Pigs That Live Outside

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

piggies83

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
21
Reaction score
21
Points
95
Hello...wanting to hear from people that have pigs living outside 365 and that are not moved into sheds/garages.

in particular...

what do you have in sleeping area...is it just hay or do you use anything else.
do you use a heat bag if so what is the BEST
any other pearls of wisdom that you can share a ppreciated
 
I move the sanctuary piggies to a shed for the winter but I do have people who are boarding piggies request outdoor hutches. I have to say, I always put in lots of hay and I cover the hutch to shelter it from rain and draught. Each morning I pick the piggies up, and they always feel as warm as toast. The piggies who board with me as outdoor ones, are generally quite elderly piggies, who have lived their life without a days illness. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned there!

I do believe that plenty of hay is the way to go and sheltering them from rain and wind.
 
Same as everyone else, plenty of hay, shelter and cover. I used to put a quilt under the cover for extra warmth.
 
My Guinea Pigs used to live out in hutches all year for years. During the winter I used to move the hutches up against fences/the house or anywhere they were more sheltered. Lots and lots of hay in the entire hutch, offered them fleece snuggle sacks to go into if they wanted too. I used to pin plumbing insulator to the outsides and underside of the hutches and then cover that over with a tarpaulin. During the day i would drop a clear plastic sheet down along the front just to protect the guinea pigs from any drafts or rain that might have been coming their way. At night I would take off the clear plastic, put blankets over the front of the hutch, then cover them up again with the plastic to stop the fabric from getting soggy.
 
If I had a choice, I would keep my guinea pigs indoors in a C&C cage. I'm afraid OH put his foot down and they went outdoors . OH has supported me though - he originally wanted them in a hutch outdoors all year round . Fortunately, he agreed to let me keep them in a shed. It was my choice to keep them in a hutch in the shed . I wouldn't feel safe having them free range .

On hot days, I can leave the windows open. I had to move them indoors during the last heatwave we had as the shed got too hot ( fortunately , OH was away so he never found out about that ! ) . I have greenhouse heaters and an oil filled radiator to keep them warm in winter .

Personally, I would not advise anyone to keep guinea pigs in outdoor hutches over winter. I agree it is possible to keep them warm and dry but I think it's a lot of hard work and very difficult to interact with your guinea pigs.


And ... I would dread cage clean day if they were outdoors !
 
Not worried about the cleaning out... We have ferrets and chickens so whats another house to clean out in the rain ha ha.

They will be by the back door so perfect for tucking up at night and thought about shoving some sort of heat pad in at night and will have clear Plastic down in the day of wet/cold and then i plan to out some sort of thermal cover over when really cold (might use an old horse rug ad breathable, warm and waterproof... what do you think). or just blanket and waterproof sheet.

Hay will also not be an issue either... as there is plenty at the yard.

I can provide everything and they will be sell loved... but i cant bring them in during winter or put them in a shed etc. The hutch will be against a wall, the house is 3 steps to the right and there is a 6 ft Fence 8 steps in front.

What do you reckon
 
Mine used to live outdoors in a two tier hutch, We had a mixture of hay and straw in there to keep them going and they loved it.

I've got two Dutch rabbits now and they both live in a 7ft hutch outside.
 
Mine used to live outside all year. I used plain sawdust/shavings as bedding and a pile of hay at night to keep them warm. Mine was a pets at home two tier floor, with a small bedroom on the side. In winter, I bought some thick napkins from PoundWorld and pinned them over the entrance to the bedroom like a kind of flap? It kept a lot of the wind blowing in when they slept in it. I also put towels/blankets on the floor in there and stuffed one up against the tiny gap near the bottom of the door to stop draughts. If it was superrrrrrr cold, I got a cheap, small hot water bottle and filled it with hot water from the tap, wrapped a blanket around it and put it in. They loved to sit on top of it! They had warm "porridge" on occasion too. (Some oats mixed with hot water and cooled in the fridge. They loved it.) We put some clear plastic sheets over the wire on the bottom doors too, so wind couldn't blow in.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top