Member Gallery: Hutches

My hutch

Cage Type P@H's Lavender Lodge hutch
Where it was purchased or how it was made P@H website, came flatpack, easy to put together, took about an hour
What size it is 5.3ft x 3ft (so I was told, not measured it actually)
How many piggies are kept in it 3 boars
How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it Very easy, I have lined it with lino so its just a wipe down.


Ready for piggies! by Chocolate Bubbles, on Flickr


The boys in their new hutch by Chocolate Bubbles, on Flickr


010 copy by Chocolate Bubbles, on Flickr


033 copy by Chocolate Bubbles, on Flickr

 

This is my pigs home. It is 6ft by 2ft by 2ft and is plenty big enough for my 4 girls although they do have a separate outdoor and indoor run.

It was brought from ebay and is made with strong timber. It is very sturdy unlike cheap PLY hutches.















They now have glass bottles and hammocks as well

 

Double Tier Hutch

Double Tier Hutch
Pre-loved
4ft x 4ft
2 Male Guinea Pigs

Is this the right hutch for me?

I use this hutch as the boy’s summer house as they are kept indoors during winter and wet days its kept against a fence and beside the brick outhouse. I adore this size and type of hutch, it’s roomy and has plenty of space for the boys to play in and to add toys. You could easily keep around 3 piggies happily in this hutch, as its so spacious! I lined the bottom of my toilet and bedroom areas with plastic wipe down table mats, so it makes it easier and quicker to clean.

Top Floor:

The bedroom compartment is very spacious, as is the adjoining room which i use as their ‘kitchen’.

However this was built for a rabbit so the entrance to the stair way was huge so my OH put a A5 size square wood chopping board (un used!) over the entrance leaving a big enough space for the boys to have easy access up and down the ramp without it being to big this also gave the upstairs floor bigger room for the boys to play.

Bottom Floor:
Again spacious and plenty of space for toys, treats hay racks and more! The boys adore hiding under the ramp and running up and down the ramp.

The Ramp:

I know quite a few people have problems with piggies using their ramp in double hutches, so i found some fabulous suggestions on this forum and I stuck on with double sided sticky tape (easy to remove and clean both the ramp and the materiel) materiel with good grip to the stairs. It works a treat!

Cleaning:
Easy for daily cleaning of bedding and toilet areas, and soiled sawdust. The big clean at the end of each week can take a while, esp as the sawdust gets down the little grooves at the edges of the hutch, and the hutch needs airing and drying out before new bedding can be placed back down so this can take around 45 mins on wet days, sunny days it dries within fifteen mins.

Overall

This cage is brilliant for guinea pigs if you just make a few adjustments (as i mentioned about the stairway and stairs) its spacious roomy and perfect for piggies, as i always say the piggies will still need plenty of floor time during the day, either in an outside run or indoor playpen.

I would recommend either buying a hutch cover or making your own (we made one from a shower curtain modified!) for wet days to preserve the wood and make the hutch last that bit longer!



The Ramp:

 

Cage Type: Single Level Hutch with Mezzanine floor/level

Where it was purchased or how it was made: This is a home made hutch, from very heavy timber. It is sturdy and despite it's 4 years of heavy use the wood has not warped or buckled like a 'cheap' ply Hutch. The roof is abuot 10cm wider than the actual hutch at all sides to protect it from weather more.This cost just around £30 to make. the same price as a smaller poorer quality hutch cost from a garden center when i needed and emergency one.

What size it is: This hutch is just shy of 5 ft long and 3 ft deep.

How many piggies are kept in it: 2, a pair of Boars.

How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it: I find this very easy to clean, it was built with a high lip around the front of the hutch which prevents any bedding spilling out onto the floor.I would always Reccomend building you own hutch/indoor cage if possible it's cheaper and often much nicer for you and your pet.





(please note a higher side has been added to the shelf level and the ramp is covered with a textureized foam to prevent slipping, if adding a ramp never leave a bare smooth wooden surface)
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Cage Type: Double Level Hutch

Where it was purchased or how it was made: This is a home made hutch, from very heavy timber. It cost around £40 to make. The roof slopes backards to that if it rains water travels off the back of the hutch rather than risking going down the front (if i havent had the opportunint to cover it up) The ramp is covered with a coarse carpet (old door mat) so that the guinea pigs have a surface with good grip to walk down.

What size it is: again just short of 5ft long, 2 ft deep, bottom level is 1.5 ft high, top is 2 ft.

How many piggies are kept in it: 2, a pair of Boars.

