I Need Some Help Making A Decision: Shed Or Bedroom?

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MushiiPeas

MushiiPeas

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Okay

At the moment my six piggies live inside in my bedroom in this, each tier is separated and houses a pair of piggies and they also get play time on the floor in a pen. It meets the minimum requirements and like i said they also get play time.

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However after seeing the amount of space that is on offer for other indoor guinea pigs i have been feeling like my piggies deserve more space but i don't have the room in my bedroom.

So i bought a shed and have insulated it head to toe and put chicken wire and sealant on the outside of the window to make it extra secure. I was planning on buying a 3 level 5ft by 2ft hutch to go inisde for them to live in march....
The more i think about them going in the shed the more doubts i keep getting like,
I'll spend less time with them.
They might get cold or over heat in the summer.
A fox might get in the shed.
They'll be unhappy outside.

So i thought i'd ask you guys which is best, shall i keep them inside with this setup or would it be more beneficial for them to go in the shed? My only thoughts are for them to be happy, that's the main thing for me.

Thank you for helping!
 
I think you have a great set up so no need to change it. Like you said, having them indoors you will spend more time with them. They also get daily floor time for exercise.
 
Your set up doesn't look too bad as it is, if you wanted more space can you squeeze a c&c alternative in the instead and have that stacked in the same way mine used to be L shaped to help with space. If they get plenty of floor and lap time then they are prob happy, I would turn the shed into a summer house for them and just put them in it on days when I am out in the garden with them and they could be in a run to. Would that be a happier medium for you?
 
MyGuineaPigPals said:
Your set up doesn't look too bad as it is, if you wanted more space can you squeeze a c&c alternative in the instead and have that stacked in the same way mine used to be L shaped to help with space. If they get plenty of floor and lap time then they are prob happy, I would turn the shed into a summer house for them and just put them in it on days when I am out in the garden with them and they could be in a run to. Would that be a happier medium for you?
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I think that would work, i don't want to put them outside all year round and anything horrible to happen as we do have foxes where we live, i did try a c&c set up but because it was really unstable and dark and i found it difficult to reach the piggies and clean them out but could look at a different way of setting it up. I think i would miss them a lot more if their outside! :)
 
Up until last Winter, we rented a small house so I had always housed my piggies outdoors either in a large insulated hutch and then a free range shed. I had four piggies. They were perfectly fine, happy and healthy and had plenty of space in the shed as it was 3ft by 6ft and had a small hutch either end each filled with hay and insulated.

We then brought our own bigger house last October bringing the shed with us and again housing the piggies in there. That was until last Winter when my eldest guinea pig was 6 and having some health problems so I moved them indoors temporarily in a large dog cage.

My OH could see the benefits of having them indoors and finally agreed to them staying inside. Due to space, I could only have a double cage so I chose a ferplast rabbit 120 double. Sadly Eliza died before the cage arrived but now my remaining 3 guinea pigs are living in the ferplast double.

Although they have less living space, they have daily roam time outside the cage but it is so less stressful for me having them indoors and although I feel guilty that they have a smaller living space, they seem perfectly happy and the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

I guess you will have a different set if advantages and disadvantages to me so I guess it is about weighing up the pros and cons of them living in your room and living in the shed and make your decision from there.

I do think you would miss them if they moved out to the shed as you are used to having them indoors with you.
 
I haven't read the reply a yet but personally i would stick to indoors but that's just me. I like to see them all the time and get them out as and when I want. I like to be able to cuddle them whenever an I love hearing the squeaks when they are excited or hungry. Do what you feel is best, I'm sure they'll be happy whatever you choose :-)
 
Thanks guys, you made me feel a lot better and more certain about keeping them indoors, I might re-experiment with a c&c set up too as i still have the grids and see if i can get that to work!


At least i can still use their shed for storing all their bedding and stuff in!

:)
 
Hey I just read your post, I think your set up is great, is what i would love to have! but unfortunately I can't at the moment and so mine are outdoors in a shed. I have had to take 3 indoors (for a fungal skin problem) and i love having them indoors! they have a smaller enclosure but they are always entertained with whatever is going on in the house and i am nearly always with them, i think you would miss them too much if they were outdoors!
 
I'd say go for CC cage indoors and put it on wood! It makes it a lot easier. I made mine like bunkbeds! =)
 
MushiiPeas said:
I think that would work, i don't want to put them outside all year round and anything horrible to happen as we do have foxes where we live, i did try a c&c set up but because it was really unstable and dark and i found it difficult to reach the piggies and clean them out but could look at a different way of setting it up. I think i would miss them a lot more if their outside! :)
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My old c&c was dark too but its much better now, I have white grids and I spent a bit extra getting white correx for it too and it looks so much better now. I have printed pics of trees and grass and stuck them to the cortex to make it less plain. To improve stability use clips and cable ties to help secure it and make big opening doors so yu have easy access. I also make inner correx trays for the far ends that I can slide along nearer me to make it easier to clean out I think I have vids on my youtube channel explaining my doors and trays somewhere.
 
When I had outdoor guinea pigs, I really had no other option and I like to think hat I gave them the best possible life that I could and I can assure that they were very much loved.

I must admit that now I am able to have indoor guinea pigs. I can't imagine having them back in a shed.
 
I have 5 piggies and am lucky to have no space issues. They have always lived with us indoors.
They have a room of their own and used to live in a 3 tier set up very similar to yours. My hubby however indulged me and custom built one along one of the bedroom walls. So I now have a 3 levelled open access home for tKINDLE_CAMERA_1417506357000.webp hem and I sit in their room for cuddles and play time etc. I love just popping in their room for a chat or a stroke several times a day - something I wouldn't do if they were outside.
 
didipiggywiggly said:
I have 5 piggies and am lucky to have no space issues. They have always lived with us indoors.
They have a room of their own and used to live in a 3 tier set up very similar to yours. My hubby however indulged me and custom built one along one of the bedroom walls. So I now have a 3 levelled open access home for tView attachment 21341 hem and I sit in their room for cuddles and play time etc. I love just popping in their room for a chat or a stroke several times a day - something I wouldn't do if they were outside.
Click to expand...

That's awesome!

What did he build it out of, how much did it cost?
 
I am not sure of the cost but a lot of time and love went into it! - a wood frame and plastic wipe down base to the three levels with a perspec and wire front . each level is 3ft wide by 9 ft long. stretching right across the guinea pig bedroom wall. it is a the hright o I can store boxes under for food, hay and clean fleece and towels. I have all my boys on fleece and towelling and spot clean twice a day with full clean twice a week. My boys love to run the full length wheeeking at top of their voices. they know they hve 2 devoted slaves ! ! :P:nod:
 
I used to have my piggies in a hutch outside in the spring just to try it out but to be honest I brought them back indoors after 1-2 months. i feel like I can spend more time with them and bond better when they live inside.
 
didipiggywiggly said:
I have 5 piggies and am lucky to have no space issues. They have always lived with us indoors.
They have a room of their own and used to live in a 3 tier set up very similar to yours. My hubby however indulged me and custom built one along one of the bedroom walls. So I now have a 3 levelled open access home for tView attachment 21341 hem and I sit in their room for cuddles and play time etc. I love just popping in their room for a chat or a stroke several times a day - something I wouldn't do if they were outside.
Click to expand...

Where did you get the wire bits? We were looking for stuff like that.
 
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