Moving indoors to outdoors

[PiggyPoo]

So I’ve had my piggies indoors for almost 3 weeks while they’ve settled and got used to us.

On a couple of occasions I’ve gave them grass time in their pen. Which they stayed in their hideys the whole time.

I have an outdoor hutch that I want to put them in but I’m not sure on the best way to do it.

Should I leave them to settle in the new outdoor hutch for 2 days? (Possibly in a shed but I’m worried about heat).
Should I try get them used to grass time first?
Should I introduce the new hutch a few hours at a time?

I’d love to be able to keep them indoors but I just don’t have the space. They’re in the living room with us at the moment.

Does anyone have any advice please?! Xx

 

[Betsy]

I have outside piggies and I have lots and lots and more than lots of hay in the hutch. When mine moved from inside to outside i just moved them when the temperature at night got to around 15 degrees C and they have been outside ever since

 

[Jamston]

Mine live outside in a hutch with lots of hay and I have a run that I let them out for a bit of a runaround. They love hiding under the hutch and pottering around looking for missed veg! Having said that mine aren’t speaking to me as they have been on holiday and are sulking!

 

[PiggyPoo]

Ok I might give it a try! What do you use as a sun shade? Xx

 

[PiggyPoo]

Ok I might give it a try! What do you use as a sun shade? Xx

For the hutch not the run

 

[Betsy]

My hutch is out of direct sunshine and it also has a hutch snuggle with bye bye fly screen and a hutch hugger on top of that from Scratch and Newton. During the day they are in the run with an old duvet over the top of it to keep out the sun and hide them from any airborne predators.

 

[Pigwhisperer]

If you can put some things from their indoor home (like hideys or tubes) into the hutch it will help it to smell familiar straight away, you can then just leave them to get used to it.

I'm just giving mine half an hour of grass time at the mo because we haven't managed to put them out every day yet, so their tummies are still getting used to it. Too much at once gives them tummyache, and they are like kids in a sweet shop with grass, they would never stop!

 

[Betsy]

I'm just giving mine half an hour of grass time at the mo because we haven't managed to put them out every day yet, so their tummies are still getting used to it. Too much at once gives them tummyache, and they are like kids in a sweet shop with grass, they would never stop!

I increased grass time by half an hour every couple of days when I put my lot on the grass for the first time this year. It took about 3-4 weeks until they were out all day.

 

[Pigwhisperer]

I increased grass time by half an hour every couple of days when I put my lot on the grass for the first time this year. It took about 3-4 weeks until they were out all day.

Thanks for this, I'll do that, it's just that with rain & work days they've only been out about twice a week so far. Must get them out every day!

 

[Guineautopia]

Ok I might give it a try! What do you use as a sun shade? Xx

When I had mine in a hutch I used to use a normal garden parasol positioned by the hutch. But there hutch only got some in the morning, by lunch time they were in the shade.