Keeping Guinea Pigs In A Garage?

[millxx]

hello!
I'm a new Guinea pig owner and have two boars who I bought together. they have been temporarily living in a pet shop cage (which they are going to be moved out of asap as i know it isn't suitable) and i want to move them into my garage outside, but I'm not sure if it is suitable.

They have began to fight a bit so I also want to move them into the garage so they have a bigger space to get time away from each other if they want to. It's also so that if it gets even worst than that, I can split it up into two so they can see, sense and hear each other, but just not be able to injure one another.

I want to put a hutch in there for them to stay in with a c&c cage connected to it on the outside if that makes sense, so in the day they have the hutch and the c&c cage to run around in and in the night when I go to sleep they just have the hutch to go inside of. Like youtube's 'hamsterhorses and cats' accommodation for her pigs in her shed outside.

The garage doesn't have any cars in it or anything like that, just junk like bikes, outdoor chairs and a table, things like that. It doesn't have any heating it it or plaster on the wall, it's just a brick room basically. It has a window, but the garage door is broken a bit so you can see outside of it at the top and the wind can get in, but we're planning on getting that fixed.

My mum has already bought the hutch and is getting it tomorrow, which I didn't know about, but I've tried to explain to her that the garage won't be ready for the pigs by tomorrow. But she isn't listening and says 'it'll be fine!'.

We still need to fix the garage door, make sure there are no rodents or insects in there and get the c&c cage parts. All the junk is already cornered away however.



so, basically my questions are:

- will I be able to move them into the garage tomorrow? I don't think I will really.

- will I be able to move them into the garage at all, does it sound safe because of no heating, or plaster, etc?

Thanks.

 

[1GuineaPig1]

It's wonderful that you are planning on moving your guinea pigs out of one of those tiny pet shop cages.

Unfortunately, garages are, in most cases, not suitable for guinea pigs. They get very hot and stuffy in summer and very cold and dry in the winter. In addition, they will be in a place where people will not interact with them as often, and will therefore be less social. You will have no control over the temperature, and it is possible that snakes or insects could get inside if there was a hole that no one was aware of, or if someone opened the garage door and accidentally let one in. In addition, it will be very dark at night, and it is possible that you will not be around as often and are less likely to notice if they become especially aggressive towards each other and begin fighting badly, or if they get sick, as guinea pigs can become very sick in a very short amount of time.

I understand that you want the best for your piggies, and you sound like a caring owner, but a garage just isn't a very good idea. I would advise keeping them inside and, if it is necessary, take back the hutch your mother bought and just build a C&C cage. How big do you think you would be able to go if you kept them inside?

 

[Guineapigfeet]

I've always kept my pigs outside. Garage or shed. I would recommend getting the door fixed, as you are planning as drafts are not good for piggies and cats can sneak into surprisingly small gaps. In terms of insulation, you can insulate the hutch rather than the garage and lots of hay will help. SnuggleSafe make great microwaveable heat pads too. I don't think dark matters - it's dark at night and is a natural cycle, as long as they get good daylight from the window whilst a it's daytime.My pigs are in a shed outside and it just gets dark! I assume you are in the UK?My pigs come inside to a smaller pen when it's *very* cold, say -5 or -2 or -3 for a few nights but the shed isn't drafty, it's dry, they have a heat pad and tonnes of hay in hidey places and each other! Their water has never frozen - and we did get caught out with a night of -6 - and they've been nice a cozy in the morning. I have a solar light so I can see what I'm doing in the dark, but if I'm not in there, it's dark and they don't care; I can see them scampering around when I look through the back window.

As long as out of sight isn't out of mind, having 'outdoor' pigs doesn't have to mean having unsociable pigs, or poorly pigs. I sit in my shed with them every day, several times a day talking to them, hand feeding (with a sneaky stroke) and cleaning out, but they only get picked up at weekends when they are inside. They tell us when they're fed up, and they don't sit still for long, but they are only 5 months old!

Garages can work fine, you just have to be aware of the things you need to do, and especially if a garage is the only place you can offer them more space - it has to be better, you sound like you'll do what needs to be done. It's just common sense really!

I do like having mine inside, but with my partners allergy to hay, it's not possible. I can give them more space outside too - they have just user 24 square feet and their zoomies make me feel it's not big enough!

My last pigs were 6 and 8 years old and lived in the garage and then the shed and only ever needed the vet twice between them, one for a hayseed up the nose which the vet didn't even charge us to remove and the other pig to check cataracts.

 

[Kit06]

Garages can work fine with a bit of effort and I find I spend more time in my garage than I do in the house sometimes! Obviously draughts and broken doors etc need to be sorted, but you are on to that. Does it have electric for lighting and possible heating if need be? I use greenhouse tubular heaters but you can get oil filled heaters too and snugglesafe pads for in the winter? My garage is fantastic in the summer as it stays nice and cool for them. They have hutches with pens attached to the front so I have some in small groups and a larger herd. It's great being able to store all their feed/hay etc in the same place as them and you're out of the elements in there with them which is nice. I would loike to have them in the house but with so many there's just not enough room and it's lovely to see them all living together as a group. I am lucky though as my garage is huge and has large dual facing windows to let in the light. I even have a sink with hot and cold water in there

 

[ChewyTheGuinea]

hello!
I'm a new Guinea pig owner and have two boars who I bought together. they have been temporarily living in a pet shop cage (which they are going to be moved out of asap as i know it isn't suitable) and i want to move them into my garage outside, but I'm not sure if it is suitable.

They have began to fight a bit so I also want to move them into the garage so they have a bigger space to get time away from each other if they want to. It's also so that if it gets even worst than that, I can split it up into two so they can see, sense and hear each other, but just not be able to injure one another.

I want to put a hutch in there for them to stay in with a c&c cage connected to it on the outside if that makes sense, so in the day they have the hutch and the c&c cage to run around in and in the night when I go to sleep they just have the hutch to go inside of. Like youtube's 'hamsterhorses and cats' accommodation for her pigs in her shed outside.

The garage doesn't have any cars in it or anything like that, just junk like bikes, outdoor chairs and a table, things like that. It doesn't have any heating it it or plaster on the wall, it's just a brick room basically. It has a window, but the garage door is broken a bit so you can see outside of it at the top and the wind can get in, but we're planning on getting that fixed.

My mum has already bought the hutch and is getting it tomorrow, which I didn't know about, but I've tried to explain to her that the garage won't be ready for the pigs by tomorrow. But she isn't listening and says 'it'll be fine!'.

We still need to fix the garage door, make sure there are no rodents or insects in there and get the c&c cage parts. All the junk is already cornered away however.



so, basically my questions are:

- will I be able to move them into the garage tomorrow? I don't think I will really.

- will I be able to move them into the garage at all, does it sound safe because of no heating, or plaster, etc?

Thanks.

You should move them to somewhere else and buy a new cage.