Guniea pigs with only a back yard

[Squeakpopcorn]

My youngest child really wants some GPs. This is all very hypothetical because we have an elderly but healthy cat so it wouldn’t be until we nolonger have him. We currently only have a back yard and I’m unsure if it’s suitable for grass. Is grass an essential and if yes, how much would we need?

We have plenty of in door space for the colder months to keep them inside.

No, grass isn't essential. Guinea pigs can be kept inside full time so garden isn't essential at all.

We have indoor guinea pigs that we put outside for a few hours a day if it is warm enough and the grass is dry. Tbh they do t get outside very often because the grass is rarely dry!

Don't let lack of grass put you off. They'll be fine outside or inside without grass.

I would really recommend considering keeping them indoors, in a high traffic area. We see them and talk to them and give them little treats all the time because we pass them regularly when moving around the house. I know we wouldn't spend anywhere near as much time with them if they were outside.

My Gps are mostly indoor too, just go out in the summer on warm afternoons. TBH they find outside a bit scary. We have a big cage and a run they use most days too, all in our utility room, which is basically their room.

This is the same as us! They have a cage in our (weirdly large) hall so we're always in and out chatting to them etc. Have the run of the halls most evenings for a couple of hours too as it's fully secure with no hazards. They have a run on the front garden for warm, dry afternoons but they're not actually too fussed and much prefer being indoors, I guess it's just what they're used to - when we had outdoor pigs years ago they hated coming inside for the winter!

@Squeakpopcorn we have an elderly cat and I was worried as he was a hunter in his day, but it's absolutely fine. We're very careful - cage is fully secure, hall is fully secure and we never have them out for cuddles with the cat in the room or anything. But after the first couple of weeks he pretty much ignored them, he just walks past the cage to go upstairs without any issues.

Guinea pigs are lovely pets, my 5 year old loves ours and is often chatting to them, he's good with feeding them and very gentle when stroking them etc. They do poo absolutely loads though - more than I remembered! You'll have to get in a rhythm with spot cleaning and fully cleaning, there's loads of options for bedding from shavings, horse type bedding to bobble mats and special fleece cage liners. They need loads of hay too.

Once you're in the groove it's easy enough, but I definitely had a wobble after about a fortnight before I'd figured out the best methods for us, thinking omg what have I done 🤣

They're so cute and chatty and friendly that they're worth it though!

Thanks everyone. This is all very reassuring. My cat also used to be a hunter and last spring managed to get hold of a chick which fell out of a tree.