Would I be able to keep guinea pigs in a shed?

[Fololomolo]

And also how much work are they? We are considering getting them as pets for our dc. My ds is really good with animals and I am confident he wouldn’t get bored with them.
We live in Scotland so get quite cold winters but our house isn’t really big enough to have them inside. I think the smell would be too much in a small house?

In a cage in a shed? That's a sad life for piggies 😞

I wouldn't. They are susceptible and cold and damp and many piggies lead short, sad lives confined to inadequate living conditions, dying prematurely as a result. You will get people coming on and saying theirs have been fine, but unless you can guarantee they will not be subject to cold, damp conditions (doubtful in Scotland where you know the winters will be cold) then it would be kindest not to buy them in the first place. They like human contact and being confined for hours a day to a cold, dark, damp shed is no life for them.

And they don't smell indoors. Especially if you clean them regularly. I had house piggies for years and they didn't smell at all.

Thank you. I was just checking if it was ok or not as both pets at home and local breeder told me it was. But I am a softie and I know once they arrive I would prob end up bringing into the house cos I felt like a terrible owner leaving them outside.

I’ve just got indoor c c cages from Kavee. The guinea pigs really love them.

They do smell indoors. Maybe not from their litter if you spend the whole time cleaning them out, but the hay and bedding have their own aroma.

They can live outside, even in Scotland but it's a lot of work. Insulate the whole shed and they should have free run of it. They will need bedroom cleaning everyday as if they 'they sits they shits' and wee can freeze. Need an isolated bedroom area well packed with hay, you can add snugglesafes heat pads but they don't last all night so have to change them. Better to have four for warmth. They are a lot of work but are a lot of fun. Like rabbits sadly mistreated.

No, they gave you appalling advice. As others have said they are very susceptible to damp and are extremely sociable animals who thrive on good company. Keeping them in a damp shed will also really lower their life expectancy and make them miserable.

Thanks for the advice. We will rule out this option. Dh will be glad not to have to give his shed up too x

@Fololomolo

Thanks for the advice. We will rule out this option. Dh will be glad not to have to give his shed up too x

Do post pictures when you get them

Hi twinguineas! I don’t think we will get them now. Too worried about lack of space in the house and also in case they smell. We haven’t a utility type room to put them. Which is a shame as they just look so cute. We will probably look at getting hamsters instead now.

@Fololomolo

Hi twinguineas! I don’t think we will get them now. Too worried about lack of space in the house and also in case they smell. We haven’t a utility type room to put them. Which is a shame as they just look so cute. We will probably look at getting hamsters instead now.

I wouldn't get hamsters, they are nocturnal and keep you awake at night running on their wheel and you don't see them much. They are anti-social little things. Guinea pigs only smell if you don't clean them out often enough - we do a spot clean every day (10 minutes) and then a full clean once a week (30-40 minutes - ours have a large cage)

I should say we had hamsters for 2 years, fish for a while, rabbits for a while but have had guinea pigs for 10 years now - we foster them. Our latest ones were hand reared by us as they were orphaned. I wouldn't have anything other than them now

I keep my piggies outside all year round. They do very well.
Next step is to buy a shed for them, to upgrade from their (large) hutch and because we want to buy more...!
They have a good outdoor run but at night and in winter, a shed will keep them warm but they’ll also have loads of room. I’m going to cut a little hole to an outdoor section so they can still get out, and put different levels and lots of nest boxes filled with hay.

I’ve been thinking lots about my guinea pig palace! :)

Hi, I've got some little piggies, wasn't that keen to be honest but I would recommend them, they are low maintenance as you buy them in pairs and have a lovely nature. I have females and I don't believe they smell as much as males. I have fleece liners for their cage that I wash, so much less hassle than sawdust.
I've previously had hamsters and rabbits and would say the Guinea pigs are the better pets for children.

As well as the cold you’ll need to think about the warmer days as the heat inside a normal shed could kill them.

Most small animals need substantially more room than pets at home will recommend (to try and sell you their expensive and inadequate cages). Also if you do get an animal from PAH please take them to a vet ASAP to get them sexed, they’re notoriously bad for mis-sexing and and people ending up with accidental pregnancies.

We use (and recommend) modular cages, we have 2 guinea pigs in a cage which is 2 levels, downstairs is 8sq feet and upstairs is 6 sq feet. Our two pigs (both boars so not normally a recommended mix) are bonded well as they have been together since birth and are now 10 months old but they still like the individual space, often one is upstairs and the other downstairs. They sit there and call to each other, especially if I get one of them out of the cage and not the other.

FancyARoot, where in the country are you ? Roughly?

Twinguineas- what sort of cages do you use? We have two very lovely guineas, they hate the rain and we can’t bear the thought of them out in the cold so we are just planning their indoor winter quarters. We have got lots of space but we have a dog (who ignores them) so they do need a lid. I’ve been looking at the kavee ones - are they robust? They seem expensive for what they are?

Mine live outside - just on the outside deck for 9 months of the year outside the open kitchen door so we chat a lot to them. We have a thermostat in their cage so can keep an eye on them. For the other three months they are in a heavily insulated cage in a shed. I don’t let it go below 10 degrees.

Why are boys together not recommended? We’ve only ever had boys, we have three together. If one dies, we get another young one, put them all in a small cardboard box together for a bit then let them into the big hutch. We’ve never had problems and have done this a few times now on the breeders recommendation. I’d never heard it wasn’t recommended.
What do you do with yours? I’d hate to keep them alone.
I’m in Wales btw

We made the cage with these, it's very stable. We made a stand which is 4 2x2 supports and then constructed the cage on top. We use this www.wickes.co.uk/Proplex-Black-Surface-Protection-Sheet-2400-x-1200-x-2mm/p/118670 as the base inside with fleece liners

@FancyARoot

Why are boys together not recommended? We’ve only ever had boys, we have three together. If one dies, we get another young one, put them all in a small cardboard box together for a bit then let them into the big hutch. We’ve never had problems and have done this a few times now on the breeders recommendation. I’d never heard it wasn’t recommended. What do you do with yours? I’d hate to keep them alone. I’m in Wales btw

We have fostered boars who have had to be separated due to fighting resulting in broken bones and nasty bites. Bear in mind we only see the ones who don't get on, it's possible to bond boars but for it all to fall apart in their puberty.

Mine had my DC old wooden playhouse , like one of those little Swiss Chalets .

DH altered two of the windows so we could take them out but inside the frame had a bars/chicken wire and mesh lining to keep out large and small predators and flies .

We gave them hutches on the floor that had openings so they could get out on the floorspace 24/7
It was dry , we put rubber mats and cardboard on the floor
Changed the bedding in the hutches every day

In Summer they had a fan
In winter they had a heater to take the chill off and SnugglePads in deep hay
There was a light to make things easier for us .

In Winter they did come in at night , in the small bedroom.
We had to make sure the Pighouse was warm enough and fresh bedding before they went out .
Usually bring the pigs in, take out the dirty bedding .
Next morning ( usually me ) put the heater fan on to waft , fresh paper/hay , leave 30 minutes , put the piggies out with breakfast .

They loved it , loads of space and light .

Indoors they are messy little rodents and noisy

When we got to the last 3 oldies we kept them inside all winter , we reckined they were too gragile by then to ive out . Had to make sure the radiator was off in their room.

They can be easily ignored though and you cannot afford to do this , they can get very ill very quick .
DD and I did the PigWork , we shared the guineas