Nervous, Need answers please!

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gothchick1515

Shed arrives today!

if we have it put up then the boys will spend their first night in it!

I'm so nervous, only Tia and Maria have ever lived outside my 3 have never ever spent a night outside since they where 8 weeks old!

Heres my questions:

Its never pitch black in my room i leave the landing light on (Phobia of the dark!) so the boys never have to live in the dark, will they be frightened in the dark?, can piggies see in the dark?

Will it be too cold out their in their cages?

what if tehy hear the cats fighting will that frighten them? ed heard them last night nad he did the purring what was that noise?

should i feel guilty that i am making them live outdoors after being indoors for a year at the longest?

i wouldnt be moving them outdoors if i didnt need a space for my laptop to do my college work and the one condition of Tia and Maria staying was that they lived in the shed! and i have spent 119 pound on it now so i might as well let them have the shed,

also when ed and zub smell or hear the girlies they go crazy and run laps like they're playing tag is that a bad thing and will they fight in the shed if they can see them as well!

thanks i need these answered to put my mind at rest xx
 
LOL you're full of questions! :D

Well done on getting the shed so soon!

The piggies wont be frightened in the dark, as all my lot are in the dark once we are in bed! Guinea spends mosts of his time in the dark part of their hutch so it's fine!

Will it be too cold? I doubt it. The shed will have a door to keep draught out and I guess in the winter, you could add some sort of heating for them?
The noise you heard that Ed made about hearing the cats, was just a 'hey, what's that?' nosey noise!

It doesn't matter that the boys can hear, see and smell the girls. They are getting loads of exercise from the running! ;D

Don't feel guilty about them moving outdoors, afterall they are in a shed so not out in the open!
 
I can try, though others will likely have different thoughts.

Will they be afraid of the dark? It's probably possible but it's unlikely. Most animals, outside of humans, don't have trouble with the dark as they have no means of making light if they are afraid. Whether or not they can see in the dark I'm not sure. They do have at least some night vision because mine can see me if I get up but how weel, I don't know.

It could be too cold in their cage, that really depends on alot of stuff. But even if it is, there are things that can be done to take care of it.

Cats fighting will probably not scare them much, as they likely have no experience with cat fights and don't know to be afraid. It may make them curious or even a bit uneasy at first but they will get used to all the new sounds pretty quickly.

No, if they are well cared for and made comfortable you shouldn't feel guilty for putting them out there. Living arrangements have to change sometimes and as long as they are still loved and cared for, they won't mind too much.

My boys all live in the same room with the girls and there have never been any fighting issues because of it. They may get a little wound up at first but like everything else about their new home, they'll get used to it and it will no longer be a big deal.

I hope this helps you feel a bit better.
 
Hi Verity,

Lol about you being so worried about your piggys. We do don't we? Beautiful names tia and maria! :) Bet you will miss having them in your room when they are outside. But hopefully it will also be nice for them to have a dedicated space.

in answer to your worries:

Piggy's need 12 hours pet day of light, natural daylight ideally. Does your shed have this? If not can you modify it so it does? If you are worried about them feeling nervous at night provide them with little hidey holes- wooden houses, pigloos, or even card board boxes. They will feel much more secure in there at night. You can alwyas take them out in the day if you want. I bet you have these already anyway.

Second thing is temparature- indoor piggys are so lucky because usually in our houses is nice and temperate; In the summer we keep it cool, in the winter we keep it warm. Its still important you keep the temparature in your shed at a suitable level for your pigs especially as they are used to it. I advise buying a digital thermometer that will show you the full range of temperatures in your shed so you will know how far it falls in the dead of night or rises in the heat of the middle of the day. You can get them in argos. This will show you if you need to do anything at the moment about the temp. and when. Plan ahead too you will need heating in the winter or even better to move them back inside for a few months when the weather is at its worst.

A few other tips: Avoid bringing piggys into a warm house to cuddle them if its really cold outside etc. Make sure they are 100% dry after a bath.

Generally I think sheds are fine as long as you make sure that you have modified them to be suited to your piggys, and you take extra steps to insulate and heat in the winter, cool and ventilate in summer.

