indoors or outdoors?

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mimsy

hiya.we are currently keeping our piggies indoors in a cage.but now they have grown and we have bought loads of toys etc from pampered piggies they are running out of room!i am thinking of moving them outside in a double storey hutch soon.would that be a shock for them?
I'm thinking of bringing them in again when its frosty and getting near winter.
so i just want advice on when to put them outside and is it best to leave them out all year round so they get used to the changes in temperature?
 
My pigs live outside in an outhouse. Over the Winter months, their hutch was packed with bedding and they had a carpet covering their hutch. To get them use to the warmer weather, I took the carpet off about 2 weeks ago and reduced their bedding. I will put the carpet back on around the end of October to get them ready for the winter. They should be fine if you put them outside over the next few weeks as it's getting warmer. As for bringing them back inside for the winter may be someone else would be able to advise better. If room is a problem, do you have a shed or outhouse you could put them in in the winter?
 
my piggys go out in summer, Ive got one more Hutch for hubby to build (this weekend) and all my pigs will be out except badger boy my lone boar who is staying with me!.... he plays with the girls thru bars!
 
i could put them in the hallway in winter but I'm just not sure if its ok to keep changing from inside to out.or if its best to just leave them out.i will get a hutch and put them out soon and see about winter when it comes i suppose!
 
I imagine that you could leave them outside all year round so long as in the winter you give them extra bedding, keep the hutch away from wind and rain by putting it up against a wall or something and cover it up at night. Maybe you could also buy one of those weather prove hutch covers as well O0
 
I'm of the opposite camp - I don't think it's appropriate to put poor piggies outside in the winter. Not only would they not get as much attention (my indoor piggies are part of the hustle and bustle in our house even if we're not holding them), you can't bring them in for cuddles (let's face it, who'd want to sit out in their back garden in the freezing cold when they could be cuddling their piggies in the living room) and they could certainly become ill.

Having heard of lots of cases of heatstroke in the summer I'd be wary of leaving them outside then, too. My piggies get plenty outdoor time in the summer without them having to live there. Not to mention predators and thieves...
 
Totally with Datfscotlass, my Bridget goes out once the chill has gone from the day and then comes in when it starts to get cool. If the weather gets too hot in the summer I will either bring her back in or put a plastic bottle filled with cold water for her to cuddle against to keep cool. I am even thinking of putting a shade over the hutch during the heat of the summer....Then again am totally animal potty...I even put sunscreen on my beagles tummy so that he doesn't get sunburn!
 
personally i think heat is more difficult to deal with probably because i hate it hot!
All my out door runs will have shade for summer i think thats essential also on the sides! keeps the grass coolall day then!
 
roninnorfolk said:
personally i think heat is more difficult to deal with probably because i hate it hot!
All my out door runs will have shade for summer i think thats essential also on the sides! keeps the grass coolall day then!
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I agree Ron, i think piggies fare better with the cold, it's the damp & draughts that can make them ill & definitely the heat. I have sheltered areas in my run because if it's too hot for me (I don't do sun) then it's too hot for the piggies.
My lot have frozen water bottles (in socks) in their hutches & hand-wrung wet towels at their hutch fronts & have been fine the past 3 "summers" :)
 
I have my pigs outside in a hutch (Lavender lodge is plenty of room for 2), and I have the hutch hugger and snuggle.

In the winter I use the two together, as the hugger is waterproof and the snuggle is insulated, and that keeps the heat in. Also if it's windy or rainy (and at night) I can roll down the cover on the hugger, and they can still see out, but are sheltered from the elements. I also give them a ton of hay (I have horses so it's not in short supply).

In the spring/autumn I use the hugger on it's own to keep things dry and shelter from draughts and rain etc.

In the summer I use the snuggle on it's own, as it is reflective and keeps the heat out. It also has a fly screen for use when they don't have the run attached.

I think it works well, I use the frozen water bottles too, wrapped in a tea towel in the run when it's really hot.
 
I want to try that hutch snuggle out - especially as it has a fly screen
 
It's attached with velcro so you can take it off and still use the snuggle with a run.
 
Yes some of mine are going outside this weekend in there hutches but they will be brought back indoors when it turns colder later in the year..buti have put my hutches in the shade of out garden and a nice breeze runs passed them
x
 
Hi I have 3 pigs who live out all year round in hutches in their shed.I have one housegirl who is about to meet the outdoors for the first time!I'm on the east coast of Scotland so mid May is early enough to put housepigs out for the summer here.Probably a bit earlier elsewhere would be ok.The grass is now growing well and its great to see and hear their excitement when they get among it each Spring!
 
Hi all I can say is thank god O0 O0 O0I was totally lectured and told that I was unfit to own pigs pretty much because I keep them outside all year round.They are warm,waterproof and get to actually see sunshine.I know they are happy and healthy and loved.There vent over.I love my piggies! :smitten:
 
There is nothing to say that indoor pigs don't get to see sunshine. Mine get out regularly in the summer and I don't actually know of anyone with a garden and indoor pigs who doesn't let them out. At least I can rest easy in the winter and not have to worry about faffing about with hutch covers and draught proofing when they're as warm and cosy in the house as I am.

I'm in Central Scotland (we don't get the high winds that the east coast often do) and I wouldn't think about putting mine out in May if at all. It's still really cold at night.
 
Mine are in outdoor hutches protected from wind and rain. They get some morning and late afternoon sun. BUT I do live in Australia and our winters are not as harsh as in England.
I do love to have them indoors but my work as a Home Child care provider isn't too keen to have any animals indoors around children at any time. So I guess for the time being they have to be outside. They get plenty of hugs and attention every day regardless of the weather.
 
daftscotslass said:
There is nothing to say that indoor pigs don't get to see sunshine. Mine get out regularly in the summer and I don't actually know of anyone with a garden and indoor pigs who doesn't let them out. At least I can rest easy in the winter and not have to worry about faffing about with hutch covers and draught proofing when they're as warm and cosy in the house as I am.

I'm in Central Scotland (we don't get the high winds that the east coast often do) and I wouldn't think about putting mine out in May if at all. It's still really cold at night.
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Mine are in the outhouse. OH wants to put them out in the yard but I think they're fine where they are. Luckily where I am, it's quite warm at night so I leave the outhouse door very slightly open to allow them some breeze. My friends piggies live outside all year round. They are kept warn and cosy and are happy.
 
mine stay indoors all year round but in the summer they can go out in the run if it isnt boiling hot :)
 
Mine are indoors all year too - they go out later afternoon if the weather is nice :)

We get a nice breeze coming through our garden and so they can be out there keeping cool and enjoying the weather! :smitten:
 
Indoor hutches are the way to go! I have 2 piggies in my sitting room and they love it! They get to go out in to the garden in the summer and are nice and snug in the winter! We have a Cavy Cage, which is like a pen. And it has the added bonus of being extendable should we decide that we want another little one any time soon..
 
My piggies live in doors all the time, I wouldn't even consider keeping them outdoors. In the summer they have an outdoor run for them to go into if the weather is nice
 
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