Piggies moving outdoors, advice needed!

[Lazw]

Hello all! First I just wanted to say I've only recently started using this forum and it's Absolutely fantastic to have this support, especially recently as we've had a number of piggy dramas and every one has been so kind and helpful .

So my two female Guinea pigs are moving outdoors as soon as the hutch arrives. One is 3 months old, the other is almost 3 years old. I have have ordered a Ryedale 6ft double hutch after seeing some great pictures of them on here, and after speaking with the owner of Ryedale, I felt confident in ordering from him. My questions are, how do I make the hutch as secure as I possibly can? The hutch is impressively solid already and I've ordered it to come with padlock bolts on all doors plus wooden shutters for the top floor where they will be locked away into at night. I also have on order from screw fix some steel edging strips to put on all external corners of the hutch, plus wire mesh that I will use to double up on the mesh on the doors. I will also be putting a layer of mesh on the underside of the hutch too just to add some extra security.

I've got an electric thermometer with a base station in the house so I can keep an eye on temperatures as I know that'll be more of a potential issue than inside the house. In winter they will move back indoors with us until it warms up again.

We already have motion sensor lighting around the garden so I'm hoping that'll also help deter foxes.

As the hutch is so large, I will be making my own cover for it. I have tarp plus foil bubble insulation and fly mesh all ready to go. I plan to use the insulation wrap in hot weather too as I read it helps keep heat out as well as in. I hope this is true!

Is there anything I have missed ready for them moving outdoors? This decision has come very recently as my other half wants his spare room back, which is where the piggies have been living. I'd have kept them inside where they are now if it was up to me.

My last question is, how many piggies will this hutch comfortably accommodate? It's 6ft x 2ft on each floor and there are 2 floors. I ask because I potentially would like another piggy to add to my two to make a trio, if I can find one whose personality fits with my two ladies.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

 

[KHBz]

I just want to say that it sounds fantastic! I’d love to see photos when it’s all set up.

 

[Lazw]

Just want to say that it sounds fantastic!

Aww thank you, I feel so guilty having to move them outdoors but it will afford them more space at least. I just want them safe!

 

[KHBz]

Don't feel bad for moving them outdoors! I think it's nicer for them when the weather is warm. Ours were intended as outdoor piggies when they came to us in September but they quickly moved into my heated shed (more of a room) for the winter. We are also in the process of moving them outdoors now that it is warmer. They're still in the shed at night because the temperatures are dropping below 15 degrees but we move them into their proper hutch from about 11am each day, when it reaches about 18 degrees inside their shaded hutch. I also have a thermometer inside their sleeping-area with a base-station inside, just to keep an eye on things. Do you have snuggle-safes? I'm planning on using them when they begin to stay in the hutch overnight as even at 15 degrees it will be a little colder than they have been used to. And lots and lots and lots and lots of hay …

I thought *I* had fort-knoxed their hutch (and its run underneath) with a second layer of galvanised wire everywhere, but you are going well beyond that. What you are planning sounds incredibly impressive and you seem to have considered all possibilities. We have never seen foxes in our area, let alone in our enclosed garden, so our bolts are just ordinary ones, but we have a very big problem with rats -- hence all the double wire. If you can fit your thumb through a hole, a juvenile rat can get through it. With so much wire, even underneath, steel-edging strips, and shutters, I can't see what more you could do!

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[Lazw]

Don't feel bad for moving them outdoors! I think it's nicer for them when the weather is warm. Ours were intended as outdoor piggies when they came to us in September but they quickly moved into my heated shed (more of a room) for the winter. We are also in the process of moving them outdoors now that it is warmer. They're still in the shed at night because the temperatures are dropping below 15 degrees but we move them into their proper hutch from about 11am each day, when it reaches about 18 degrees inside their shaded hutch. I also have a thermometer inside their sleeping-area with a base-station inside, just to keep an eye on things. Do you have snuggle-safes? I'm planning on using them when they begin to stay in the hutch overnight as even at 15 degrees it will be a little colder than they have been used to. And lots and lots and lots and lots of hay …

I thought *I* had fort-knoxed their hutch (and its run underneath) with a second layer of galvanised wire everywhere, but you are going well beyond that. What you are planning sounds incredibly impressive and you seem to have considered all possibilities. We have never seen foxes in our area, let alone in our enclosed garden, so our bolts are just ordinary ones, but we have a very big problem with rats -- hence all the double wire. If you can fit your thumb through a hole, a juvenile rat can get through it. With so much wire, even underneath, steel-edging strips, and shutters, I can't see what more you could do!

