which is the best hutch?

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bekkie

i have two guinea pigs and these are the two links to hutches i can buy nearby. (i live in new zealand)

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pets-animals/Rabbits-Guinea-pigs/Hutches/auction-279191117.htm

the one above is smaller (but the picture makes it look bigger!) but taller. i only have two guinea pigs and this is big enough for two according to the c&c cages website requirements! and it has a nice roomy looking upstairs bedroom.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pets-animals/Rabbits-Guinea-pigs/Hutches/auction-279096943.htm

this one is bigger but shorter. i know height doesnt matter but i just thought id say. anyway there is lots more room (enough for 4 guinea pigs!) and it looks pretty neat too. both are the same price.

obviously the second one seems a bitter option but the first one just looks nicer! and i wanted to get the second on probably because i like the more room and i like the idea of more guinea pigs! I'm just wondering what you guys would get! also my parents and i are planning to sort of go halvsies on the bigger one but dad wanted to know how big it is and I'm a bit freaked he'll say it's too big! if it is then is the first one a better option? it will look nice on our garden and i want them access to grass but i just need to know if I'm making the right decision. i cant really tell from the pic but I'm hoping they are good quality!

plus the second one does have free shipping i click buy now. so tonight! i will convince dad! but just wanted to know if the first one is a good compromise?
Bekkie
 
I would go with the second one if it is bigger.

I wouldn't worry about the length of the run (as the first one looks longer) as piggies tend to do laps rather than running lengths. The dimensions of the first one are confusing, I'm assuming from looking at the picture that they are 166cm (length) 110cm (height) 53cm (width) which if this is the case, it would probably arrive and be a lot smaller than you are imagining.

Although I have to say, I do prefer the look of the first one, and I like that the doors in the upstairs house open on the side rather than having to lean over (or removing) the run on the second one.

Oh! And the second one, the run is detachable - much easy for moving about if you change your mind on where you want it in the garden :)

Both are very nice though!

On another note, I'd love to visit NZ, I've always wanted to go!
 
I'd go with the second one, although I wondered if the ramp might be a wee bit steep for piggies? Anyone have one of these that can offer advice?
 
The ramp on the first one is much too steep for safety. Guineas would be able to run up and down, but could also fall through the hole or off the side. I have seen a guinea die of a broken neck with just such a ramp. Ramps are fine, but this one seems very very steep.
Consider the indoor house space. 4' x 2' recommended exlcuding the run. Wet/windy/cold weather does not always permit run time, so you have to have enough indoor space so your guineas are not cooped up.
Height is not so important, unless you build something in it, it is just a waste of space for cold air to circulate in, in the winter.
The heart locks on those are very cute, I have added barrel locks on to mine, as the hearts become loose and are not cat/dog/fox/free.
xx
 
hi! thanks for all the quick replies! yes azura, that was my thoughts about the positioning of the indoors sleeping quaters. but yeah you're right the second one is much bigger. i've been talking to my parents however and they are saying they could revamp my guinea pigs current hutch like put new wire on it and give the outside a coating of paint plus get some fiddle sticks and pigloos for them and add a run! we're going ot have a DIY day on the weekend and i can't wait! i'm thinking i can somehow replicate these designs i've seen with my own twist. it'll be a lot cheaper than buying something too. and our hutch we've had has lasted a long time and is relatively big i haven't measured it but it's definitely designed for a large rabbit! so i'm plannign the big clean out this afternoon and then we'll put them out in the playpen on saturday and get working. i cant wait for the weekend now i am already planning out deisgns on paper and deciding how things will work. thanks guys!
 
i sure will post pics. i'm going to measure the hutch this arvo because i dont actually know how big it is. i just know its big! just trying to think of the best way to add a run but make the hutch part still accessible. you see it doesnt have a life up lid but for the outdoors part of it the whole front opens. and same with the indoor part. and if i added the run to the front it would be had to get in and then clean the big part of the hutch. hmm....maybe if i add a run out the side....haha lots of ideas to think about. i'm going to go outside and see if staring at it will give me some inspiration. and do some measuring! just because i want to make sure I'm not overestimating its size!
 
bekkie said:
hi! thanks for all the quick replies! yes azura, that was my thoughts about the positioning of the indoors sleeping quaters. but yeah you're right the second one is much bigger. i've been talking to my parents however and they are saying they could revamp my guinea pigs current hutch like put new wire on it and give the outside a coating of paint plus get some fiddle sticks and pigloos for them and add a run! we're going ot have a DIY day on the weekend and i can't wait! i'm thinking i can somehow replicate these designs i've seen with my own twist. it'll be a lot cheaper than buying something too. and our hutch we've had has lasted a long time and is relatively big i haven't measured it but it's definitely designed for a large rabbit! so i'm plannign the big clean out this afternoon and then we'll put them out in the playpen on saturday and get working. i cant wait for the weekend now i am already planning out deisgns on paper and deciding how things will work. thanks guys!
Click to expand...

sounds cool to me recycle and reuse rather than buying new plus think about all that cash you will have saved your folks you should be able to talk them into buying lots of goodies and new bits to kit out the hutch ! :))
 
haha guineawig that's the idea! we have lots of wood so its not going to cost us barely anything to redesign the hutch. and cause its my birthday my parents will let me get some cool stuff for them. I'm thinking some fiddlesticks and a tunnel not sure what else, maybe a brick for them to stand on for a bit of height. the hutch is roughly one metre squared so pretty big but its quite high. so we're getting a second level and I'm planning to extend it a bit more so the girls have a bit more room to go around. maybe keep its length but make it deeper? hmmm...so much possibilities haha good dinnertime discussion though.
Bekkie
 
If it is tall enough, then yes, a second level sounds good to me :) May you could have an opening at the side with a small ramp leading to a run? Just make sure that you can shut the opening up to keep the piggies from going in the run when it is too cold and keep the entire thing safe and secure from predators :)
 
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