With the boys and the girls I always advise people to avoid keeping bonded boys near girls if they can as in feedback on my website people have said this has been the number 1 reason for boys falling out and being seperated, however there are people who report no problems at all... so I would just keep an eye on the situation. If you think they are getting more agressive with each other then have a rethink about the situation and see what can be done before it comes to blows, and remember if there is a fight you won't hear it to seperate them immediately if they are in the shed.

Good luck ;)
 
Barmy4boars said:
With the boys and the girls I always advise people to avoid keeping bonded boys near girls if they can as in feedback on my website people have said this has been the number 1 reason for boys falling out and being seperated, however there are people who report no problems at all... so I would just keep an eye on the situation. If you think they are getting more agressive with each other then have a rethink about the situation and see what can be done before it comes to blows, and remember if there is a fight you won't hear it to seperate them immediately if they are in the shed.
Click to expand...

Can I just say that my lot have been kept close together for years, and the odd rumbling is heard, but I've had no other problems with the boys.
But others are different I guess
 
Yeah Kelly i did say in my post that some people report no problem but i wouldn't say
It doesn't matter that the boys can hear, see and smell the girls
Click to expand...
because in some cases the smell of girls causes very fierce fighting and if the piggys are going to be outside in a shed it is very important that Verity is aware of that possibility and keeps and eye just incase. ;)
 
Zubin just rumbles and trys to mate eddie theres never fighting! There is a window for daylight but it doesnt open so its just there for light, my dad is putting an air vent in, they have a house each all of them do. it feels the dame temperature in our house than outside! lol and i plan on them coming in dec-march anyways lol Tia and Maria love it as its more like the college set up Ed loves the smell of the wood hes sniffing it alot! Zubin hasnt really noticed lmao! and Harrys his usual laid back self. hes looks a little lonely but I'm sure once hes had his snip and got used to living with the ladies he will b ok! my dad is building hutches asap but quite where we dont no its not very big 6'4ft! but its a nice size everyone fits just nice! i have some pics of us putting it up but my battery died b4 i had chance to finish my pics x
 
My piggies live in a shed and they love it they have a sort of piggie flap out into a secure wire run and can come and go as they please,they never have seemed bothered by the dark, and as it is so mild at the moment I think it is an ideal time to put them out. As long as you are aware of the changing temperatures they will be fine. I give mine lots of little hidey places and different toys and food to keep them amused and interested, I think Tia and Maria are very lucky to have a new shed mine is rather old I am saving up for a new one ::)
 
I don`t but will try to get some taken and get Kate to put them on for me if poss, it is not very posh but the piggies seem very happy ;D
 
hi you all 34 of my pigs are in two sheds one for the boys one for the girls seperated by a brick built run, hubby spoilt me that year, the noises will quickly be forgotten about, the only time is when its firework night i tend to stay in the sheds on an off through the evenings and keep checking on them saying to them "its only mummy checking you out " as i poke my head round the door so they know its me opening them up and dont get scared, fireworks are banned in my garden despite it being hugh they are not allowed full stop,
as for the tempreture, I have electric in my sheds so have panel heaters (i did use oil filled rads but the electric bill was sky high) I now use 400 watt panels to keep them warm and at an even tempreture , all windows are made sure no gaps allow drafts in, they have pull down blinds, which help in summer to keep the sun out and winter to keep the heat in, in summer they have double fronted doors which hubby cut in 2 across to make stable type doors to allow breeze in but keep the bottom half shut from trouble like cats etc, the top half when open has towels hanging down to allow the cool air in but helps keep flys and cats etc out, they have fans to keep them cool in summer and the window has green netting across to keep the unwanted out, when its open,
definalty dont feel guilty mine are treated like royalty and love their palaces, one thing i would advise is a fly zapper you can get them quite cheap now a days, they give off a little light as well if you are worried about it being dark,
 
