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Best Hutch For Female Piggies 6ft Ideally

GPIGFAN

GPIGFAN

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Hello,

I am just starting out with guinea pigs and I think I have a lot to learn. I rescued two female guinea pigs this week from someone who was no longer able to look after them. They came with a hutch, which I feel is far too small for them (36" x 32" x 18"). I have been looking online to try to work out which is the best hutch to buy and I can't decide. I think we might like to get more piggies in future so I thought a 6ft x 2ft would be best. Can anyone recommend one? I have an indoor cage as I worry that they won't be warm enough in our garage when it gets very cold, but I want to get a nice big hutch that they can be out in when the weather is better. Any recommendations would be great. Is single storey better than double storey? Is it best to get one with a run attached or just buy a run separately? I was looking at this one : Cool Pets Rosies Rabbit 2 Tier Home Hutch Run Ferret Guinea Pig Pet 6ft x 2.5ft | eBay

Does anyone know if it is any good?

Many thanks in advance :))
 
Hello, welcome to the forum :) Sorry it has taken a long time to get your thread replied too, things get bumped down at times

That hutch they came with is far too small for two piggies you are right.

A 6ft x 2ft hutch will be really good for them

Tagging in a few of owners who i know have recommended hutches past or have piggies outdoors may be able to suggest good quality hutches @Lady Kelly @eileen @BossHogg @Cavy Kung-Fu @flowerfairy

A link to threads that may help also Search Results for Query: hutches | The Guinea Pig Forum

Be lovely to see some photos of your piggies, what are their names

Could you add your location to your profile as it helps us tailor any advice if ever needed to your geographical location

Welcome again
Lee
 
A really top quality hutch maker is daniel of boyles pet housing. They are not cheap but are sturdy and long lasting.

https://boylespethousing.co.uk/product-category/guinea-pigs/budget-guinea-pig-hutches/

I have a chartwell hutch inside my insulated heated shed that I planned to use for guinea pigs but it had a plywood back so I now use it as a hay store. I felt it was too thin to keep them properly warm. They ended up indoors in a c and c cage!
 
Hiya! Single storey hutches are definitely best, and 6 foot is definitely a great size! I don't know of any of that size that I've personally had experience of (mine are indoor piggies) and the one I tend to recommend is 5ft 3" long but if you want bigger that's fab! I'm sure other members have suggestions :)
 
Hi and welcome. Like Lee says I use an outdoor hutch and I have the chartwell 6ft. Would I buy it again? No. Is it a good hutch? Yes. Personally I know I could have paid up to £100 more for a solid wood hutch and as previously mentioned the chartwell has a plywood backing board. That said my hutch is I think over two years old now and still going strong. The handy thing is that you can get a weatherproof cover and an insulating layer which makes a huge difference.

I have a two storey but in future would consider a higher one storey for ease of cleaning out (the bottom level is so large I almost have to climb in to get to it all properly and when I've had a flare up and in pain it brings tears to my eyes. That said the additional floor has been very useful when I had a fall out and had to keep them as two pairs but I do have a 120 indoor cage that can be a back up in that case in future.i also had to add a side and carpet to the ramp to make it piggy friendly.

If you are in a position to afford it I would look at solid built hutches first but the chartwell is far from a bad alternative if budgets are tighter. I'll have a good look at the link you posted when I get home
 
Ok for that hutch it looks ok. I would be concerned about the plywood floor. You will need to put something down like lino floor tiles otherwise the urine will soak right in and never dry eventually rotting it away. The ramp looks similar to mine so will prob need a covering at the least to give the piggies more grip
 
I don't have a freestanding hutch, mine is built into the end of a 10x8 shed. ;)
 
i have two chartwell six feet hutches now in there 4 th year.i have taken the ramp out of mine and made them into two seperate living areas,i would strongly recommend you get the hutch snuggle and cover.as Kelly stated it does make a huge difference.also it expands the life of the hutch.lino is a must,i used lino tiles from b and m stores.
i got my hutch from a website called home and roost.
 
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Hello,

Thank you very much for your replies. I really appreciate it. I have bought a chartwell 6 ft hutch, but I have brought them into the house in a Midwest cage today as it feels cold to me now and the hutch hasn't been built yet so they were outside in the small hutch, which I felt wasn't very good for them. I have bought a hugger and cover for the chartwell when it is built though. I had a look at the floor tiles on b and m stores, which look good. Do you use a special sealant to stick them to the floor of the hutch?

Does anyone use a hutch in the warmer months and a cage in the winter? Or do you just move hutches into heated garages?

A friend of mine, whose piggies we looked after recently said today that she might be looking to give her piggies away. I would love to give them a home. She has three girls. The chartwell 6 ft hutch wouldn't be big enough for my two plus her three would it? Is there any way I could extend the chartwell hutch or would I just have to have two hutches?

Thanks again
 
GPIGFAN said:
Sorry, one other question - how did you add a side and carpet to the ramp in the hutch?

Many thanks again :)
Click to expand...


I had to rely om my hubby's DIY skills to make sides for my ramp . I also use ramp tunnels

here is a picture ..

ramp and bannister.jpg
 
I also relied on the oh with the side and carpet. His woodworking skills are good though. The 6ft is only big enough for 4 piggies unfortunately. I'm not sure how you could extend as I haven't tried it and my wood work skills leave something to be desired
 
I lino tiles from Band M are self adesive,you do need to ensure you stick them down thoroughly they can lift up.you would either need to take the ramp out to make it into two seperate areas.close off the hole with sheet of wood./or you need another hutch .mine are out in the garden during summer and spring,then into the shed in the autumn and winter.i also have a piggie room in the house.the intention is to have them outside in the spring and summer/inside in the cooler months :)
 
Oh Eileen's suggestion is good. If you block off the hole and then have three pigs on one level and two on the other. That could work but wouldn't having them all together
 
From experience when my pigs were outside I found it good having a hutch with a run attached so they could go out whenever they fancied. I also bought mine off home and roost. But I must admit, I always find them very expensive for what they are
 
i think its a good price for a 6 feet hutch!mine are 4 years old and still not showing signs of wear and tear.x
 
Thank you so much for your responses, this is hugely helpful. We are going to keep our piggies inside the house now as it is cold, so we will build the new hutch in spring. I'm excited about being able to house the other piggies in my hutch, that's great!

We have a few neighbourhood cats that come to our garden and I have also seen foxes walking through our front garden in the evening. Do you think the piggies will be safe in the chartwell hutch with a hugger and cover outside in spring? Or do you bring your piggies in for the night?

Sorry, so many questions, I just want to make sure I get it right :)

Many thanks again in advance :)
 
Do you live in an urban area or more rural. I live in a large city and we have the occasion fox but they have never even gone up to the piggy hutch. I think it's because there are so many takeaways and bins around here that they don't need to hunt food it's so readily available
 
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