.

Thank you, that makes me feel much better. I guess I just feel worried that they might feel the cold more at night because at the moment they're in an upstairs bedroom. Yes I got a couple of snugglesafes on offer on amazon so I will definitely be putting those in there straight away when they do make the move! If we have really hot weather then I will move them back inside in a smaller cage during the hottest times, I know they're not great in extreme temperatures so I really want to be able to keep them safe. The part of the garden they're going in is right next to the house and doesn't have any sun after 11am so during the hottest times they'll be fully in the shade. We do have foxes around here as it's suburban- I've not seen any but I can hear them most nights so they're definitely about! Do you think my 3 month old piggy will be OK outdoors overnight? She's only a little dot still

 

[Lazw]

Don't feel bad for moving them outdoors! I think it's nicer for them when the weather is warm. Ours were intended as outdoor piggies when they came to us in September but they quickly moved into my heated shed (more of a room) for the winter. We are also in the process of moving them outdoors now that it is warmer. They're still in the shed at night because the temperatures are dropping below 15 degrees but we move them into their proper hutch from about 11am each day, when it reaches about 18 degrees inside their shaded hutch. I also have a thermometer inside their sleeping-area with a base-station inside, just to keep an eye on things. Do you have snuggle-safes? I'm planning on using them when they begin to stay in the hutch overnight as even at 15 degrees it will be a little colder than they have been used to. And lots and lots and lots and lots of hay …

I thought *I* had fort-knoxed their hutch (and its run underneath) with a second layer of galvanised wire everywhere, but you are going well beyond that. What you are planning sounds incredibly impressive and you seem to have considered all possibilities. We have never seen foxes in our area, let alone in our enclosed garden, so our bolts are just ordinary ones, but we have a very big problem with rats -- hence all the double wire. If you can fit your thumb through a hole, a juvenile rat can get through it. With so much wire, even underneath, steel-edging strips, and shutters, I can't see what more you could do!

.

Just regarding rats, how much of a threat are they to pigs? I know they can chew through pretty much anything and they do worry me a bit.

 

[KHBz]

Thank you, that makes me feel much better. I guess I just feel worried that they might feel the cold more at night because at the moment they're in an upstairs bedroom. Yes I got a couple of snugglesafes on offer on amazon so I will definitely be putting those in there straight away when they do make the move! If we have really hot weather then I will move them back inside in a smaller cage during the hottest times, I know they're not great in extreme temperatures so I really want to be able to keep them safe. The part of the garden they're going in is right next to the house and doesn't have any sun after 11am so during the hottest times they'll be fully in the shade. We do have foxes around here as it's suburban- I've not seen any but I can hear them most nights so they're definitely about! Do you think my 3 month old piggy will be OK outdoors overnight? She's only a little dot still

Having only had guinea pigs for 8-9 months I am a novice, but I recently read on here (by Wiebke, I think) that they shouldn't be outside at under 15 degrees when under 10 weeks old as their immune system isn't fully developed. I hope I haven't got that wrong -- I don't pretend any knowledge on the matter. I still feel really bad because when we got our babies, they were outside for a couple of weeks when they were between 6 and 8 weeks old (before moving into the heated shed because the nights were getting cold) -- so precisely when they shouldn't have been. They were ok, but I really regret it. I just didn't know enough at that point. At three months you are past that, but all the experienced people on the forum would be able to advise you on this.

 

[Lazw]

That's great thank you for sharing . It sounds like your babies were absolutely fine being outside when they were younger but I understand your feelings, I'm sure sometimes we worry about things that don't even bother them, I know I certainly do with mine . I just worry about my little one because she still fits in one hand and compared to my 3 year old, she's so tiny and her fur is still really fine! She will have to have lots of hay and snuggly things to hide in

 

[KHBz]

Just regarding rats, how much of a threat are they to pigs? I know they can chew through pretty much anything and they do worry me a bit.

