Outside play area

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Rosie&Lily

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Hey 👋🏻

So I have done a shed for my piggies that I am picking up on Saturday 🤩 the shed is on a raised bed, the garden is pretty secure the back fence is fox proof and the rest of the garden edge is dry stone wall.

I have been contemplating just turning the entire top bit into a big play area. (The bed is too deep For flowers anyway you have to trample everything to weed the back!)

I’m thinking of running the 1m tall wire Around the top of the raised bit and putting a gate on the top step. Then running bird mesh over the top of the shed covering the whole area.

There are no cats, I live in the countryside where foxes and rats are nocturnal and would be locking them safely back up
Before dusk! There is really no way for a fox to get in. My only worry is rats, but they really are nocturnal here.

Then I was going to seed grass, oats, barley. Plant a hawthorn and crab apple maybe 🤔 also some rock stacks for them to scramble on and naturally work on nails.

I have searched the forum for ideas and images of outdoor set ups and everything is very anti outside! I’m a big believer in letting animals be animals though and want my piggies to enjoy the great outdoors. I don’t want to have lots of ‘no they must be kept locked up in a guided cage’ I want solutions on how to do it safely 😆

Thank you,
Rosie
 

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Assuming it would all be covered in some sort of mesh etc., then it sounds like you are about to have some very lucky piggies.

If it were me i would definitely want everything covered, but there are some piggies who get to free roam when supervised.
Sounds like fun to have everything natural aside from making sure they are in a covered area.

Fingers crossed it all comes together well for you x
 
Welcome to the forum

Our forum is definitely not anti-outside - there are pros and cons to both indoor and outdoor. There are many who have outdoor/shed piggies - myself included (mine are in a shed. I also have rabbits outside) - and it is about doing it safely.

Ensure you use a thick gauge wire - 12G is best, but I personally wouldn’t use anything less than a 16G - and that you are aware that there is a risk (once a rat knows there is something easy there, then they are very determined), then they are lucky piggies, otherwise they sound like they will have a lovely set up
 
Have you checked out the shed thread? There are lots of fantastic outdoor set ups there.

We are certainly not anti outside, and have a lot of members with outdoor piggies - it is more about being realistic about the challenges of outdoor piggies as people often think this will be an easy option.

it all sounds great, but the one thing I would possibly think twice about is rock piles. Maybe the odd paving slab here and there, but piggies have little and rather fragile legs, so uneven rock piles could cause them injuries - they really are more flat ground roamers.
I think everything else sounds well thought out, and we have safely kept our rabbits outside for many years, even though we also have foxes and martens in our garden, so it certainly is possible to make secure outdoor enclosures.
 
Swissgreys said:
Have you checked out the shed thread? There are lots of fantastic outdoor set ups there.

We are certainly not anti outside, and have a lot of members with outdoor piggies - it is more about being realistic about the challenges of outdoor piggies as people often think this will be an easy option.

it all sounds great, but the one thing I would possibly think twice about is rock piles. Maybe the odd paving slab here and there, but piggies have little and rather fragile legs, so uneven rock piles could cause them injuries - they really are more flat ground roamers.
I think everything else sounds well thought out, and we have safely kept our rabbits outside for many years, even though we also have foxes and martens in our garden, so it certainly is possible to make secure outdoor enclosures.
Click to expand...

That is interesting about the rocks as from my understanding they originate in a mountain region and the like to sit ontop of hides and have high ground to watch for predators? X
 
Piggies&buns said:
Welcome to the forum

Our forum is definitely not anti-outside - there are pros and cons to both indoor and outdoor. There are many who have outdoor/shed piggies - myself included (mine are in a shed. I also have rabbits outside) - and it is about doing it safely.

Ensure you use a thick gauge wire - 12G is best, but I personally wouldn’t use anything less than a 16G - and that you are aware that there is a risk (once a rat knows there is something easy there, then they are very determined), then they are lucky piggies, otherwise they sound like they will have a lovely set up
Click to expand...
Yeah the rats are my main concern, I saw one last week. I’m going to clear that outbuilding out to reduce the hiding spots close by. My neighbour has pidgins so I’m sure there are plenty 😅
 
Piggies&buns said:
Welcome to the forum

Our forum is definitely not anti-outside - there are pros and cons to both indoor and outdoor. There are many who have outdoor/shed piggies - myself included (mine are in a shed. I also have rabbits outside) - and it is about doing it safely.

