Outdoor set up photos please!

NevillesNest

NevillesNest

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Hi,

I’m looking for some photos of good outdoor set ups, for cold weather. We generally prefer indoor set ups, but I think piggies can be outside in winter with lots of shelter, thermal covers, snugglesafes etc. I’m looking to collect ideas for new piggie owners, we have so many come to us with inappropriate out door set ups, that I thought I’d collect some good examples!

So if you don’t mind me adding your photo to our file, please post below!

Thanks,

Julia
 
Great idea @NevillesNest - we know that we have some very experienced outdoor keepers on the forum and it would be a good idea to get photos of their set ups as a shining example of how best to do things.
 
My two are outdoors but in a shed.
4 1/2 x 4 1/2 c&c grids as a playpen surrounding their 5ft, 2 storey hutch. They have constant hutch/playpen access during the day and also have an outdoor run on the lawn for summer.
For cold weather, the hutch will be completely filled with hay. They have snugglesafes which fit in their fleece covered beds upstairs). I also have a curtain and a duvet which pulls down over the front of the hutch.
 

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Have you had a look at this thread, there are loads of outdoor set ups on there Member Gallery: Hutches

My piggies are now indoors which is what I prefer but when I had no choice but to house them in a hutch outside my piggies had a strong and sturdy wooden hutch, a hutch snuggle, wind and rain cover over the hutch snuggle, snugglesafes heat pads, fleecy items, plenty of hay and cardboard boxes. I also put a fleece blanket over the mesh part of the hutch overnight to keep out the chill.

My old hutch is the second thread (the one with the pink fleece covering the open part) in the thread I have linked above. You are more than welcome to use the photos if you like
 
Here is my hutch.

New hutch.webpToo much hay 1.webp

In the winter there are more fleecy items. I have 6 double snuggle sacks which I rotate so I have 3 in the wash and 3 in the hutch, loads of double snuggle tunnels (again so I can have some in the hutch and some in the wash). I also have a single snuggle sack cos Dennis loves that one! 5 fleece covered snuggle safes of which 4 go downstairs and 1 goes upstairs as I find out of the 5 of my piggies only 1 or 2 occasionally go upstairs for time out and I wouldn't want them to feel cold away from the others.

The hutch has an insulated snuggle cover as well as a thermal waterproof one and also from end Sept to beg April ish I put an old blanket down over the front at night to keep the worst of the cold out. They keep toasty warm in the hutch and I have only ever brought them in (I somehow managed to shoehorn them in the Conservatory) when the Beast from the East struck and it was -10 outside.
 
Hello, my 2 piggies are still outside but will come in when it gets really cold. I've insulated their hutch with foil backed bubblewrap, including the floor. There's a hutch hugger and a I fold down clear bubblewrap over the wire mesh at night. Sizzle and Splat have 3 card board boxes insulated with bubble wrap and full of hay to get cosy in. They have lots of Finacard and hay on the hutch floor. The girls still enjoy an hour in their run when it's sunny and the grass is dry. Here's a couple of pic20181004_164228.webp20181004_164141.webps of my floofy pigs...20181004_164228.webp
 
Claire W said:
Have you had a look at this thread, there are loads of outdoor set ups on there Member Gallery: Hutches

My piggies are now indoors which is what I prefer but when I had no choice but to house them in a hutch outside my piggies had a strong and sturdy wooden hutch, a hutch snuggle, wind and rain cover over the hutch snuggle, snugglesafes heat pads, fleecy items, plenty of hay and cardboard boxes. I also put a fleece blanket over the mesh part of the hutch overnight to keep out the chill.

My old hutch is the second thread (the one with the pink fleece covering the open part) in the thread I have linked above. You are more than welcome to use the photos if you like
Click to expand...

Yes I have thanks, but I need to get permission to use the photos, some are old and I would think some members aren’t active anymore., so I thought it would be easier to start afresh!
 
@Betsy my hutch is almost identical to yours, with a thermal/rainproof cover. For this winter my husband has put polystyrene insulation panels behind, each side and on top, and these foil bubble-wrap type removable layers at the front. I've also bought two Snugglesafe pads with the fleece covers. Do you think the pigs will be ok outdoors all winter like this, rather than having to keep moving them to the indoor hutch?
20181005_092115.webp
 
@Pigwhisperer mine are OK outside and you have the polystyrene insulation too. I just keep topping up with hay for them to burrow in every night when the winter weather starts to bite. Have you got lots of fleecy things for them to snuggle up in? If you leave them outside now that it's getting a bit chilly but not too cold this will stimulate their insulating fur to grow (the really thick stuff next to their skin that is very short) to help to keep them warm. Mine are moulting at the mo (though not as much as they were) where the insulating fur is starting to grow. Mine were OK last year with all the warmies in the hutch (including snugglesafes 24/7) down to around -3 to -4. When I went to check on them in the morning the hutch felt toasty warm. I also fed them more pellets and forage than I normally would to help them to have the energy to keep warm. I am now stocked up with lots of forage and pellets ready for the colder months.
 
