Bluebell Hideaway

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ayemee

ayemee

Adult Guinea Pig
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After three months without piggies, I'm planning on getting two new additions over the weekend.

I am not able to house them indoors so I really need a decent hutch to last over the winter and plenty of room for the piggies!

I have heard from many people that the bluebell hideaway from P@H is good. However I'm still undecided...
I feel like for what it is its a little overpriced. The latches are a little flimsy but my dad would easily be able to change them on assembly.
I was wondering if anyone on here has or has had this hutch?

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/bluebell-hideaway-(in-store)#pr-header-back-to-top-link

I've been around a few shops this afternoon and I'm honestly struggling to find a hutch I'm 100% satisfied with.

Thank you in advance! :)
 
I Have the bluebell. It is certainly not overpriced one little bit!
Nice amount of space and very durable. The scratch and Newton hutch covers are better quality than pets at home, from amazon.
We also have vinyl flooring on the wood so it lasts longer.
 
I actually have this cage! It used to house 2 guinea pigs but we had to make it into 2 separate floors following a fight. I think it is a good hutch, nothing special, but it might need a little home diy done to it. However I also feel like it is a little overpriced, but I guess it would depend on your budget/own opinions. If you could build one yourself that would be much better!
The latches are OK for me personally, but a change to a more secure lock shouldn't be a problem. I find the biggest problem is that the wood is getting quite damp from piggy pee and is beginning to go soft in their pee corners. I also find that the floor piece doesn't always fit 100%, I have one cage floor that is fine and other that is slightly off. I think the gaps between the steps are a little too large, so I intend to put some extra grip in there for them. I've kept a maximum of 2 pigs in these before, and that's a great size for them. One pig can always get away from the other by going up/downstairs. The roofs are very good but may need some extra help if it's very rainy/wet. Tarpaulin over the top and back of the cage helps a lot.

Overall I'd say it's an OK hutch but I would definable look at other options first!
 
Chief Guinea Pig said:
I Have the bluebell. It is certainly not overpriced one little bit!
Nice amount of space and very durable. The scratch and Newton hutch covers are better quality than pets at home, from amazon.
We also have vinyl flooring on the wood so it lasts longer.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your reply. I was really unsure about the latches but I think my dad will still replace these if I got it. The vinyl flooring sounds like a brilliant idea!
 
RoyalDuke said:
Overall I'd say it's an OK hutch but I would definable look at other options first!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply! I know what you mean, when I saw it set up today I was a little worried about the floor fitting. Its a good point that they can get away from each other easily if they get grumpy. I think simple things like the latches and sorting the flooring could make the hutch quite durable! I'm just so fussy when it comes to getting the right environment for them. :lol:
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
[you]Pets@home Bluebell Hutch[/you]
Hi, I have the Bluebell Hutch and I really like it. The only bad things are top level base is very flimsy and wood is very thin but that's all you can expect with a 3rd hand hutch! I think this hutch is the best though! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4FT-LARGE...pplies_Small_Animals&var=&hash=item3ccb796026
**** 4/5 stars
Click to expand...

I like that hutch! Again I would need to add more latches but that wouldn't be a problem. I like the fact the top floor isn't wooden.
 
Thanks, the hutch is brill, I am going to buy it soon as it so much better and cheaper than the pets@home one!
 
It's
Maisy and Poppy said:
Thanks, the hutch is brill, I am going to buy it soon as it so much better and cheaper than the pets@home one!
Click to expand...
It's a brill hutch but I found it slightly too small. Not much space but it's perfect for baby pigs. If I could go back in time I would definitely get the bluebell hideaway even though that one is still a great hutch. Pigs love to run around and there isn't much space in the ebay one. My opinion but it's still a lovely hutch.
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
Thanks, the hutch is brill, I am going to buy it soon as it so much better and cheaper than the pets@home one!
Click to expand...
When I first brought my pigs home I didn't know how my dog would react. She didn't like them. We sat out and literally 1 second later she had opened the doors and got into the lower level of the hutch. Luckily the pigs weren't hurt as we got her out before then. My dad added 4 more bolts. The hutch also needs a coat of paint to add protection. The hutch cover is poor quality. It's so thin! Not ideal for outdoor use.
The scratch and newton hutches are great though. Could you not go for the bluebell hideaway and add Lino tiles and a good hutch cover?
 
Can't praise this hutch enough to be honest, easy to assemble, I had four girls in mine with attached run and they loved it. I suggest putting carpet on the ramp also lino on the floors as it will help a lot with cleanliness. I also suggest getting the cover to match it too!
 