Ensure you use a thick gauge wire - 12G is best, but I personally wouldn’t use anything less than a 16G - and that you are aware that there is a risk (once a rat knows there is something easy there, then they are very determined), then they are lucky piggies, otherwise they sound like they will have a lovely set up
Click to expand...

It really feels that way when reading posts about outside play areas 😅 it is the vibe I’m feeling as a new person who has been reading and searching for outside play areas. I was just saying it as I did not want the responses to become alarmist and ‘I would not risk my piggies’. Or listing off all the bad things that can happen outside.
 
As long as you can make them as safe as possible - that would include, but not limited to, supervising their outdoor time, ensuring no food is left out, ensuring 12g wire is used and that the holes in the wire are very small (rats can get through 20mm).
I know @Engel has attached wire to the inside of the shed before insulating it, so if a rat chewed through the wood of the shed, then they still had wire to get through as well.
Knowing there are rats there would be a risk factor - we can’t deny that and any one of us who keep animals outdoors has to take that into account - only you can make a call on and make adjustments for.
 
Piggies&buns said:
As long as you can make them as safe as possible - that would include, but not limited to, supervising their outdoor time, ensuring no food is left out, ensuring 12g wire is used and that the holes in the wire are very small (rats can get through 20mm).
I know @Engel has attached wire to the inside of the shed before insulating it, so if a rat chewed through the wood of the shed, then they still had wire to get through as well.
Knowing there are rats there would be a risk factor - we can’t deny that and any one of us who keep animals outdoors has to take that into account - only you can make a call on and make adjustments for.
Click to expand...


As odd as it may sound we are as at risk of rats and mice in my house as outside, it is so old and in a terrace! Every time I set a humane trap I catch something 😂
 
I've used 13mm square galvanised steel mesh along walls/floor/ceiling of my shed. I live in an area where there's a lot of mice and rats so it made sense really. We have harvest mice that frequently visit the garden and they've yet to get in but have gotten into the other shed which isn't meshed.

After owning rats I now have a better understanding of their wild counterparts compared to before. Kittens (baby rats) can't get through 1cm gaps. Mice keepers try not to house them in cages with a bar space greater than 7mm. They're very flexible and incredibly intelligent. Rats have the ability to teach each other so if one works out how to get something, they'll teach members of the group. Regardless of what you decide to do, please be sure that you have space in your home for them to should it get too hot or too cold.
 
Engel said:
I've used 13mm square galvanised steel mesh along walls/floor/ceiling of my shed. I live in an area where there's a lot of mice and rats so it made sense really. We have harvest mice that frequently visit the garden and they've yet to get in but have gotten into the other shed which isn't meshed.

After owning rats I now have a better understanding of their wild counterparts compared to before. Kittens (baby rats) can't get through 1cm gaps. Mice keepers try not to house them in cages with a bar space greater than 7mm. They're very flexible and incredibly intelligent. Rats have the ability to teach each other so if one works out how to get something, they'll teach members of the group. Regardless of what you decide to do, please be sure that you have space in your home for them to should it get too hot or too cold.
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just to clarify, in the second paragraph, is that the baby rats CAN get through 1cm gaps?

@Rosie&Lily - I definitely do agree about being able to bring them in if too hot or too cold. My shed is insulated and I don’t tend to have issues with cold in winter but I have huge issues with it being too hot in there in summer. I know @Engel is the same!
 
@Piggies&buns Rats don't start walking until they're ~2 weeks old. When they're more mobile at 3 weeks old, they cannot get through a gap 1cm or smaller. However, keep in mind they are still partially nursing off mum until ~6 weeks old, sometimes a bit longer. I've had adult rats that can squeeze through a 15mm gap. Typically pet rats get bigger than wild rats. It's not uncommon for adult males to be kept in cages with large bar (up to 2.5cm) spacing and they can't get out.

Put simply (to save confusion) if the gap is bigger than 1cm, a rat can get through.

If the mesh has rectangular shape holes a rat will get through. If it's square like mine, they can't.


Just to add, today it got to 30°C in the pig shed. As soon as it hit 26°C, they all had to come into the house for a few hours as they'd really struggle in the heat and many have died in temperatures not much warmer. Tomorrow is likely to be the same.
 
Engel said:
@Piggies&buns Rats don't start walking until they're ~2 weeks old. When they're more mobile at 3 weeks old, they cannot get through a gap 1cm or smaller. However, keep in mind they are still partially nursing off mum until ~6 weeks old, sometimes a bit longer. I've had adult rats that can squeeze through a 15mm gap. Typically pet rats get bigger than wild rats. It's not uncommon for adult males to be kept in cages with large bar (up to 2.5cm) spacing and they can't get out.

