Where do you keep your cavies indoors or outdoors?

[Fluffball]

Hi everyone!

I would really like to know where you keep your cavy. Indoors or outdoors and your reasons as to why you chose to do so.

I have heard it is a ''culture'' here in Australia to keep them outdoors in hutches. I keep mine indoors, based on the environmental factors we have here in Australia. In summer it is hot during the day and freezing cold at night. Exposing a cavy to these temperature extremes is bad for their health. Their native country is Peru where the temperature does not fluctuate as much. Different country mean different tempatures. Cavies cannot cope with this and will soon develop a URI or worse.

Also Australia has one of the largest populations of poisonus spiders and snakes. I woud not allow my cavy to be exposed to these creatures and risk one being hurt when I am not there looking out for it.

What are your reasons for keeping your cavy where it i?

[lol_adel]

I keep mine outside under the gezeebo or how ever you say it
but I put them inside if it gets over 30 degrees

[Myspoiltpiggies]

I keep some outside, some inside. As I live with my parents, not all are allowed in the house.

[lol_adel]

my parents wont let them inside ,they say they're too smelly!

[SugarSpice]

I keep mine inside of course ! They are part of my family , and at least i know they are safe everyday and can see when they need new water , food , vegies etc.. as soon as it gets low. . They are never too warm and never cold , Plus if one gets injured or sick , i can tell as soon as posible .

[The Magic Taco]

Mine aren't in hutch, but in a very large pet store bought cage in out courtyard, which is undercover and very protected from wild animals. Except once, when we found an enormous black dog in the courtyard, but that was before we had the guinea pigs, and it has never happenned again. Plus, the dog has moved away or something.
Yeah, so mine are semi-outdoors. I should take a picture.

[i love piggies]

Well first off I live with my parents and they ont allow my guinea pigs inside.

So mine are keep outside in thier own Shed/grannyflat. I have customised this "granny flat" so they are protected from the elements.
I am always outside checking on them and I know they are safe.
But offcourse when it is too hot/cold I am allowed to bring them inside, mum sympathiese's then.

[Matt & Guins]

Mine are kept inside in a C&C cage, mainly for the fact that I live in a unit and on my very small balcony there is furnature and a BBQ.

If I had a backyard, they would be kept outside (protected from the elements of course).

Matt

[Jinx_Rox]

Mine are kept out because of mum!! & DAD

[thecarerescue]

Mine are kept inside in a converted double garage under the house. They take up both sides (since moving most of the pigs into single level C&C cages).
It's the warmest place in winter and the coolest in summer, our house gets pretty hot inside so it was the best option. I wouldn't keep them outside.
I'm down there most of the time (wireless internet, sitting with the pigs).

[amie60]

Mine are inside, in the loungeroom, in their single level c&c cage (we do plan on adding another level one day, we only finished making our cage yesterday, so its been pretty exciting for us and the piggies here over the last few days
I have seen a fair few outside cages, but I do prefer to have my guinea pigs inside with the rest of the family. All our animals live inside with us, we have two dogs, FitzChivalry, our Maltese cross Chihuahua, Kettle our mini foxie, a cat Chade (Somali), and 5 fish (one Betta Splendon, the rest are gold fish).

[Looby]

i keep mine outside, my two piggies seem to love it more.

[i love piggies]

I would love to keep my piggies inside, but it seems that us youngsters (even though I am 19) have to listen to our parents. But I have to say that if I couldnt keep my piggies outside safely. I wouldnt even have them.
When I am older and have my own house then I will keep them inside..

[Aertyn]

Ours are outside as well, we can't keep them inside, my dad hates them (well, he pretends too, we think he secretly thinks there funny because when he thinks we aren't watching he's going over and patting them and picking grass for them to nibble on, of course then i have to go pick more coz he never gives them enough and the end up fighting over it)

My mum is also allergic to the Guinea Pigs, (yep, she has to put steroid cream on her eyelids) But she loves them anyway, even though they make her eyes red and itchy then they get all gross and puffy and cracked (eyelids i mean).

If I had my way, (and the money to do it), id have them inside and running around in a play centre in the living room.

But they are still pretty safe outside, one hutch has a tin roof that is pretty heavy, and we put it up on bricks so that we don't break our backs cleaning it, so it's on legs, on top of 3 bricks, plus the height of the cage, it's pretty impossible for anything large ie snakes to get in. We don't have any cats, and it'd have to be a cat with the brainpower of Einstein to get in.

Out other hutch is less fancy, but it's still covered and is again raised up on bricks, with latches securing down the play area lid, and the bedding area lids.

[stitsy&codyPig]

I keep mine inside! I keep him inside because i don't think it is safe outside with all the cold drafts of air and stray animals.

[Fluffball]

But they are still pretty safe outside, one hutch has a tin roof that is pretty heavy, and we put it up on bricks so that we don't break our backs cleaning it, so it's on legs, on top of 3 bricks, plus the height of the cage, it's pretty impossible for anything large ie snakes to get in.

Tin can become very hot extremely quickly. The temperature flucuation can cause health issues for your piggies. Tin does absorb heat during the day and quickly looses it at night.

I would urge you to use another material, such as wood. Metal is one of the worst materials you can use. Just a healthy suggestion

[Aertyn]

It is under cover, and it's rarely on during the day i made a lightweight roof, out of some leftover trellice and some shade cloth, (you know the material you make pergola's out off), and we tie that on and tie the roof to fence behind it, it's only ever on during the night and during winter.

[Fluffball]

Thats good I thought you had it on all day! , im glad its not otherwise it would get much too hot for the piggies.

[enchantingcavy]

If your piggies hutch/aviary etc is kept in the shade then the metal won't heat up although as someone suggested metal can get quite cold in winter although if your guinea pigs have sufficient hay and things to snuggle in to keep warm then they'll be fine. The benefit or metal is that it's 100% waterproof and also that it's alot easier to clean and remove bacteria from. With wood it can harvest bacteria easier and be harder to clean long term .
My guinea pigs are not housed directly on metal although are " in " metal aviaries and shed setups ( lined with waterproof bases and their normal hysorb woodshavings/hay bedding )...I don't find any of these heat up in summer as all are placed in shady positions where the metal cannot heat up. In winter they can get quite cool although again with warm bedding and little houses and hidey holes the guinea pigs are fine. Most of my guinea pigs live until ripe old ages between 6-8 yrs old so I can safely say the metal has not killed them yet I can't even remember a day when one of the pigs housed in metal housing was unwell to be honest...I quite like it because you can sterilise and clean out bacteria on metal alot more efficently than on timber...

I also house some of my guinea pigs in wooden hutches and there are pros and cons with these aswell....

I think there are pros and cons with both metal and timber and it's a matter of when using either material, to make sure the one chosen is the one that suits your circumstances best and is safest for your piggies.

Just my thoughts...

*~jess~*

[enchantingcavy]

Hey I have an idea! We should scrap metal and wood and just go for plastic hehe...

With my last reply I'm not saying I don't agree metal can fluctuate in temperature from day to night it definitely can...I think it probably depends alot on cage size aswell as with large aviaries there's quite a height from the roof to the floor and so much space for bedding and warming items to be placed inside the cage yet with the smaller lawn hutches that are metal I guess they are lower to the ground and alot smaller and might differ???

*~jess~*