Omlet Guinea Hutch

[Bugstar]

Hi,

We are newbies to having guineas (and to this forum) We have a Ferplast 120 for our 2 girlies whilst it is chilly and intend to house them indoors until late spring/early summer when it becomes warmer. I've started looking at hutches, and have come across the Omlet guinea hutch:

Eglu Go Guinea Pig Hutch | Plastic House for Guinea Pigs

It seriously appeals due to the temperature regulating promise it makes, and also the easy of cleaning!

But, its pretty expensive although some up second hand on eBay etc, so will keep an eye on adverts. However, I wanted to see what expert guinea owners think - is it actually an ideal hutch? Does anyone have one already and can offer me their opinions?

Thanks...

 

[Lady Kelly]

I personally wouldn't recommend the omlet hutches. Guinea pigs need shelter a lot which only the sleeping area of the omlet hutch offers. This indoor bit does not meet the minimum cage size requires as specified by the RSPCA so although it looks appealing I believe the reality isn't so good. I did briefly look at them when seeking my last hutch but ended up going for the 6ft two storey chartwell. The bonus of this was it was a good price and I was able to purchase a ready made insulating and weatherproof layer to help protect my piggies. However the back board is plywood and may need replacing in time, ideally I would have liked something sturdier but it's been going strong with a constant of 4 piggies in for 2 years so my initial fears of the build quality were unfounded

 

[Janice C]

I personally wouldn't recommend the omlet hutches. Guinea pigs need shelter a lot which only the sleeping area of the omlet hutch offers. This indoor bit does not meet the minimum cage size requires as specified by the RSPCA so although it looks appealing I believe the reality isn't so good. I did briefly look at them when seeking my last hutch but ended up going for the 6ft two storey chartwell. The bonus of this was it was a good price and I was able to purchase a ready made insulating and weatherproof layer to help protect my piggies. However the back board is plywood and may need replacing in time, ideally I would have liked something sturdier but it's been going strong with a constant of 4 piggies in for 2 years so my initial fears of the build quality were unfounded

My friend was gifted this by her sister! This was for her two rabbits! It is cumbersome and difficult to move around the garden and seems cold!
I wouldn't want to keep piggies in it! Very, very expensive too!
My hubby took along a largish shed then put up an outdoor run attached to the shed. He insulated it too for her so her rabbits now cosy and safe!

 

[Petelixon]

Hi, I've seen these on the internet. In my opinion these don't look secure. If I had to choose to house my piggies outdoors I wouldn't choose something plastic. Also it doesn't look spacious. Have you checked if it is the required size?

 

[Bugstar]

Ah, it hadn't dawned on me about the minimum requirements being sheltered - and I can clearly see that the sleeping area is no where near big enough. We are very keen to have happy, healthy piggies living with us. We did our research to find and be happy with our indoor cage set up (found lots of post on here too about the cage). We hope to only house them outside during our warmer months, then they will be back inside with us... But, we are falling more and more in love with them I wouldn't be surprised if we end up keeping them in with us!

I'll start the research again and look at a wooden hutch with a run

 

[Janice C]

Ah, it hadn't dawned on me about the minimum requirements being sheltered - and I can clearly see that the sleeping area is no where near big enough. We are very keen to have happy, healthy piggies living with us. We did our research to find and be happy with our indoor cage set up (found lots of post on here too about the cage). We hope to only house them outside during our warmer months, then they will be back inside with us... But, we are falling more and more in love with them I wouldn't be surprised if we end up keeping them in with us!

I'll start the research again and look at a wooden hutch with a run

I’ve read other posts on here that stipulate that you can’t really keep bringing outdoor piggies in then put them out again as they don’t do well with changes in temperature. If you have the room to keep them inside please do this!

 

[Lady Kelly]

I’ve read other posts on here that stipulate that you can’t really keep bringing outdoor piggies in then put them out again as they don’t do well with changes in temperature. If you have the room to keep them inside please do this!

You are right, large changes in temperature will affect them. Taking them outside in warmer months should be fine though as long as it's certain all the cold snaps are over

 

[rjaffeux]

I've had to set up for my chickens and they love it It holds them all through the winter so we intend on buying one for our guinea pigs as well They totally meet the minimum because you don't have to keep them inside of a box for the whole winter. You just have to give them up space to go for the winter when they're cold. And this is insulated You guys seem pretty uninformed about the equipment that you're buying and all you do is bash stuff that you have no experience with. But us as experienced owners of this stuff these things are awesome they're like Fisher-Price toys they're plastic but they're heavy duty so they don't get holes they don't get broke Foxes can't get in them I don't even think a bear could get in this sucker and the only thing That's broken into them are raccoons because they can turn the knobs to open them but they're actually in the process of making locks. These don't go inside their cages though you can put them in there They are not really made to be in there they're actually made to be attached to the cage on the outside as it same kind of idea as the tunnel system. So you could literally unattach it and bring it in the house if it was cold it's only about the size of us cooler maybe. We love ours

 

[rjaffeux]

I've had to set up for my chickens and they love it It holds them all through the winter so we intend on buying one for our guinea pigs as well They totally meet the minimum because you don't have to keep them inside of a box for the whole winter. You just have to give them up space to go for the winter when they're cold. And this is insulated You guys seem pretty uninformed about the equipment that you're buying and all you do is bash stuff that you have no experience with. But us as experienced owners of this stuff these things are awesome they're like Fisher-Price toys they're plastic but they're heavy duty so they don't get holes they don't get broke Foxes can't get in them I don't even think a bear could get in this sucker and the only thing That's broken into them are raccoons because they can turn the knobs to open them but they're actually in the process of making locks. These don't go inside their cages though you can put them in there They are not really made to be in there they're actually made to be attached to the cage on the outside as it same kind of idea as the tunnel system. So you could literally unattach it and bring it in the house if it was cold it's only about the size of us cooler maybe. We love ours

Oh yes and they have a 10-year warranty so they don't get damaged
they don't get dry rotted anything like that

 

[Siikibam]

Please check before reviving old posts. This is from 2017 and the original poster hasn’t been back since 2018.

The sheltered part does not meet the minimum housing requirements for even one guinea pig. Plastic is also risky especially in warm weather.