How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it: This hutch is a little more difficult to clean and often i find that it is easiest just to sweep everything from upstairs down stairs. The door also flips down rather than opens sidewards, which is somthing i now wish we didnt do as it can make sweeping out the bottom a little difficult. I do think this hutch suits this particular pair of Boars, when they were in a longer single level hutch they still managed to step under each others feet and have a moan at one another, with the double level if they dont feel like looking at the other, they dont have to (but they nearly always snuggle in the bedroom together)

 

Cage Type: Single Level Hutches

Where it was purchased or how it was made: These are all home made. Top 2 are made from 1/4" Exterior Strand Board with 2" x 1" wood pieces for the doors & the whole lot is covered with laminate floor underlay for insulation.
The bottom one was made from 3" x 2" wood pieces for the frame & pine cladding. Bubble wrap covered with roofing felt was added to all sides, bottom & top for insulation.

What size it is: The top 2 are 5ft x 2ft, the bottom one is 10ft x 21"

How many piggies are kept in it: 2 in each of the top hutches. A pair of boars on the left, a pair of sows on the right. Bottom hutch has a trio in.

How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it: Extremely easy to clean. I use newspaper to line the bottoms & the 10ft hutch is still going strong after 5yrs of use. I too would recommend building your own hutches if it's possible as they are cheaper & can be custom made to your requirements.




Cage Type: Single Level Hutches

Where it was purchased or how it was made: This too is home-made & again is made from 1/4" Exterior Strand Board with 2" x 1" wood pieces for the doors & is also covered with laminate floor underlay for insulation.

What size it is: 12ft x 2ft

How many piggies are kept in it: 7. A neutered boar & 6 sows.

How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it: As above.

 

thanks for the pics, really useful!

 

Our piggies live outdoors in a hutch.

Where it was purchased or how it was made
It was bought from 'the Rabbit Hutch warehouse' earlier this year and I'm pleased with the quality of the structure

What size it is
It is a double 4ft x 2ft hutch, so offers approx 7' x 2' of floor space (taking into consideration the ramp). There is lots of headroom though and I have considered making a mini mezannine floor of some sort over the 'bedroom' but have not yet figured out how!

How many piggies are kept in it
Four piggies live in here. A neutered boar and his three ladies.

How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it
It's reasonably easy to keep clean. It has lots of headroom so it's easy to reach inside. I find this hutch much easier to clean than our old one (which was not as deep). I put down lino tiles on both floors too to make cleaning easier.





Side on (next to our old hutch whilst Boris was in 'quarantine')


Downstairs

 

My piggies have a small ramp in their hutch this hutch is actually meant to be a one floored hutch but it had another level over their sleeping quarters in so i made a make shift ramp with grooves in for them to climb it.. they also have a large run aswell.. for months my piggies have never attempted the ramp... ive put hay on there and covered the ramp in hay.. but they still don't go up there.. how do i encourage them to use it?



Esther x

 

Esther, I have done the same thing in my one storey hutch. I bought a ramp online, can't remember where from. The surface is coated in a green non-slip material, which my guineas manage fine. I know Amazon had these ramps for sale too, they are not too pricy. May be worth a try?
Above the bedroom I have made a hayloft. I used a cat litter tray, which I cut a doorway into that the ramp sits in. I then put a cover on by using the bendable stick hideys, if you know what I mean?

 

I just bought some fleece and did the cages like this, they're all the same colour and everything but they seem to like it so that's cool ><

The hutch was from pets at home and was in a sale, I found that it was better value than the ferplast ones that were less roomy and I didn't think they were very attractive. Soon i'm going to be painting the hutch with non toxic paints and putting little signs up i'm rather excited xx

 

Cage Type: Outdoor Hutch

Where it was purchased or how it was made: Ryedale Pet Homes www.rehutches.com
Log lap 9mm plywood with shutter and stand.

What size it is: 5ft x 2ft x 2ft

How many piggies are kept in it: Two Boars

How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it: Easy because of the size. Have stuck lino tiles to base so it wipes clean then plenty of newspaper which roll up when cleaning out.

There is loads of room in this hutch and it is extremely sturdy. Great for piggies kept outdoors throughout all seasons. It is a good height for leaning your head in to find the piggies and check how they are doing! Comes ready assembled which is an added bonus!

Woody and Mickey jump around in the run part, they were so excited when they first went into their new home! The bed section is large enough to place a really large cardboard box in the really cold weather to make it even warmer or two or three large cosies.

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Sorry my photos didn't upload - any ideas? Thanks.

 

Oops sorry I clicked Thanks by accident instead of scroll down :red If you go onto photobucket, upload your photo and then hover your mouse over the image it will come up with a little drop down menu, copy and paste the 4th code down into a post

It will have two

 

Cage Type: Outdoor Hutch

Where it was purchased or how it was made: Ryedale Pet Homes www.rehutches.com
Log lap 9mm plywood with shutter and stand.

What size it is: 5ft x 2ft x 2ft

How many piggies are kept in it: Two Boars

How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it: Easy because of the size. Have stuck lino tiles to base so it wipes clean then plenty of newspaper which roll up when cleaning out.