Thank you for your replies! Yeah the floor space issue is one that is worrying me a lot. The bluebell seems a bit bigger than the ones I've seen on eBay. My dad would be able to make me a good cover for the bluebell. Carpet on the ramp is a brilliant idea along with the Lino tiles on the floor!
 
Chief Guinea Pig said:
Remember the amount of levels does not count in floor space whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Very true! I've decided I'm going to go for the Bluebell. I'm a bit out of practice with hutches! Didn't realise how much space you get for the money with this hutch. I plan to add carpet to the ramp and lino tiles to the floor. I'll post pictures once its set up!
Fingers crossed my two new girls will love it.


Thanks for everyone's feedback!
 
Flutterby said:
Can't praise this hutch enough to be honest, easy to assemble, I had four girls in mine with attached run and they loved it. I suggest putting carpet on the ramp also lino on the floors as it will help a lot with cleanliness. I also suggest getting the cover to match it too!
Click to expand...
Defiantly :)
 
Sorry some pics are upside down I don't have a clue why some are ok and the others are not :(

image.webp image.webp image.webp image.webp

Hiya, ive got two and I love these hutches....yes the wood is thin in places and the floors are not flush but I think they are a great size hutch. I carnt agree more with adding lino to both floors I used the stick on tiles from the pound shop they make the hutch last :) also the weather cover is a must as the UK weather will rot your hutch in no time. I also put carpet tile onto the ramp I got mine for just a few pounds from B&Q. Oohh and you may want to add a strip of wood to the ledge upstairs to stop your bedding falling downstairs :)
Here's some of my pics :)
 
MycuteBoys said:
. Oohh and you may want to add a strip of wood to the ledge upstairs to stop your bedding falling downstairs :)
Here's some of my pics :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the pictures! Thats made my mind up 100%. You can really appreciate the size and space once you see items inside it. I think this will offer good space for my girls. How do you get on with fleece at the bottom? I've never thought of having fleece in a hutch! :)

How many piggies do you have in your Bluebell?
 
Hi @ayemee ive got two boys in one hutch and one piggy in the other for now until I find him a new friend.
I have lino then newspaper then two hand towels (one goings flat from the hay rake to under the stairs and the 2nd is folded in the gap at the bottom of the stairs) then the fleece on the top :) it works well for my boys as they have long hair and they didn't get on with shavings.
 
After all that! I went in today and the Rose Cottage was on sale! I decided to go for that one because of its price. Same size as the Bluebell but the pull out top floor for cleaning will be really handy for my bad knees! (21 and bad knee's already!) Also got the thermal cover ready for any winter weather :) It will hopefully be set up on Friday.
 
I love my bluebell hutch - so much so that it is in my lounge! The bottom (upstairs and down) is lined with an off-cut of lino to protect it from pee and I glued carpet in between the little 'steps' on the ramp. I use fitch and hay in the bedroom and under logs in the bottom left and I have towel and fleece everywhere else - made a template using newspaper to cut the fleece out with. I am sure it is big enough for 2 piggies (I got this when I realised my first hutch was too small) however I now feel guilty caging my 2 so the hutch door is always open into a run and the run is open during the day so they can free range in the lounge. I would certainly buy this hutch again if I needed to.
 
ayemee said:
After all that! I went in today and the Rose Cottage was on sale! I decided to go for that one because of its price. Same size as the Bluebell but the pull out top floor for cleaning will be really handy for my bad knees! (21 and bad knee's already!) Also got the thermal cover ready for any winter weather :) It will hopefully be set up on Friday.
Click to expand...
I remember reading bad reviews about Rose.
I hope the pets at home cover will be good enough.
 
Chief Guinea Pig said:
I remember reading bad reviews about Rose.
I hope the pets at home cover will be good enough.
Click to expand...

I also read the bad reviews. But they were usually people with fairly big rabbits. A lot of the guinea pig owners seemed pleased. I would never have bought it for the full price. Yeah I was worried the cover wouldn't be enough too. My dad is going to add another insulation layer just to be on the safe side.

I'm still going to change the latches and add carpet and lino. I may extend the ramp slightly if it looks a little too steep also.
No piggies are going in it unless I'm 100% satisfied!
I'm also adding an extra wood panel to the front of the hutch at the bottom a few centimeters high to stop the wind going through as much and to contain the bedding material better.
 
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