Inside or outside?

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Sailorsami

Hi all,

I've just joined the forum as i'm hoping to get two boys soon. I'm after a bit of advice. I joined an American Guineapig forum and my first post put up that i was planning to build a big cage/run outside for the boys so they can have access to grass during the summer, and quite honestly i got slated for even considering putting them outside.
I had guineapigs when i was younger, i had about 5 in fact, and we kept them outside throughout the year (although we moved them in to the shed at winter) and they were all healthy, happy, and lived to very good ages.

Was i wrong to keep them outside? i'm now having doubts about the happiness of my old piggies, even though they always seemed really happy and content!

Should my new boys be kept inside? I'm confused.

Thanks in advance!
 
hi welcome to the forum everyones friendly and helpful here :)
personally i keep my pigs inside but as long as you make sure theyre warm enough out of draughts not wet and dirty i think theyll be fine outside
 
In the states they are not in such a temperate climate they have hotter summer and colder winters hence it would be dangerous for them to be outside. You will find a mixture of people who keep them outdoor, indoors and have some indoors and some out. As long as they are protected from the extremes of the weather very hot and very cold and damp and they do not need to be indoors, and i am sure they were very happy. I have my girls indoors with me and i think they are probably tamer as they have me as company most of the time. It is up to you where you keep them as long they have the minimum 4ft by 2ft size cage (preferably bigger the better), good food and welfare all will be well. The only consideration is that at this time of year you will need to find pigs that are used to being outside - as they need outdoor coats.

Please consider a rescue piggy there are many out there needing homes and by taking a rescue piggy you will get a wealth of advice!
 
Thank you :)

I was only after some advice and they almost put me off looking!

I was going to get one of the hutch cover/blanket things (windproof and water-proof i think?) once i'd sorted the hutch, to go over the top section anyway. I was planning to put them in that during the day so they can go for a run if they want to, and bring them in of an afternoon (obviously depending how cold the winter is this year, if it's freezing i'll knock something up in the utility room for them to stay in during the day).

Also, as i'm hoping to build the hutch/run construction myself (i'm an engineer so it'll be very sturdy) what would you recommend using to "clip" the doors shut? The clips on the hutches in pet shops all seem very flimsy!

Thanks for your help :)
 
Thank you lovelygirl,

I've been trying to find a rescue down near me, but the closest i can find is about an hour away and i'm worried the journey would stress the piggies out? I've transported my rats on longer journeys before, but they've been tame and known me before i did it. I'm worried the sound and smells might frighten them? Do you know of any sites on the web i could use to try and find one closer to me? I'm down in deepest darkest cornwall by the way!

Thank you! :)
 
My girls travel ok, aslong as they have hay and i make sure to give them cucumber before we leave.

i think there is a site called guinepigrehome google it and i am sure you will find it, you will sometimes find some in rscpa rehoming centres - if you can't find any online you will probably find some free to a good home in the classified ads. You can also put a wanted ad up on this forum in the rescue and rehoming section
 
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:) I'll go and check that out now! Two of my ratties were rescues so i'd love to be able to do that with the piggies :)

thanks again!
 
Hi! Welcome on here!

Good on you for checking things out before you get guinea pigs and considering getting rescue piggies. I am sorry for your bad experience with the US forum - they don't profit from the gulf stream in the way you do!

Here is a link you might find particularly useful: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36801

If there still is a darth of rescue guinea pigs in Cornwall, there are loads of them in the Bristol area (fi.cantillon is a member on here and rehomes further afield), so you could try and work something out with her, if necessary.
http://www.cavyrescueandretreat.org.uk/homepage.aspx
I've just adopted a mummy and her baby daughter from Scotland - and I live in the Midlands!

Have a good time snooping around the forum and please feel free to ask any questions you may have.
 
Hello and a big welcome :) My 2 piggies live outdoors and seem fine. I have a hutch hugger for the hutch which is windproof and waterproof and also a hutch snuggle which I am going to put on when it gets colder. I also have a snugglesafe and a back up plan if it gets too cold. I rescued a guinea pig from a lovely person on this forum (hels) and my piggy travelled down from Gretna Green all the way to me via a piggy train to Manchester and she was fine. When she got to me, she was in a box filled with hay and some veggies for the journey and coped very well. We also travel to Nottingham a lot to visit familt and friends and the times the guinea pigs have came with us, they have both travelled well. Good luck with everything and I look forward to talking to you more x
 
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My piggies live outside all year. I have a hutch cover for them and last winter I just made sure they had lots of hay to snuggle up to. I put a cover over the water bottle to stop it freezing. You can buy covers for water bottles but i used an old sock and it works fine and doesn't get wet as its under the hutch cover. I also have a snugglesafe heat pad which i put in each night for them over the winter.
 
My piggies also live outside (within a shed) all year round. They have curtains at their hutch fronts & plenty of hay to nestle in & they've been fine.

It's personal choice & the feasibilty of your home wether you have them in or out but if they are kept ndoors they can't go out into a run in cold weather to return to a warm house as the change in temp does affect them. :)
 
Hi

My piggies are also outside, that's the only way we've ever kept them, and we've never had any health problems or illnesses.

I personally think inside or outside is fine, but it's worth considering how they've been kept before you get them, this time of year the nights can be deceptively cold, and if they're used to being inside it might be worth considering that when you put them out.

I keep mine in a shed in the winter, and outside in the summer, they have fresh hay everyday to ensure they're warm. When there're more than one in a hutch it really helps too. This winter I was cleaning mine out and the shed felt so cold to me, but inside their hutches was very toasty.

For hutch catches I would recommend a bolt, I find the catches that just turn round can loosen and open easily, and both those and hooks to me seem like a determined animal could get in, but I alwayd think a bolt is more secure. The others are fine, I have them both, but if I had the choice I'd go for a bolt.

Hope this of some help and that I haven't just repeated what everyone else said!
 
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