Moving The Girls Outside...

[Rosyautumn girl]

Hello
Our piggies are 6 months old now and have been indoors (in various locations! Downstairs, upstairs and now back downstairs again!) all of that time. But now I have made the decision to move them outside, with the warmer weather coming I think now is the time to get them used to the great outdoors and I am hoping to leave them outside on a permanent basis.
I've done lots of research and plan to have a 2 tiered hutch with a playpen, I know people on here are saying to keep them in a shed too but we simply don't have the space in our garden, my husband who cuts the grass says they can't go on the lawn as he'll have to move them every time he cuts it, but someone else said if you let them roam free around in the playpen they will keep the grass down anyway? Is that OK and correct?! I've told him to get over it anyway!
Other than the obvious keeping them locked away at night (to keep them safe from predators), give them shade in the summer, and provide extra cover and hay/fleece in the winter, is there anything else I need to consider?
I am apprehensive about moving them outside when they are only used to indoors and feel a little cruel, but many people I speak to, and a few of my daughters friends mums, have theirs outside anyway, and actually seem a little surprised when I say ours are indoors, so I am hopefully not being too unfair?
Also, any good places to go for hutches? Other than the obvious pets at home etc?...
Thanks for any advice...

 

[Redribbon]

My Frank is an outdoor pig with a good hutch right next to the house so he can see everything that's going on. He has regular time on the grass in a secure pen that he often shares with my tortoise but only when the grass is dry enough.
I grow loads of herbs, fruit, flowers and veg that all my animals eat and although growing is my job, it's another great reason to be outdoors (-and to eat healthier!)
I have fly netting on the hutch already and always make sure the runs are covered. We have a lovely big German shepherd that scares off any predators but years ago a crow pecked one of my pigs in her run and it scared me to death!
Mice can be a bugger in hutches even with good hygiene, so they sadly have to be controlled too.

 

[Claire W]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping guinea pigs outside in secure surroundings.

However, may I recommend that you do not move them outdoors until at least the end of May when we are getting more steady temperatures?

The weather is still very much unpredictable and night time temperatures are still dropping and causing frosts which your indoor piggies will not yet be used too x

 

[Rosyautumn girl]

Great thank you for the feedback. Mice? omg there is so much to consider! The playpen I have came with a netting so I will definitely use that when I let them free to roam in that. I have also read about the possibility of foxes being able to dig their way under the playpen if the hutch is on grass, is this really possible? I would lock them in the cage at night anyway, just let them have access to the playpen during the day when we are there to keep an eye on things.
And Claire, I agree, I was worried about the temperatures, I think if they had been outside since I got them they would be a bit hardened to cooler temperatures, but they have been spoilt in a warm snug home since October! I will leave it until the weather has properly taken a warmer turn (hopefully that will be sooner rather than later!)