Indoors, Or Outdoors?

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Dilly's Piggies

Dilly's Piggies

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I've met people that believe guinea pigs should be kept indoors all year around, and others that keep theirs outdoors, and others that mix it up between the two.

What do you think is ideal for Guinea Pigs, and why?
 
When we first planned to get guinea pigs they were definitely going to live outside.
We even bought a very large and well insulated hutch with cover, etc.
But the piggies came home during a cold snap and were absolutely tiny, so they moved indoors 'temporarily' until the weather improved.

Based on this I would say the advantages of having our piggies indoors include:
- Being sure that the ambient temperature is never to extreme for them
- Having almost continual interaction with them because we are constantly going past their cage
- Quick bonding because even when we don't have time to get them out into their run we can just give them a quick pat or a small piece of something yummy
- Having them really feel like part of them family because it is easy to pop them out for lap time when we are watching tv without having to worry about moving them between extremes of temperature
- Literally having the kids pend hours just sitting watching them without having to consider what the weather outside is doing
- It is super easy to keep a visual check on their health and well being because we always hear strange noises immediately, can see when a food bowl is empty, etc
- Not having to worry about predators (we live in a rural area with cats, foxes and martens)

The downsides to having them indoors would have to be:
- The space their hutch takes up in our main living area
- The mess (think hay everywhere, on every floor of the house)
- The smell (the outdoor hutch is not designed to be used long term indoors without a full weekly wash down)
- And occasionally the noise (full blown wheeking at 6 am on a Sunday anyone?)

But basically I think different set ups work for different people, and it is a matter of doing what best fits your lifestyle whilst keeping your guinea pigs safe and healthy.
 
ours were going to live outside, bought them a lovely hutch etc..... never thought anything else until we had a hot spell and i spent the day stressing about them dying from heat stroke! they came indoors and never went back.. hutch was sold lol ! i love the interaction with them throughout the day...

thats just me though,, i believe lots of piggies live outside and have a wonderful life too !
 
Mine live inside, I love having them in here with us. We could, however, fit a nice little dining table and chairs where their enclosure is but, oh well!
 
Indoors for sure UNLESS you have a shed full of pigs and you spend your day in there!

Reason being when they are indoors you really get to know them and they are great company. Mine are in my kitchen which isn't ideal on hygiene grounds but it's the biggest room in my house and where i spend a lot of time. I love watching the pigs interacting and i only need to mention a vegetable name for benson to start wheeking! I'd miss all that if they weren't there.

normally mine spend most of the year in and then the best part of summer between the garden and a hutch in my shed but this year i have a baby pig so we've kept them in. Plus the weather is pants.

I do like them out in the garden run where possible but if it's a straight choice of out or in - in is best.

I also think it's easier to spot illness if they are in.

I would love to have a purpose built shed full of pigs though - i think i could just spend the whole day there!
 
I have always had outdoor pigs. My trio are free range in a piggy-shed which is well ventilated and partially insulated and come inside at weekends and they have a 'summer' cage indoors for when we get a heat wave and the shed gets too hot or, more likely - we get a very cold spell in winter ! I love having them inside but tbh I don't think we could deal with the hay if they lived in as my OH is allergic to it.
I do think they'd be tamed / get used to us quicker if they lived in but it will happen if they live out too. I spend time with them at least three times day during the week and they are quite happy running around whilst I'm in there and they have to fully emerge from any hideys to get their veg so I can see eyes, feet, walking etc and they eat and groom in the open with me there. Out doors can work great, it's just down to personal situation and preference.
 
I am trying to persuade my parents to let me bring my pigs indoors. They currently live in a small outdoor hutch and when the weather is bad we have no interaction. I got a larger indoor cage for my birthday however my parents said it could only be used for 'indoor run time'. Does anyone have any tips for persuading parents to let you have indoor pigs? Thanks
 
Mine are indoors and I don't think I would have it any other way. I love learning more and more about them, and I get so much more interaction with them. I think I would be worried constantly if they were outdoors.
 
Originally, when I first started keeping guinea pigs, they were kept outdoors. Tradition had always said that rabbits and guinea pigs stay outdoors, so I thought nothing of it. I liked having them run on the lawn in the evening, but cleaning out their hutch was a pain (due to mobility issues). When the weather started to get wetter and colder I bought an indoor cage for them to come indoors during the coldest parts.

Since then the pigs have lived indoors and I wouldn't have it any other way! They do have lawn time every evening when the weather is good (spring/summer) but I think my pigs are much happier indoors, and so am I.
 
I have mine indoors because I live in a flat. I quite like it because I live alone, so it's company for me.
 
Mine have to stay outside because my boyfriend doesn't want them inside as he says they will take up too much space and will smell.
I try and have time with them but it's tricky now the weather is so bad and the days getting darker quicker.
I know I'd also be able to play with them more and have lap time with them if they were indoors, but currently I can't as I don't want them to get sick from the temp changes, I haven't been able to have lap time now for a while - hurry up Spring
 
I make sure I pack the hutch with loads of hay and have it insulated as much as possible, so far *touch wood* I haven't had any problems with them being outside, plus in the wild they would be outside all the time anyway
 
I think my friend had the perfect set up. Her pigs had free range of the kitchen, but when it was warm enough they had a pig flap that led out into a fully contained pig run so they could get fresh air and eat grass.

I think it all depends on your own circumstances, some people on here have their pigs in fully insulated sheds and they have brilliant housing in there. I couldn't have a shed even if I wanted one because of where I live, so indoors is the only option. Which has it's downsides as they don't get access to grass.
 
Indoors all the way! It's way too cold in winter for them imo, even with the precautions of hutch covers etc. Also having them indoors mean they bond with you quicker, you notice illnesses quicker and they can hear the fridge door better!

Mine will eventually be moving into an insulated shed that's basically like a house lol, due to space :( That will happen when the weather warms up. I will miss them indoors so much, but the space will be much better for them. If I could keep them indoors forever I definitely would though. I need a bigger house!
 
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