whats best indoor or outdoor for guinea pigs?
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Its not a case of what is better - there are pros and cons to both - its whether you can provide what they need regardless of where they are, but particularly if they are kept outside you have to be able to keep them warm in winter, cool in summer and protected from predators. Keeping them outside year round is a lot of hard work. It also depends where you are in the world - you dont say on your profile which country you are in but the climate of your location is going to play a major factor in whether it is even safe to have them outside at all.
There is also the interaction element but I feel it depends on your perspective. People will say that you cant spend as much time with them if they are outside. That is true to some extent - they aren't just in the house with you so you aren't just passing them on your way to the kitchen etc but you also need to be prepared to put the time in with them regardless of whether they are inside or outside. My two boys live in my shed (I also have outdoor rabbits) and I spend so much time outside with all my animals but also outside in general. If they lived indoors they'd see less of me as I'm more of an outdoor person!
Exercise wise - they can only go into a lawn run during summer so come damp/wet/cold weather they lose their ability to play outside of their hutch. You cannot bring piggies who live outside year round into a house for exercise during winter (piggies shouldn't be exposed to sudden and extreme temperature changes), so if they are in a hutch, then you would want to ensure it is as large as absolutely possible so they can have plenty of space to exercise inside it as they could be in there with no time outside of it for months during winter.
Mine, living in a shed, means they can still have time out of their hutch to play inside the shed itself (they free roam most of the year anyway) so aren't confined to a hutch even if it is wet/cold outside.
This is where living inside in winter really is a benefit as they can obviously still have plenty of floor/playpen/exercise time regardless of what is going on weather wise!
If they are to live in a hutch outside year round, then ideally the hutch should be placed somewhere protected in winter - that is in a shed or unused garage - to keep out draughts and damp. It also makes cleaning out and spending time with them so much easier - you aren't getting wet cleaning out hutches if they are in a shed/garage etc.
If that isnt possible, then positioning their hutch away from draughts and rain ie against a house etc.
They also have to be kept warm - anything below 15 degrees and certainly below 10 degrees poses a risk to their health.
For the outside of the hutch, lots of protection is needed such as thermal and waterproof covers, old carpet, tarpaulins. Inside the hutch, lots of hay, cardboard boxes and hides stuffed with hay so they can snuggle in. Microwavable heat pads are essential for outdoor piggies - they stay warm for 8-10 hours.
Protection from predators is also needed.
Its also a good idea, if at all possible, to have a plan to be able to bring them indoors if it becomes too difficult to keep them warm enough.
My two boys live in my shed. They have a hutch in there as well. Even in their shed, the hutch is still fully insulated, it has a thermal cover, two blankets, another hutch cover (a waterproof one, even though it isnt needed for waterproofing given they are inside a shed), and a duvet on top of the hutch. My two boys have four snugglesafe heatpads between them which get heated up in the morning and again at night during winter so they are never cold (I literally spend an hour a day heating heat pads for them!).
These measures mean I can keep their hutch at around 15 degrees almost all winter but only provided it doesnt get any colder than about -1 outside. If it drops below -1 outside, then the temperate inside their hutch and shed becomes less than 10 degrees and therefore unmanageable. This has happened once and my piggies had to move into the house for the rest of that winter.
In summer, hutches and sheds can become dangerous. They quickly trap heat. Even being on a lawn in summer can be dangerous with the risk of heated breezes.
I find summer with outdoor piggies so much harder than winter. Its incredibly difficult to keep the shed and hutch cool enough in summer (a 20 degree sunny day can quickly mean my shed heats too close to 30 degrees which is dangerous; the recent heatwave we had and my shed was 40 degrees) and my piggies have moved into the house at some point every summer as its just too hard to keep them safe in the shed.
There is also the interaction element but I feel it depends on your perspective. People will say that you cant spend as much time with them if they are outside. That is true to some extent - they aren't just in the house with you so you aren't just passing them on your way to the kitchen etc but you also need to be prepared to put the time in with them regardless of whether they are inside or outside. My two boys live in my shed (I also have outdoor rabbits) and I spend so much time outside with all my animals but also outside in general. If they lived indoors they'd see less of me as I'm more of an outdoor person!
