Single guinea pig in out door hutch

[Claire W]

I am just wondering if there is anyone out there who has or has had a single guinea pig living outside? The reason I ask is because there is a hutch in a yard down the road from me and I am pretty sure that they have a single pig living in it.

 

[Missbonbon]

I have had boars live on their own outside in a hutch when they do not get on with the other boars.
They have been fine so long as they have things to keep them occupied.
Toys, food etc.

 

[MarthaAndMaud]

We have quite a few single boars living outdoors in hutches. Some in the shed, some sheltered in the garden. This time of year if they have loads of hay and a cardboard box for extra insulation in the hutch. A waterproof sheet and a few checks each day on the water bottles to make sure they aren't frozen they are still ok to live on there own.

 

[Mary]

My friend used to have hers out side and she had a quilt over the hutch!

 

[sophiew (EAGPR)]

I must say I prioritise my single boars so that they go into the shed / indoors in winter rather than stay out. The only ones that stay out later in the year are my furry pairs - the shelties and texels - so they can snuggle up to each other.

Sophie
x

 

[Knocknamuck]

I looked after my first piggy when I was aged 11, many, many years ago. Not knowing any better, I kept him on his own, living outside in a hutch for the first year. It didn't make a big impact on me at the time, but apparently one wintry night the temperature plummeted to minus 27 degrees C. It makes me cringe now to think how cold he must have been, but he lived to tell the tale. He was young and strong, well insulated and well fed.

I'm not proud, and certainly not advising that any pigs should be kept outside in the winter - mine now are all inside and enjoying the warmth. It must have been a miserable night for him, and not one I'd like to repeat for any piggy in my care now, but it shows how robust a piggy can be.