Outdoor living

[AliceS]

Hello,
I posted recently about our new boars fighting. I have since learned that they are no more than 12mo old, they're not related, and before we got them they lived in a small run with 2 other boars. The girl telling me admitted that some of their scars may be from fighting during this time, so in some ways I'm glad to have to have taken them from there.

I have split their outdoor run in half with chicken wire and at night currently they are occupying a 2-storey hutch with one floor each while I work out the long-term solution. The kids are becoming attached to them, so I'm going to get set up for side-by-side living. I have just put them out for the day, and they both went zooming around and even popcorned and squeaked in a good way - it all looked cheerful which was really great.

They will live outside apart from the coldest/darkest months (we're in Scotland) when I'll bring them indoors, where we have a very accessible loft space which is currently the children's playroom, so we can easily set up a side-by-side run here with enough space for them to keep exercised and take them outdoors on warmer/drier days.

But I need to make a decision about the outdoor hutch, and I've not really seen any threads for piggies kept outdoors. What I'd like to try is dividing both levels in half, so they each have an upstairs and a downstairs section with their own ramps, and with a short ramp each down to the outdoor run, and to allow them to roam freely 24/7 between hutch and grassy run, which is well-fenced against predators. I realise that the hutch itself is not big enough for them to be shut in, but if they have permanent access to their section of the run (which is a good size) would that work? The hutch stands about 20cm above the grass.

This arrangement would ensure they have enough ground level space, access to shelter, and the ability to see each other in all areas.... unless I'm missing something and outdoor piggies should still be shut in a hutch every night?

 

[Piggies&buns]

If the previous owner was trying to keep four boars together then that would explain issues. Four together doesn’t work and it can unfortunately break all bonds meaning it’s not always possible to make two pairs out of a failed quartet.

I’m afraid as outdoor piggies that won’t work. Outdoor runs can’t count towards living space because they shouldn’t have constant access to them.
Piggies do need to be locked into a suitably sized predator proof hutch every night and they cannot have access to a run/the ground/grass overnight (or if unattended) if it is below 15 degrees, frosty, or cold ground or damp on the grass (the guide is that you need to be able to stand on the grass with bare feet for five minutes and not feel any cold or damp - if you feel it then they can’t be in it) etc. Generally speaking piggies can’t go on grass until April and will need to be off grass around October (local variations apply here so it could be May to September in colder areas).
The only time it would work (bottom level split in half and extending out into a run) is if they live in shed or garage permanently (and are then taken out to a split run on the grass during the day in summer).

If you plan on them being inside for winter (probably from around October time) then they have to stay inside throughout all winter. You can then slowly acclimatise them to outdoor conditions again from around April/may (which usually means outdoor during the day but still bringing them in at night for a few weeks until night times are above 10-15 degrees again)
They can’t be exposed to large temperature swings from inside/outside as that is that which can make them ill.
They either need to stay indoors or stay outdoors (fully protected - insulated hutches (silver foil insulation is good or a proper thermal cover), hutch covers and snugglesafe heat pads) all the time from autumn to spring.

As I said on your other thread, hutches make things hard when they are separated unless you can join two hutches together, wooden sides removed and replaced with mesh sides.

Two of my boys fell out and they now live side by side but I have a shed.
I did originally have a hutch inside. My older boys - a bonded pair - lived at the top half of the hutch and the two separated youngsters lived downstairs with the hutch split in half and extending out into the shed separated with c&c grids to make up their space. The older pair have both now passed and the two separated youngsters still live in c&c cages in the shed.

 

[AliceS]

If the previous owner was trying to keep four boars together then that would explain issues. Four together doesn’t work and it can unfortunately break all bonds meaning it’s not always possible to make two pairs out of a failed quartet.

I’m afraid as outdoor piggies that won’t work. Outdoor runs can’t count towards living space because they shouldn’t have constant access to them.
Piggies do need to be locked into a suitably sized predator proof hutch every night and they cannot have access to a run/the ground/grass overnight (or if unattended) if it is below 15 degrees, frosty, or cold ground or damp on the grass (the guide is that you need to be able to stand on the grass with bare feet for five minutes and not feel any cold or damp - if you feel it then they can’t be in it) etc. Generally speaking piggies can’t go on grass until April and will need to be off grass around October (local variations apply here so it could be May to September in colder areas).
The only time it would work (bottom level split in half and extending out into a run) is if they live in shed or garage permanently (and are then taken out to a split run on the grass during the day in summer).

