The Guinea Pig Garden is making a comeback!

Cheekypigs

Cheekypigs

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 11, 2022
Messages
592
Reaction score
1,316
Points
600
Location
Scotland
20230421_162147.jpg
I built this years ago for our previous guinea pigs. Our lawn is a bit of a cat thoroughfare, and anyway is very small, so a guinea pig run would really get in the way. So I built them their own little garden in a raised bed. It has a couple of hideys built in in the form of half-buried flower pots, and it also has a wooden house and castle that sit on foundations set into the soil (the house and castle aren't there in this picture, they're kept indoors when not in use). It also has paths and hills to explore. The previous pigs loved it.

It had got very overgrown and neglected, mostly taken over by couch grass and moss. So today I tore out as much of that as I could and have reseeded it with lawn grass. The doors also need repaired. If we can do that, and remember to water the grass seed over the next few days, then our current boys will soon have a little paradise of their own to enjoy in the good weather!
 
I've posted more pictures in The Adventures of Popchop and Fuzzable in Guinea Pig Chat, but I thought people might welcome an update. Nearly 5 weeks after reseeding, the new grass is coming on well and the old grass is well recovered. It's lovely weather and the ground is nice and dry, so the pigs are having their first evening in the garden!

They are loving it. They have their own house which they already know well, which sits on a breeze block (it was made to fit it!) and is lined with fleece/towel rugs. They also have a castle, a secret tunnel under the castle and a hidey hole. They are enjoying the grass and the strawberry leaves, as there are little alpine strawberry plants all over it.

If you have a corner in the garden, I recommend this as a fun project and a very safe, convenient space for pigs to be outdoors, much quicker and easier to put them out than if you have to assemble a collapsible run. You could even make a small one of these in an old Ferplast cage or similar, if you don't have much space.
 

Attachments

  • 20230524_190055_copy_1024x768.webp
    20230524_190055_copy_1024x768.webp
    126.4 KB · Views: 18
  • 20230524_190128_copy_1024x768.webp
    20230524_190128_copy_1024x768.webp
    131 KB · Views: 17
  • 20230524_190709_copy_1024x768.webp
    20230524_190709_copy_1024x768.webp
    116 KB · Views: 18
Beautiful sunny day today and the pigs have been out all day. It's somewhere between 20 and 25C.

20230530_165027_copy_1280x720.webp

I usually shade the garden with a blanket, to keep them cool, and to make them feel more comfortable, as guinea pigs are mortally afraid of birds. They prefer to have a roof.

Earlier in the day, when the sun was still falling on part of the garden, it was noticeable that they avoided those parts completely. It seems a shame to us to "deprive" them of the sun, but in my experience, guinea pigs really don't like sunshine. They are crepuscular animals and they far prefer the shade.
 
20230530_154022-01_copy_1024x767.webp
Afternoon nap time! This was before they staged a coup to topple the monarchy (tipped the castle over and completely off its crag!). The previous pigs never did this. So for health and safety the castle will now live in the valley!
 
20230530_205720_copy_1280x720.webp
The devastation after a long day of fun. Note in particular the flattened grass in the middle, the under-construction grass tunnel they're working on at the top centre, and the loose strawberry leaves at the top left which they have been biting off and then not eating! Furry vandals.

It's hard to stay on top of watering it in dry weather. The best time is just after the pigs have gone inside, so that it will be dry if they are out again the next day.
 
Unfortunately it's now too hot to put them out during the day. In Scotland! However, they had a lovely romp for an hour or so at 9pm last night!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top