Would You Recommend Your Outdoor Hutch ?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jojessgaz

Jojessgaz

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 3, 2016
Messages
370
Reaction score
102
Points
365
Location
Cheshire uk
Hi I'm trying to get a double hutch for 2 piggies to purchase next month. There are so many out there but none seem to be perfect. I live in UK cheshire and wondered if anyone has that perfect hutch you just love. Alot seem to be flimsy or not well made. It needs good insulation too as they will be outside as much as the weather allows without freezing them literally thanks for any sites or hutches you would recommend
 
Hi there! If you want a mega solid hutch that will last forever and you have a bit of cash saved up try Ryedale pet homes these can be adapted to your requirements. If you are on more of a budget try the Happy Hutch Company. Also Dawsons Animal Housing make some lovely hutches at a reasonable price and you can specify exactly what you want. Welfare Hutch company might also be worth a look. I bought a Pets at Home hutch which was OK for indoor use but I personally wouldn't have wanted to use it outside as it was a bit flimsy. Hope that helps.
 
@Kit06 I know what you mean about the pets at home cages.

I have indoor pigs and have been looking for an outdoor hutch and run so they can out when the weather is warmer with a view to then being permanent outdoor pigs for the summer. The pets and home cage seemed so poorly made for the money! The doors didn't even fit properly!

I found a good hutch at the range. It is a hutch on top of a run. Benefits it has over the pets and home version are the lid of the hutch is on a hinge, the base is plastic coated which will protect the wood and there is a trap door so you can close off the ramp. The hutch also detaches from the run. This was a bonus for me as it means easier storage come winter.

Downside. ..self assembly!
 
Elbie said:
@Kit06 I know what you mean about the pets at home cages.

I have indoor pigs and have been looking for an outdoor hutch and run so they can out when the weather is warmer with a view to then being permanent outdoor pigs for the summer. The pets and home cage seemed so poorly made for the money! The doors didn't even fit properly!

I found a good hutch at the range. It is a hutch on top of a run. Benefits it has over the pets and home version are the lid of the hutch is on a hinge, the base is plastic coated which will protect the wood and there is a trap door so you can close off the ramp. The hutch also detaches from the run. This was a bonus for me as it means easier storage come winter.

Downside. ..self assembly!
Click to expand...
Thanks for that... I thought the same re pets at home ones... don't really want to b buying again after a year! Will look at the range n see...have you had yours long?
 
To be honest just bought mine and it's still in the box . Waiting for a sunny day and the other half to get his tools out. But definitely worth a look. Was very impressed with the display model.

It's this one.Lazy Bones Hutch and Run

Cheaper than the pets at home one too!

They sell covers that fit as well
 
Jojessgaz said:
Hi I'm trying to get a double hutch for 2 piggies to purchase next month. There are so many out there but none seem to be perfect. I live in UK cheshire and wondered if anyone has that perfect hutch you just love. Alot seem to be flimsy or not well made. It needs good insulation too as they will be outside as much as the weather allows without freezing them literally thanks for any sites or hutches you would recommend
Click to expand...
The Welfare Hutch company...outstanding quality, built to last, barrel bolts, even deliver and construct it. Just bought a 6ft x 2ft and also a stand alone 5ft x 4ft run and I am delighted with it. Thick wood, extra thick floor, good overhang on fixed roof, great quality roof felt and made legs 2 ft taller for me at no extra cost. I looked at hundreds for months and wish I'd known about these guys first.
 
The one from the range, could it go on a patio or with the run would it need to be on grass?
 
In my experience go for the more solid, expensive ones if you can stretch to it. Saving up for a few extra months will be so worth it. Over the years I've bought different hutches and seen very different quality!
I would definitely recommend ryedale hutches also as its rare to get such a well made hutch!
I would suggest the areas to really check are - back panel, this is often thin plywood which offers very little protection and rots quickly if outdoors. Also thickness/type of wood in general - cheaper ones use soft wood which again doesn't last long outdoors and will be chewed very easily by piggies. Wire mesh-how strong is it? Think of predators.
Last year I bought the chartwell 5ft two storey (also comes in single storey and option of a run to attach.) I knew it wasn't as good as ryedale but as I need to move it around it was lighter (due to cheaper wood.) it's a good size and the ramp has a lip to help stop falls, all 4 of my pigs mastered the ramp in no time.
However! I did modify this hutch a lot-I covered the ramp in carpet for grip, covered all interior sides with waterproof material to keep the wood pee-free, put foil type insulation on the interior top and exterior bottom and back, put adhesive tiles on the floors to prevent pee soaking in, added an extra layer of wood to the back (due to thin ply), added some extra wood supports to the bottom and rear and painted it in animal safe paint. Despite all of this I still suspect the outside wood may not last as long as I would like.
Mine goes in a shed throughout winter so if left outside all year round I doubt a cheaper one would last long at all.
If you pay out a couple of hundred now you will save yourself more in the long run!
 