Betsy said:
@Pigwhisperer mine are OK outside and you have the polystyrene insulation too. I just keep topping up with hay for them to burrow in every night when the winter weather starts to bite. Have you got lots of fleecy things for them to snuggle up in? If you leave them outside now that it's getting a bit chilly but not too cold this will stimulate their insulating fur to grow (the really thick stuff next to their skin that is very short) to help to keep them warm. Mine are moulting at the mo (though not as much as they were) where the insulating fur is starting to grow. Mine were OK last year with all the warmies in the hutch (including snugglesafes 24/7) down to around -3 to -4. When I went to check on them in the morning the hutch felt toasty warm. I also fed them more pellets and forage than I normally would to help them to have the energy to keep warm. I am now stocked up with lots of forage and pellets ready for the colder months.
Click to expand...
No I haven't got the fleeces yet. That's all I'm missing I think, thanks!
 
I have fleecy tunnels and snuggle sacks and a couple of fleecy blankets too so that they can wrap themselves up if they want to.
 
Hi all,

I'm a new owner of two outdoor piggies. I've got a two tier hutch and have bought a rain cover. However I'm finding the floor is wet all the time. I clean them weekly. Should I clean them out daily? What's the best thing to put on the floor. I'm worried they'll get sick :(
I want them.to be healthy and happy. Thanks
 
Does the bottom tier go directly onto the ground? If so you need to make a false floor. I did this with my old hutch. I got a piece of waterproof ply from Jewsons and had them cut it into two pieces a bit larger than the size of the hutch. I then got a piece of 4" thick polystyrene (can't remember where from now) and cut it the same size as the waterproof ply. Then I got some waterproof membrane and wrapped the polystyrene in it. Finally I sandwiched the bit of polystyrene in between the bits of ply. Basically it was a waterproof ply,membrane wrapped polystyrene, waterproof ply sarnie which I then put the hutch on top of.
 
Alystotty said:
Hi all,

I'm a new owner of two outdoor piggies. I've got a two tier hutch and have bought a rain cover. However I'm finding the floor is wet all the time. I clean them weekly. Should I clean them out daily? What's the best thing to put on the floor. I'm worried they'll get sick :(
I want them.to be healthy and happy. Thanks
Click to expand...

In addition to betsy’s good advice, if you don’t mean that the hutch is directly on the floor, do you mean that when they wee it is making the floor wet?
I have lined both levels of my hutch with a thick plastic sheet (some people use lino) to protect the wood, i then have a layer of newspaper, then a layer of finacard, then their hay. i check all bedding daily and remove and replace any that is obviously wet - they have (finally) decided to wee in just a few places so it is easy to just remove those areas - and then i do a full hutch clean weekly.
 
I pop puppy pads down over the base of the hutch and under the hay and change them regularly. My neighbour's daughter lined her hutch with lino but didn't do a very good job and the wee leaked underneath it and now the floor is all rotten in it. She's only had the hutch for about 6 months.
 
Thank you. The hutch has no floor but I've stood it on wood which is up on bricks to keep it off the ground. I can't work out if it's wee, the water bottle leaking or rain still getting in! I will try the puppy pads and might put a tray in to see if they will wee in one place. I'll see how it goes.
 
Betsy said:
Does the bottom tier go directly onto the ground? If so you need to make a false floor. I did this with my old hutch. I got a piece of waterproof ply from Jewsons and had them cut it into two pieces a bit larger than the size of the hutch. I then got a piece of 4" thick polystyrene (can't remember where from now) and cut it the same size as the waterproof ply. Then I got some waterproof membrane and wrapped the polystyrene in it. Finally I sandwiched the bit of polystyrene in between the bits of ply. Basically it was a waterproof ply,membrane wrapped polystyrene, waterproof ply sarnie which I then put the hutch on top of.
Click to expand...
Betsy said:
Does the bottom tier go directly onto the ground? If so you need to make a false floor. I did this with my old hutch. I got a piece of waterproof ply from Jewsons and had them cut it into two pieces a bit larger than the size of the hutch. I then got a piece of 4" thick polystyrene (can't remember where from now) and cut it the same size as the waterproof ply. Then I got some waterproof membrane and wrapped the polystyrene in it. Finally I sandwiched the bit of polystyrene in between the bits of ply. Basically it was a waterproof ply,membrane wrapped polystyrene, waterproof ply sarnie which I then put the hutch on top of.
Click to expand...
The bottom tier is open but I've put it on wood which is on top of bricks. I've got some polystyrene insulation so I will try your idea. Thanks
 
You really do need to wrap the polystyrene up in something waterproof so it doesn't go all soggy and disintegrate.
 
This is Bill and Teds outdoor residence. They have a hay loft filled with hay in main Alpine Lodge and a run with a small wooden bunny house inside it. Both areas are connected with a tunnel we bought from a site on Etsy. We have a
full zipped rain cover on Alpine Lodge and waterproof roof and part sides cover on run. The boys love to be outside, and do get sulky if they are kept in. If the weather is really bad they have a large canvas playpen 5ft diameter which is In the conservatory. They are usually out for about 6-9 hours a day depending on season and always brought in at nighttime as there are so many cats around us.

We love this set up, only negative is moving it around for fresh grass every other day is a bit of a chew!
The tunnel can be removed from each area so that makes it easier. Otherwise it’s a two man job!

BA60EDC1-9B32-4DE4-B97A-F492C3FBB629.webp
 
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