Guinea pigs and grass

[BarbieBrightSide]

We got our two GP boys on Monday, and they are currently inside, in the conservatory, in an indoor 120 x 60 pets at home cage which has a hidey area, but I have also put an igloo in there.
I have got an outdoor run, which has got a covered bit and would also put 2 igloos in there. What I would like to ask is how soon would you put them in the run and for how long initially? I don't want to upset their tummies, but do think they need a change of scene before too long. They haven't been handled since we got them as I wanted to give them a bit of settling in time but I want to start getting them used to that as soon as is reasonable too.

If the weather where you is as good as it is in Essex your boys will love being outside. Are they babies, they will be fast and hard to catch. Do you have another pair of hands to help?

When you bring them indoors the trick is to barricade them in a corner. The pigloos will aid you with this. Also be warned babies can jump vertically out of a run without the lid on, voice of experience lol .

They are 8 weeks ish. I thought I could coerce them into a pet carrier by giving them nowhere else to hide and cornering them and then do the same to get them back inside.

The run has a lid, so should be okay. How long would you put them out for initially?

Hi mine are out at the moment as it is warm and sunny here. They are 2 and 6 and used to being out.
If it isn't really damp put them out, an hour or so should be fine.
Agreed two pairs of hands to catch them.
We've always said IN or Come IN as we catch them, not sure if they understand but do seem to know it is time to come in - they go and sit in their tunnel and wait to be picked up.
Suppose they get used to the word like they do their names even through some chose to ignore their name

Wow yours follow instructions!

We did have one who when you said HAND would climb on, one one mind you and think we must have been lucky (we were new to piggies and naive) not had one since .
Also if you see from most if not posts Sadie adores DH, ignored me and never acknowledges her name if I say it.
DH reckons it is because her name isn't Sadie .. she thinks it is something else🐹

All guineas need to start slowly on grass.
When my piggies go into Spring , we cut grass for a few days then they start on 1 hour grazing, increasing slowy.
When I get a new pig - adult or baby- I don't know how much time they've had out . My pigs all come from Rescue so they need to share the grass runs , they wouldn't have the full larding days that ours buid up to.

Today was mild but windy, the pigs went out while we cleaned the Pighouse then we put tarpaulins over the runs (they went in when it started to rain properly). The pigs were happily dancing about pretending they were camping

And yes they are little gits to catch unless they want to go to bed. I make DD climb into the big run. GP6 has a smaller run with a front opening door (and he's very lazy )

Our 3 girls were rescue piggles, we've had them 1.5 years now and they were reckoned to be 6 months old when we rescued them; we previously had 2 boys who lived for 7 years, also rescue piggles.

They go out in their run every day from first thing until dark, in pretty much all but the worse weather, and their hutch is out 365 days a year, in a sheltered spot on the patio,.

They have 2 pigloos in the run (although like to squash into one altogether!) and one end of the run is completely covered/ solid sides, so they can shelter from rain easily.

In terms of catching them we have a great method and they are well trained! We have a plastic bucket with straight sides (it's rectangular) which my DD13 lays on its long side in the run when it's time to come in, and they all run into it! She then carries it to the hutch and they run out. In the morning, bucket in hutch, piggles run in bucket, bucket carried to run. No trying to grab them, it's all very laid back and works for us!

We used to have piggies - they also did the bucket trick... lay bucket on side, in they bumble, carry to hutch, out they bumble.

Oh I love bumble that exactly describes Mollie

There's something about the massive fuzzy rump of a guinea-pig that reminds you of a bumble bee . (Especially the Teddy or Rex )

GP6 is like a badger , he sort of lollops along , he has a very straight body , not curved like a rabbit back, more like a table on legs.

Ours though "Benny Hill".
One scuttles off , the other follows in a totally random path, like the infamous chase scenes.
Usually punctuated with "Gp7 , don't be an arse "