Indoor / Outdoor

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devonguineas

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My piggies have always lived outdoors. Until I joined this forum I had absolutely no notion whatsoever what people kept guinea pigs indoors. If you had asked me I would probably have said that is was cruel to keep them inside - they are outdoor animals after all. It had simply never occured to me. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to allow them fresh air and constant access to space to run about on the grass. I though that was the right thing to do. :(

Oh my goodness - is there a lot of education work needs doing at pet shops! NO-ONE ever asked how I was going to keep my piggies / where etc. It now feels like a miracle they have survived so long in good health. With the excpetion of one piggie who has a cheek swelling at the mo we have never (touch wood) had a health issue with one of our two piggies.

RIGHT. So - opinions please. Indoor / outdoor? What do you all do? My duaghter and I had the most FANTASTIC visit to Little Brambles Guinea Pig Rescue last week and I learned more about piggie care from Louise in an hour than I have in the rest of my life. She very clearly thinks that piggies should be kept indoors.

We have a garage (that doesn't have a car in) but surely that is going to be very gloomy and miserable?! Our shed is too small really and DH would have a fit if asked to move his tools I think :D Next option is the Summer house - which is ideal in that spacious, lots of windows - but downside is that it is at the bottom of the garden which is a wet trudge in the Winter! At the moment our piggies are on the FRONT lawn for that very reason - it is impossible for DD to ignore them (not that she does - she is very conscientious) as you pass them every time you go out the front door. They really feel a part of the family as they wheek at us everytime we open the door! I can check on them from the sofa (!)

DD came home from Little Brambles - reorganised her bedroom, tidied it up and declared that THERE was a great space for "one of those C&C cages mummy." Now I am not necessarily against this as an idea - we have no other animals in the house (well 4 fish!) so a C&C set up could work - although I am fuzzy on what you use underneath (she has fairly new carpet in her room - ahem!) More to the point is WOULD THEY BE LIKELY TO KEEP HER / US AWAKE ALL NIGHT wheeking and popcorning?!

Really not sure where to go from here. Louise explained to me that two storey hutches aren't great either due to the draft that comes up (again I thought that the interest of a ramp and the access to grass was great for them! :-\) Luckily we can seal the hatch on the hutch (although this reduces their available space to just 4 x 2 whereas otherwise they have two storey 4 x 2 AND a 4 x 4 run. It has rained BADLY here the last couple of days and have been really worried about them!

Had thought we were doing pretty well with our piggie care but realise now we have a lot to learn! Any comments welcome please!
 
Hi and welcome. My pigs live outside in an outhouse. They have the door open throughout the day so they have access to fresh air and are shut up at night. This is because we really do not have the space to keep them inside and OH is allergic to them. He is ok around them for a bit but wouldn't be able to cope permanently. Personally, i think it is about circumstances and personal choice.
 
Yep I agree, personal choice, mine are oudoors in summer and indoor in the winter, we are lucky to have a huge utility room for the winter where they live if we didin't I would get a shed, when I was younger my pet guinea pig used to live with the rabbit outside all year round as I didn't know any better, now this would never happen as I am much more educated, its a learning game for us and the piggies and we should do what makes both happy, I have one boy that refuses to live outside no matter what the weather is, so he lives indoors all the time.
 
Mine live in a shed the girls are in a 4x4 C&C Cage and are in Cavy heights which is 3 4x2's stacked ontop of one another. they have access to a run when the weather is nice or a C&C indoor run with heating off so they aren't affected by the temperature change.

Ideally I would have them indoors all the time but 10 pigs is a lot to contend with indoors I've tried it...lol :D
 
My run free range on the bottom of the shed which is 5 by 8 ft,

I have had guineas living indoors but the smell i just could not cope with, and it was only 2 pigs in separate cages, and i cleaned them every other day, i prefer my pigs out side, but i did enjoy them being in, they have funny charactors

I think education is def the key, but even if pigs are outside there are ways to make sure they stay warm and cosy.
 
mine are outside in large secure sheltered runs and in a 7ft x 9ft shed heated in winter
i tend to think they prefer it cooler but not cold or hot and stuffy
i did have some indoors for health reasons But again the smell and daily cleaning was affectting the OH who can have bad reactions to hay etc
 
mine are in my kitchen as it is quite large - i have one of those kind of puppy training pens which gives them about 7ft x 2.5ft of space to run around in against the wall (so that it is the largest possible space they can have) lay out newspaper on the floor with paper shredding and hay on top, there are lots of things for them to do and hide in too, they love it, plus i can talk to them whenever i am in the kitchen and can have the back door open for the fresh air to come in (but have to be careful of cats) seems the best option for me! plus i have no grass outside, which would be unfair to keep them in a run as it may hurt their feet... i do have a large shed which is fully insulated if i needed to move them for a short while (i.e. to have people round) i believe that if you keep them outside then sometimes a change in environment is not particularly good for them - sudden changes in temp etc can be fatal, so if they are happy and used to being outdoors, then it may be best that they stay outdoors... (not sure how accurate that is!) :smitten:xx
 
Used to have piggies many years ago in an unheated outbuilding (was an extension to the house built for the washing machine but never used) and lost one due to changes in temperature. Decided not to have them outside again.

I've had piggies indoor for years now and never had a problem with smell, I suppose it depends on the bedding you use. If you keep them outside you can't bring them in for cuddles in the winter (this was the mistake I made) so I'm sure trekking out to the cold and rain would soon put your daughter off after a while. I've seen this happen a lot before. My indoor piggies are part of day-to-day life, I see them all the time when I'm not handling/feeding/cleaning etc and think they're all the friendlier for it. They get outdoor time in the summer out on the grass but are never unsupervised. There have been several instances of pigs on here and other sites disappearing or sheds and hutches even being broken into.

