Potential Guinea pig owner- inside or outside?

[Shadowchaser]

I’ve been offered a pair of sad looking Guinea pigs from a neighbour. She’s moving away and can’t take them. They are 2yo females.

I am considering taking them however I want to be sure I can provide them a good home before I say yes. I had them as a young child but didn’t care for them myself and to be honest they had a depressing time in living shed with food chucked in by my parents (not my choice!)

Firstly, what’s better for them, a hutch outside or an inside cage? I can provide a much bigger hutch than I can cage (I’ve seen some 6ft double story ones) however inside they would get more attention and be warmer. If they lived outside we have a summerhouse they can go in during winter as well as the usual thermal covers etc I’ve seen. They have been used to living outside.

Are Guinea pigs in need of lots of interaction throughout the day or are they happy enough as a pair? Our children would love to sit with them but during the day we are at work or school so I’m not sure how much playtime they would get. They would be cleaned out and well cared for every day though and im happy to provide toys and enrichment.

If I bring them in, do they smell?

I can also get them a very large outside run, however during winter they wouldn’t be able to be out on the grass if it’s cold/wet/snowing so how do they get out of the cage for exercise? We have a fat lazy cat but it would still be a risk for them to be loose in the house without me there. This also rules out open top cages.

Also, do Guinea pigs get fleas/parasites etc if living outside? Our children would be looking after them and one has a strong reaction to bites.

Im very used to pets making a mess/smell in the house (we have dogs too!) but husband is worried they will be worse. He’s happy to try them though to give them a better life.

Thanks everyone!

I have to say I'm a real fan of keeping them indoors with access to a run in good weather. Sows you can get away with less space, a 6ft hutch for 2 would be plenty for them. I found my 2 storey hutch didn't work for my boys as they hated the ramp and it wasn't enough space for them, so I switched over to c&c enclosure with a run outside . Much better for us and them and we interact so much more as we can sit and watch them etc. They are tamer and friendlier as a result, such characters too!

Something like a Ferplast plaza cage might suit you as they are covered. Just get as large as you can as the more space they have the better.

They can get parasites, but a vet check up when you get them is a good idea. Mites are most common, but the vet will treat it for you.

They don't bite generally- accidental most likely mistaking a finger for food!

As long as you give them lots of hay - for food, playing in and sleeping- but that means they wee and poo in it too, so you need to replace it frequently. Also gets everywhere, but it's what their diet should consist of most, so it's a must.

I think they are harder work than you think, but we all love ours. I don't find they smell, just a good weekly clean out with daily spot cleaning/mucking out as they poo a lot cos they never stop eating!!

I always recommend The Guinea Pig Forum as it's been so helpful - a wealth of knowledge for all your guinea pig needs.

I agree with @Crabapple04 - your guineas will be much tamer and friendlier if housed indoors. They are prey animals, so their nature is to hide when they detect a sudden movement. Guinea pigs kept outside tend to dash for cover whenever people appear, because they're not used to it. In this situation, they appear timid and unfriendly and it's hard to interact with them.

If you keep them indoors, they will quickly become accustomed to the comings and goings of your home, and will start to react with curiosity rather than fear. They love their fresh veggies and before you know it they will be wheeking hopefully every time you open the fridge door. The way to a guinea pig's heart is through its stomach, so pop them on to your lap for a few minutes every day (on a towel - Crabtree wasn't exaggerating about the poo!) with a bit of fresh parsley and they will soon be delighted to see you.

They will be fine with a companion while you are at work, but they will be glad to have a few minutes of attention/parsley in the evening.