I don't want to alarm you, and I'm really sorry to be saying this as you would rather not be moving them outside, but I think they are a big threat. It took months for us to be rid of rats, after they had burrowed and then eaten their way through wood and plasterboard into our house, but we hadn't then seen them in our garden for a couple of years … until the guinea-pigs arrived. Within a couple of *days* they were back. (No food is left in their hutch and every night I was scrupulously ridding the run underneath their hutch of any poos [inside too, of course]). An opportunist rat took a bite out of the front leg of my tortoise many years ago, removing a scale, and I wouldn't have thought a rat would take much notice of a tortoise (or even get to his leg when tightly tucked within his shell). Despite all this, my piggies are outside and it is ok (touch wood), because I have put so much wire everywhere, there is no gap anywhere beneath their run (which is on paving slabs), and any gap in their hutch is little more than a sliver. I am on constant alert, though. You, however, have a really solid hutch, incredibly well built, in addition to which you are going to be doing *so* much to predator-proof it. I wouldn't worry with everything you are doing. It is going to be far more predator-proof than mine and I thought I had done a lot.

 

[Lazw]

I don't want to alarm you, and I'm really sorry to be saying this as you would rather not be moving them outside, but I think they are a big threat. It took months for us to be rid of rats, after they had burrowed and then eaten their way through wood and plasterboard into our house, but we hadn't then seen them in our garden for a couple of years … until the guinea-pigs arrived. Within a couple of *days* they were back. (No food is left in their hutch and every night I was scrupulously ridding the run underneath their hutch of any poos [inside too, of course]). An opportunist rat took a bite out of the front leg of my tortoise many years ago, removing a scale, and I wouldn't have thought a rat would take much notice of a tortoise (or even get to his leg when tightly tucked within his shell). Despite all this, my piggies are outside and it is ok (touch wood), because I have put so much wire everywhere, there is no gap anywhere beneath their run (which is on paving slabs), and any gap in their hutch is little more than a sliver. I am on constant alert, though. You, however, have a really solid hutch, incredibly well built, in addition to which you are going to be doing *so* much to predator-proof it. I wouldn't worry with everything you are doing. It is going to be far more predator-proof than mine and I thought I had done a lot.

Thanks for your honesty, to be honest I've scared myself stupid with rat knowledge googling how to keep them away from guineas and it seems near impossible! I really hope that my girls will be safe overnight. I've heard of people having had rats break into their hutches only for them to eat the food and not bother with the piggies, but I also know of people who have lost guineas to rat attacks so I'm definitely on edge about them.

 

[KHBz]

That's great thank you for sharing . It sounds like your babies were absolutely fine being outside when they were younger but I understand your feelings, I'm sure sometimes we worry about things that don't even bother them, I know I certainly do with mine . I just worry about my little one because she still fits in one hand and compared to my 3 year old, she's so tiny and her fur is still really fine! She will have to have lots of hay and snuggly things to hide in

I was more worried bringing home two baby guinea-pigs than I was when bringing my first baby home from hospital! And just as I continue to torment myself with everything I did wrong with my first-born (through lack of knowledge and absence of advice), I do so with those guinea pigs! They are certainly popcorny, zoomy and healthy, though, so they survived ...

 

[LMPigs]

We live in London, so rats abound, and we've not had any problems with them and the guinea while our GPs lived in a hutch or in their shed. The mice definitely go through the old bedding / compost pile but the rats don't appear to be interested.

That said, our guineas are both fully grown boys so probably a good match for a rat. Maybe different for a smaller piggle I suppose.

 

[Lazw]

I just want to say that it sounds fantastic! I’d love to see photos when it’s all set up.

So, it's all finished and the piggies spent their first night outside last night with snugglesafes as its a little chilly! Been to check on them this morning and they're both fine, seem really happy with their new abode . So we've predator proofed as much as poss, you can see the steel edging on the photo which runs around all edges of the hutch. We've also doubled up the wiring on all mesh doors, and there is mesh on the underside of the hutch and on the back and sides, but the hutch is solid timber anyway and weighs in excess of 200kg so it's sturdy! I've made a makeshift thermal lining out of insulation wrap just to keep them a little snugglier, and they're padlocked in!

 

[Diane H]

Wow! That looks awesome

 

[Lazw]

Wow! That looks awesome

thank you , I really didn't want them to go outside but the way we've been able to set them up definitely makes me feel happier, it's lovely and snug in there .

