Housing advice

[munchy]

We are new to guinea pigs, still at the planning phase so don't actually have any yet. They will need to live outside so I'm looking for help in how that could work. I have done some research and see one important point is temperature and keeping them warm in winter.
I'm thinking of getting a shed with a hutch inside but they can rome freely during the day. What sort of shed shoukd I get? I see that insulating it will be important.

Would the below work if it was insulated

Poultry House Tanalised | John Bright Fencing

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

I keep mine outside in a shed. I have a 8ftx6ft shed.
I actually find keeping them cool outside in summer is considerably harder than keeping them warm in winter.

Yes a shed would need to be insulated. I have silver foil insulation in my shed.
Winter is pretty easy - it involves plenty of hay as as bedding. Hides stuffed with hay. Thermal hutch covers and blankets on the hutch. And importantly Snugglesafe microwaveable heatpads inside the cages to provide warm spots for them to sit.

In summer is where the issues tend to come and with the weather getting warmer year in year it is becoming even harder.
They should not be exposed to anything over 25 degrees so being outside at all can really be a problem. Hutches and sheds then tend to trap heat and raise the temperature further . When it was 32 degrees here on Saturday, my shed hit 38 degrees. My piggies had to be in the house in temporary enclosures as it was far too unsafe in the shed and also too hot to be on the lawn.

I personally wouldn’t do the one in your link as that is set up for poultry - nest boxes etc. You just need a normal shed.
I had mine made by a local company. It has an external stable door and internal mesh stable doors. That way, I can have the external door open but the mesh door in place for ventilation. Being stable style I can of course have the top half open and bottom door closed on cooler days.

Sizing is obviously a consideration. Two sows need a hutch of 5ft and two boars need a 6ft hutch so you obviously need to make sure your shed can accommodate a hutch of that size.

I posted a few pics of my shed to another older thread which may help you - How to make sure shed stays cool in summer?

 

[munchy]

Thank you for the reply . That's interesting about the summer heat.

Would the below shed be a better option?

Tiger Shiplap Pent Shed | Wooden Shiplap Sheds | Tiger Sheds

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’ve kept small animals outside for over 35 years and summers have gradually got harder and harder to manage particularly in the last 5/6 years or so.

Yes the shed in the link looks to be ok. Obviously bearing size in mind. Do also bear in mind by comments about having a stable door. Opening windows would also be beneficial. You would have to make sure they were meshed on the inside for security.

 

[Guinea Slave]

Mine are in a large insulated shed. We’ve built a large u shaped platform with a c and c cage on top, so they have loads of space but we have plenty of storage underneath. However, as others have said, keeping them cool in summer is far more stressful than keeping them warm in winter, I have a cooling fan for summer and an oil radiator with a thermostat for winter. But when it hits 25 degrees they have to come inside. I dread the hot weather and even though their shed has a concrete floor, is insulated with double lined walls and a plaster ceiling with clay tiled roof. It’s even East facing but still gets terribly hot. So you will need temporary accommodation inside what ever you do.