Garden time for GPs

[LittleMissNorty]

Hi - new poster to this forum as we have 3 relatively new (since June) GP's. Hope you can help!

I'm desperate to get my 3 gp's (4 months old) out into their run today as it rained all day yesterday and they were in their hutch all day with the cover down (they do have a 2 storey hutch so in effect there is a run downstairs).....but my grass is soaking. Can I put them out onto wet grass? When its been slightly damp during the summer, I've put some paper underneath the "house" in the run so they can keep dry until the sun has dried off the grass.....but it's more than damp today (although not waterlogged).

On the up side, I actually have some grass now as previously they ate it all and due to the long hot summer, it didn't regrow!

TIA for advice

Not really on wet grass which is a pain I know.

They are very prone to health problems if they get damp so should avoid being out if it is wet .

I have opened our pig shed up today so they can get out in the run but to be honest neither have ventured out - do you have a patio area you could put the run on half and half?

Thanks everyone.

Ohh I could put it on the patio and let them nibble the long grass at the edge! Do I need to put hay on the concrete or will they be ok on the stone? Up till now the run has always been on the grass and moved every day if ok to go out. Its beautiful here today but soggy grass.

i would have thought they would be fine - mine pootle along the patio stones - it keeps their nails short

My (6!) piggies can't go out on the grass today so I moved (it wasn't easy!) their run onto the patio, with one edge on the grass (like OP said, edge of grass is long here!) I built up an area with their pigloos (we have 6 girls, 3 sets of sisters, 2 are 2.5, 2 are about 18 months and the babies are 11 weeks, but amazingly we've had no bullying) with newspaper and hay, and they're currently sitting in a row, bums facing the house, scoffing grass!
I had to get them out today as I'm working next 2 days and that keeps them hutch bound).

Thank-you - I'm going to go and put them out now. Great idea. I have shied away from cutting nails so hopefully will help

Six pigs......you must have a huge hut - and food bill . My 3 eat more than the cat and dog put together

hutch I meant!

I put old car mats down to protect guinea tums and paws from damp ground

hee hee we really do go to extremes for these creatures .

I got back from work and put the boys out for an hour (they've not been out since Wednesday IIRC)

Their little faces were straight into the grass troughing away.

I made DD catch them for cuddle time but I was the one stroking the lawn to see if it was dry enough

What a lovely image of 6 in a row! Hadn't thought to put the run on the patio, will definitely move it for mine to have a run about on.

Well mine loved it. Who needs a strimmer when you have guinea pigs......like weegiemum, i am at work for the next 2 days and was keen to give them some fresh air.

Good idea about car mats.........

Ooo - just found this thread. Thanks for the great idea about putting the run on the patio with a little strip of grass. Just put our two out, with an old rug on most of the patio bit for warmth. Mind you, when I looked just now they were both squeezed onto the grass bit getting their tummies wet, rather than sitting on the patio and nibbling. Guess they're just not the brightest creatures. little miss - we've had GPs since June too and it was so easy when the weather was good. All a bit trickier now, isn't it?

Mine have been stuck indoors in their indoor run and have been giving me judgey looks all day as the sun keeps coming out and it looks lovely out. Unfortunately, we also keep having heavy showers but they choose not to notice those.

I put washing out today and let the boars have an hour late afternoon scoffing - on the proviso that they bring the washing in if it rains.

"Oh, yes" they promised, eyeing the grass...

Bloody liars

Really heavy dew in sunny Essex. Swept the grass with the garden broom to shake off some of the damp. Somehow it helps the sun to dry up the wet quicker.

Put Naughty in the run. She was a bit more confident today but still spent a lot of time in the summer house. Naughty was happier when I was out pegging out the washing, she came out to graze the grass. I guess she sees me as a body guard

Probably wasn't so happy with me when I brought her in though. Naughty got a thorough brush and claw clipping

Good idea about sweeping the grass to give the sun more chance to dry the remainder out. Might try that one too. Am anxious to keep the boys out and about as much as possible to avoid any more scraps - I'm still very twitchy about them.

Excellent idea about grass sweeping, although the neighbours might start to wonder about me

I think our neighbours must look at our garden and despair anyway (both sides of us have v.tidy plots) so grass sweeping would probably just confirm what they already think - slightly lost the plot and can't get it together to do something useful like weeding!

Weeding! That's what the pigs are for

Ooo I don't know about that Fernie. I still inspect the lawn closely crappy eye sight for buttercups and daisies before deeming it safe for the run to go down.

Mine you seems once piggies are past the young and silly stage they know not to touch a buttercup. Never trusted them with daisies though.

Last neighbours thought I was a loon over my guinea pigs. Current neighbours don't bat an eye. They own rabbits, guinea pigs, elderly cat and a horse not in the garden.

Haha my neighbours will think I'm mad if I swept my grass.

Didn't know about daisy's or buttercups though.....are they poisonous?

dotty yes much trickier. Cleaning them out in winter is going to be fun, especially as it appears to be only my job