Guinea pigs outside?

TBagpuss

A key issue is where the GPs are currently living, as, as a PP says, they will need time to acclimatize if they are currently living indoors.

Also, are you rehousng adults, or getting young ones? If they are babies then they will be smaller and probably much more vulnerable to cold.

You also need to think about how sheltered the hutch will be - think about the amount of wind/rain they may be exposed to.

If you have a sheltered area in the garden, a well-built, weather proof hutch, and plenty of insulation (both inside, s they have lots of bedding to snuggle into, and outside, then IF they have been used to living outside they will probably be OK.

However, why not wait until you have the conservatory? GPs are not rare or hard to find, and it would be more sensible to get the location, hutch etc all in place first.

Do also think about the level of noise / dust / stress they may experience if you have a small garden and are having building work done as well.

When we had GPs, many years ago, they lived in a hutch which lived in an open-fronted shed, so the hutch was sheltered from the worst of the wind, rain and sun. They had lots of hay and straw and during the winter added extra insulation over the roof and back of the hutch using old newspapers and carpet. But we first acquired them in the summer so by winter they had gradually acclimatised.

Merv987

At the moment they're in a pet shop, they've been there a few months, nobody's taken them yet, but my dd has fallen in love with 1, you can bet someone will come along and buy it before we're ready. I'll look into the click and connect cages, they sound good thanks, although i've read in lots of places ramps are not good for gp's as they often fall off them.

Feral_Moon

To be honest I wouldn't consider keeping Guinea pigs outdoors at all, especially if it's a child's pet. They can easily become neglected and forgotten and many often are. An outdoor run in summer is good so they can have a nibble of grass and fresh air but I'd much rather they were kept indoors.

You don't need a huge cage for them if they're going to be allowed some freedom and playtime out of it. This is far more likely to happen too when they're an indoor pet. Your child will have much more interaction with them.

I used to keep a pair in one of those Ferplast plastic cages, similar to this (http://t.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/120_cm_cages/14083) and it was perfectly adequate as they had time out running around and being played with daily. Something like this could perhaps be kept in the child's bedroom.

HappyMJ

Merv987 wrote: »

At the moment they're in a pet shop, they've been there a few months, nobody's taken them yet, but my dd has fallen in love with 1, you can bet someone will come along and buy it before we're ready. I'll look into the click and connect cages, they sound good thanks, although i've read in lots of places ramps are not good for gp's as they often fall off them.

Youtube for ideas on the ramps in a C&C cage. They shouldn't be slippery you would normally use carpet on the ramp and make the ramp quite long with a few levels and bends on the way so they don't pick up too much speed coming down. A fall from 16 cm (just under half the height of a grid) is fine that's just a little jump which most prebuilt cages have anyway. Adult GP's can climb that. You can bend the C&C cage parts so they don't fall off the edge.

Similar to this 2 by 3 cage would be okay and not take up too much room but give a GP plenty of room.



The GP's you see in the pet shop will easily be replaced when they are sold. They are also much cheaper if go you direct to a breeder. The breeder wouldn't get much by selling them to the pet shop and will prefer to sell direct and give you advice on how to keep them.

Person_one

If you're thinking of buying small animals from a pet shop, I would recommend googling 'rodent farm' before you do. The pictures might be upsetting. A lot of these animals are bred in conditions not unlike battery hens.

krlyr

Person_one wrote: »

If you're thinking of buying small animals from a pet shop, I would recommend googling 'rodent farm' before you do. The pictures might be upsetting. A lot of these animals are bred in conditions not unlike battery hens.

Yes, buying from a petshop is much like buying from a puppy farmer. I'd seek out a good local rescue or a reputable breeder - I know it's hard when there are specific animals tugging on your heartstrings, but buying from a petshop supports their bad practices threefold - with financial incentive, with demand for further animal sales, and by physically freeing up that space for them to buy more. The less people who buy from petshops, the sooner they'll eventually realise there's no money in it (there are a lot fewer selling animals than there used to be, I've noticed)

sheramber

Merv987 wrote: »

At the moment they're in a pet shop, they've been there a few months, nobody's taken them yet, but my dd has fallen in love with 1, you can bet someone will come along and buy it before we're ready. I'll look into the click and connect cages, they sound good thanks, although i've read in lots of places ramps are not good for gp's as they often fall off them.

A pet shop environment will have been consistently warm. No way could you out these animals outside at this time of year.
One of my son's girlfriends worked in our local pet shop.

Animals who didn't sell were moved to other shops in the chain and if they didn't sell by a certain age they were pts as they were no longer appealing. People want cute baby animals

Any sick animals were not treated but pts.
It all boiled down to money.


Rabbits and guinea pigs bought from local exhibitors are cheaper than the pet shop ones.

Feral_Moon

sheramber wrote: »

A pet shop environment will have been consistently warm. No way could you out these animals outside at this time of year.
One of my son's girlfriends worked in our local pet shop.

Animals who didn't sell were moved to other shops in the chain and if they didn't sell by a certain age they were pts as they were no longer appealing. People want cute baby animals

Any sick animals were not treated but pts.
It all boiled down to money.


Rabbits and guinea pigs bought from local exhibitors are cheaper than the pet shop ones.

That's how Pets At Home treat their animals. They are also bred on huge farms, like battery hens in cages. When they arrive inspire they are quarantined for 48 hours with many bring pts due to illness/disease as they are so inbred. Fina a private breeder if you want a healthy animal that will live a natural lifespan.

teddysmum

There are also rabbit, guinea pig and other rodent rescues with lots of animals needing homes.


I don't see any point in having pets (except for outdoor creatures like horses) if they are to be excluded from your home.

Trina90

I agree with the c&c recommendations. I had my guinea pigs in these too.