Here is my 'wallpaper.' It's wipeable tablecloth material. I stapled it onto each interior panel before I built the hutch, that way no pee can see pinto any stray edges as they're all hidden

image.webp
 
The ryedale ones are lovely but they're way out of my price range. The single storey at £143 would be the only one I could afford.
 
I built my own, made with 12mm plywood so it's nice and strong, space blanket insulation between hutch wall and shed wall for extra warmth, the shed also has electricity so it has an oil filled radiator and lighting to make winter hutch cleaning a lot more pleasant. ;)
shed.webp

shed (2).webp

radiator.webp
 
You sure have a lot of space, lucky piggies. We don't have a shed to put them in.
 
Happyhutch seem quite reasonable. £130 for a 6ft x 2ft single storey. It says it's ship lap strong wood but does mention ply for the base.
In winter it went down to -2'c where I live last year, some sort of insulation as well as good strong covers are essential, also snuggle safe heat pads help. I soon discovered how expensive it was to get everything I needed.
 
We have an outdoor untility room that will be cleared once the new garage is built so there may be the option to move them there in winter.
 
I like that second one, I'd adapt the ramp to make it safer by putting sides on it and carpet on the base for grip. ;)
 
I can't recommend a hutch as the one we are currently using was gifted to us by a family friend so I have no idea of its origins [though if I could recommend it I would, as its done us brilliantly for the last few years and is still kicking despite the efforts of the dynamic duo and their troublesome teeth] However, I can suggest hutches to avoid, and that would be pets at home hutches. They are, in my experience, awful. I have had several over the years that haven't even lasted us through the summer never mind the winter, and do nothing to keep the piggies warm and comfortable on those rainy English days. The ones you've posted above seem nice, but the top one I would be reluctant to purchase as it seems a little precarious atop the run; also, it can't be heavy wood with so little support, meaning it may be flimsy or thin. The run is likely to break quicker than the hutch itself, so having them attached may be a future issue though I'm sure it's nothing a little DIY couldn't fix. I've never personally had a hinged roof, but I have heard that although they're good from a human pov they can be a little dangerous in terms of wildlife, and they don't exactly help when it comes to water-proofing, ect.
 
Thank you, it's a total mine field and I want to get it right. Someone locally has a business making hutches and boards rabbits and piggies so am seeing what they have to offer too at the moment.
 
The top one's ramp looks a little steep imo, also there isn't much room; however, the other two look great, and they seem to be made pretty well too. Particularly like the middle one as it has more indoor space than the last, but if I were to have the middle I would be inclined to add a run separately or attached for exercise. The bottom one doesn't seem to have much protected living space [though I'm awful with measurements, so who can say.]
 
The3LittlePigs said:
The top one's ramp looks a little steep imo, also there isn't much room; however, the other two look great, and they seem to be made pretty well too. Particularly like the middle one as it has more indoor space than the last, but if I were to have the middle I would be inclined to add a run separately or attached for exercise. The bottom one doesn't seem to have much protected living space [though I'm awful with measurements, so who can say.]
Click to expand...

If I went for the middle one I'd get a separate run for exercise time and play time.
 
DylElla said:
Would it have to go on grass or could it go on the patio? My patio is more sheltered as it is surrounded by a fence, house wall and conservatory wall so protected on 3 sides.
Click to expand...
Its a pity you haven't got concrete next to a lawn, put the main hutch on the concrete with the run on the lawn. ;)
 
You could try making one of those dog bed grass thingies I heard people talking about a few days back to put in there if you wanted them to have the opportunity to graze and you only have patio. Or if you had grass too you could just move them to the sheltered area through winter and let them be on the grass for summer?
 
We have the Chartwell hutch and I'm pleased with it - like you spent ages looking/researching! We have the 5ft single storey with the attached run and cover. Just bought some Lino to cover the floor x
 
The3LittlePigs said:
You could try making one of those dog bed grass thingies I heard people talking about a few days back to put in there if you wanted them to have the opportunity to graze and you only have patio. Or if you had grass too you could just move them to the sheltered area through winter and let them be on the grass for summer?
Click to expand...
The only thing about them being on the grass in the summer is we get full sun in the garden all day. It rises one side and moves around the garden through the day so I'd worry they'd get hot.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top