Why are my outdoor guinea pigs living longer than indoor ones?

[GuineaPiggles18]

Hi
I don’t know if this has an obvious answer or if this is something other people have noticed. I have 3 female guinea pigs who have all lived outside all their lives. The two younger ones, Orwin and Mavis, are about between 1 year and 1 1/2 years (not entirely sure). They’re ‘rescues’ or though I say as I didn’t realise how bad the breeder was but I just couldn’t leave them. Then there is Jemima who is, I think, 7 years old. She extremely healthy for her age apart from a lipoma which I took her to the vets for but they advised just to opt out of an OP because of her age. Lastly I did have another but unfortunately she died and earlier this also at age 7 but she had been loosing weight throughout the year, so it was expected.

Lots of other people who have guinea pigs indoors, I’ve noticed rarely get past the age of 5. They appear to have the ‘perfect diet’(mine only have pellets, hay that we use for the horses, readigrass for supplement and the occasional bit of veg) and the most amazing home (mine are in a 5ft two storey hutch with a modified ramp) and are taken to the vet regularly (only ever taken twice for mites and for Jems lipoma) in the 10 years I’ve owned guinea pigs.

I’m not saying that all indoor guinea pigs have shorter lives but the majority I’ve seen do. Any idea why on earth mine seem to be happy, healthy even though how they are kept would be deemed ‘unacceptable’ by some guinea pig owners (not making that up a few have been appalled by it). Or am I just very lucky with it ? Also has anyone else noticed this or just me?

 

[GuineaPiggles18]

Oh and sorry if ithe is the wrong thread! Didn’t really know here this would fit in!

 

[Lady Kelly]

I think your story is an odd one out. I have outdoors pigs and mine have lived anything from 2 years to just over 7 but you will see many members on the forum with piggies living 8 years and they are indoors. I don't think any of the environments is healthier than the other as long as the time is put in. I am outdoors in all weather's caring for my pigs, keeping a close eye on them and take additional steps keeping them warm in colder weather and cool in warmer weather. I dare say if I just popped my head in once a week they wouldn't live as long.

 

[artcasper]

I think it's just a case of you can never know for sure how long a piggy will live for.... as with humans babies can die and someone can live to be 110!
All you can wish for is a well cared for happy pig!

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Oh I've had bad luck thus far with my piggies and all have mine have been indoors but I think the outcome would have been the same either way as they both died of illness that wasn't caused by their environment. Infact, I think if they lived outside I'd have probably noticed it less easily than I do with them in my room.

My first piggy reached three years old and passed away three days after her birthday while my second (Mo who many members will know) passed away just shy of his third birthday.)

However both pigs were also from the same 'breeder' and I believe bad genetics run in his stock.

 

[GuineaPiggles18]

Thanks guess I must just be pretty lucky with my piggies health

 

[Lady Kelly]

Thanks guess I must just be pretty lucky with my piggies health

Not just luck, good care comes in to it too. I know some people have very strong opinions about keeping piggies outdoors and those of mine who have died at younger ages haven't had illnesses related to living outdoors.

 

[Dill&Pepper]

Only anecdotal, but my experience tallies with yours. The only 2 pigs I’ve owned that lived to 8+ lived outdoors for the first few years of their life (and they weren’t related). I’ve lost my more recent indoor piggies at 4/5 for various reasons including complications from an ovarian cyst spay, chronic kidney disease and a really nasty URI/sinus infection. They’ve generally needed more vet trips and had medical issues rather than losing them to “old age”. Whereas with the 8 year olds one went very suddenly to what looked like a heart attack, another was 100% normal when I went to bed and then gone in the morning.

 

[Bill & Ted]

It’s a funny one? I definitely think breeding/inter-breeding comes into play. My childhood outdoor/garage piggie lived to about 6 or more years and never had any problems at all. Just got old and died overnight with no prior symptoms. My sons outdoor/garage piggies lived to a good age too despite a rough start of a mixed sexed pet shop pairing and consequent pregnancy and babies.
My current two boars who live inside overnight and in poor weather/go outside everyday in good weather are healthy apart from both have dental problems which are totally different. One broken incisor problem and the other a problem pre molar. One has a perfect set of incisors and one dodgy pre molar and the other dodgy incisors and perfect back teeth, the vet says I have a perfect set of teeth between them

 

[piggieminder]

My outdoor/shed/garage housed piggies years ago lived years longer than my later ones who have been housed indoors. These early piggies had what we would now consider to be a terrible diet, never saw a vet or had health problems, were cleaned out once a week, and housed on a bed of newspaper and straw as was considered normal then. My recent piggies have had many health problems caused by diet, fleece bedding, living indoors? Wish I knew, vets tell me it's down to bad breeding but I'm really not sure.

 

[Goth Mummy]

Hmmm. My experience is the opposite, I have had longer lived piggies since moving to indoor habitats. I had one live to 9, the oldest I have at the moment is 6 though. In my situation I am better able to monitor their health inside. Also, we have pretty brave foxes on the fields near by!