Moving the piggies to outside... scared about foxes

[Wizzy]

So I’m moving house soon- in about a month and my new bedroom is much smaller so it has no space for my fur babies . And my mum won’t let them go anywhere else either- so they are going to go in the garden. I’m buying a second hand 5ft by 2ft hutch for my 2 girls.... is this ok? I’m going to get them a snugglesafe heat pad and make sure they are warm enough in winter. I won’t see them as often though... which makes me sad as I see them several times a day when they’re in my bedroom! I love them so much! I’m quite worried about foxes/ my sisters cats.... how can I make the hutch more predator proof? Should I be worried about fly strike? I spot clean every other day and completely clean out once a week... should this be enough? What if I can’t spot illnesses as easily? Anything else I should be worried about? The video I have attached is of my piggies, pepper and rexy x

 

[Wizzy]

*photo

 

[LeifCG]

5ft by 2ft is a good amount of space for 2 piggies since it ends up being 10 square feet. The minimum is 7.5 square feet for 2 pigs. The temperature range for guinea pigs is about 64-78 degrees Fahrenheit (17.7 to 25.5 Celcius), so I would be careful in summertime. I would put some kind of fence around their hutch, and put mosquito nets in the openings, like windows and doors, to keep out flies or other bugs. It is a good idea to read up on symptoms for illnesses, so when you see them you'll be able to spot anything. Just make sure to interact with them every day or they'll miss you . I'll go ahead and tag @Wiebke in case any of my info is incorrect or if anything needs to be added. Hope this helps!

 

[Wizzy]

5ft by 2ft is a good amount of space for 2 piggies since it ends up being 10 square feet. The minimum is 7.5 square feet for 2 pigs. The temperature range for guinea pigs is about 64-78 degrees Fahrenheit (17.7 to 25.5 Celcius), so I would be careful in summertime. I would put some kind of fence around their hutch, and put mosquito nets in the openings, like windows and doors, to keep out flies or other bugs. It is a good idea to read up on symptoms for illnesses, so when you see them you'll be able to spot anything. Just make sure to interact with them every day or they'll miss you . I'll go ahead and tag @Wiebke in case any of my info is incorrect or if anything needs to be added. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the advice! I’ll miss them to... I’m trying to convince my mum to have them on the landing outside my bedroom, but it’s not going well so far

 

[LeifCG]

Thanks for the advice! I’ll miss them to... I’m trying to convince my mum to have them on the landing outside my bedroom, but it’s not going well so far

Try presenting her with facts about them being prey animals and the temperature range. Maybe that'll help

 

[Wiebke]

Here are our tips for outdoors piggies:
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs

Please make sure that your hutch is:
- predator-safe (including dogs, cats, foxes, rats and mice)
- in a place where it is not in full sun on hot days (or on a patio that turns into a heat trap). Guinea pigs can die quite quickly from heat stroke. They belong in double shade and the coolest place you can find either indoors or outdoors during a heat wave. If it is hot for you, it is hot for your guinea pigs, too!
- under cover in winter (if this is a garage, it cannot be one that is shares with a working car (exhaust fumes). Guinea pigs are not hardy. They live in groups abandoned deep sets that are temperature controlled and come out twice daily at dawn and dusk to trek to their current feeding grounds in their territory. That is the time when there are least predators arounds and temperatures at their most moderate.
- make sure that it is safe from storms, strong winds and rain. Dampness, cold drafts and frezing temperatures can cause illness or kill.
- be aware that humans also pose a risk, from stealing posh hutches (with the piggies in them and from totally fenced in gardens!) to torching them. The latter especially during school holidays when things get boring... We regularly get threads from upset people who these things have happened to.

You are welcome to show this to your mother to consider whether it is safer to keep your piggies indoors or outdoors.

 

[Sue and Smartie]

When I had my first pigs I kept them in the garden. I put extra bolts on everything, they had a run as well so I bolted that to the hutch so nothing could break through. But rats would dig under the run and get in. We also had issues with rain getting in so I got some acrylic glass and made rain covers out of that. On hot days I would suspend an old bed sheet over the set-up to give extra shade, and added a bottle of frozen water which they could lie against to cool down.

We live on Exmoor so it gets really cold in the winter. I had to put them in our shed over the winter. I got a big sheet of ply and set up the hutch & run on that as the floor in there is cobbles. Also had to reinforce around the hutch & run with metal sheeting as the rats were chewing their way in. The shed is built with cob walls so it's much warmer in there than outside but still their water would freeze. I had a snugglesafe and they kept warm enough but we couldn;t go on like that and when they got older they just came in to live in the house.

We do get predators about; whether we were just lucky I don't know, but I never saw any signs of foxes or badgers trying to get in. Just rats, and they were bad enough. I think urban foxes are bolder and have to use gardens to hunt in so I would be very concerned about that.

