Thinking about getting some Guinea Pigs - Does this set up suit?

[Dusty M Yeti]

I know there are some Guinea Pig lovers on here so would be grateful for advice/guidance. I have a few questions!

I had GPs as a child and would like to get some again. Childhood ones were kept outside in a hutch by the back door which was sheltered and covered over in the worst winter weather, they went out on the lawn in a run in the summer for hours at a time, they both lived until aged 8 years old. Having been doing my research recently I see a lot has changed and many piggies are now indoor pets. I don't have room in my house to do this, and I have a terrier who would be very interested!!

I do however have an American Barn with stables and storage areas which is light, dry and well ventilated and I would like to put a hutch in there, does this sound feasible?
I'm thinking an outdoor style hutch would still be the best type even though it won't get the weather?
I like the two tier hutches, for more space, but I understand some piggies don't do ramps, I think I could persuade my OH to modify inside any hutch to make ramps shallower if needed and put edges on ramps but do you think its better to get a long one tier hutch - say 6ft x 2ft?

The dog and the horses don't mix so she won't cause any issues, but I do get mice in the barn (never rats, so far), I do control the population but in reality I'm probably never mouse-free, can/do mice cause issues with GPs? Disease contamination? I know the wire mesh on the hutch would need to be small holed so mice couldn't get in to food and the hutch would need to be raised off the floor.

Could I bed the piggies on wood pellets?

Can I feed them my hay, made for the horses from my fields?

I like the mobile runs available, like this one:
https://homeandroost.co.uk/product/...MIwOHZ8bnI2gIVybobCh1dHQqhEAQYASABEgItzvD_BwE

I can put a run like that out in the summer in the garden, but I'm also thinking that whilst I'm in the barn in winter (I spend a lot of time in there) I could put piggies in the run for more freedom with enrichment, toys etc, in one of the spare stables, I could probably find a spare rubber mat to sit it on, does that sound like a good idea?

So all in all, does this sound like a suitable set up? Anything I should especially think about?

 

[ester]

I have piggies, when it came to moving from wilts I discovered they had more furniture than I did . I think people have moved to having them indoors because they do seem to quite like being involved with things as well as them not being ideally equipped to deal with the damp and cold (though mine did the winter before last outside as we were staying with friends). I'm sure they would be happy with your suggested set up though.

Mine are indoors in winter but go out on the grass every day, and I used to put them in a two tier hutch in the summer but I donated that for temporary hedgehog rescue as it was on its way out.

Mine always ace ramps, I think in part because they grew up with them, they had small ones in their hutch but they have big ones at the boarding place and are fine with them too, edges and carpet can help if they are unsure.

Mine live for grazing, they love it and I do feel a bit bad that at the new place they won't have enough over winter.

You can bed them on woodpellets, I have used them in the past, I tend to use aubiose now out of preference (but the longer stalk beddings can cause issues with boys apparently, I have girls ).
My get bog standard horse hay

 

[webble]

Yes the barn set up sounds good as long as they have lots of straw (warmer than hay) in winter. Personally I would go for a larger 1 tier hutch the bigger the better, rspca guidelines are min 2ft x 4ft for a pair of pigs

 

[ester]

They get more 'floor space' with a one tier, the ramps can take up a surprising amount of room. When they go on holiday they are in a shed in a 2 tier 4ft hutch and with a large area secured in front of the hutches too, though I think the rabbits use those spaces more than a lot of the guineas do.

 

[splashgirl45]

Yes the barn set up sounds good as long as they have lots of straw (warmer than hay) in winter. Personally I would go for a larger 1 tier hutch the bigger the better, rspca guidelines are min 2ft x 4ft for a pair of pigs

i may be wrong but i was told not to use straw for bedding as it was too stalky for piggies, so always used hay which is softer.

i would say if you are housing them in the barn and have plenty of room get the biggest hutch you can and maybe raise it off the floor a bit to make it less easy for vermin to get in, it wont stop them but may make it less accessible to them...mine were always fine with a ramp but i put a piece of wood down the side so they didnt accidently fall off as piggies dont bounce if they fall from a height. i kept mine indoors and they were great company. good luck and we will need piccies when you get them....

