Outdoor playpen advice

[JWren]

We are guinea pig newbies - we’ve had our first 2 rescue boars for 2 months and are learning as we go!
Now the weather’s starting to warm up we want them to have some run time outdoors but there seems to be a lot of do’s and don’ts and we want to make sure we do it right for the piggies. We’ve bought an outside play pen, a 6x2 C&C one. No lid but my husband is going to make one out of garden bird net. We don’t plan on leaving them outside for very long periods, as our garden is not massively secure so we’ll always be out there with them. Is some kind of lid still essential?
Is there anything else we need to know. Temperature? Can they go on wet grass or must it be bone dry? Is there anything on the lawn they shouldn’t eat? Can they be in direct sunlight? We have a south facing garden so lots of sun when it’s out, but as I say we only plan on putting them outside for short bursts. Any help and advice gratefully received!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Generally speaking a c&c cage isn’t secure enough for outside time - wooden and mesh runs are best. If you are going to use a c&c as an outdoor pen, then you should not leave them at all. With a secure wooden and mesh run, while you should still be there to supervise (ie don’t go out for the day and leave them alone outside), you dont have to sit over them for the whole time they are out.
They will need hides in their run so that increases the risks where a piggy can climb on a hide and use it to escape a cage, so yes I’d advise a lid always be used outside - your chance of catching them outside are obviously less.

The grass must be dry and it must be warm and over 15 degrees before they can go out. What you are trying to avoid is temperature fluctuations as they can make them poorly - if it’s warm inside but considerably colder outside, then don’t put them out.
The guidance is - if you can stand bare foot on the grass without a coat on and not feel cold and end up with damp feet , then its fine for them to go out.
Equally, anything over 25 degrees is too hot al they will need to be kept indoors. In the height of summer, mine are only ever out early mornings and late evenings when its cooled down enough.
They cannot be in direct sunlight - they are sensitive to sun and overheat quickly, so will need suitable shade at all times.

Yes there are things which grow in lawns which they cannot eat - buttercups are a common one to grow in lawns, for example, but they are toxic to piggies.
You also need to prepare their tummies for grass time - too much grass in one go can make them poorly so build it up slowly. At the beginning of the year I start to pick grass by hand to feed to them in their cage. Then the first time on the law its 15 minutes only for a few days, then add in another 15 minutes for a few days, and so on until they can be out there without any problems - mine are out for 12-14 hours at a time during summer (except very hot days).

I’ll add some links below with some further information about outside time

Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time
Keeping Piggies Safe during outdoor time

Wild UK forage for guinea pigs
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading