Advice on hutch set up please

Sally Newbie

Sally Newbie

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Hi all. Piggies arrive on Thursday. What do you think of the hutch set up in the pictures, anything I should change before then?
The bedding will be paper, megazorb and hay.
There will be 2 big piles of hay in each corner at the back of the hutch in the "living quarters". 2 food bowls at the front which you can see in the photos.
Sleeping quarters = 2 boxes. 1 box is completely open at the front and will have a side exit too. The box at the back will have a curved entrance and side exit too. This whole area will be filled with hay, around and on top of the boxes and in them. With the sleeping boxes, if they want to sleep together they can as the boxes are big enough is my logic.
I bought another hay tunnel and stick tunnel but hutch will be too crowded with those in so they are going back to P&H along with the litter trays that are way too big!
There will be a 6*4 ft run with a long tunnel and hideys.
Anything I should change?
Thank you!
 

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Looks okay. Just bear in mind they can’t go in the run when it’s cool. I’d also get a thermal and waterproof hutch cover. Are you going to put anything on the base to protect the wood?
 
Yes, the waterproof cover is on the hutch now and I have the thermal cover as well. What do you recommend to put on the base? The hutch is a Chartwell; looking at reviews most people have said the wood is good on the base. They will only go in run when temperature ok; eventually they will have the door open to run and can go in and out as they please when they are accustomed to grass,they can go in and out. Seen a lot of posts on here where people let them do that.
 
They can chew on the cardboard which can keep them entertained. I’d probably remove the rope ball thing (has pink and yellow). Have a read of the enrichment guide linked below.
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

PS what are the measurements for the hutch and are you getting boars or sows?
 
2 females hutch is 2ft by 4ft which is minimum RSPCA requirements. I would have liked a bigger hutch but it wouldn't fit in the shed in winter. They are coming from a RSPCA shelter and they are ok with these hutch measurements. Shall I remove any coloured toys - back to P&H for them too?! I have some willow sticks as well for them to chew. I will scatter their veg about so they can search for that too as something to do?
 
Only thing it really needs is lining the wood. All else is ready for your girls. 😁👍🏾 Will you be putting in some fleece hides? I’d also consider those bridge ones that you got. Leaves more space for them to run around in there.
 
@Piggies&buns and @Siikibam :It will have loads of hay in 2 piles at the back and has a log hidey and a tunnel hidey in the living area and the 2 box hideys in the sleeping area. Or I could take the tunnel hidey out and put in the bridge hidey instead for more room? I don't fancy fleece hides as they would have to go in the washing machine pretty frequently and I don't think there's room?
 
Perhaps you can have three hides. It’s just that the boxes take up a lot of space. You can always swap out the boxes for two other hides as a change of environment for them.
 
Sally Newbie said:
@Piggies&buns and @Siikibam :It will have loads of hay in 2 piles at the back and has a log hidey and a tunnel hidey in the living area and the 2 box hideys in the sleeping area. Or I could take the tunnel hidey out and put in the bridge hidey instead for more room? I don't fancy fleece hides as they would have to go in the washing machine pretty frequently and I don't think there's room?
Click to expand...

To be honest I would just fill the whole hutch floor with hay rather than putting it in two piles, and fill the bedroom area full of hay (particularly in winter). I’d have two of the smaller log bridges/hides in the bedroom and perhaps leave the wire side so the hutch almost empty, perhaps with just the hay tunnel in there.

If the hutch is going in a shed so it’s going to be dry and not exposed to damp air, then I personally would use a couple of fleece hides in the bedroom in winter, fill the entire area thick with hay and a snugglesafe heatpad under each fleece hidey and they would be quite cosy. You’d have to see how it goes though - I have no trouble with fleece hides over winter in the shed (ie they aren’t damp in the mornings etc) but you’d have to see if it worked for you in your particular shed
 
I think my logic was that I can stuff the boxes full of hay and they are big enough for them to sleep together if they want. They DO take up a too much space I know. But I looked at the Large Stick hides at P&H and they were massive, seemed as big as those boxes! So the ones I have are the medium size. But do you think I should get the Large stick hideys instead? Can you send me some links to alternatives that would be better than the boxes?
 
Sally Newbie said:
I think my logic was that I can stuff the boxes full of hay and they are big enough for them to sleep together if they want. They DO take up a too much space I know. But I looked at the Large Stick hides at P&H and they were massive, seemed as big as those boxes! So the ones I have are the medium size. But do you think I should get the Large stick hideys instead? Can you send me some links to alternatives that would be better than the boxes?
Click to expand...

I have the large ones and they are ...well...large!

In the bedroom in my hutch I have fleece tunnels made by @cavy-couture. They can still move around them but they are cosy, particularly for winter.
Before I had the fleece tunnels I had two of the large stick hides side by side but they were set back from the back so the hutch wall so they could move freely between them.
 
@Piggies&buns , thanks for that - I got 2 box hideys and tunnel & stick hidey as you said it was best to have at least 4 for 2 pigs? So now shall i put the 2 small log tunnels in the bedroom with loads of hay and just the tunnel in the living area so down to 3 hideys? They just look so small, those log tunnels for sleeping!
 
The chances are they won’t sleep together. Piggies&Buns is best placed to tell you about how many hides. If you’re doing a third then you may as well have a fourth - 2 outside the bedroom area.
 
