Indoors to outdoors

Billettshell

Billettshell

Junior Guinea Pig
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My piggys have lived indoors for 3 months, we were advised to keep them indoors when they were baby's. We don't have enough room for them to stay indoors and the plan was always to keep them outdoors.

So I finally put them outdoors yesterday. I'm worried because now they seem really unhappy they have gone back to hiding lots, I expected them to love the extra space. Are they just adjusting?
 
I have done the same thing with a couple females a while back, to make room for emergency foster baby boars in my pet shed. I began by putting them in their new hutch a few hours a day, to get used to the new temperature. I gradually worked up that amount to all the time, but made sure to put in plenty of fleece, hideys and loads of hay to keep them warm through the night.
Hope this helps!
 
You don't want to be using fleece as a base in the winter for outside piggies as it just gets damp. I have outside piggies and I use Inconti-Pet® Puppy Kitten Whelping Washable Reusable Absorbent Training Pad | eBay. You can also get these on Amazon. I put loads of hay on the top of it and in the winter have fleecy snuggle sacks and fleecy tunnels which I swap around every 2-3 days. When the temperature gets below 10 degrees C at night you need SnuggleSafe Microwave Wireless Heatpad with Fleece Cover (colour may vary): Amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk: at least 1 between 2 or preferably 1 each to keep them warm. Do you have covers on your hutch? You will need an insulating cover and a thermal waterproof cover to keep the worst of the cold out and the rain. Hutch Snuggles with Bye Bye Fly Screen™ Hutch Hugger™.

Towards the end of August/beginning of September as the nights draw in piggies start to grow their warm insulating winter fur if they are outside and you will find they moult A LOT as this is growing through. Here is my hutch with loads with hay in it. You will need much more than this in the winter. You will need to top up the hutch daily with hay and be prepared to use at least twice as much hay in the winter as in the summer to keep them warm. See if you can find a farm locally that sells good quality cheap hay. My farm sells the best organic green hay at £6 for a big farm bale.

Too much hay 1.JPGToo much hay 2.JPGToo much hay 3.JPGToo much hay 4.JPGToo much hay 5.JPGToo much hay 6.JPGToo much hay 7.JPG
 
We have struggled to get a cover for our hutch. I am using a tarp at the moment as its warm out but will need to re visit this as it gets colder. I have heat pads ready and I was thinking about making so fleece snuggles.

They just don't seem very happy at the moment and it worries me, I thought they would love the extra space
 

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It's because it's a strange environment and they have to get used to it. It'll take them a while. It's like when you just bring them home and they are frightened. A new environment to a piggy is a very scaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaary place cos they are prey animals and anything may eat them.

Scratch and Newton do make custom covers for hutches. Hutch Covers
 
Betsy said:
It's because it's a strange environment and they have to get used to it. It'll take them a while. It's like when you just bring them home and they are frightened. A new environment to a piggy is a very scaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaary place cos they are prey animals and anything may eat them.

Scratch and Newton do make custom covers for hutches. Hutch Covers
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I hope they settle soon I hate seeing them do grumpy 😕
 
i agree with @Betsy ,though she has given a great tip about washable pads which i may have to steal ! you need to give your piggies time to adjust.xx
 
I am definitely going to order some washable pads, I've been using normal puppy pads. I know, I'm not very patient 🤣
 
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