Please help me with a hutch

[birtha]

I was hoping to build a hutch for my two guinea pigs, and I was wondering what would be the best ideas to keep must of the heat in and what would be a good size? The guinea pigs are only going to go in it during the day or when its nice out so don’t worry I’m not going to be leaving them out in the
cold.
Anything would help thank you.

[VoodooJoint]

Sorry, pigs should not be left out unattended. If you want them outside then build a nice play yard and have them in it when you can be there watching them.

[birtha]

They wouldn’t really be outside, they would be in my garage with no other rats or anything that might harm them.

[socal805]

Why are you putting them in the garage? They should be inside the house in a nice sized C&c cage.

[aqh88]

If the garage gets lower than 60F or higher than 80F it's not suitable. Pigs do not handle temperature extremes well at all. They need a very stable temperature. Even 60F is a bit cold if there are drafts and if they are in the sun or lack water they can over heat at 80F. Beyond those temperatures you risk respiratory infections and heat stroke even if you do everything right. I've lost 1 and nearly 5 another time to heat stroke. That was on a day that was barely over 80F. They are just too sensitive to temperature.

2nd problem with a garage is car exhaust. If you are parking vehicles in it then you are running a high risk of respiratory infection and quite possibly death. You should even be careful when keeping food items like hay in the garage to make sure it is sealed from the fumes.

It's really not a good plan and outside is even worse. You have the first problem plus predators and more than one person has had their pigs stolen. Even with the pigs on a screened in porch people have had them taken by kids or neighbors. We lost a few to theives once while they were out in the yard eating under our deck. I agree with all the suggestions made on this site for keeping pigs because I've seen first hand what happens if you don't. Guinea pigs belong inside or at least in a heated and air conditioned building with proper ventilation even if that's not the main house. If you can't do that you're probably better off not keeping them at all because while they might survive a year or 2 eventually you are going to find them dead. In the meantime your going to spend quite a bit on vet bills to treat respiratory problems and other illnesses or injuries inflicted by predators.

[birtha]

I am not putting them in the garage all day and night, just for a few hours. We also don’t keep the cars in the garage and it meets the heating standers. I also told you about the predators. All I wanted to know was what would be a good size hutch and the kind of wood I would need.

[VoodooJoint]

What I don't understand is why you would want to move them from the home into a dark, dank garage for part of the day. What benefit would it be to the GPs?

I do not think you are telling us the whole story and I dislike being deceived. In you first post you stated that it would only be during "the day or when its nice out" and your not "leaving them out in the
cold". If your garage "meets the heating standers" then why would you state that they wouldn't be out in the cold (as your garage doesn't get cold) and why would it only be when it's nice out. Surely it doesnt rain or snow in your garage.

Like I said, I don't think we are getting the full story as something just doesn't sound right.

No hutch, no wood. Whatever you are planning I'm certain it is not in the GPs' best interest.

[socal805]

You aren't giving us enough information, are you putting them in there for floor time? Why would you need to put them in the garage at all? I't makes no sense.

[envisionary333]

If you are worried about the space available in your house and you want to make a second cage or play time area, please give us more information and we will help you find alternatives. There are lots of creative ways to make room for play time areas for the piggies, and moving them to the garage really won't be necessary.

[birtha]

I am building it so they can have a play area bigger than there cage (that is still big enough for the cage standers) and if I build a bigger cage it won’t fit in my room. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that my garage is good place for them, its not dark, moldy, has other pest in it, its worm enough, and anything else you could think of. I do give them floor time but I would like them to have more room when I’m gone, and that’s only going to be a few hours, now do I have enough information for you?

[Percy's Mom]

What size is their current cage? You said that the cage is big enough for cage standards, so they should have plenty of room without being put in the garage while you are gone. As long as they get floor time with a good amount of space to run around, a second cage area isn't needed.

If you do feel the need to put your pigs in a secondary cage in the garage, wood is definitely not the best choice for building material. It will absorb urine and water drips, gets dirty easily, and is very hard to disinfect.

[cookie_gal]

Yeah, if you go with wood it will need to have lino or coroplast covering it, over the floor and up the sides a few inches.