to move or not to move

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DM270921

(That is the question)
So a few months ago I had to put the guinea pigs in a nice-looking hutch instead of their c&c because we put the house up for sale and a c&c cage for non-piggy lovers (if there are any!) just looks like grids with piggies in the middle...
We have taken the house off the market now for lockdown reasons and I'm thinking about putting the piggies back in the c&c cage.
The reasons being:
-it's larger
-it's easier to clean
-the guinea pigs liked it because (I think this is the reason) it is more open than the hutch, brighter, they can see all the comings and goings of hoomans so are less freaked out.
However, reasons for staying are:
-I've literally JUST got the piggies learning how to walk out of the hutch onto my lap so I don't have to chase them round the cage for cuddle/feeding time, something I can't do in a c&c cage, and it's also a lovely bond that's been growing between the three of us (trust etc)
-when I moved them into the hutch they were really freaked out for about a month due to new environment and it also made them more scared of us hoomans so it was like taming them all over again, not sure if this will happen again if I put them back in their old cage.
-the hutch is more insulated
-I'll have to move them back again if we put the house back on the market so it will mean stress again.

I'm sure there are more Pro, Con ideas that I haven't thought of but these are the main ones.
So does anyone know what I should do - should they stay or should they go now? My gut instinct is to put them back in the c&c because its the better cage and they loved it (when I first put them in it they just did little zoomies all around) but I also know there'll be a stress involved :/
Thanks
 
Could you use the C&C as a floor time pen so they can have more room to run around and exercise but keep the hutch as their main home. That way they are used to both and won't get upset going back to the hutch if you put the house on the market but will still be used to the C&C if they go back there when you eventually move. I use C&C grids as play pens, I protect the floor with a sheet of plastic (tablecloth, shower curtain, large plastic bag) and put a fleece liner on top. Don't connect the last two grids and the whole lot will concertina up into a very small pile to pack away.
 
My Piggies are in the garage and so is their run. Every morning I take them out of the hutch and put them in the run and in the evening they go back in the hutch. They are fine with both.
 
It may take them a while to get used to it but mine were OK with this arrangement straight away. If you put something that smells of them in the run this will help. Also drag it around the fleece or whatever you use as substrate and this will help as it will smell of home.
 
I should have said don't connect the last two grids with cable ties, use something like clothes pegs or bull dog clips to hold them together. The perils of posting when tired!
 
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