would you put guinea pigs in a run on a patio/courtyard?

[cherrytomato40]

We are moving house soon to a different city, and in the areas we want to live in gardens seem to be a rarity- plenty of lovely big 3 bedroom houses to rent but with tiny courtyard gardens. The guinea pigs currently live outside in a hutch and go into the run on a fresh patch of grass every day.

Would they be ok to be out in the run on a concrete floor, but with lots of hay on the floor and obviously fresh veg and hidey holes etc provided, do you think? Or will they have to become indoor piggies?

We have a concrete back yard & used to let our piggies run around in it - generally with some dandelions & other greens put down (plus actual weeds. It's amazing where they can grow!)

It's good for their claws too I think

(Ours has 6' walls so we never bothered with a run)

If it's well insulated then it should be fine. I wouldn't put pigs directly on concrete personally (their paws are vunerable)

We sometimes use our garage (car doesn't live there) as an emergency Pighouse. We had a leak in their house last year and had to move them (late Sunday night, pouring rain ) .
I put layers of cardboard, a bag of straw and a bag of hay in their rabbit run and they 'glamped' for a week.

Only trouble would be securing the run. Is yours all sides protected (my rabbit run has no base so fine in the garage but I wouldn't put it on our patio).
And the hay will get everywhere

Could you grow them some grass? Maybe some shallow wooden crates, soil and turf. Do a few and keep rotating them. Grass is a huge part of my hogs diet. When it's winter and they can't graze, I cut them grass (I'm the idiot with the scissors in the rain). They are hyper excited. Sweet

I just read a suggestion on a forum that you put a couple of rolls of turf down in the run! That would work

You could replace it whenever the grass is all gone

\link{http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?7489-Concrete/page2&s=780c017e94427e297d4a0ffacf9126e7\piggie forum}

The turf suggestion is on the previous page

Wow, an entire guinea pig forum that's fab!

Thanks for the suggestions, I like the turf idea. 70isalimit, I was wondering how feasible it would be to grow my own grass, or get some kind of big trough to put grass seeds in, hmmm.... Where there's a will there's a way!

I agree that the concrete will help to keep their claws trimmed!

I think I'd rather cut their claws and cover the concrete TBH.
Rabbits paws don't have pads but GPs have quite alot of skin in contact with the ground.
When you consider the risk of bumblefoot too - potential damage to the feet and pools of urine....

Good point, 70! Thanks!