Member Gallery: Hutches

The hutch you can see outside is the tiny hutch the boys came with when I adopted them. I've converted it into a day hutch where everyone can take some shade and have some water when they're in the garden. ;)
 
Absolutely love looking at everyone's outdoor hutches. So impressive!

It's been four months since we built our home-made indoor hutch and now I'm thinking we need to build an outdoor one, too! Unfortunately our current one does not fit through our door, even with the legs chopped off. :/ We've had to take them outside by hand to a very makeshift run. After about 30 mins they start to enjoy the weather and the grass, but not before cowering in their pigloos.

I would love to build them an outdoor hutch/run. What is important to bear in mind when building one? I am quite wary of making one sufficiently 'fox-proofed' for night time. I wonder if it would be too much to take them indoors every night (even in summer).

Here is a picture of our homemade indoor one:

TidyCageFloorTime_zps296ecba4.jpg


This is it after it was first built.
IMG_20140514_135039_zps1482aa91.jpg

We obviously learnt pretty quickly that the legs needed to go! We made it that high because it made for a good storage space underneath, and they were closer to eye level so that was nice too. But getting them in and out was just traumatic for all involved. Now they are almost exclusively free range!
 
am thinking of getting that hutch, what is the floor made out of? and can you shut off the ramp? (does it have a flap?)

thanks
 
Hi the floor is ply wood but I've lined it with lino to protect it. You can remove the ramp but there is nothing to shut it off or cover the ramp hole.
 
I had three hutches, the first from pets at home it was a quick purchase because I purchased the boys at the same time, this hutch was one layer very small and flimsy and I think I sold it and brought the second hutch within a month.

Ill put the main bits in red if you dont feel like reading the post

The first hutch is there summer hutch I probably show more when next summer comes round but it has grazing access as I keep it outside all the time:
JqoWAti.png

This is really weather proof good treated wood pull out tray I purchased it from The Range its a massive like superstore, it was around £70 I think and I would recommend you purchase it off ebay as I found later on it was around 60-50 pounds would definitely recommend.

They also have a hand made run by me and my dad which was like £12 pounds to make because we had chicken wire already and brought the wood from homebase I think its 2metres by 2metres and 1 metre in height.

I purchased this hutch about a month and half ago for winter, because I wanted them to keep the space but when its cold I'm going to put them in the garage, Its not extremely strong as the summer hutch but I would still recommend it, for a two story hutch it is very spacious and easy to clean and I would say you could fit about three guienas in there happily with loads of space. The price was a steal at £60 from ebay and came quick and very good delivery! The ramp can be stowed up.
PqyQTAl.png

ggXZ3QT.png

I got the fabric tunnel from pet hut and pound stretcher! £4-£3 i think
tSg8DnK.png

6OHIfsf.png

xh5Bmcb.png

:)!
 
cef36e4d724e33767426b920da5c8166.jpg


I had my hutch made for my three piggies. I have my two girls in the bottom and my little boy on the top. They come out daily found a run around, although Bruce doesn't seem to like my two girls much!

My pigs are in my summer house and will be three all year around. I'm stocking up on thick duvets and blankets etc to keep them warm but does anyone have any more tips on keeping their piggies warm during winter?

Thanks!
 
@Maisy_Mia_Bruce looks like a really great, well made hutch. You can by small animal heating pads from pets at home that you could put under a blanket and hay in their sleeping area so they have a really cosy place for night time.
 
So here are my pics at last! Really wish I taken them in the summer when it all looked so lovely in the light, but still - I know how much its helped me viewing other pics so here are these! :tu:

The shed is a 7ft x 7ft pent shed with shiplap timber construction, bought specially for my boys and their stuff - bought at a huge discount in the sale at Tesco - around £240 I think! I am slowly insulating it and also added some vents to help with condensation in the winter. The original door was just two tall panels, but after a lot of bodging I have created a stable door which worked great in the summer - let air in and stopped any cats coming in too. I attached a springy thing to stop the top half of the door blowing closed during the day and that works well.
outside of the boys shed - stable door closed.webp
outside of the boys shed - stable door open.webp

