My Piggie Won't Use His Houses and Sleeps in the Rain!

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scorpyon

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Hi all!
A little bit of context here (in case the title is misleading). We have a little guinea pig who lives outdoors - because annoyingly our landlord wont allow him to be inside (we're buying a house in a few weeks and can have him indoors then).
Living outdoors, he has a big home-built run that he lives in, and had a lovely house that I made for him that he lived in without a problem until just recently.
One day, my wife mentioned that he had seemed to have not wanted to go in his house all day, and it was dry so he might not have been in there a couple of days now (He seems healthy and happy enough). It was hot and sunny, so I assumed it was too hot in there for him.
Then as the nights grew colder, we noticed he seemed to be sleeping outside his house up against the wall. We tried a number of things (changing the hay, cleaning the house out, checking for problems, etc) but he seemed to refuse to go in there.
I wondered if maybe (because the house was home-made), the wood was rotting or causing a smell he didn't like or something.
So I went out and bought a brand new little hutch-house (a proper one). It's a little big, so we added some fleece blankets to make the entrance smaller, and cover the hutch to keep it warm.
But he won't stay in this one either - even after adding some of his hay from the old house.
And now it's beginning to rain heavily at night and he's been gettting wet (when his cover gets blown off by the wind sometimes).
So I am at a loss as to what to do. I'm concerned he might get sick, as the weather gets colder now - we had 2 other piggies who both caught colds and passed away in the last 2 years and he is our last! :-(

I don't think it's a companionship thing, because he has always been a "loner" piggie - he used to live with the other 2, but repeatedly got into fights with both until we segregated him, and then he was happy to live alone. (Hewould outright attack both the others if we tried to rehouse them together).

Or maybe there's nothing to worry about, and he's an outdoor piggy who loves the fresh air and the rain? I don't know. I'm a little lost for ideas, and want to make sure he is properly taken care of.
So... can anyone offer some advice please?
Thanks!
 
From my reading of this, he lives in a run but has a wooden hidey house but he still has access to outside at all times? Or does he now live in a proper hutch (eg 5ft by 2ft space that he can be locked into). Do correct me if I’m wrong. He absolutely must be locked in during the night and during wet weather. He should not have any access to outside during the night. A cover (thermal and waterproof) that does blow off is absolutely essential.

Regarding the fights with the other two. I don’t know enough about what happened, but I disagree that it is likely he is a loner pig. If you were trying to keep three Male pigs together then that is why there were fights. Two boys can be kept together, anymore than there is asking for trouble. It doesn’t mean he prefers to be alone. If it were me, I would be looking to bond him with a suitable male friend, or have him neutered and get him a wife.
 
Your piggy should be locked away at night with no access to the outside as @Piggies&buns has said. If he can get access to the outside then a predator could easily get in too. I have four piggies in a 6ft x 2ft two storey hutch. Two live upstairs and two live downstairs. They have an insulated hutch cover and a thermal rain cover on the top. They are firmly bolted in every night and the covers are put down if it's cold or if it's raining. They have lots and lots and more lots and more more lots of hay to keep them warm and to eat. They are happy, well adjusted and healthy piggies.
 
Sorry, to explain further, his "Run" is entirely enclosed (and locked), so predators can't get in. (As pictured).
In the image it shows his previous house which was compartmentalised inside for extra warmth.

Run.JPG

This image shows the new hutch that he has to live in.
hutch.jpg

The cover is usually fixed down when on at night - it just so happened that it came loose the other day. I should have explained that better.
This hutch has a closable and lockable door, so I could always lock him in there at night if need be?
 
The run and bunny hut is fine for “a run” during daytime in pleasant weather but he really needs either an indoor cage or a proper hutch for bad/cold weather and overnight, even in summer. I have a similar set to you but would never leave my two out all night or out in bad weather. There are lots of predators around at night.
Please buy a temporary hutch until you move house, then consider taking him boar dating at a recommended rescue to find a little companion.
 
Ok. I have a small temporary hutch I can use for now (we moved him out of it, because it's a bit small) - but it will do for the next few weeks until we move
 
unfortunately that is not a hutch, it is simply a day time run shelter . It won’t offer any warmth or protection in winter, is far too small and unsuitable for him to be locked into for any length of time. For an outdoor pig, a proper hutch is required. Do read the cage size guide on this site for the sort of sizes guinea pigs need (a single guinea pig requiring a minimum of 7.5 sq ft of enclosed, secure space plus an exercise area. The guide is based on c&c cages for indoor use, but the sizes apply to outdoor guinea pigs also. It may also be useful to you for when you move your boy indoors. Definitely look at getting him a friend, they are very social creatures and don’t thrive when kept alone.
 
In our previous house, I had a 3-storey C&C cage that I built for them (4L x 3W x 3H) - which was especially helpful, because I made it so you could close off hhalf of it if the pigs needed separating) and would have had the same in this place, but we had a strict landlord which is why we had to find a way to keep them outside.
He'll get much more regular love and attention when he can be inside in the new house. But we are also looking at if we can find another older piggy to give him some company.
That said, though, do older "established" pigs get on together ok? We've had 4 pigs (including Wiggles) over the years, and so far he has attacked every one we've tried to put with him. (Just 1 on 1, not as a group). He's incredibly aggressive to other piggies (but seems to love human attention. He'll happily potter over to you and nuzzle your hand).
 
The easiest way to find a friend for him is to find a rescue centre that offer boar dating. You will take your piggy to the centre and they will pair him with a suitable cage mate (trying several suitable pigs until the right one is found). A person going out and getting another pig and putting them together (often in the incorrect method ie not using a neutral bonding pen etc) will not necessarily result in a successful bond. It’s about character compatibility and allowing the piggy to choose their own friend has the highest success rate. Alternatively, having him neutered and after the six week wait period finding him a sow wife to live with.
 
Ok - I will see if I can find out if there is a rescue centre near us that might work then.
 
When you try to bond a new piggie to an existing one you need to do this on neutral territory. Imagine if someone where to ponk a strange human into your house all of a sudden without warning and expected you to live with them for the rest of your life 😆 I don’t think that would make for a happy situation, same for a piggie.
Once you have moved and sorted out his accommodation then look for a GP rescue that do boar dating, it’s a great solution x Good luck with your move x

Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues
 
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