Exercise wise - they can only go into a lawn run during summer so come damp/wet/cold weather they lose their ability to play outside of their hutch. You cannot bring piggies who live outside year round into a house for exercise during winter (piggies shouldn't be exposed to sudden and extreme temperature changes), so if they are in a hutch, then you would want to ensure it is as large as absolutely possible so they can have plenty of space to exercise inside it as they could be in there with no time outside of it for months during winter.
Mine, living in a shed, means they can still have time out of their hutch to play inside the shed itself (they free roam most of the year anyway) so aren't confined to a hutch even if it is wet/cold outside.
This is where living inside in winter really is a benefit as they can obviously still have plenty of floor/playpen/exercise time regardless of what is going on weather wise!
If they are to live in a hutch outside year round, then ideally the hutch should be placed somewhere protected in winter - that is in a shed or unused garage - to keep out draughts and damp. It also makes cleaning out and spending time with them so much easier - you aren't getting wet cleaning out hutches if they are in a shed/garage etc.
If that isnt possible, then positioning their hutch away from draughts and rain ie against a house etc.
They also have to be kept warm - anything below 15 degrees and certainly below 10 degrees poses a risk to their health.
For the outside of the hutch, lots of protection is needed such as thermal and waterproof covers, old carpet, tarpaulins. Inside the hutch, lots of hay, cardboard boxes and hides stuffed with hay so they can snuggle in. Microwavable heat pads are essential for outdoor piggies - they stay warm for 8-10 hours.
Protection from predators is also needed.
Its also a good idea, if at all possible, to have a plan to be able to bring them indoors if it becomes too difficult to keep them warm enough.
My two boys live in my shed. They have a hutch in there as well. Even in their shed, the hutch is still fully insulated, it has a thermal cover, two blankets, another hutch cover (a waterproof one, even though it isnt needed for waterproofing given they are inside a shed), and a duvet on top of the hutch. My two boys have four snugglesafe heatpads between them which get heated up in the morning and again at night during winter so they are never cold (I literally spend an hour a day heating heat pads for them!).
These measures mean I can keep their hutch at around 15 degrees almost all winter but only provided it doesnt get any colder than about -1 outside. If it drops below -1 outside, then the temperate inside their hutch and shed becomes less than 10 degrees and therefore unmanageable. This has happened once and my piggies had to move into the house for the rest of that winter.
In summer, hutches and sheds can become dangerous. They quickly trap heat. Even being on a lawn in summer can be dangerous with the risk of heated breezes.
I find summer with outdoor piggies so much harder than winter. Its incredibly difficult to keep the shed and hutch cool enough in summer (a 20 degree sunny day can quickly mean my shed heats too close to 30 degrees which is dangerous; the recent heatwave we had and my shed was 40 degrees) and my piggies have moved into the house at some point every summer as its just too hard to keep them safe in the shed.
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My Piggies
Adult Guinea Pig
I agree @Piggies&buns. My three piggies live indoors all year round, which makes it much easier to regulate the temperature as our house is heated/air conditioned. Summer is also awful in Australia, so they would have to come indoors all summer anyway.
I think if it is possible for you to keep them indoors, that may be easier in terms of regulating the temperature of their environment and keeping predators out. However, it is totally up to you and where you live. You just need to be able to provide what they need regardless of whether they live indoors or outdoors.
I think if it is possible for you to keep them indoors, that may be easier in terms of regulating the temperature of their environment and keeping predators out. However, it is totally up to you and where you live. You just need to be able to provide what they need regardless of whether they live indoors or outdoors.
JoannaMarie
Junior Guinea Pig
I agree with everything piggies&buns said above. I had my piggies inside because for me it is easier. They are very sensitive to heat, particularly as they get older. My house is quite cool but in the recent heatwave my Alan really struggled to keep cool even in the house with all the blinds shut. He was very uncomfortable and I was making cool packs for him to try to keep him cool. So it's really important if you do have them outside that you have a plan to bring them inside for extreme temperatures. I personally love having free range indoor piggies, and they were very happy and lived long lives. It really depends on what works best for you. If you will spend more time with indoor pigs, then have them inside.
Do you now have piggies or are you still researching?