Outside Housing

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debs198000

Hi Everyone

I am after a little bit of advice. We have 2 little pigs, 1 female & 1 male. We have just had the male snipped :o and would like to house the two of them together eventually. We have just moved house and it is a totally different layout from our old one so we are a pushed for space for 2 cages, my hubby suggested putting them in a delux hut outside as our garden is very secure but I am a little concerend if they can be outside in the winter. Are there anythings we can buy such as heat pads etc etc.

I would be grateful for any advice.

Thanks
Debs x
 
have you looked into getting a C&C cage - i have one and majority of people on here do.

www.guineapigcages.com and if you search the forum you will get piccies of our cage.

It is not recommended for guinea pigs to be outside in the winter - many house them in a shed and keep them well insulated.

you can get heated pads from places such as pets at home.
 
Mine are going to be in a well insulated shed for the winter with lots of hay!

If you are going to house them outside, just be wary that sudden changes of temperature can be very harmful to them so avoid taking them into the warm house and straight back out into the cold.

Hope that helps a bit :)
 
You could try to imagine what it will be like for them and you in the depths of winter, you wont feel like going outside to clean them out never mind cudles etc...outside guineas tend to become rather skittsh due to a lot less human contact and are much more at risk of infections.
A heated or insulated shed would be a good idea if you could stretch to that or as has been suggested, a c & c cage indoors. You could build one and use the same grids as a divider to divide the cage until they can be together!
 
My 2 guineas are outside. This will be their 4th winter outside.......I provide them with lots of beding (hay and straw) and i have a piece of plastic that covers over the whole front of the hutch and that keeps most of the cold out.
They haven't had any problem/infections relating to the cold. They are perfectly fine. The hutch is also in a sheltered area from the wind/sun.

I am thinking of buying a heat pad as they are both 4 yrs now and one has lost alot of weight resently (due to teeth problems). But now he is gaining weight.
 
Hmm that's an interesting point of view because my piggies are all kept outside and are the tamest lot I've ever met. In my experience and personal opinion, pigs cope far better with cold weather than they do with the hot sunshine. Mine are either moved into the garage or shed, given plenty of hay and covered over. I either use a big thick layer of carpet, which really holds in the heat, or you can buy special hutch covers which are waterproof. Perhaps you could even use both?! I've had pigs outside for 15 years and never had a problem yet. They are still very much a part of my family :))
 
I think piggies can live outside okay but it would have been better for them to have been out in the summer to get them acclimatized to the temperature but it might be a bit late to put them out now especially if they have been inside.:) It would be better if they could be in a shed or inside your house for the winter.

You can buy snugglesafes from Pets at Home at around £18.99. You just put them in the microwave for around 5 minutes depending on the wattage of your particular microwave and they keep warm for around 10 hours.:)
 
I have a group of pigs outside - HOWEVER - their hutch is against the wall of the house for extra insulation, they always have tons of hay, they have a special insulation cover made by scratch&newton, and a rain proof cover also by scratch&newton, and I sometimes add a thick blanket underneath all that. So it certainly takes more time and effort than indoor pigs, or pigs in a shed, so you need to be sure.
You could use thick blankets, old bits of carpet heavy plastic and tarpaulin for a cheaper option to scratch&newton, but I used to use this for years and ended up worrying about them, so went out and spent the money, now I'm glad I did
 
Although mine are in a shed, each hutch has carpet or a duvet over the top, sides and back to keep them warm. They each have a fleece snuggle pouch, although they seem to prefer sitting on top of it and peeing on it!

Having said that, I have 4 10 week olds (2 sows and 2 boars) that have been living inside since I got them so they will now stay insode for the winter as it is getting far too cold now.

I am looking at building them a C & C cage as you can build it to any size or shape to fit your house. Plus, it seems cheaper than buying one!
 
My 2 girls live in a wooden hutch in our brick outhouse all year round. During the winter months they will have a carpet covering their hutch. a towel covering the front of the hutch at night, a snugglesafe heat pad AND lots of hay. They are still very much part of the family and are handled daily. They come inside during the winter for floor time but we make sure they stay in the kitchen and the stairs / landing as we do not have the heating on on the landing and the temperature up there is the same as the outhouse. I think that guinea pigs can be perfectly happy living outdoors / in sheds etc so long as you can be bothered to give them attention. When I am off work, I pop out to see them on and off all day. So much to the fact that they get fed up of me :))
 
hi

hi do they need electricity or how do they work? Asking as could do with them in my shed but dont have and cant fit electricity.

thanks

karen
 
sccobyandfudgesmum said:
hi do they need electricity or how do they work? Asking as could do with them in my shed but dont have and cant fit electricity.

thanks

karen
Click to expand...

hi, yes you do need electicity, we have an amoured outside cable that runs to our shed,but once it is done they only use the same electricity as a 60watt bulb.
 
A lot of pigs do live quite happily outside, but I'm not much of a fan of it myself.

I think the main problem you might encounter here, is that they've lived inside up until now, so they haven't been able to get used to the changing climate gradually.
Most of the UK got snow a couple of weeks ago, and such a sudden temperature change might be a bit of a shock.

If you do decide to put them outside, don't forget to make sure your hutch is predator-proof!
Foxes tend to be particularly crafty at breaking into hutches, especially at this time of year, when other types of prey become more scarce.
My cousin had to put actual locks on her rabbit cage last year, after something (maybe a fox or a cat) had figured out how to undo the latch.
 
Cherish said:
A lot of pigs do live quite happily outside, but I'm not much of a fan of it myself.

I think the main problem you might encounter here, is that they've lived inside up until now, so they haven't been able to get used to the changing climate gradually.
Most of the UK got snow a couple of weeks ago, and such a sudden temperature change might be a bit of a shock.

If you do decide to put them outside, don't forget to make sure your hutch is predator-proof!
Foxes tend to be particularly crafty at breaking into hutches, especially at this time of year, when other types of prey become more scarce.
My cousin had to put actual locks on her rabbit cage last year, after something (maybe a fox or a cat) had figured out how to undo the latch.
Click to expand...
DITTO! x
 
All my hutches have two latches and a wood panel fastener and *touch wood* I've never had a hutch broken into by any predator.
 
As a rescue we don't rehome to people who keep their piggies outside throughout the winter.

However most people have a shed, playhouse, garage, utility room, summerhouse that the hutch can be moved into during the colder months. It just requires some creative thinking!

The heating is not really in question as piggies cope quite well with lower temperatures but the hutch needs to be in a weatherproof area. This prevents the damp air from sitting on the hay and makes life easier for the owner too.

With barely nine hours of daylight during winter it's not much fun for piggies and this greatly limits the time that owners can observe them and keep an eye on their welfare.

Having said all that we are also realistic enough to realise that probably most guinea pigs are kept outside and with that in mind we have written a winter care guide, to be found on our website www.lbgpr.co.uk

You may find some useful tips on there.
 
I agree Summerleaze. Ours are moved into the garage but even when they're outside they're in a little corner of the garden that has walls on three sides to shelter them from pelting rain or fierce winds. Some of my pigs love the sound of rain on their hutch, it sets them off popcorning :)p
 
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