We all want a little place to call our own...... I'm not going to tell you where you should keep your guinea pigs as we all have different situations to work around and indoor and outdoor housing are both acceptable. Perhaps landlords won't let us keep pets indoors ? perhaps you don't have a garden ? Just have a read through the considerations and make a decision based on the best option for you and your piggies.

Outdoors: If you are going to have your piggies living outdoors there are plenty of commercial hutches available that will be suitable or you can construct your own.

OUTDOORS ....
	Thankyou Jack for letting us borrow your hutch ! Jack is the Wheekies bunny-in-law...

Things to Consider:

• Try and make sure the hutch is on legs or sited off the ground - hopefully this will help protect your piggy from the damp/cold ground and also from passing predators. If the hutch is high up it may be an idea to fix a wooden/perspex board along the front edge of the hutch (maybe that slots into a couple of 'arms' on the front so you can easily remove it for cleaning, so that your piggy can't accidently fall out and hurt herself.
• Make sure that it has a tarpaulin / shutters (or something similar) that can be lowered over the front to help protect your piggy from bad weather. Note: It is importatant, if you are covering the front of the hutch that there is adequate ventilation - so, perhaps make some shutters out of something like old Louvre doors, which will keep the elements out but still have the slats to allow proper air flow.
• Ensure your hutch doors have strong bolts to prevent either your piggy getting out or predators [or local trouble-makers...] getting in.
• A nice idea would be to make a permanent enclosure for your piggy containing her hutch with a ramp down to the ground so she can come & go as she pleases. Perhaps a large area of your garden surrounded by a low decorative brick wall / fence, at a height you can easily step over (or have a gate) to go and tend to her (make sure you cover this enclosure with a mesh roof if there are neighbourhood cats/foxes) - you can give her free access to this enclosure all day & include 'dug-outs' in the ground / logs / tunnels etc. for her to hide & play in & which also will provide her with shelter. You could also plant many of the attractive grasses that are available these days so you can replicate her natural environment and she can run around them (if she doesn't eat them first....!) Make sure you lock her back in her hutch at night so you know she is safe.

• If you have the room you can also get a separate portable grazing arc / run to allow your piggy access to fresh grass & more excercise in other parts of the garden (which will also give the ground in her enclosure a rest !). Don't leave her permanently in something like a grazing arc though, she needs a proper hutch with all the protection it provides.
• In the winter / bad weather your piggy will still need adequate exercise so try and bring her indoors when you can to either let her run around freely or construct an exercise area - suggestions are: wading pools, pens made out of Creative Cube panels, puppy pens, panels of coated chip-board.
• It would be helpful to have somewhere to move the hutch to (a garage -but not if you start your car up in there as the fumes are very toxic to piggies, a shed or an outhouse) over the winter to provide your piggy with some protection against the elements. Or, bring her indoors as an indoor piggy and put her back outside for the summer.
• Remember that their water will freeze over in the winter so pay extra attention, also ensure they have extra bedding to keep them snug - you may want to clean them out even more often so no damp patches of bedding will freeze.

• Try and locate the hutch where you can see it easily from the house so you can monitor your piggy, also the nearer it is the more likely you are to tend to your piggy in the bad weather. Try and locate it somewhere sheltered and somewhere that gets a bit of shade in the summer.

Indoors: I love having my piggies living indoors with me, they are always there for me to pick up and cuddle or just to sit and watch their antics. I couldn't imagine them living in the garden, I would miss having them near ! An advantage of having them indoors is that I think you get to know them that little bit more and perhaps notice if things aren't quite right that bit quicker. I think it's also easier to clean them out (who wants to clean a hutch out in the middle of the winter in the wind & rain ?- it has to be done !) they will stay dryer and probably be less prone to respiratory type problems.

INDOORS ....

When considering what type of pen to have you need to consider:

• Will the house be shop bought - or home-made?
• How many piggies will be living there - ie. how big does it need to be?
• Do your piggies need protection (ie a lid) from other household pets?
• Where is a good place to locate the pen?
• Give some thought to excercise time for your piggy

Shop Bought or Home-Made ?

It's really a matter of personal choice, they each have their pro's and con's.

Shop bought cages can be very expensive to buy if you want one of a reasonable size, (some I've seen have ranged between £ 48.00 for a single pig cage - £ 120.00 for a very large rabbit cage) however, being made of plastic they are relatively light and very easy to clean. They consist of a plastic base, normally about 6" deep, which is good for keeping the bedding in but is low enough for your piggy to look over, they also come with secure lids - either solid clear plastic or cage bars (bars provide better ventilation). There is a reasonable variety of these types in suitable sizes available now - any of the sites on the internet that provide pet supplies should also have a good selection. Get the biggest you can afford.

If you opt for a home-made pen you can have it as big as you want, you can add windows, doors (so your piggy can come and go as she pleases), ramps up to platforms and fit the pen into any location you want. You can also paint it to match your decor. However, they can be heavy & difficult to manouvre (I have wheels fitted underneath mine). Some people add little piggy houses & hideaways, I don't as a rule but do sometimes put them in for the piggies to play in. I used to have them in there all the time but I found that the piggies instinctively ran away to hide in them rather than adjust and get used to my comings and goings, which they are now, they run to see me (and what goodies I have for them) rather than run to hide. I do sometimes put the big cardboard 'chubes' in for them to play with though. It is a matter of personal choice. A very popular option for indoor housing these days are pens made of cube grids - see above pic, and all manner of things - there are a few links to check out for ideas on my Links / Useful page.

As long as you remember to make it from non-toxic materials and ensure it is easy to keep clean.

How BIG Does It Need To Be ?

Well, I'd say get the biggest pen you can get. As a minimum I would suggest for 1 or 2 piggies 4ft x 2ft would be the smallest you'd want to go. For each additional piggy it is usual to allow a further 2sq foot. As piggies are quite addictive I would err on the large side in case of future additions. The bigger the better !

Where to locate the pen?

If you want your piggies to be well adjusted piggies putting them in your normal family room / lounge will be a good idea, they will quickly adjust to the noises and comings and goings and will benefit from being in easy reach for treats and cuddles. Don't let them be neglected in a cold back bedroom. Don't site the pen in a busy door/hallway though or anywhere where they will either be in a draught or will be subject to too much heat. Put them somewhere they can be part of the family - you'll soon find you end up like us and watch their antics in the evening instead of the television !

Exercise.

Piggies need to have room to run about and jump around, so please let your piggies run around your lounge in the evenings, they are so entertaining it will be a pleasure for you. For further info on how to have a happy pig go to the Entertaining page.

EXERCISE

In the warmer weather you can get them a grazing arc / run in the garden for periods during the day so they can nibble at the grass, just be sure it is secure (so they can't out or the neighbourhood cat get in) and that it contains some shelter for your piggies from the sun or rain. Make sure you also provide a little food & water & hay. I would advise supervising your piggy when it is in the garden (a run does not substitute the need for a proper home for your pig).

Click here to see where my piggies live.

Next >>

Bedding and Housekeeping

My Piggy House

Feeding

Edible Wild Plants

Poisonous Plants

Daily Routine

Cosy Cavies

Entertaining

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Page Last Updated: 30/09/04