Tani
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi all,
not been on in ages (apologies) but I wanted some help from you in regards to new housing I want to make my pigs.
At the moment I have 6 indoor pigs (always been indoors because we only have a decked small walled 'garden' and no grass) and as we are selling our house again, we had to change the house around and move them from our bedroom to turn that back into a proper room. They are currently in 3 separate v large coroplast trays (with no top) and spread between the kitchen & our winter lounge. We moved them in there while we were on holliday so they didn't overheat as they are the coolest rooms, but in winter they live in our garden room/lounge which is just too hot for them at the moment.
I really need to get them off the floor as we can't move about, lol, but I don't have anywhere inside that can fit them all in together in those rooms. So, in our garden (only about 8' from the house), I have a solid shed which I think is about 3' x 8' wide. It was used to house my glass & bins but I'm thinking of moving those into the shed next to it and using that to put the piggies in over Summer. They would be in a shaded part and I can see them easily from all rooms and the front of the shed opens with double doors so I have access to the whole front.
I want them to have most of the space - perhaps leaving about a foot at the side as I still need some storage space. However, we do have some local cats in the area that play on the roofs so I wanted help with ideas for creating easy to clean housing that would also be safe?
I have seen triple decker wooden hutches but most aren't deep enough or wide enough and I can't afford to have one custom made really. I don't know if it even needs to be wood as they will be in the shed & I prefer plastic personally as it's easy to clean and doesn't smell. Anyway, I have a few questions:-
1) When I'm not around or at night, how do I shut the doors to secure them but allowing them air? should I cut a section out of the shed and put mesh in or will there be enough air about anyway?
2) Does anyone know where I can get a giant ready made hutch that would be suitable? I prefer ones where the whole front section comes off rather than a small section.
3) Could I put a plastic 3 tier one in there or wouldn't it be worth it in case the rain got to it?
4) If I just made something myself using my corex trays on say wooden shelving, is there anything I can get to clip onto the shed to stop any cats from getting in? ie like a mesh screen perhaps?
Any suggestions would be great and very welcome and I'm running out of time to get it all done before it goes on the market.
Thanks!
not been on in ages (apologies) but I wanted some help from you in regards to new housing I want to make my pigs.
At the moment I have 6 indoor pigs (always been indoors because we only have a decked small walled 'garden' and no grass) and as we are selling our house again, we had to change the house around and move them from our bedroom to turn that back into a proper room. They are currently in 3 separate v large coroplast trays (with no top) and spread between the kitchen & our winter lounge. We moved them in there while we were on holliday so they didn't overheat as they are the coolest rooms, but in winter they live in our garden room/lounge which is just too hot for them at the moment.
I really need to get them off the floor as we can't move about, lol, but I don't have anywhere inside that can fit them all in together in those rooms. So, in our garden (only about 8' from the house), I have a solid shed which I think is about 3' x 8' wide. It was used to house my glass & bins but I'm thinking of moving those into the shed next to it and using that to put the piggies in over Summer. They would be in a shaded part and I can see them easily from all rooms and the front of the shed opens with double doors so I have access to the whole front.
I want them to have most of the space - perhaps leaving about a foot at the side as I still need some storage space. However, we do have some local cats in the area that play on the roofs so I wanted help with ideas for creating easy to clean housing that would also be safe?
I have seen triple decker wooden hutches but most aren't deep enough or wide enough and I can't afford to have one custom made really. I don't know if it even needs to be wood as they will be in the shed & I prefer plastic personally as it's easy to clean and doesn't smell. Anyway, I have a few questions:-
1) When I'm not around or at night, how do I shut the doors to secure them but allowing them air? should I cut a section out of the shed and put mesh in or will there be enough air about anyway?
2) Does anyone know where I can get a giant ready made hutch that would be suitable? I prefer ones where the whole front section comes off rather than a small section.
3) Could I put a plastic 3 tier one in there or wouldn't it be worth it in case the rain got to it?
4) If I just made something myself using my corex trays on say wooden shelving, is there anything I can get to clip onto the shed to stop any cats from getting in? ie like a mesh screen perhaps?
Any suggestions would be great and very welcome and I'm running out of time to get it all done before it goes on the market.
Thanks!