If you plan on them being inside for winter (probably from around October time) then they have to stay inside throughout all winter. You can then slowly acclimatise them to outdoor conditions again from around April/may (which usually means outdoor during the day but still bringing them in at night for a few weeks until night times are above 10-15 degrees again)
They can’t be exposed to large temperature swings from inside/outside as that is that which can make them ill.
They either need to stay indoors or stay outdoors (fully protected - insulated hutches (silver foil insulation is good or a proper thermal cover), hutch covers and snugglesafe heat pads) all the time from autumn to spring.

As I said on your other thread, hutches make things hard when they are separated unless you can join two hutches together, wooden sides removed and replaced with mesh sides.

Two of my boys fell out and they now live side by side but I have a shed.
I did originally have a hutch inside. My older boys - a bonded pair - lived at the top half of the hutch and the two separated youngsters lived downstairs with the hutch split in half and extending out into the shed separated with c&c grids to make up their space. The older pair have both now passed and the two separated youngsters still live in c&c cages in the shed.

Just so I'm clear on this: you're saying they shouldn't have unfettered access to the outdoor space because of the temperature, or because of other reasons as well? And what if it's been raining in summer?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes - access to a run can only be when conditions are right (namely warm enough, dry enough and when being supervised).

If it has been raining on a summer day then they need to stay off the grass until it’s dried out again.
It’s sunny and warming up here but the grass is damp from the dew so they won’t go out until the sun has got round enough to dry it out.

This guide explains grass access in detail

Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

 

[AliceS]

Yes - access to a run can only be when conditions are right (namely warm enough, dry enough and when being supervised).

If it has been raining on a summer day then they need to stay off the grass until it’s dried out again.
It’s sunny and warming up here but the grass is damp from the dew so they won’t go out until the sun has got round enough to dry it out.

This guide explains grass access in detail

Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

But how would they survive in the wild? I assume it rains in the Andes....

 

[Piggies&buns]

We have to be careful with our domesticated piggies, they aren’t able to manage with damp, cold conditions. They like it dry and warm and that just isn’t what our country is and part of the reason the trend is towards them living in our houses rather than outside (particularly with our winters being wetter and summers being hotter it is making outdoor ownership more tricky). I’ve kept small animals outside for over three decades and didn’t face the issues I now face with keeping them comfortable.
Wild piggies have adapted to their environment

 

[AliceS]

Who doesn't ! But in all seriousness, would they not take themselves indoors if it was too wet for them, or under a dry hidey?

Though I see that brings us back to the size of the covered space...

 

[Piggies&buns]

No. That’s not really the approach you can take with them.
It’s not just us saying this, rescues and animal charities all advise the same - piggies need to be kept protected from damp and cold conditions as exposing them to it risks illness.

 

[Truffolo]

We have to be careful with our domesticated piggies, they aren’t able to manage with damp, cold conditions. They like it dry and warm and that just isn’t what our country is and part of the reason the trend is towards them living in our houses rather than outside (particularly with our winters being wetter and summers being hotter it is making outdoor ownership more tricky). I’ve kept small animals outside for over three decades and didn’t face the issues I now face with keeping them comfortable.
Wild piggies have adapted to their environment

The adaptation takes a few or more generations and claims lives, so it's better not to experiment with natural selection. The standard guidelines make good sense. No piggy wants to be cold and miserable, so a warm (or cool in Summer) dry, comfortable home is best

 

[Piggies&buns]

Though I see that brings us back to the size of the covered space...

Yes, it does.

I assume you don’t have the option to have a shed they can live in?

Adapting and joining two hutches (removing the solid sides and replacing with mesh) becomes the best option to meet all needs.
You would have to DIY hutch covers and insulation as you won’t buy one off the shelf for the size the hutches would become.

Or having them in the house permanently in a c&c cage?


(Or, getting a new friend for each of them….?
If they had a new friend each then they could live in a two storey hutch - one pair in the upper level and the other pair in the lower level (obviously means you would have to have a run for each pair). That’s a big thing to take on though and obviously not an option for everyone )