Indoors Vs Outdoors

[MaureenO]

Hi everyone!

Could you please settle a dispute for us? My dad used to own guinea pigs, but since I adopted four of my own this year he keeps telling me it's cruel and unnatural to keep them indoors - he's always kept his outside! I've got an outdoor enclosure for them during the day and a nice big C & C for them inside in the evenings. Will leave them in all day when it gets cold. Please can you help me prove to him it's not cruel!?

 

[Mother Hubbard]

It's not cruel to keep them indoors - firstly. Guinea pigs are not native to the UK however they are domesticated and as such will get used to whatever surroundings they are housed in as long as it does not cause them any harm in terms of size of environment, cold & heat etc. - that's my opinion anyway.

Pigs do require a good air circulation naturally so indoor pigs need that fresh air, also helps with any dust or particles from hay and bedding. It is important however not to stress pigs by swopping them from cold to heat. It's easy during the summer months but more difficult in the winter and spring months.

Hope that helps.

 

[eileen]

In an ideal world all guinea pigs would live in a warm climate without humidity.i think neither indoor or outdoor is wrong,it depends where you live,circumstances and what is available to you.as long as you give the best care and attempt to give them warm and attention it is an individual choice.

 

[Swissgreys]

I will be the first to admit that my original piggies (Rosie and Bramble) lived in a hutch outside (we were in the UK at the time).
After a year we ended up building a Summer house for all of our animals (we had rabbits and guinea pigs by this point) and could see that being outside, year round in the British climate was less than ideal.
But they were ok, and this seemed fine 15 years ago. Infact people would marvel at the fact that we couldn't actually use our Summer House, as it was full of animal cages.
So 18 months ago when I decided to embark once again on my guinea pig journey, I knew they would live outside.
Because guinea pigs live outside.
A good quality wooden hutch was bought, a suitable hutch cover was researched, and I spoke to another local owner who had piggies outside year round.
And then I bought some weeny baby piggies home far earlier than planned when it was too cold to put them outside, so the outdoor hutch was hauled into the living room temporarily.
18 months later and the outdoor hutch has been sold, and the guinea pigs are now permanently inside in a C&C.

All of the up to date advice available suggests that it is not ideal for a guinea pig to be outside in the climate I currently live in (Switzerland).
For me having them indoors has been a wonderful experience, meaning they are part of day to day family life, handled regularly, and protected from predators (martens are an issue where I live) and extremes of climate (in Winter we often see temperatures of minus 20 degrees centigrade).
I am lucky because I have the space to have them inside and none of the family objects to this (in fact they wouldn't have it any other way now).
I know there are several local people who think it is fine to have their piggies outside year round, and their piggies do indeed seem fine.

But for me I am happier with them indoors.
Everyone is different - you need to do what works and is best for you.

 

[Betsy]

My piggies are outside piggies all year round. I do protect them well in the winter. They have a false floor to their hutch as it has a run that goes straight onto the ground of their 2 storey hutch. The run has exposed sides so I have covered those with a double layer of bubble wrap. They have a thermal hutch hugger on the hutch. There are various hideys, snuggle sacks, fluffy pet beds etc which I change every few days for enrichment (and washing!) and tonight I have put snuggle safe heat pads in as the temperature is below 10 degrees C (which my piggies have avoided so far but I'm sure by the morning they will have hopped onto!)

As @Swissgreys has mentioned, you need to find out what works for you.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

I'm indoor all the way! Especially living in the brutal climate of the UK. The way I see it you have to look at the natural climate of the animal you keep and in this case the average temperatures (originating in Peru) would be 17-24 degrees (celcius).

Although piggies do certainly adapt, I personally feel that you should keep them at temperatures they're comfortable at naturally just as I would with any reptiles I own which is the norm with a bearded dragons or other reps.

Another way I look at it is how far we've come with cats and dogs. They are no longer locked in the garden 24/7 all year round. No one I know keeps their dog in a wooden kennel at the bottom of the garden and cats can come and go as they please. So I figure, why keep the pigs outside?

I'm sure I'm not popular for my opinion on it as I know many people still keep their pigs outdoors but after doing my research I find it kinder for me to have them in an environment that is controllable. Rather than the shocking heat of summer outdoors and the below freezing temperatures in the winter.

My piggies were originally intended to live outside (my mum said they were "outdoor animals" but now she agrees with me!) but there are too many uncontrollable variables for me so after 2 nights in the summer they came right back indoors! They're happier too as they get far more stimulation and attention indoors that way as well

In fact there are also a lot of rescues that won't rehome to outdoor environments or to wood shaving substrates.

Ultimately it is up to you and I apologise for the essay! Of course there's never any judgement for keeping pigs outside providing they have heating etc in winter and correct housing

 

[Piggiepawz]

Everyone has their own opinion.
However I have always kept my pigs outside and my girl is now 8. So please don't think they can't live outside. For most of her life she even lived outside in the worst winters. Only now I bring her indoors (in the winter) as she is very old and I worry more.
But it is nice for them to be outside. Like every animal once was, they were wild. All animals prefer outdoors to in (mostly). They love to be on the grass and grazing all day. You can get safe heavy hutches for when your not there.

The only reason I would keep a piggie indoors all year round is if it was a special needs pig or had severe medical problems

But everyone has there own opinion