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Transition from indoor to outdoor!?

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Hi!

Had our piggies since October and because they were small we kept them indoors for the approaching winter. Now we are thinking of putting them outside but not too sure how approach it, as they have become accustomed to the house environment.

Any ideas or tips are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!:))
 
IMO it is too cold to move a piggie outdoors, especially with the gales we've been having lately.
 
I dont mean now! I just mean for the spring/summer, then they'll be back in for the winter. just dont want to stick them straight out because as i said they have been used to being indoors
 
someone on here a little while ago said they put their piggies out when the clocks change in march and bring them in again when they change again in october. I think if it was me i would see what the tempretures were like in mid april, its not the daytime temp but the night time tempo and the difference between the to. hope that helps.
 
This was our thought too, spring time-ish till October-ish.

You think i should prepare them in anyway? Like leave them outside for some periods of time in their run?

x
 
I'm not expert in this, but i would suggest taking them out for grass time as it gets warmer, that way they'll get used to being outside and the fresh air. Just a suggestion. Then maybe as it gets warmer still, put them in outdoor housing for the daytime and bring them indoors during the cooler nights.

xx
 
Mine move indoors and outdoors during the year too - they are never fully indoors though, they live in the conservatory!

I basically pick a warm day, which means it can be subject to a last minute change lol, usually around the start to mid April depending on how things are going weather-wise. We always do the move around lunchtime as our patio has by then had the morning sun, so is quite warm, and has a good 6 hours of daylight left to keep warm. That night they all get covered over for a bit of extra warmth, lots of hay, and get checked around 11pm to make sure they are ok.
 
Brilliant, just a bit of common sense really then isn't it? And personal choice of course, really helpful post Doeylicious! :-)
 
Brilliant, just a bit of common sense really then isn't it? And personal choice of course, really helpful post Doeylicious! :-)

Pretty much, it's a bit like the day I decide I don't need to wear a vest and two pairs of socks to go to the stables...not really planned entirely, but a rough idea as to when it will happen!

(Hopefully soon as I am getting bored of washing socks...)
 
A change in temperature of >10deg between night and day is not good for piggies.......

Therefore I only put mine outside full-time between end of May and early October. Anytime outside these times there can be sudden snap weather condition where the temp drops suddenly and the piggie becomes prone to respiratory infections.

However April can be quite warm on some days and in that case I let them out in the run for a couple of hours...but only if the temp is within 5deg of the inside house temp. That way I gradully get them accustomed to being outside ready for end of May.

Bottom line therefore is that it depends upon the house temp they are currently living in.

HTH
x
 
Think I'm just going to put them out on warm days for an hour or so and just build up from there. Will be beside myself with worry when they are outside overnight, got visions of my propped up against the kitchen door listening intently for the first signs of distress haha, I need to get a grip on things! Thanks for hints and tips guys! V Helpful :-)
 
i think it varies though.. for me, today and yesterday the day was quite mild and sunny, and my piggies live in my shed, and one side of the door ive made into a stable door just to let some air in now and then when I'm cleaning them out, but as (like i said) today and yesterday the sun was out and it was rather nice. i left the door open with a netted cutain to cover the entrance for 1-2hrs, just to let some fresh air in and start the prep of the going outdoors (this will happen about april time) the piggies didn't mind it, they were still up and about when i closed the door again..:))

Esther x
 
Ours are all outdoor piggies. During the winter/autumn they sleep in our shed at night, they are very snug in there and away from drafts. They get put out in their runs on nice days for exercise and grass, then get brought in at night. This is what we're doing at the moment.

During the spring/summer they are outside in their runs on the grass full time. We cover the indoor bit of the runs with tarpauline, so they keep dry and they have their igloos in their runs too, so got a couple of places to go in and out of. It's very windy where we are, but the pigs get used to it and it really doesn't bother them.

We've just got a couple of new babies (we'll have had them a week tomorrow) who have slotted into our regime perfectly. They are so happy to go outside. They have Amber to help keep them warm at night as well, but to be honest the shed stays very warm, so even in the snow all the pigs were very snug.

I'd do something like this with yours: wait for a nice day then pop them outside for a few hours. Bring them in at night. Do this until it remains warm at night, so summer time. Your pigs will not have grown a winter coat, so you must be careful to ensure they don't get cold. It's too cold at the moment to leave them out all night, but we may be able to start putting ours out in March if the weather continues to improve. The difference with yours is they are indoor pigs, so the transition needs to be even more gradual.
 
A change in temperature of >10deg between night and day is not good for piggies.......

Therefore I only put mine outside full-time between end of May and early October. Anytime outside these times there can be sudden snap weather condition where the temp drops suddenly and the piggie becomes prone to respiratory infections.

However April can be quite warm on some days and in that case I let them out in the run for a couple of hours...but only if the temp is within 5deg of the inside house temp. That way I gradully get them accustomed to being outside ready for end of May.

Bottom line therefore is that it depends upon the house temp they are currently living in.

HTH
x

I'm not for outdoor pigs in general but I agree with this. Even in April the temperature can vary by as much as 15C and it's these temperature fluctuations that piggies don't deal well with at all. The ground is still extremely damp in March and April as well and this can be a big contributor towards respiratory problems.
 
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