It is absolutely fine to bring them indoors permanently from outdoors, it's from hot to cold or constant changes back and forth that can affect them.
 
I have mine indoors too and wouldn't have it any other way. Mind you I only have 3, not sure I could have 10 indoor :os!
My girls are in the living rood and as DSL says they are part of the day o day life. I find that the more they see you, the friendlier they are.
I also think that the more you see your piggies the better chance you have to pick up on illnesses etc... early. Now I l know that there are a lot of people on this forum who spend a lot of time outside/in their sheds with their piggies but if you are going to keep them outside you need to ask yourself/your daughter how long you will be prepared to spend outside with them in the colder/wetter months.

Let us know what you choose.
x
 
ours are outside, and have daily contact/groom etc, they are out on the grass in rain free days.

as for company, they have each other, a large multistorey hutch and a changing variety of tubes, logs etc

i wouldn't recommend having a single pig outside for lack of companionship but personally hink its acceptable if they are in 'pairs' or groups

Shaun
 
I agree. One of the reasons why we had Eliza was because after having Connie in the outhouse as a lone pig for 2 days last winter, guilt set in. As soon as they were introduced, Connie's mood changed for the better because she had company. I would never dream of having a single pig outside but at least if you have 2 or more, they have each other for company. I must admit that they didn't get as much attention as they do now in the evening in the winter because it was dark, but I more than compensated for it at weekends when I was off work.
 
My old guinea pig used to live outdoors all the year. Had lots and lots of hay and hidey holes and a hutch inside a shed to go into if wanted. She lived to a good age of 6 years and died of natural causes...
My current three are going outside now in the courtyard outside my kitchen door in a two tier hutch. I will be getting a hutch hugger and the hutch i have got has a trap door where you can seal off the downstairs at night if you want to. The hutch hugger goes right down to the bottom tier and if you fasten it right at the bottom you shouldnt get any draughts. I am also adding a carpet for the front for them...

They will be getting lots of hidey holes and 3 nice cuddle cups to cosy up in and vet bed for the rest of the run and i am also thinjking of modifying the inside and adding an extra layer of plywood round the side just to make sure it is draught proof...

Maybe you could modify the hutch like that? Or if you daughter wants them in her room then go for it! The reason mine are going outside is because there is no room for a 4ft x 2ft cage let alone a 6ft x 2ft cage (the size i think they should have)and they are living on the dining room table at the moment and also i have not put the hoover away for 2 months since i have had them ;D. And they dont like being inside with people...
 
Just thought as you are in Devon outside will be a lot warmer than up here in Norfolk especially in winter but you do get the wetter weather that side of the country!
I'm from Bristol originally and that is one memory i do have! Wetter ;)
 
We have two outdoor piggies in hutches in a large shed and I open the shed door every morning for fresh air for them. We also have three piggies in indoor cages in the kitchen. Got a Nero cage and stand with two piggies in and another Nero cage on top of that with Nemo my old piggy in. They love being next to the fridge. ;D
 
When i first had guinea pigs, i had 2 girls living together in an outside hutch and two boys living together in a seperate outside hutch. At the time, i was unaware that guineapigs could live happily inside and i felt that they were happy, but i didnt know them well, if that makes sense. I now have 2 little boy piggies living inside and i must admit i prefer it a lot more! I think you get to know their little characters more and they begin to feel far more comfortable around you. Also i think its far easier to spot signs of illness and we dont have to trundle down the garden in the cold and rain.
 
I keep my guinea's indoors. I have them in my bedroom and livingroom at the moment. They like to listen and watch the tv and see whats going on around them. Its good to let them outside for a run in good weather though. A lot of people still keep them outdoors though and as long as they are in a warm safe hutch (away from predators) they would be fine. I do find though you get more enjoyment out of them when you keep them indoors. You can even try to litter train them.
 
Mine are indoor and as I didn't want them out doors as they wouldn't have been protected. I've yet to let them out actually and Sharky always sits at the patio door staring into the back garden. Either wanting grass or staring at his reflection in confusion 98)
 
well i think I'm a bit of a conundrum as i have my 3 loan boars in an outside shed , in my 2 tier hutch i have my bonded boars who are definatly the bosses , and then inside i have astrid and llittle molly in one cage and dougal my shelti boar in another , the only reson i have my indoor piggies inside is due to astrid and dougalbeing sheltis so i feel it is easier for grooming purposes i did think of having all the piggies in the shed but as i have a bonded pair i didnt want to run the risk of them fallin gout if they could smell the girlies,

they all have access to outside runs , i dont really mind trundling down to the piggery but i am lucky that i am at home thru the day so can spend lots of time with them ,

its also nice when they ae all out that the primary school kids next door can see them popcorning all over the place
 
OK - this is where we are at. Decided that the garage and shed are non starters - but we have a lovely Summer house that we hardly ever use ::) (never sit down except at PC lol!) This remains possibly the best option, but it is a wet trudge down a muddy garden in the Winter (and Summer at the moment!........)

Due to recent piggie operation for abcess I had valid excuse for keeping her inside and she spetn 24 hours in large cardboard box in DD's bedroom. Today we got a second large box and slotted them together so we could bring her friend in too and have moved them to a space in the kitchen. They now have 130cm length x 50cm wide. They have a house in there, their tunnel and obviously food bowl etc - with the water bottle taped to the outside and sticking through! Seems to be working OK and has given much better living space.

SO - will see how DH reacts. :tickedoff: Not a comment on return from work - so will see how long we can get away with it for and whether he gets "used to it". Think this space could work well for them - in which case will do a C&C cage - but will see how it goes first!

See my other post on C&C in anticipation of favourable reaction!
 
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