Put simply (to save confusion) if the gap is bigger than 1cm, a rat can get through.

If the mesh has rectangular shape holes a rat will get through. If it's square like mine, they can't.


Just to add, today it got to 30°C in the pig shed. As soon as it hit 26°C, they all had to come into the house for a few hours as they'd really struggle in the heat and many have died in temperatures not much warmer. Tomorrow is likely to be the same.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I don’t know a huge amount about the specifics of rats - only that they can get through very small spaces, are determined and that I hope I never have to deal with any!
 
Engel said:
@Piggies&buns Rats don't start walking until they're ~2 weeks old. When they're more mobile at 3 weeks old, they cannot get through a gap 1cm or smaller. However, keep in mind they are still partially nursing off mum until ~6 weeks old, sometimes a bit longer. I've had adult rats that can squeeze through a 15mm gap. Typically pet rats get bigger than wild rats. It's not uncommon for adult males to be kept in cages with large bar (up to 2.5cm) spacing and they can't get out.

Put simply (to save confusion) if the gap is bigger than 1cm, a rat can get through.

If the mesh has rectangular shape holes a rat will get through. If it's square like mine, they can't.


Just to add, today it got to 30°C in the pig shed. As soon as it hit 26°C, they all had to come into the house for a few hours as they'd really struggle in the heat and many have died in temperatures not much warmer. Tomorrow is likely to be the same.
Click to expand...
The shed is in shade in summer and sun in winter, I live in Lancashire where it rains most of the time. There is a mesh door and will be putting a mesh window in for summer. I have had Guinea pigs growing up and as a young adult.

I’m just getting some now to help teach my daughter how to look after animals. The question is about the outside play area for daytime use. I already have the mesh that I have checked is appropriate size to keep rats out!

The post was me wanting some ideas for a nice natural outdoor play area that is not a run, but a fenced area covered with net over the top to stop birds. I was struggling to think of ideas of how to set it up.

See different ways net and mesh can be joined. I was contemplating a rail running along the top of mesh that the net will join too.

Natural enrichment ideas? Mimicking the natural environment not loads of plastic

Different planting ideas.

Landscaping ideas

Sensory paths for stimulation

Wooden post size for hammering in to support the mesh
 
So are you thinking of an aviary type of thing for outdoor time? Is it something that will be staying in one place or would you move it around the garden like you would with a run?

There was someone on YouTube who had an avairy setup for their pigs. Can't remember what was in it but it was a very natural set up. I'll see if I can find it as it may be of use.
 
Here's a video I found. Some outdated information but the outdoor pig area may help give some ideas

As for the shed being in the shade, while that's good, please don't rely on that being suitable all year round. It won't be if we have a repeat of summer last year. We have members all over the country and everyone struggled last year to keep piggies cool. Here's last year's thread:
Hot weather warning for the UK - plan now to keep your piggies safe!

I don't really have anything else to add other than have a thermometer in the shed (been a literal life saver for me and many other members). I can't wait to see what you come up with! Please do share with us when it's done as I'm sure it'll inspire many of us and future members. 😊
 
My best tips from building a guinea pig garden:

- Lots of drainage to keep it dry underfoot. It's much better to have to water it in hot weather (after the pigs are inside for the day) than to have it be damp. Piggies are not good with damp. I have a layer of gravel under the soil so it drains quickly.

- Shade for hot days. The difficulty is that the needs of the grass (sunshine, water) are in conflict with the needs of the pigs (shade, dry footing). But pigs really far prefer the shade, so make sure there is plenty. Obviously they can go back in the shed if it's really hot, but they'll be happier if they can graze in the shade.

- We have planted alpine strawberries in ours, as they like the leaves and it gives a bit of variety. So far they just want grass but I'm sure the strawberry leaves (and fruit!) will get some attention as well.

- They really enjoy humps, bumps and tunnels. As the poster above says, don't make it precipitous or rocky, but a bit of topography keeps them entertained. Same for tunnels and caves. I had loads of fun making these!

- A few fleece mats scattered here and there gives them a really comfy chill space.

- When they are new to being outside, they will freeze up. Bird sounds in particular may overwhelm them. The best way to make them more comfortable is to partly cover the run to make it darker until they have settled in.
 
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