ;D
 
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