 

[honetpot]

|I used to have a free range guinea pig, he was an accidental escapee one winter and never went back to living in his hutch, he was just fed in there. He was the fittest pig I have ever seen, all muscle and far different from the girlies that lived in the hutches. He had free range of our garden, and next doors garden about half an acre, and lived in the garage, which was his territory and he used to eek when you walked in if he was home.
They are more agile than you think and can climb, when he was still using his hutch he would climb in, and one breeder had a male get out and it managed to visit all the ladies in stacked cages. Just make sure you stroke their bits to see if they are the same sex, they are very good at hiding their manhood.

 

[Dusty M Yeti]

Thanks for the advice so far, am now getting fully carried away looking at some amazing set ups on t'internet

 

[webble]

i may be wrong but i was told not to use straw for bedding as it was too stalky for piggies, so always used hay which is softer.

i would say if you are housing them in the barn and have plenty of room get the biggest hutch you can and maybe raise it off the floor a bit to make it less easy for vermin to get in, it wont stop them but may make it less accessible to them...mine were always fine with a ramp but i put a piece of wood down the side so they didnt accidently fall off as piggies dont bounce if they fall from a height. i kept mine indoors and they were great company. good luck and we will need piccies when you get them....

Ah yes you could be right, I am so used to dealing with rabbits I didnt think it through

 

[ester]

Thanks for the advice so far, am now getting fully carried away looking at some amazing set ups on t'internet

Yes that can happen, I have considered doing a C&C set up and you can definitely looking at other people's version of them

 

[Hexx]

I'm thinking about getting some piggies again.

I had some about 4 years ago - they lived outside in a 2-tier hutch (it was 2ft x 4ft) during the summer - May-October, had no problem with the ramp) and went out in a run daily from about 7.30 to sunset, depending on the time of year. In the winter (November to April), they came into the utility room and had two large cages joined together. I have two dogs (JRT and a Miniature Pinscher) and to be honest, the only thing they were interested in were the carrots that the pigs got for breakfast. I never had any problem with them harassing the piggies. One time, one got out into the garden and when I called the dog in so I could catch the piggy, the dog just came in, totally ingoring the piggy, and it must have been out for a while.

I always bedded on hay and used to buy it from the stables by the bale. Fed reddi-grass in the winter and fresh vegetables and mix. Fresh veg and mix in the summer.

You could attach a run to the hutch to give them extra space to run around in - get one that is at least 6ft x 4ft. They are quite sociable, so enjoy watching what is going on and commenting on things - mine were certainly very vocal, especially when they heard the fridge door being opened!

I did have a little mouse that used to visit the hutch and pinch the mix, but never saw a rat (I had had problems with rats, but got that sorted out so was quite "clear" of them).

Good luck - post some pics when you get them - they are just the cutest.

 

[SpringArising]

Like others have said, a larger one-tier space is better. I don't see the point of the two-tier hutches at all - they're just two tiny cages stacked on top of each other.

Yes you can feed and bed them on 'horse' hay (will work out a million times cheaper) and woodpellets would be great for bedding as minimal dust.

I absolutely love GPs and can't wait to have some again when time/location allows!

 

[splashgirl45]

this thread is making me want piggies again, trouble is i dont really have room to house them properly . it made it worse as i was out with a friend yesterday and she wanted to pop into pets at home so i saw some lovely piggies....we must have piccies when you get yours...

 

[saddlesore]

Just found this post- Guineas pigs are amazing! I have 2 girls and keep them in the living room as they are very sociable and cuddly. Minimum of 8sq feet for a pair of sows, 10sq feet for a pair of boars. The more time you spend with them the more time they want to be with you so do consider an indoor set up 😬