There is loads of room in this hutch and it is extremely sturdy. Great for piggies kept outdoors throughout all seasons. It is a good height for leaning your head in to find the piggies and check how they are doing! Comes ready assembled which is an added bonus!

Woody and Mickey jump around in the run part, they were so excited when they first went into their new home! The bed section is large enough to place a really large cardboard box in the really cold weather to make it even warmer or two or three large cosies.





(Mods, please feel free to delete my previous post in this thread as the photographs did not upload first time thanks!)

 

Both of my hutches are from Pets at Home. I don't have photos of them, but here are the pics from PaH website:



I have an old version of this two storey hutch. It's 5ft wide by 17 inches deep and 2 pigs live in it (1 upstairs, 1 downstairs). We boarded up the bottom left door to match the top, and we took out the built in bedding compartment as unfortunately we lost a couple of pigs when they suffocated in it (I believe the new models of this hutch have an improved bedding compartment). The ramp is removable which means pigs can be easily separated if need be. We lined the hutch with some cheap vinyl flooring to make it easier to clean. This hutch has plenty of space for 2 of my boys to run around and cause havoc. I would recommend the updated version of this hutch (same size, but better quality wood and removable floors for easy cleaning).




We bought this hutch for Spike when he fell out with his brother. This hutch has the same width and depth as above, but obviously only single storey. Although quite expensive (£90), this hutch is good quality, easy to assemble and easy to clean due to the removable floor and plastic lining. Again, we didn't install the bedding compartment divider and use mobile beds. I would definitely recommend this hutch for 1 or 2 piggies.

We went for the biggest hutches we could afford, which I would always recommend. My 3 boys seem very happy in their homes, and I certainly wouldn't put them in anything smaller than what they've got. They've each got room for 2 beds, extra pile of hay, food bowls, chube and playsticks, and still room to run about. The only drawback of bigger hutches is that it gives them more room to make a mess!

 

Not sure how helpful this is as I'm in Aus. But thought I'd share anyway.




note - the hutch on the right is usually the only hutch in this area... the outside hutch had to come in recently as I have had to keep my friend's piggies seperately. When I get my own piggies again the smaller hutch will be going back outside permanently.

Cage Type - Wooden hutches designed for outside use. The larger hutch is on legs with a wooden bottom. The smaller hutch in the enclosure has a wire bottom.

Where it was purchased or how it was made - both purchased online from Australian websites. Had to put it together myself.

http://www.crazysales.com.au/2-leve...own-house-cage-with-run-cedar-wood_p8331.html - bonofido brand.. much better quality IMO than the other hutch which was bought new from ebay.

http://www.crazysales.com.au/42-six...ypen-with-gate-24-8-x-35-4-panels-_p5345.html - just in case anyone is interested... these are the fencing panels I use for the outside enclosure, and around the under cover hutch (to keep my dogs from bothering the piggies at night)

What size it is - See links for measurements.

How many piggies are kept in it - at the moment both hutches are being used for piggies I'm baby sitting. When they are gone I will hopefully be getting two girls to share them. They will be in the bigger undercover hutch at night and in bad weather. They will spend most of their days in the outside enclosure where they can access the smaller hutch as needed.

How easy it is to keep clean/if you'd recommend it - very easy. Because piggies on on grass most of the day the hutches only require minimum cleaning. I change the bedding in the undercover cage every few days and hose it out as needed. (daily at the moment). The other hutch does not get very dirty and I just hose it out as needed.

 

This is my new 54" Cumfipets double level hutch. It's really sturdy and solid, made of planed and treated timber throughout and the floors of both levels are plastic coated. The bottom floor is removable, so the piggies can have direct access to grass in the summer.

The felted lid of the hutch lifts up and has 'stays' to keep it open. The ramp down to the bottom level initially seemed quite steep to me, but my two GPs have had no problems with it. It helps that the ramp is covered with roofing felt and has wooden 'rungs' for grip. The ladder locks up to restrict access to the bottom level.

I purchased it from ebay, and it was only £54.99, which I think is a complete bargain! I've seem similar hutches for more than £100.

I keep my two young boars in there, indoors for the time being, but the hutch will go outside when the weather warms up.

The plastic coated flooring means it's easy to keep clean and hygienic, but there is an annoying small gap round the edge of the flooring which can trap the odd poo and bit of bedding. There is very easy access to all parts of the hutch.

I would recommend this hutch highly!

Tracey

 

Realy like al the pictures! My hubby is gonna make a new outdoorhouse for my ladies!

 

Just ordered a new hutch for the boys http://www.rabbithutchwarehouse.co.uk/hutches.php its the Jumbo Grand Villa Deluxe A 5ft 2 Tier Jumbo Size Hutch so they will have plenty of space! I have also asked them to extend the ramp so its not as steep. As it is all wooden I am going to line it with with this http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/printed-pvc-fabric-53994 ... hoping it will be here by the end of the month