The hutch is a Dandelion hutch from Pets at Home - was one offer so got 20% off at the time.
its H 61 x W 152 x D 61 cm and a great size for my two boys. It is solid enough when built but the timber is really easily chewed and Spud has made a real meal of the door frame - which he did within the first few days, so if you have this hutch please keep a check on it incase they manage to weaken the frame and something gets in or out! - luckily this isnt a problem for me seeing they are in a shed too.
It the boys had been living outside I would have had to really insulate that hutch as its not very thick, especially the floor which is a plastic tray sat on a few slats. But as something to start with and improve on its a great size.
the boys free ranging.webp
Please ignore all the stuff on top of the hutch - I am sorting out better shelving so work in progress but can assure its safe and not too heavy on top of the hutch too. Mostly bags of hay, rolls of bubble wrap and guinea pig stuff and animal carriers.
The floor is gradually being covered with vinyl tiles which are great to brush up and clean, and I always put some newspaper down and the boys only seem to pee on the paper which is great!

The love foraging in the big piles of hay and jumping in and out of the hutch and I have a fold up seat so I can sit and watch them - these pics were taken in the last few weeks as since then the temp has really dropped and now they will be in the house for winter - but you can see how much room they had in the shed. Big asda £1 chew tubes and I also use the pet carrier that the animal shelter gave me as a pigloo.

Lighting is battery powered at the moment which is a pain, everything I have bought so far drains batteries too quickly and I hope to get electric to the shed to sort this and the heating problem. So there you go - my shed!

I am sure I have forgotten to mention stuff that may be helpful but hopefully that gives some ideas.
And just to add this was a result of all the research I did on this forum prior to building this so cheers GPF members! :clap::cake::beer:
 
Do guinea pig have to live outside or can you keep them in as I have woods at back of me n foxes n notiest that all the hutchs have 2lvl is it better to have 2lvl or just the 1 x this is what I have mine in x
 

Attachments

  • DSC_0003.webp
    DSC_0003.webp
    20.8 KB · Views: 58
20150101_222236.webp 20150101_222243.webp


This is my cage that I just finished building, it is 4ft by 3 ft and holds two pigs, they love it a lot and are able to run around with lots of room.
It is very easy to clean because the food is always kept upstairs and doesn't fall into the bedding.
The ramp is made out of plywood so the pigs have great grip on it and run up and down with no problems. It took over three daus to fully build.
 
Since I'm down to 2 bunnies, their current hutch is too big. To make floor space in the shed, I'm going to seal the right hand hatch and make the upstairs into one big sleeping area, I'm then going to convert the bottom right section into the new guinea hutch. The advantages being it's newer and insulated so it will be warmer for the piggies, I'll then put a work bench in for the heater/cats bed. ;) This is just a mock up to give you a rough idea of how it's going to be. It's 4' wide and 3' deep plus 3' high, I'm going to separate into 2 and put a ramp, then I'm going to board over the top half of the door to create a sleeping area. It's going to be brighter and more roomier than their current hutch, plus, more room on the floor of the shed to play in when it's cold and wet outside. ;) The buns have free rein of the garden during the day, so the can get away with half the downstairs space. I can then put the old piggy hutch in the garden as a day hutch for when they are out in the garden, they'll have a safe area to run to. ;)

new layout.webp
 
I've just joined this forum and thought I'd post my set up photos here, as it won't let me upload a file in my 'Introduce Myself' section!

My 4 piggies live outside in a converted shed - we put thick lino down and they have the whole floor to run around in, plus a raised 3ft hutch with a ramp, along one side of the shed. They have a little wodden house for one, plus trays with hay in, tunnels, toys and pigloos/boxes. They go out in a run on warm days also. I would love to keep them inside, but we have hardly any room for our growing family as it is! We are hoping to build a conservatory on the back of the house, and if I get my way, they may move in there!

Here is Buddy, Elvis, Fluffles and Popcorn enjoying 'Piggie Towers', as we call it!
Photo2365.webp
Photo2568.webp
Photo2368.webp
Photo2370.webp
Photo1346.webp
 
I should have the 2 survivors for some time as they are both under 3. ;)
 
Jessmacg said:
I must say it's nice to see some hutches on here and some piggies living outside. I am signed up to another guinea pig forum and they all seem to sneer at anyone who keeps their guinea pigs in a hutch and outside. I don't have enough room in my house to afford them the luxury of giving them a massive cage indoors but I can give them the space they need outside. I know it is best to keep them indoors but mine are far from ignored.
Click to expand...