Get the biggest cage you have space for, and a covered run for the garden so they can nibble the grass on warm days and be safe from predators/have shelter from showers. During winter, you can let them run around under direct supervision (we used the bathroom so we could lock the cat out while the guineas were exploring)

Ours didn't have parasites apart from occasional mites (which don't seem to bite humans), but you do have to keep their cage/run very clean because the poo attracts flies in the summer and if you leave it there will be 🐛. The guineas themselves don't smell but their cage will if you don't clean them out enough.
Cleaning them out is the most time-consuming part of their care, but it's not too bad - a quick daily freshen up and a more thorough complete clean/scrub of the cage once a week is usually enough. They are so cute and lovely, they are worth the effort. I hope you do feel able to take them on - it sounds like you'd give them a lovely life.

We have ours outside, they have an enormous hutch but also have the run of our small enclosed garden. We shut them away at night and if it's cold or wet but they normally have a whale of a time munching away at the grass.

They are very sweet and are lovely pets. My only warning would be that they have to have a companion so if one dies then you have to find the remaining one a new friend and then you get stuck in a perpetual cycle of guinea pigs.

Thank you everyone for your advice and experiences.

If we put them all outside I could put them outside the back door so they would see us a fair bit as that leads onto the dog run and my dog goes out a million time a day 😄 They could also see us from the kitchen (Our garden is huge and fenced with hedges hence the dog run situation for when I’m not supervising)

I’ll have a look at indoor housing, it’s hard to find somewhere that they will be safe from toddler/cat and also get lots of interaction as well as have enough space but I’ll see if I can move things around. As it stands they aren’t tame at all and have lived outside without much interaction. They come with a hutch but it’s only around 3ft and one story so not much space IMO. I don’t mind about mess too much as we go over twice a day anyway thanks to everyone else being messy but it’s more them being really smelly that my husband is worried about.

I would be the one responsible for cleaning etc which I don’t mind about but it would be nice for the children to feed them etc (obviously I would check!) and maybe take a bit of responsibility on!

If they're used to being outside i would keep them outside and bring them indoors over winter. The summerhouse might be too cold for them.

Indoors is more fun.
Bur also get a really good outdoor hutch / run combo so they can get fresh air and have a nibble of grass most of the year round.

i always had mine outside
once you bring them in you can't take them out again for months
your idea of a summer house seems good
you can buy pet hot water bottles.

Ours are indoors. They are a little bit smelly but as long as you keep on top of cleaning them it’s not too bad.
ours have a litter tray that they wee in which gets changed every day and mats that we sweep the poo off every day and wash once a week.
they go in a run outside when it’s nice which also reduces the cleaning
they like to see what’s going on and soon learned to squeak when the fridge opens. It’s nice to be able to give them little bits of veg and salad throughout the day.
wrt exercise-ours are pretty lazy but have the opportunity to go in the run or sometimes we shut the dog away and give them free run of the hall. We set up a trail of salad to encourage them to move!
handling wise they are happy to sit on someone’s lap for ages and tolerate having their claws cut if bribed with a carrot to eat during the process.
they have hay and pellets every day and water checked every day.
They aren’t zero effort but it’s not a massive job and they are really quite sweet.

Ours live outside in a big chicken coop with a safe area of garden to roam about.I got a really large decent coop instead of a hutch as they were definitely more fox proof. The new coop I have is movable so they keep the grass short and this is what the do all day long, eat. They are 6 years old now. During winter I have a tubular heat bar which is on constantly, costs only pennies a day to run and there is also fairy lights on high up around coop so they cannot chew. They love to be outside. Feel the breeze on their fur, and bask in a sunny spot, even rain showers, I see them out under a bush or sheltering inside a big plant pot hideaway. They’ve got each other for company and my daughter brushes and fusses them often which they do love. They eat a good diet as we are vegetarian so always good food to be had. They’ve never even been to a vet.This winter though I am going to bring them in to live because they are elderly now and I just want to be able to keep a closer eye on them. So this is their last summer of feral living, they will still get playtime outside though.

One story is better for Guinea pigs, they don’t have good eyesight and ramps can be problematic. Also second levels don’t count towards the minimum space criteria. You are better with one level with plenty of flat space. Most people who house inside have C&c grid cages as the majority of shop bought cages don’t meet the min space requirement.