 

[KHBz]

It looks fantastic. You certainly have peace of mind there! Just don't loose the keys to the padlocks ... that is the kind of thing I would do! Did you paint it? It's such a lovely hutch to have.

How are you finding the transition from having them indoors to outdoors, in terms of interaction?

 

[Lazw]

It looks fantastic. You certainly have peace of mind there! Just don't loose the keys to the padlocks ... that is the kind of thing I would do! Did you paint it? It's such a lovely hutch to have.

How are you finding the transition from having them indoors to outdoors, in terms of interaction?

Thank you . Haha I will try not to lose the keys, is also something I would do . Yes it's painted a cream colour as the wood wasn't treated when it arrived. I've made a makeshift cover for it with bubble foil insulation and duct tape for now, when budget allows I intend to get a custom cover for it! It is taking some getting used to them being outside, but they're right next to the house and I've got a stool so I can go and sit with them too . They seem to be happy in it though and they've both taken to using a ramp really well, which is a huge relief!

 

[Piggylove82]

Did you paint it inside too? I have a 6ft double storey Ryedale. Mine's doing great. I have mine outdoors and only have some acrylic windows that I can put in if it rains. I don't cover my beautiful hutch up!

 

[Lazw]

Did you paint it inside too? I have a 6ft double storey Ryedale. Mine's doing great. I have mine outdoors and only have some acrylic windows that I can put in if it rains. I don't cover my beautiful hutch up!

Hi, I've painted the top floor inside with the exception of the beams just in case a piggy chews them, haven't done the bottom floor but I may do at a later date! It's good to hear your hutch is doing well, they're so sturdy aren't they!

 

[Piggylove82]

They are DEFINITELY sturdy! When you paint it inside you can wipe the walls. Mine haven't chewed. None of my pigs have ever chewed their hutches.

 

[Lazw]

They are DEFINITELY sturdy! When you paint it inside you can wipe the walls. Mine haven't chewed. None of my pigs have ever chewed their hutches.

Ah great then in that case I will paint the bottom half too, it makes it so much easier doesn't it? Mine don't normally eat wood but unfortunately I've got one piggy who has been on a lot of antibiotics recently and she seems to crave wood at the moment. I give her all the wood toys and sticks in the world plus unbleached cardboard and probiotics, and yet I still find her sinking her teeth into her home. She did it just before moving outside too . Bless her. Hopefully she will feel better soon and not need to chomp.

 

[Piggylove82]

This is mine

 

[Lazw]

This is mine

View attachment 144939View attachment 144940

Aaaaaahh that's so lovely! I love your colour scheme, it looks really good

 

[Piggylove82]

Ah great then in that case I will paint the bottom half too, it makes it so much easier doesn't it? Mine don't normally eat wood but unfortunately I've got one piggy who has been on a lot of antibiotics recently and she seems to crave wood at the moment. I give her all the wood toys and sticks in the world plus unbleached cardboard and probiotics, and yet I still find her sinking her teeth into her home. She did it just before moving outside too . Bless her. Hopefully she will feel better soon and not need to chomp.

Mine used to chomp her window of her log cabin

 

[Piggylove82]

Aaaaaahh that's so lovely! I love your colour scheme, it looks really good

Thanks! Took me a few days. I did 3 coats inside and out. Phew

 

[Lazw]

Thanks! Took me a few days. I did 3 coats inside and out. Phew

It takes forever doesnt it?! I think Rob at Ryedale mentioned you actually, he said someone on this forum had bought the same hutch from him as I did and they had painted theirs blue and white .

 

[Piggylove82]

Aww. I'm famous! He made mine exactly how I wanted it. Ramp sides, bannister, it's perfect.

 

[KHBz]

Thank you . Haha I will try not to lose the keys, is also something I would do . Yes it's painted a cream colour as the wood wasn't treated when it arrived. I've made a makeshift cover for it with bubble foil insulation and duct tape for now, when budget allows I intend to get a custom cover for it! It is taking some getting used to them being outside, but they're right next to the house and I've got a stool so I can go and sit with them too . They seem to be happy in it though and they've both taken to using a ramp really well, which is a huge relief!

Really pleased to hear that they are using the ramp! That was my big worry when we began moving ours back outside, as when they were babies one was just too frightened to. She's very bold now, though.

 

[Claire W]

Beautiful hutches and lucky piggies