Sally Newbie said:
@Piggies&buns , thanks for that - I got 2 box hideys and tunnel & stick hidey as you said it was best to have at least 4 for 2 pigs? So now shall i put the 2 small log tunnels in the bedroom with loads of hay and just the tunnel in the living area so down to 3 hideys? They just look so small, those log tunnels for sleeping!
Click to expand...

Yes at least one for each pig is best, but your hutch doesn’t have the available floor space to have two in each area - so that is what I would do - two in the bedroom and one in the living area.
See how it goes though - it might end up being that they are happier with the boxes and save the log tunnels for their run

In the morning, I will put my two large log tunnels back in the bedroom area of my hutch and post a pic of it to t this thread along with the bedroom area measurements of my hutch - it might help you as a guide
 
Thank you, all turning into a bit of a nightmare. I can cut the boxes smaller if you think they take up too much room. The size of them compared to the large log tunnels didn't seem very different to me but I would appreciate your picture @Piggies&buns. With the one for the living area - tunnel or stick house?
 
Sally Newbie said:
Thank you, all turning into a bit of a nightmare. I can cut the boxes smaller if you think they take up too much room. The size of them compared to the large log tunnels didn't seem very different to me but I would appreciate your picture @Piggies&buns. With the one for the living area - tunnel or stick house?
Click to expand...

I’d go with the tunnel in the living area. Those hay tunnels tend not to last long - either through sheer chewing destruction or the fact they sit in them and poop and pee in there so they get soggy so I keep that kind of thing for the ‘play area’ rather than the sleeping area
 
Sally Newbie said:
Thank you, all turning into a bit of a nightmare. I can cut the boxes smaller if you think they take up too much room. The size of them compared to the large log tunnels didn't seem very different to me but I would appreciate your picture @Piggies&buns. With the one for the living area - tunnel or stick house?
Click to expand...
Leave the boxes as they are. They’ll feel safer ☺️
 
Well done Sally Newbie you are making a lovely home for your piggies - I know it can seem a nightmare as you just want to make it right for them. And it’s always good to ask and get advice from everyone as it can save some expensive mistakes 😬 ( as I know!) Once the girls are with you I think you’ll find out what they like and don’t like ! I’m sure you must be very excited to get your girls - we will want to see some pics ....🥰
 
The log tunnels in the bedroom is how I used to have it before I got their fleece beds. You can just about see the gap at the back, so they can walk around the whole area. In winter it was completely filled with hay and a snugglesafe was put under each tunnel. They could either sleep one in front of the other in one tunnel (it’s rare for my two to share a hidey so that didn’t often happen), go to a tunnel each or sit at the back but still under a tunnel.

(I now use the fleece beds. In winter the strawberry one will be replaced by the other tunnel so both fleece tunnels will be in the bedroom area. They currently arent confined to their hutch at all, so I try to spread the variety of beds around the shed)
 

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Piggies&buns said:
The log tunnels in the bedroom is how I used to have it before I got their fleece beds. You can just about see the gap at the back, so they can walk around the whole area. In winter it was completely filled with hay and a snugglesafe was put under each tunnel. They could either sleep one in front of the other in one tunnel (it’s rare for my two to share a hidey so that didn’t often happen), go to a tunnel each or sit at the back but still under a tunnel.

(I now use the fleece beds. In winter the strawberry one will be replaced by the other tunnel so both fleece tunnels will be in the bedroom area. They currently are confined to their hutch at all, so I try to spread the variety of beds around the shed)
Click to expand...
What very lucky piggies 🥰
 
That's a great pic @Piggies&buns , helps a lot. I think I will stick with the cardboard boxes stuffed w hay for now until they have eaten/ruined them and then get the large log tunnels like you have from P&H & 2 fleece tunnels for winter. I have SnugglePads for when it gets colder. I have spent SO much on set up already (hutch, equipment, actual guinea pigs) that I just want to save some money for a bit! Do you think the medium log tunnels are too small?
 
Sally Newbie said:
That's a great pic @Piggies&buns , helps a lot. I think I will stick with the cardboard boxes stuffed w hay for now until they have eaten/ruined them and then get the large log tunnels like you have from P&H & 2 fleece tunnels for winter. I have SnugglePads for when it gets colder. I have spent SO much on set up already (hutch, equipment, actual guinea pigs) that I just want to save some money for a bit! Do you think the medium log tunnels are too small?
Click to expand...

Buying hideys etc is addictive!
I think the mediums log tunnels are fine, but I preferred the large as the snugglesafe pads fit underneath them much easier
 
Hello @Piggies&buns , so nice of you to remember! Yes, Cheese and Puff are home! They are in their hutch (2 boxes, lots of hay, tunnel & food bowls!) and have been having a look about and drinking from their water bottle. They have been out in the living area of the hutch whilst we have been looking at them and talking so I'm pleased about that, not as petrified as I thought they might be. They have 1/2 tablespoon of pellets in each of their bowls. And my daughter has been reading to them lying on a rug next to them....!
So as well as can be expected on Day1 I think. Apparently they have had carrots, kale, broccoli,cabbage, cucumber and apple at the RSPCA. So I am now rereading the veg info on this site trying to work out veg for next few days!
 
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