 

[Wizzy]

Thanks for the advice everyone! My mum has agreed to keep them in a windowed shed . Should I still be worried about flystike? Also- the 5ft hutch is quite low down- not on the floor but it’s got very short legs! Will they be getting enough sun?

Here are our tips for outdoors piggies:
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs

Please make sure that your hutch is:
- predator-safe (including dogs, cats, foxes, rats and mice)
- in a place where it is not in full sun on hot days (or on a patio that turns into a heat trap). Guinea pigs can die quite quickly from heat stroke. They belong in double shade and the coolest place you can find either indoors or outdoors during a heat wave. If it is hot for you, it is hot for your guinea pigs, too!
- under cover in winter (if this is a garage, it cannot be one that is shares with a working car (exhaust fumes). Guinea pigs are not hardy. They live in groups abandoned deep sets that are temperature controlled and come out twice daily at dawn and dusk to trek to their current feeding grounds in their territory. That is the time when there are least predators arounds and temperatures at their most moderate.
- make sure that it is safe from storms, strong winds and rain. Dampness, cold drafts and frezing temperatures can cause illness or kill.
- be aware that humans also pose a risk, from stealing posh hutches (with the piggies in them and from totally fenced in gardens!) to torching them. The latter especially during school holidays when things get boring... We regularly get threads from upset people who these things have happened to.

You are welcome to show this to your mother to consider whether it is safer to keep your piggies indoors or outdoors.[/QUOTE
Thanks everyone! My mum has agreed to keep them in a windowed shed . I am still going to put fly strike spray for small animals on them, but other than this, should they be ok? The 5ft hutch they’re going to have is quite low down- but not on the floor. Will they be getting enough vitamin d? I will be playing with them/ interacting with them every day of course!

 

[LeifCG]

Thanks for the advice everyone! My mum has agreed to keep them in a windowed shed . Should I still be worried about flystike? Also- the 5ft hutch is quite low down- not on the floor but it’s got very short legs! Will they be getting enough sun?

you should probably keep them out of the sun, and I would personally put mosquito nets on the doors, windows, and any other openings.

 

[Wizzy]

you should probably keep them out of the sun, and I would personally put mosquito nets on the doors, windows, and any other openings.

Oh ok- and yes I’m getting a fly net. And the window is plexi glass I think, and it doesn’t open. But if I cover the door with a fly net- would they still need a net over their hutch? Thanks for the advice

 

[LeifCG]

Oh ok- and yes I’m getting a fly net. And the window is plexi glass I think, and it doesn’t open. But if I cover the door with a fly net- would they still need a net over their hutch? Thanks for the advice

I would suggest it, just to be safe. Glad to help!

 

[Wiebke]

Oh ok- and yes I’m getting a fly net. And the window is plexi glass I think, and it doesn’t open. But if I cover the door with a fly net- would they still need a net over their hutch? Thanks for the advice

That is great news! Give you mum a BIG hug!

No, one net is enough. Fly strike generally happens only to frail, ill or older piggies with bad diarrhoea or that can no longer clean their genitalia by themselves or have open wounds. Regular cleaning
But it can also happen indoors if a fly is finding its way inside through a window or an open door, not necessarily in the same room.
Fly Strike

 

[Sue and Smartie]

I forgot to say, if it gets really cold there are loads of things you can do to insulate the hutch that don't have to cost a fortune. I packed round ours with straw, and put an old horse rug on the top of that. Or layer newspaper, thickly, over and around it, then wrap with a tarp or something to hold it all in place.

I'm really happy that your mum agreed to let them use the shed.

 

[Wizzy]

I would suggest it, just to be safe. Glad to help!

That is great news! Give you mum a BIG hug!

No, one net is enough. Fly strike generally happens only to frail, ill or older piggies with bad diarrhoea or that can no longer clean their genitalia by themselves or have open wounds. Regular cleaning
But it can also happen indoors if a fly is finding its way inside through a window or an open door, not necessarily in the same room.
Fly Strike

I forgot to say, if it gets really cold there are loads of things you can do to insulate the hutch that don't have to cost a fortune. I packed round ours with straw, and put an old horse rug on the top of that. Or layer newspaper, thickly, over and around it, then wrap with a tarp or something to hold it all in place.

I'm really happy that your mum agreed to let them use the shed.

Hi, thanks everyone! Yes I am very happy about it- my mum has been very understanding with it . Their 5ft hutch is quite low to the ground- it has legs but only very short ones, and at the moment it would just sit on the ground. The shed is going to have windows- I’m just a bit worried they won’t get any sun from it. Should I try and find a large table/ find a way to have it taller near the window or should it be ok on the ground?

 

[MattDaMan]

My pigs are kept in the garden. I taught my cat to not even touch the piggies, and I have only seen flystrike once in a very young baby, and I waited too late to treat it. Foxes should not be much of an issue, because the noise it will make as they try to break into the hutch will allow you to go and rescue your piggies.