Can someone please sense check my guinea pig plans

[Sprogonthetyne]

We're hoping to add some pigs to our family in the next few months, but before we get to far into planning would someone with guinea pig experience mind checking that what we'll be able to offer will be appropriate and maybe answer some questions.

I was looking at a double story hutch (50×100cm x2 'floors'), then a run (1mx2m). If possible I'd like to connect them, possibly with a short length of drainpipe (would this be OK?) so they can have permanent access to both spaces. The hutch would go on concrete, which has about a 20cm step down to the grass, so the connecting pipe would need to be at a slight incline.

We could also keep a cage and bring them inside for really bad weather, but don't really have room for anything big enough for them to be in long term, so I was hoping to insulate the hutch and keep them mostly outside. Would this be OK? And if so how long each winter would I be looking at having them inside? I could set up the run in the living room temporarily, but wouldn't want it in for months.

So questions

1. Will this be suitable?
2. How many pigs could we house?
3. Should I get single a sex group or neutered m/f couple?
4. What should I put in the huch? I've heard sawdust is a no, so what do I use? fleeces liners have been mentioned, but never actually seen them for sale. Is it just normal fleece fabric cut to size?
5. Bedding, do they have straw or anything else to sleep on or just use hay for sleeping and eating?

Sorry for the dumb questions, just want to make sure I know what I'm getting into. Any help would be much appreciated.

Place marking as I'm considering pigs too. I hope someone replies. Good luck!

I'm pretty rubbish with pigs (my loves are buns and dogs) so mainly bumping. But I know straw is NO as pierces their ears, so hay only. Plus most pigs don't like ramps. Girls are better unless you like boar juice...

Hmm kind of ok, a shed with an attached run would be better they dont really like going up and down ramps that much. If you have the drainpipe at an angle you will need to do something to give them grip for climbing up it.

My pigs are my new babies! They live inside in a c & c cage, they have fleeces which are amazing - I got mine from Etsy. You have to be really careful with ramps and guinea pigs as they are clumsy and easily fall off the sides and hurt themselves
I have 2 girls - god luck x

They really hate cold and wet weather! Ours were inside October- may this year. I don’t quite understand your hutch but be aware they eat the grass very quickly - we move our run most days with two pigs. I’m not sure what you are proposing is ideal tbh. They are charming, friendly little souls and deserve nice homes!

Too small of a hutch, really they're indoor pets.

120x60cm on one floor is the bare minimum stated by the RSPCA, larger is way better. Contact your local guinea pig rescue and they'll help you out. There is also a forum called the guinea pig forum which is full of helpful stuff.

Would we be better doing away with the pipe and moving them manually in the morning and evening? I wouldn't mind but thought having the choice to come and go between the two would be nice. Or DH is quite handy so could probably construct some mini steps, if I can work out how to keep it contained.

Also if they don't like slopes should I be looking at something bigger and single storey insted of the tow story hutch?

*Two

Also if they don't like slopes should I be looking at something bigger and single storey insted of the tow story hutch?

Yes definitely

As others have said guinea pigs don’t like going up and down. They need as much space as possible all on one level. I don’t know why they sell double storey cages etc really, I’ve always read that you shouldn’t even count the second storey in the space you’re offering as it’s the one level space they need.

160cm length is okay for 2 pigs. Anything less is pushing it really.

Personally I truly believe they should be indoor pets. They don’t like extremes of temperature- they can get heat stroke like dogs and don’t like wind and cold weather. They also enjoy watching people as much as we enjoy watching them and like to be indoors where they can see what’s going on. We have 4 in a huge c and c cage that takes up half of our kitchen/ diner.

Google Kavee cages - that’s where we got our c and c cage from and they also sell lovely fleece liners. They are quite expensive though, you can buy cheaper fleece.

kaveecage.co.uk/

Oh and you don’t want any straw. It’s too hard and can actually hurt their eyes and mouths. Just hay and tons of it - for eating, hiding in and popcorning in (popcorn is when they jump for joy basically)!

If you get two boys make sure they’re both from the same litter / same age to minimise chances of fighting but being honest all the boys I’ve ever had have always hit puberty and then fought. Ive always ended up getting them both neutered and mixing with girls. Girls don’t tend to fight the same way.

I use microfibre bath mats for mine, get them in ikea or general homeward. They are great as they dry out really quick when they wee on them. They also love the feel of them. Mine sleep on them but also on hay.
Mine are indoors in a c&c cage. If yours are outdoors u need to make it predator proof. Also I think you can get insulated covers. I think they generally recommend them being in a shed if being kept outside also. They don't do well with extreme weather. Females generally got on better together whereas males can be trickier to bond apparently. I have 2 females.

Single storey is better, at least 120x60cm for a pair, but bigger if possible, especially if you have boys. Same sex pair or group, or one neutered male with some females is an option.

They need to be indoors in winter not outside. They are quite fragile & don't tolerate cold very well. A heated shed at least but they have such lovely characters & you get to know them much better if they are indoors.
A run is ok provided it's safe from all predators including birds.
Sawdust is not good but wood shavings can be used. Puppy pads as a base with newspaper on top then fleece is popular or just hay on top of the newspaper. They need lots of hay, essential for good health, should be 80% of their diet. Not straw, it's too sharp.
Find a good local vet in advance before you need one, someone who specialises is small animals.
Read up on suitable veg & particularly on what's bad for them. Avoid too much high-calcium veg! Feed them nuggets not muesli-type dry food.
Join a rescue group on Facebook if you can, you'll get tons of good advice & support.

