Tani
Junior Guinea Pig
I'm just after some advice really as I have currently have 6 piggies that have always been indoors (with me, anyway as I adopted a few which had been kept outdoors).
History:-
We have put the house on the market so they had been housed in my 'office' which I had to turn back into a bedroom and were temporarily moved into our garden lounge until we could work out where they would go instead. It's a south facing glass room so got pretty hot in Summer so I ended up emptying our shed to put in stacked 5 x 2 hutches. (might be slightly longer than that) with 2 piggies in each hutch. They take up all the shed as it's a slim wide shed which is about 8ft from where we sit so I can see all the piggies etc.
They don't live in Hay as unfortunately we are both allergic to it (hubby is chronic asmathic & I have sever skin allergy to it) but they have a picnic blanket bottom (wee doesn't seep into the wood), fleece lining and cosy wood & soft corner beds and heat pads for cold days & evenings (even summer eves).
They all come out for floor time and when it has been very cold, they have slept in the room overnight (usually cageless as they never wander off their picnic blanket base - it's so funny!).
So I currently have both doors of the shed open during the day (which is the whole of the front opens up) so I can see them and they can see us & get some light etc but when it gets colder, if we can't work something into our house, then how would I go about making sure they keep warm inside the shed but also give them air and light?
The doors are solid so I never lock them at night so there is always a slight air gap (btw, our yard is enclosed by v high walls so noone else can get in) but I think if we keep them in there (even just during the day), we will need to cut out some 'windows' perhaps in the shed so it's not so dark for them?
Any advice from people who already keep their pigs in smaller sheds?
thanks!
History:-
We have put the house on the market so they had been housed in my 'office' which I had to turn back into a bedroom and were temporarily moved into our garden lounge until we could work out where they would go instead. It's a south facing glass room so got pretty hot in Summer so I ended up emptying our shed to put in stacked 5 x 2 hutches. (might be slightly longer than that) with 2 piggies in each hutch. They take up all the shed as it's a slim wide shed which is about 8ft from where we sit so I can see all the piggies etc.
They don't live in Hay as unfortunately we are both allergic to it (hubby is chronic asmathic & I have sever skin allergy to it) but they have a picnic blanket bottom (wee doesn't seep into the wood), fleece lining and cosy wood & soft corner beds and heat pads for cold days & evenings (even summer eves).
They all come out for floor time and when it has been very cold, they have slept in the room overnight (usually cageless as they never wander off their picnic blanket base - it's so funny!).
So I currently have both doors of the shed open during the day (which is the whole of the front opens up) so I can see them and they can see us & get some light etc but when it gets colder, if we can't work something into our house, then how would I go about making sure they keep warm inside the shed but also give them air and light?
The doors are solid so I never lock them at night so there is always a slight air gap (btw, our yard is enclosed by v high walls so noone else can get in) but I think if we keep them in there (even just during the day), we will need to cut out some 'windows' perhaps in the shed so it's not so dark for them?
Any advice from people who already keep their pigs in smaller sheds?
thanks!
Also, I find the cage stinks more from the wee on it when I have given it to them. They have loads of fleecy things to snuggle into though so I'm never worried about them being cold.