BossHogg said:
Its not guinea pig cages by any chance is it? I was treated most rudely for keeping my pigs in a shed. :rant:
Click to expand...

Jessmacg said:
Yes I find them very rude and judgemental rather than willing to offer advice and help
Click to expand...

BossHogg said:
Stick with us on here, at least you get warm friendly treatment here. ;)
Click to expand...
Just looked on that forum, Speechless!
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/73341-I-m-really-tired-of-this-forum?
Members saying guinea pigs CANNOT GO OUTSIDE!!!!!!!!
:hb::yikes::no::rant:
 
I originally enquired about rescue piggies in N.Ireland through a Gumtree piggie rescue ad, and the person rescuing them said they would not give them to anyone housing them in a hutch, shed or hutch in shed - bonkers!
This is one of the few forums I found who don't judge in that way. Me staying here!:bal::))
 
We've decided our new arrivals - Dolores & Applejack are going to be outdoor piggies. We researched out hutch and went with the Windsor Hutch and cover from Rabbit Hutches .co.uk

http://www.rabbit-hutches.co.uk/w3.htm
image_zps9dlzasyr.jpg


[URL=http://s12.photobucket.com/user/louise_richardson1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps9dlzasyr.jpg.html][/URL]

It cost around £160 for the hutch plus cover but I feel we have all bases covered! My fave features are the opening roof sections and the drawer for easy cleaning.

There are some pics of the set up here but now the piggies have arrived they've rearranged the sleeping area! Kicking out hay into the gap at the side. (They now have loads of hay for keeping warm!)

[URL=http://s12.photobucket.com/user/louise_richardson1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps5w1aaujo.jpg.html][/URL]

We're looking into another shelter for in the bedroom area so they have a hidey hole each.

[URL=http://s12.photobucket.com/user/louise_richardson1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsetip08ge.jpg.html][/URL]

We will be making imminent improvements too as we will attach a small wood panel inside to make a wall by the hatch hole so we have no accidents. We'll also do the same all the way down the ramp so they don't fall off! Also, we think we'll make the bedroom entrance smaller to minimise draughts.

At the moment the piggies are just upstairs and we haven't opened the hatch to the run underneath - just until they're more confident- plus the drop is massive as the hatch us quite long. We want yo get the safety panel in first!

The run is over the patio but they will have access to grass cone better weather. We've lots more tunnels and toys for the run underneath too!

I'd recommend. The hutch arrived super quick and took around an hour to construct. Clear instructions and well thought out. Very well made. Good thick wood. The ramp has the same material as the roof so plenty of grip. Fab big opening doors at the front and two on the run plus the opening roof. Comes with a little cover that you can roll down and secure over the upstairs mesh door. Plus we invested in the all weather cover too. Needs minor tweaks to be guinea pig friendly as I mentioned above.

[URL=http://s12.photobucket.com/user/louise_richardson1/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpstayga6wl.jpg.html][/URL]
 
My hutch is the pets at home rose cottage!
I bought it from pets at home. It was originally £179 but I got it for £116 and paid £5 extra for woodshavings, hay, water bottle and food bowl.
It is a 5ft 2 level hutch.
I keep 2 guinea pigs in it.
It is very easy to clean as the top level has a pull out draw.
It took 45 mins roughly for 2 people to assemble it.
I would recommend it.
image.webp
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
My hutch is the pets at home rose cottage!
I bought it from pets at home. It was originally £179 but I got it for £116 and paid £5 extra for woodshavings, hay, water bottle and food bowl.
It is a 5ft 2 level hutch.
I keep 2 guinea pigs in it.
It is very easy to clean as the top level has a pull out draw.
It took 45 mins roughly for 2 people to assemble it.
I would recommend it.
View attachment 28367
Click to expand...
Yay! You've got it now! Looks great! When are you moving the little ones in? :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top