Will My Guinea Pigs Be Getting Enough Vitamin D?

[3toedCuties]

For some background,
I’m currently working on my setup for a pair of guinea pigs that I plan to adopt in the new year!

It’s come to my attention where I plan to put the cage and basically the only space I have to put their cage will get no direct sun beams, the room gets plenty of natural light in the day but they won’t be able to enjoy a nice sunbathe.

During warm enough days in Nova Scotian weather I plan on taking them outside every day for at least an hour in a safe sun open pen! (Making sure shade is always available!) in something like this, safe from predators and safe from my grass which has a dog poo and pee on it regularly… while still being able to soak up those sweet sunny UV rays to create vitamin D, I will give them everything they need and will not to leave their side for this outdoor time.

However this will only be portions of the year when weather is warm enough in Nova Scotia for guinea pigs to safely be outside (which would be during 3 months of spring then 3 months of summer!)

I’m vegan so I plan on buying pellets from Sherwood Pet Health which don’t seem to have any added vitamin D3, regular pellets from most other manufacturers often have D3 added but it’s impossible to discern if the source is plant based or animal sourced without contacting the seller. For now I’ve mostly assumed they are animal based as I’ve read plant based sources for vitamin D3 are a newer product and are not mainstreamed yet.

Will my future babies be getting enough vitamin D under this care? I’ve read they can store vitamin D3 for up to 6 months so in theory I thought it should be fine…

Also what about the other Vitamin D’s (1, 2, 4 & 5) will they be fine indoors without direct sun for the 3 winter and 3 autumn months?

 

[3toedCuties]

Actually I figure it would be easier to just buy one of these for outside, I can set it up permanently and keep them in it for 2 hours a day during the warm sunny seasons ^-^ I think that would be easier as they will not need constant supervision this way during outside time and will still have plenty of opportunity to sunbathe if they would like! (Their indoor cage is a 5x2 C&C with a 2x2 loft!)

I can cover it with a tarp when it’s not in use hopefully keeping it dry from rain and snow and leave it up all year round!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

They will be fine.
A lot of piggies live indoors and a lot of people don’t have access to a garden at all/not safe to have access to outside so their piggies never get outside time and they are fine.

Mine live in a shed which has a window which lets light in but they aren’t directly within sunbeams (Which you wouldn’t want anyway) and only get lawn time from April to September.
Also, my piggies don’t get pellets at all either.

Just make sure the measurements of the outside hutch/run are actually suitable - I know it’s a temporary thing but it still needs to be big enough. 150x60cm for two females or 180x60cm for two males

 

[3toedCuties]

Welcome to the forum

They will be fine.
A lot of piggies live indoors and a lot of people don’t have access to a garden at all/not safe to have access to outside so their piggies never get outside time and they are fine.

Mine live in a shed which has a window which lets light in but they aren’t directly within sunbeams (Which you wouldn’t want anyway) and only get lawn time from April to September.
Also, my piggies don’t get pellets at all either.

Just make sure the measurements of the outside hutch/run are actually suitable - I know it’s a temporary thing but it still needs to be big enough. 150x60cm for two females or 180x60cm for two males

I found a larger outside hutch that is roughly 236 cm x 40 cm I know it’s not quite as wide as you suggest but it makes up for it with length would that be suitable? they would only be outside a few hours a day in there

 

[Piggies&buns]

The issue with a narrow enclosure is it can make it trickier for them to pass each other. I know the 20cm difference doesn’t sound a lot but it can be for some pairs!
If you can find one which is wider it would be better.

A rectangular wooden run would be better size wise but many are open bottomed. I appreciate you are trying to keep them off the ground but maybe there is a way you can put down some some plastic sheeting and then pop a fleece on top for the time they would be in the run?

 

[3toedCuties]

The issue with a narrow enclosure is it can make it trickier for them to pass each other. I know the 20cm difference doesn’t sound a lot but it can be for some pairs!
If you can find one which is wider it would be better.

A rectangular wooden run would be better size wise but many are open bottomed. I appreciate you are trying to keep them off the ground but maybe there is a way you can put down some some plastic sheeting and then pop a fleece on top for the time they would be in the run?

plastic and fleece is a great idea I’ll see what type of run I can find before spring! ^^