Outdoor Housing

Elias

Elias

New Born Pup
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I have a pair of boy guinea pigs that currently live in a 2x4 c&c cage with a 2x1 upper level. I live with my grandma, and she doesn't like how they smell. I spot clean the cage several times every day, and I change out the bedding completely every few days, but they just smell. I've started looking into whether they might be happy living outside on the patio, but I'm concerned about the weather. I live in southern California in the USA, and it can sometimes get up to 80 degrees F where I live in the summer. Cold weather isn't an issue, even in the winter.

My grandma might make me move out because of the guinea pigs, but I won't put them outside if the weather makes it unsafe. Does anyone know of a well insulated house for guinea pigs that has enough space for two boys that I can look into? A lot of the homes I've looked at are well insulated, but just too small for my guinea pigs. They like to have some space away from each other sometimes, and I'm afraid they'll fight if I put them in anything smaller than what they have now.
 
Piggylove82 said:
Are you looking at hutches?
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Yes. I'm looking at hutches for any kind of small animal that could be used for the boys. Anything that is insulated for weather and will provide protection from any animals that might be around.
 
Well in the UK it's quite easy to find a hutch of 60x24 inches in a single or double storey. What part of your spec are you struggling to be able to find?
 
Wow, that sounds great! All the hutches I've seen so far are both a bit too small, and don't have proper insulation. I've heard of the Eglu Go Guinea Pig Hutch and that looks good, but I'd prefer a hutch that's insulated completely. Do you think that might be too much to look for? I don't have any experience with keeping guinea pigs outdoors.
 
Mine have always been outdoors. But I have a bespoke hutch. And I'm in the UK so I'm not familiar with stores or brands that you may have in the US. Size wise your measurements sound very doable. Regarding your weather, I can't really say what would and wouldn't be suitable. You'd need something that will keep them dry and secure, warm when the weather is cool, but equally so they don't overheat if the weather was to be hot. You can generally buy insulated hutch covers if your hutch alone is not sufficient.
 
From what I've seen, I think guinea pigs are a more common pet in the UK, so there a bit more of a market for guinea pig supplies. A lot of guinea pig supply websites seem to be based in the UK. Insulated hutch covers are a good idea though, and thank you for your help!
 
I just found something! In the search bar and the top type 'Eglu Pet'. There's a thread from 2011. Might be some useful info in it?

Actually there are several threads.
 
Keeping guinea pigs outside in hot weather is not just about the air temperature. I’ve just done the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius and 80F is beyond their limits even without considering the other factors (guinea pigs most comfortable temperature is 18-20 degrees c/64-68f). A hutch will be considerably hotter inside as it will still trap warm air inside. The positioning of the hutch has to be considered to ensure it stays much lower than 80F. It needs to be kept in a completely shaded area and you will need a thermometer in there so you can keep an eye on what is happening and be ready to act if it gets too hot for them.

My two boys live outside (in a shed) year round but during the height of the summer, I have to get them out of their shed by 9am and onto the grass lawn as their shed gets too hot by 9am for them to stay in there. They then stay on the lawn until late morning when they then have to come into my house in their playpen because it has simply got too hot outside. Then they go back onto the lawn late afternoon and the back into their shed once if has cooled down sufficiently in their shed.

I would just ask though what type of bedding you are using for it to smell so bad?
 
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Do they have a hay tray or something similar? Because it’s mainly their wee that smells.
 
Siikibam said:
Do they have a hay tray or something similar? Because it’s mainly their wee that smells.
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I have a few trays of bedding with hay set around their cage for them in the spots they lounge around the most. I also have hay racks they use as well.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Keeping guinea pigs outside in hot weather is not just about the air temperature. I’ve just done the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius and 80F is beyond their limits even without considering the other factors (guinea pigs most comfortable temperature is 18-20 degrees c/64-68f). A hutch will be considerably hotter inside as it will still trap warm air inside. The positioning of the hutch has to be considered to ensure it stays much lower than 80F. It needs to be kept in a completely shaded area and you will need a thermometer in there so you can keep an eye on what is happening and be ready to act if it gets too hot for them.

My two boys live outside (in a shed) year round but during the height of the summer, I have to get them out of their shed by 9am and onto the grass lawn as their shed gets too hot by 9am for them to stay in there. They then stay on the lawn until late morning when they then have to come into my house in their playpen because it has simply got too hot outside. Then they go back onto the lawn late afternoon and the back into their shed once if has cooled down sufficiently in their shed.

I would just ask though what type of bedding you are using for it to smell so bad?
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I use fleece bedding with towels underneath. I've been using the same fleece for years. I just got new fleece ready for them the other day, and I think that's helped with the smell a bit. I don't have a sensitive nose at all though, and my grandmother does.
Thank you for telling me that about hutches, I had no idea! It sounds like keeping them outside would just be a poor choice, even with precautions like a shaded area and a thermometer.
 
Elias said:
I use fleece bedding with towels underneath. I've been using the same fleece for years. I just got new fleece ready for them the other day, and I think that's helped with the smell a bit. I don't have a sensitive nose at all though, and my grandmother does.
Thank you for telling me that about hutches, I had no idea! It sounds like keeping them outside would just be a poor choice, even with precautions like a shaded area and a thermometer.
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I’ve always had the concern whether towels really dry do quickly enough and lock urine away nicely when used under fleece. If the towels don’t dry out then the fleece is pressing down on wet towels and to me that doesn’t seem like a good thing to have happen.

Keeping them outside is a lot of work and you have to be very careful with not only the current temperatures in the air and in the hutch but also temperature fluctuations (large swings from hot to cool isn’t too good for them either). I can manage keeping mine safe in their shed but it is just so dependent on where in the world you are - what works here may not be possible in California
 
:agr: re towels. I don’t know that they're good in terms of using as the absorbent later, although it seems lots of people get on okay with them. Perhaps try something absorbent underneath and see if it makes a difference.
 
Siikibam said:
:agr: re towels. I don’t know that they're good in terms of using as the absorbent later, although it seems lots of people get on okay with them. Perhaps try something absorbent underneath and see if it makes a difference.
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That sounds like a good suggestion. And you're right, the towels don't dry quickly underneath the fleece. I've seen a lot of different products that are meant to be used as bedding for guinea pigs, but does anyone have any suggestions?
 
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