Outside vs inside?

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MerryPip

Adult Guinea Pig
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I'm just thinking at the moment about outside piggies... I have 4 boars inside but if I ever have any more they will probably have to be outside piggies.

I love having my boys inside but for those of you that have more than a few... does that make your outside piggies 2nd rate citizens?

I'm worried about security (we have a regularly visiting fox and numerous interested cats) however the garden itself is secure to human intruders.

Any thought or pros/cons?
 
indoor or outdoor.

Hi,

I keep my guineapigs in an indoor hutch as I think they love human interaction, especially hearing carrier bags rustle. I think when the weather is bad it is easier to look after them inside. I wouldn't keep them outside if you have a fox visiting. We have foxes come regularly and they dug up a pigeon I had found dead ( I buried it). My brother also had a rabbit taken by a fox. Keep them inside if you can but then other people love them in a shed as they don't have the room. It is up to you, what ever you do will be right for you. Silly xx.
 
I love having my pigs inside instead of outside. I like the feeling of knowing they are warm and comfortable no matter what the weather etc. I think it really comes down to what you think would work best for you and your pigs.
I use a product similar to this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-GARD...encing_CV&hash=item5d348af0b9#ht_1834wt_1037 on top of my hutch when my girls are out, as we too have a problem with visiting cats.
We have also fitted a wooden shutter (with air holes, of course) on the front of the hutch that we put up at night to protect from any dogs/foxes.
x
 
I don't think I'd ever keep my pigs outside. Due to really bad hayfever, Scotland's awful "summer" weather and me jumping about like a big sissy girl whenever a bee so much as looks at me, I don't spend a lot of time in the garden so if I put them there, I don't think I would spend as much time with them as I would indoors.

I think my perfect situation is indoors pigs with the option to take them outside for a bit of a run when it's nice out.
 
I've had guinea pigs for around 30 years and have always kept them outside with no problems. If you have a good secure hutch, foxes shouldn't be a problem. I've recently had some pregnant sows and their resultant litters inside and i have to say, it's nice to have them handy when it comes to feeding etc (especially when it's pouring down outside) but the mess has driven me crazy! Hay and megazorb all through my house....grrrrr!
I will always be an 'outside-keeper'! :)
 
I don't think I'd ever keep my pigs outside. Due to really bad hayfever, Scotland's awful "summer" weather and me jumping about like a big sissy girl whenever a bee so much as looks at me, I don't spend a lot of time in the garden so if I put them there, I don't think I would spend as much time with them as I would indoors.

I think my perfect situation is indoors pigs with the option to take them outside for a bit of a run when it's nice out.

Yep also jump about like a great big sissy girl when threatened by bees or wasps! (by threatened I mean one being in the garden that I may have briefly heard) Plus most bug type things freak me out to some extent.

I have thought long and hard about this and even bought a hutch to put them outside. In the end the fact that the neighbours bunny has had to be replaced at least once recently and the frequent sightings of foxes in the garden plus the two nutcase puppies we have I just think they would be freaked out and I would be worried sick. Plus the hours I sometimes work and winter looming I couldn't see me being in a routine to see them!

Mind you I think if I had put them outside when I first got them I wouldn't think twice about it.
 
I like having them inside as I can go to them whenever I want, I feel like they are more involved in our lives, but I have to agree it is alot more messy!6)
 
I love having my boys indoors. I work shifts so the thought of going to see them in the garden at 5.30 am in the rain/snow doesnt fill me full of glee.
Yes it can be a bit messy at times but the interaction I can have with them more than makes up for this
 
To be fair, I've had indoor and outdoor piggies and I love the interation I get with them inside but if I want to have any more I just don't have the space inside. Probably they'd get lots of time inside and cuddles a plenty but just wondered what others experiences are.

Glad to hear that foxes don't have to be a problem.... The one near us is fairly well fed so hopefully not after Guineas.

I will keep thinking.
 
I have just put mine outside in their hutch (with extra thick hay for cooler times), but they have always been indoors for the winter (spring and summer if its been as cold as this year too!). I do miss them being indoors but the mess (hay and megazorb) is a pain! I make sure that I go and have a chat a few times a day, and keep my routine of treat giving on a daily basis so that the only thing thas has changed is the hutch location. They have a good run on the grass (in a secure run) when its dry, and I bring the run indoors (on newspaper) when its cold or wet.

I do think that piggies do very well outside if kept in a dry and secure hutch, free from draughts and damp. I put a piece of perspex over the front of the hutch if its windy or raining, and always at night to stop draughts (then a picnic blanket over the top and front).

Good luck with whatever you choose. I am sure that as long as your piggies are warm, dry, well fed and played with, they will be happy.
 
Bugsy and Nelson used to be outside but I felt that I wasn't giving them all the attention that I could have even though I was out there most of the afternoon with them and went out to talk to them every chance I got, plus I found out that a fox was eyeing them up so I brought them inside and I've never looked back.

I feel like I have more of a bond with them now that they are inside.

There's no right and wrong as long as they are warm, dry, fed, and handled. They do very well outside, it's a personal thing. If you feel happy to have them outside and are certain that foxes aren't going to be able to get them then go for it. It's always nice having the option of having more piggies. :)
 
I would just like to say that I too have kept piggies outside for over 20 years and have never had any problems. As long as you have a secure hutch, with the stronger type of mesh, as opposed to traditional chicken wire, then foxes and cats shouldn't be a problem.
The only problem I have ever had is that a few years ago I had 1 boar who just couldn't cope with that really awful winter we had and I did have to bring him inside. To be honest, I loved having him inside and the change in him was striking - he went from being timid and terrified of everything, to quite a confident little man. However, I did feel a bit guilty as he had to live in quite a small cage (as we had literally no room for anything else) and my husband did nothing but complain - I must admit he did have a slight aroma.
My piggies now live in a shed outside, which I feel is the best compromise for us. The piggies are warm, comfortable and have tonnes of space and my hubby doesn't have anything to complain about!
 
I have 4 boys who live both inside and out . In summer they love staying in a double sized piggie shed . I have electricity running to it and I have a couple of chairs and a light in there . The shed can bolt shut which makes me feel safer about foxes etc at night. They move outside during the day ( weather permitting !) to their runs . When winter really comes the hutches move inside to the house . If I could ask the boys which they prefer I think they'd say outside . I think they like the smells and noises of nature ! :))
 
I'm just thinking at the moment about outside piggies... I have 4 boars inside but if I ever have any more they will probably have to be outside piggies.

I love having my boys inside but for those of you that have more than a few... does that make your outside piggies 2nd rate citizens?

I'm worried about security (we have a regularly visiting fox and numerous interested cats) however the garden itself is secure to human intruders.

Any thought or pros/cons?

i always kept my rabbits and guineapigs outside but ditto has always lived indoors so it would have been cruel of me to stick him outside, i found the pro's od an outdoor piggy were no smell in the home and no big cage cluttering the living room, however cons are predators, thieves, hot and cold weather... I personally now prefer keeping my pets indoors and if they must be outdoors i advise the hutches are in a secure shed 1.to keep out predators (a fox killed my cousins rabbit) and 2.to keep them warm in cold winters however in summer they would need a fan etc to keep the temp in the shed down.. . Its a personal choice but i would now keep my piggys and bunnys in the house in an indoor cage... X
 
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