Move from living indoor to outdoor-age 3

[AnnaHeath]

Hi all, we are first time Guinean our owners, our two boys are 3 years old and always lived inside, in a purpose built “hotel” in our kitchen, we have Kroc if interaction with the morning noon and night and they’re a full part of our family and pretty tame.

problem is- over the 3 theses my husband has been suffering with what he thught was a cold, over and over again, he’s struggled with his sinuses and congestion, he’s had blood tests etc etc. We have come to the sad conclusion he’s allergic to the guinea pigs-or their hay. we are hoping he can get allergy testing soon, he is awaiting a referral. In the meantime I think we have two options.

1) ask someone to Fosterthe piggies and see if his condition improves
2) move them outdoors

so I want to do the right thing by the guinea pigs and let them have a happy life, am wondering if it’s too late in the day to move them to a new outdoor life age 3? Or if. I can put my feelings aside and rehome them to an indoor family would be the best thing (I would feel verysad about this).

if moving outside would be ok, I’d love some advice on how to go about this in a kind way-It will come as a shock to my two pampered boys who live in our kitchen diner on fleece in a huge open topped run.
Any advice welcome xx

 

[Siikibam]

You can move them outside. But you have to wait until it’s not as cold during the night, which it still is. There are a few members here who’s piggies live outside year round. I think some do live in ‘sheltered accommodation’ such as a hutch inside a shed, or a shed purposely built for them. Have a search of the threads and see how others look after their outdoor piggies etc.

 

[Piggies&buns]

My piggies live in a hutch within their shed. It takes some work to keep them warm over winter but it is possible to do it.

It is possible to keep them outside but where possible it is better if you could move them into a shed or garage for protection from the elements (from late autumn). Even in a shed, they will require heatpads, thermal hutch covers, blankets, loads of hay etc. If you can’t move them into a shed, then it’s important to offer them as much protection from wind and rain as possible such as turning their hutch towards your house/fence (anything out of the wind/rain) and adding the thermal and waterproof hutch covers, blankets, snugglesafe heat pads etc.

In terms of now, for indoor piggies, it is a little too early to move them outside - they shouldn’t be exposed to sudden temperature changes, and moving them out should ideally wait until the night time is warm enough and that’ll be another few weeks yet. What are the night time temperatures in your area like? I'm just wondering given your situation and the fact that you’re not just moving them outside as it’s come to that time of the year (if you see what I mean), if you can find a way to move a hutch into a very sheltered area and go full on with the blankets, hutch covers and heat pads whether it may be possible, it’s not as if it’s the middle of winter and your circumstances aren’t that you are just doing it for no real reason as such. I’d never normally suggest putting them out at this point in the year though....

 

[Hummingbird]

Hi if you do it gradually, they will aclimatise. Outside hutch during the day for nowthen bring them inside at night till the nights get warmer unless, of course it is warm in your part of the country, then you could leave them out all night after a couple of days. Would have to think about a shed or unused garage for the winter or take advice from other members. We had a cat for 20 years and it was only when he died that we realised that husband's blocked up nose and congestion must have been an allergy to our cat as within a short space of time his snuffling cleared up!