South facing garden issues!

[Mamamould]

I’m trying to sort an area for my piggies new hutch to go before I have them in a couple of weeks and having a couple of issues with a south facing garden

ideally I want them as near to the house as possible which isn’t an issue, I was going to have the run attached but feel they may prefer it separate for the time being while they are small.
Anyway, no matter where I put the hutch it’s going to be in the sun either for the morning til around 2pm if I place one side of garden or from 12pm for the rest of the day on the other side.
Not ideal I know, I’m leaning toward the first option of being in sunlight for the morning would you guys agree?
Also, does anyone recommend a light reflective cover at all? I guess like the ones you out in a cars windscreen?

I had a north facing garden as a child so didn’t have this problem hahah!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I think wherever you place it, being south facing, its likely to get quite hot within the hutch. My boys live in a shed which is also south facing (fab in winter as I can keep their shed warm with even the smallest bit of winter sun, but nightmare in summer). I have to get my boys out of the shed entirely and into the lawn run by 9am, by 8am in the height of summer, and then when too hot on the lawn (hot breezes are dangerous also as they will dramatically increase the temperature) they come into the house in a playpen. Luckily I’m at home a lot so can have them safely on the lawn during the day. It just traps the heat within and a hutch is going to be similar. Morning sun is going to be preferable to
afternoon sun, but it’s not just about the direct sun itself, heat will still get trapped in and it will get too hot. As with my shed shows, even by so early in the morning, when it’s not yet had a lot of warmth of the day, it still gets much hotter inside
Thermal hutch covers are said to keep them cool in summer and warm in winter but I have to say that my experience of them has never been that they’ve kept them cool in summer

Section 4 of this guide covers this topic Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

 

[Swissgreys]

You need to put it where it will be easiest to rig up a shade sail or some otehr form of sun block.
Neither of those options will be safe for guinea pigs in the Summer, and you run the very real risk of them developing heat stroke if their hutch is in the sun for that long.
Could you put up a shade sail from the fence to the house - this is how we ensure that our outdoor rabbit run is always in the shade during the Summer.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Hi unfortunately neither of your options are suitable. Hutches hear up very quickly in direct sunlight, with the temperature inside them becoming much hotter than that on the outside and very sadly guinea pigs die every summer from the resulting heat stroke. They can not sweat so are unable to regulate their body temperature sufficiently when exposed to heat. It would be best for them to be kept indoors during hot weather.

 

[Mamamould]

I think wherever you place it, being south facing, its likely to get quite hot within the hutch. My boys live in a shed which is also south facing (fab in winter as I can keep their shed warm with even the smallest bit of winter sun, but nightmare in summer). I have to get my boys out of the shed entirely and into the lawn run by 9am, by 8am in the height of summer, and then when too hot on the lawn (hot breezes are dangerous also as they will dramatically increase the temperature) they come into the house in a playpen. Luckily I’m at home a lot so can have them safely on the lawn during the day. It just traps the heat within and a hutch is going to be similar. Morning sun is going to be better than afternoon sun, but it’s not just about the direct sun itself
Thermal hutch covers are said to keep them cool in summer and warm in winter but I have to say that my experience of them has never been that they’ve kept them cool in summer

Section 4 of this guide covers this topic Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

thank you - ive got a thermometer coming tomorrow which i can do some test placements of with the hutch. i dont want to coop them up in our summerhouse, which is 200ft away at the very bottom of the garden unless absolutely necessary. I'm at home for the forseeable of the summer and dont anticipate to be back at work until the cooler months (september onwards).

ive got lots of shady places to put the run and can easily move during the day - looks like itll be trial and error with the hutch to find a happy medium before they arrive!

 

[Mamamould]

You need to put it where it will be easiest to rig up a shade sail or some otehr form of sun block.
Neither of those options will be safe for guinea pigs in the Summer, and you run the very real risk of them developing heat stroke if their hutch is in the sun for that long.
Could you put up a shade sail from the fence to the house - this is how we ensure that our outdoor rabbit run is always in the shade during the Summer.

ill have a look at that - thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’ll be good to experiment with positioning but don’t forget to factor in that we aren’t at a very hot stage in the year yet.
Don’t also forget to plan for winter if you are planning on them living outside year round (15 degrees is chilly for piggies and any lower and they need a lot of extra protection).

 

[Mamamould]

It’ll be good to experiment with positioning but don’t forget to factor in that we aren’t at a very hot stage in the year yet.
Don’t also forget to plan for winter if you are planning on them living outside year round (15 degrees is chilly for piggies and any lower and they need a lot of extra protection).

thank you - no i appreciate we arent at the hot stage yet, as I'm home i can have them inside in a play pen during the day on those hot days while I'm here! ill just have to cross the bridge of next summer when it arrives! Winter they will be out for as long as possible but when its really cold they will come into the summer house for a short while. thanks again for your help, much appreciated