i was wrong by saying 'i believe a
cavy is happier outside; i should have nuanced it and say: i believe a
cavy is happier outside in daytime, in moderately warm, dry weather, provided with enough shadow and shelter, than inside in a cage. I hope we can agree on that. (And agree that watching animal behaviour to come to that conclusion has scientific value, and is 'more' than religious belief)
And what I forgot to say is that I totally agree with you on the matter that at night a
cavy might be very uncomfortable outside. And that is why I myself don't take any risks, and NEVER let them sleep outside.
But what i disagree on, is that you seem to think that no matter how well insulated their nighttime housing is, and no matter howmuch precautions you take against predators, you would consider it animal cruelty. I think animal cruelty is far to harsh a word for it. It might not be the ideal situation, but if anything but an ideal situation is considered animal cruelty, we would all have to stop keeping
cavies for pets at all, because who here can honoustly say they can provide their
cavies with all the space a
cavy would IDEALLY need (as much as they would use in nature, approx 600 sq meters, if i remember correctly)
So what bugs me is the black-or-white view here. There is this whole gray area of trying to do your best in the given situation: giving your
cavies the best night time house imaginable and doing everything you can to keep predators out, sounds to me like you care more than someone who keeps their pet locked up in a cage all day