Sorry if this is a silly question, but the people saying shed, do you mean a hutch in a shed or just loose to run round the shed?

They just live in the shed, obviously you don't also use the shed as a shed for your bikes etc. You can put a chair in their and sit with them and because it is human height its dead easy to clean out.

People put them in a shed direct. They need a lot of space to live harmoniously, and it needs to be on one level. They can't really cope with dampness. If you're on Facebook join "guinea pigs uk" and you'll get loads of advice. They are fairly high maintenance pets

If you do bring them inside your home, be aware that they do smell! Friends had them inside in bad weather, and despite changing the bedding at least daily, you could still smell them. I think anyone with pets becomes immune to their smell, but I could smell them when their front door opened!

My DD2 has guinea pigs. She has a small summer house outside with their 2 storey hutch in. They have the whole place to themselves and are pretty happy I think - much popcorning going on. The floor has lino down which is covered with fleece bath mats. She used to have sawdust, but one of the gps started having breathing problems which was solved with the mats.
Mixing the male and females didn't work for her as the boars were always fighting. One boar was so vicious, the other - a sow - needed stitches. And the boar was still very young. She only has sows now. They eat a huge amount of greens, she has an under counter fridge to keep it all in, they also poo a huge amount. If the weather is too extreme, she brings them inside, which can get noisy.

We had two gorgeous girl pigs. They shared a single storey hutch which had a separate sleeping area. Sawdust on the floor and loads of hay in the sleeping area. We had a run which was moved every day. Pigs eat ALOT of grass. We moved them from hutch to run every morning and put them back in the evening. The run had a couple of plastic tubes and a fleece lined fabric "tube" They got so used to their routine that they climbed into our arms ready to be carried to and from the run/hedge. They stayed outside for 95% of the year. When it was chilly -loads of straw and old blankets over the hutch. They were also in their runs most days, except the very coldest. Both loved a cuddle and were very healthy. Pig one passed away age 6 when she developed a bladder tumour. Pig 2 died age 7, we think from a stroke of some sort. One minute she was munching grass, the next paralysed on her back . She passed about an hour later wrapped in a blanket being cuddled by dd. Lovely creatures!

Oh I echo that they do smell, no matter how clean she keeps them, they always smell, but like most pet owners, she's nose blind. She's is a crazy cavee lady, she spends all her time with them, to her they're her children. One died a few months back - it was 4 years old - she was devastated. The vet said there was nothing 'wrong' with her, it was just her time. They took paw prints and send my DD a card with them on.

My sister has 3 indoor pigs and she keeps them on Carefresh , cleans out every other day and they don’t smell at all .

Would something like this work better?
www.bmgardenbuildings.co.uk/6-x-3-forest-double-door-overlap-wooden-bike-shed

How would they get on with a tile floor with underfloor heating? DH is an electrician so could install it easily enough. And maybe line the internal walls with installation bord, then a layer of ply on the inside so they can't chew the insulation.

Would they be able to use a cat flap? We could build the run up to the side and give them access that way. Would still need some variety of ramp or steps down to the grass, but we could make it very gradual and less slippy then the pipes idea.

This is the summer house my DD has
www.robertdyas.co.uk/mercia-traditional-summerhouse-7-x-5ft?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl_SHBhCQARIsAFIFRVVSr_feP2Nbv47RcMJpjrRyxM3oobqZwg3yP3xFAGo3z1FhkH3ur00aAsozEALw_wcB

She fixed shelves along the top part for storage - hay, extra mats etc. It's not 'packed in' as she needs to make sure no squatters come in (mice). She fixed hardboard all around the inside so she could put insulation between the walls. The windows are just clear plastic, but she's used a drill to cut holes for fresh air to get in. The hutch is on the floor, on top of mats, this is her hutch
www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/pets-at-home-small-animal-blossom-rabbit-and-guinea-pig-hutch?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&cm_mmc=Google--CPC--%20google_shopping-_-google_shopping&ita=1976&ito=google_shopping&istCompanyId=7255ccad-a1fc-4729-af31-478f79e5071c&istFeedId=385e6b9a-8b03-4076-a8bb-e4737df8549c&istItemId=itxmxrwmr&istBid=tzwt&gclid=Cj0KCQjwl_SHBhCQARIsAFIFRVXds4rHyanw_tXsOXZ5hVzWSE7tzRlElgwHeWxmUYfl57d7Uu1qurwaAiknEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#
The caged part at the bottom has been removed so the girls have the run of the whole bottom of the shed. They have grass tunnels, etc there too, all on those bath mats.
In summer, if it's very sunny outside and hot, she puts frozen water bottles wrapped in towels in there to try to keep it cool, but if it's too hot, she has an inside cage and extendable fence for a run for them.
The gps are handled daily - when she also checks for fly strike, mites etc.
They still smell, no matter how often they are cleaned out, it's just a pet thing. All animals smell.

Hi, sorry to keep bothering everyone but I've been having a re-think. If I move things around I can fit a proper shed in a different part of the garden but it wouldn't be able to have direct access to the grass run. Would that be better or worse? They would still go out in the run when the weather allows but I'd need to carry them so they would be stuck either in or out for longer periods.