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Outdoor Housing Question

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NPadgham

Junior Guinea Pig
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Feb 1, 2015
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Rochford, Essex
Hi all,

Our two piggies will be coming home at the end of February/beginning of March.

I appreciate all the pros of indoor living but our piggies will be living outside, inside our new shed in the cold weather and I'll move them outside in the summer.

I have secured a second hand hutch on gumtree for £10 (bargain). It's a single level 4ft x 2ft with the usual sleeping area. Looks in good condition and the owner assures me the rabbit that previously lived in it had no health issues but was rehomed due to a change in circumstances. I'll obviously be giving it a really thorough clean with pet safe disinfectant and am going to line it with some lino. My questions are:

1. I'd like to sand down the exterior and give it a lick of paint to spruce it up a bit. Do I need to purchase a specific type of paint or will it be ok as long as it's had plenty of time to dry off? I won't touch the interior as I know they're likely to chew.

2. We could probably run an extension lead into the shed and use a heater to keep the pigs warm. Is this safe? It worries me a bit to have a heat source in a wooden structure.

Thanks for looking x
 
Welcoem to the forum.

Tagging in @BossHogg regardign the heater in your 2nd question, he has a great set up.

and tagging in @The Hutch Man regarding paint, he makes great hutches and runs, so he may be able to offer some advice
 
I have a oil filled electric radiator in my shed and have done for over 3 years with no problems. ;)
 
Mine's a 10x8, during this cold weather, I've had it on full. It's thermostat controlled so once it gets too hot, it switches itself off and comes back on when the temperature drops. ;)
 
I'd be interested in any answers about the paint. My OH is making a trap door for my ramp (which I've currently got sealed off) so I can close it off at night. We would want to stain the plywood to make it waterproof but is this dangerous?
 
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