Guinea pig hutch enrichment

[sparechange]

I've just rehomed a pair of 3 year old male guinea pigs, and am looking for some advice on how best to enrich their hutch and run
They previous owners have given me the hutch, which is a huge double-decker one, similar to this one

They didn't have a run for them, but let them run around in the kitchen although I get the impression that happened less and less recently

I am reluctant to leave them out in a run all day, because we have a lot of cats and urban foxes around us, but would like to make sure their hutch is as interesting as possible for them, and also give them supervised time in a run or in the house

Any tips and pointers would be much appreciated

They should be OK in a run all day in the summer, as long as there is somewhere that they can get to safely - I had a small, sturdy wooden box at the end of the run where mine could hide. Tunnels are also fun for them to run through.

However, now that the weather has turned, they do need to be inside. Have you enough space for a run inside?

They need plenty of hay to burrow in/eat. Fresh veg to eat and water. You could give them fresh grass from the garden, or reddi-grass from the petshop. If there is space for a tunnel or two on the bottom level, then that would give them something to play with.

TBH they don't really need much enrichment apart from food and sleep! They can be really lazy! Taking them out for a cuddle every day is also good for them.

Thanks Jappy

Do they need to be inside 24/7 at the moment? We are in London so it is still 8 degrees and sunny during the day
At night they are inside in a smaller hutch in our basement and then they've been going back into the big hutch during the day

We could put a run in the basement for them, but there is only a small window in there, so they wouldn't get much natural light, and there isn't space for a run upstairs when DCs toys are out!

Once DS is in bed, they come out for a potter around the kitchen and cuddles with us, and then go into the inside hutch when we go to bed (and back to the outside hutch when we get up)

If I put some tunnels in the outside hutch, plus lots of fresh veggies to keep them busy, does that sound ok?
And when the weather improves, they can have most of the day in a run outside

I had piggies and rabbits as a child and adored them, and really hope DC will grow up with the same love and appreciation for them

I used to bring mine inside at the beginning of November until about the end of April.

They do really need to be inside due to the moisture in the air - cold, damp air is a recipe for lung infections, which can be fatal.

I would put a large run in the Basement around the hutch (something like a puppy pen) if you can - so they can come and go as they like in/out of the hutch and still be safe. If the run can attach to the hutch, even better. I would get the biggest you can and put some vinyl flooring under it - easy to sweep and keep clean. If the basement only has a small window, you can always use a daylight bulb in the light - this will give them more light.

Make sure they are getting a good varied diet with plenty of vitamin c and d - the daylight lamp will help with vitamin d. Mine used to like kale, carrot, mini sweetcorn and mange tout, spinach, small amount of apple, parsley was a great favourite.

I haven't had piggies for a few years now - I do miss their little faces and their squeaks when breakfast is coming.

Are they used to being outside at all?
I wouldn't feel happy leaving my pigs outside while we're out (foxes here too) . This summer my DD was home for months after her exams so she was on Hog Watch.

Definately too damp/cold to be out now. Its the damp that harms them rather than cold.
We used to put our pigs out in their Pighouse (wooden playhouse that's adapted for them) in the daytime (they have an unheated room inside at night)
But they were completely covered. They had hayboxes or hutches with floor space at all times (depending on what stage we were with revamping) . I put fresh dry hay (kept inside overnight to be the right temperature) , Snuggle pads in the hay and a little heater 30 minutes before to cosy up.

My pigs are now middle aged so last winter and this year they're inside night./day.

When they do go out , I recommend the Bunny Business runs , secure , peg them into the grass with metal tent pegs, they are high enough to fit all manner of boxes and tunnels.
You'll need to build up their grazing time gradually to avoid bloat.

The basement sounds fine for excercise , they like being in or under things so the lack of light shouldn;t be an issue at playtime providing they do have access to light at other times.

Boars are lovely and snuggly , much tidier than sows IME . They do need loads of room though.

Boars are lovely and snuggly , much tidier than sows IME grin

Oh no they aren't! A bombsite would look tidier.

Yes a bombsite , but a much tidier bombsite than the sows had .

Our GP7(sow) has been happily married to GP6 (boar) for about six
weeks now -and I'm sure the chuntering that goes on is part "In your dreams , matey" when he tries it on and "OMG, I've just stepped in something squishy" when she just poohs at random.

He did neat little pooh nests , we could tell where he slept or rested by the droppings .