michellemuffin said:
hi you all 34 of my pigs are in two sheds one for the boys one for the girls seperated by a brick built run, hubby spoilt me that year, the noises will quickly be forgotten about, the only time is when its firework night i tend to stay in the sheds on an off through the evenings and keep checking on them saying to them "its only mummy checking you out " as i poke my head round the door so they know its me opening them up and dont get scared, fireworks are banned in my garden despite it being hugh they are not allowed full stop,
as for the tempreture, I have electric in my sheds so have panel heaters (i did use oil filled rads but the electric bill was sky high) I now use 400 watt panels to keep them warm and at an even tempreture , all windows are made sure no gaps allow drafts in, they have pull down blinds, which help in summer to keep the sun out and winter to keep the heat in, in summer they have double fronted doors which hubby cut in 2 across to make stable type doors to allow breeze in but keep the bottom half shut from trouble like cats etc, the top half when open has towels hanging down to allow the cool air in but helps keep flys and cats etc out, they have fans to keep them cool in summer and the window has green netting across to keep the unwanted out, when its open,
definalty dont feel guilty mine are treated like royalty and love their palaces, one thing i would advise is a fly zapper you can get them quite cheap now a days, they give off a little light as well if you are worried about it being dark,
Click to expand...

my piggies are in a shed too, and the set up is near enought the same as Michelles :)

It has all mod cons, with electricity for heating in winter, and air con for cooling in summer. The piggies have far more room in their pig pens too than I could give them in the house.

I do miss them not being in the house, but its much better for them in shed and they get spoilt rotten. We dont even have air con in the house. ;D ;D

The only time I worry about them is bonfire night/s same as Michelle. We get a lot of very nosiy fireworks going off and it does frighten them.. so I tend to put a radio in on full blast, and stay in there with them. I really dislike that time of year. Dont get me wrong i love fireworks I just wish they would ban the nosiy ones that cause so much distress to animals and humans alike. We can have the enjoyment without the noise! ((rant over ::))

I look upon my shed as my haven now from the stresses and strains of life, and I can chill out and enjoy my animals and spend hours in there...its brill!

Doesnt matter about any mess, or chewing or animal noises... they can do that to their hearts content and it wont disturb anone.

Deb x
 
ine isnt as modern as that! Its very basic but my dads putting a vent in for fresh air tomoro other than that i have been leaving the door open all day, they all seem fine there but it is very dark down where tia and maria are as harrys cage is on top of theirs, we are sorting that tomoro I'm bringing an old chest of drawers down their and putting the cages on that! tia keeps making a god awful noise ive never heard before! its like a loud I'm hurting noise a bit like when zub gets impaction, could she get that i always thought it was just boars, abby suffers from insomnia so she should be up at 5 sh'll go and check them, they have battery operated touch lights a bit like children night lights and they give off just enough light when I'm down there, i am worred about fireworks night but i plan to bring them in from the 2-7th of november but let them hear them from inside so that they get used to them as there are fireworks going off from the day they go on sale till january here so the boys have no choice they have to get used to them, but i planned on them coming in for the winter so that might help. harry likes the pen, we have the pen rigged up around the door so during the day he pops in and out and can see his gf tia lol, hes due to have the snip soon so he can live with them as he loves them loads hehe but maria seems lonely even with Tia so we may end up with another sow to make it all even lol but we shall see cos I'm happy at 5 dont really want anymore as gettin them to family when we go away is a nightmare! my mum wants someone to pop in but id worry the whole time! so that wont happen, if anyone could shed some light on what could be wrong with tia please let me no as I'm worrying, i no shes abbys buti still worry lol!
 
is the noise Tia makes happening all the time or just a few times a week etc, because I dont know if you have heard the guinea pig song but it is very high pitched and makes all other piggys stand still, I've been lucky to have 2 girls do it its like a shrill bird noise it makes me stand still not daring to breath in case she stops, but its quite rare , so maybe Tia is just trying to get your attention, I've never heard of girls with impaction either, just make sure she has no obvious signs of ill health or lumps etc , but generally ill piggys make no noise, wish they did we might know of their illnesses quicker,
my sheds are my stress haven I too stay in there in times of stress like the kids driving me nuts , unlike Deb I hate fireworks, and get cranky that some one is upsetting my fur balls, well I'm coming up to the menopause so I'm allowed to get cranky lol,
and also agree it does'nt matter about the mess like spilt hay etc as its an excuse to go out there,
 
no when maria gos in her house or gets the food first i think coming to us has made them have a dominence re-think
 
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