outdoor vrs indoor

[Fluffball]

Thats fantastic! You should be so proud of yourself!

I hope it all works out great and remember you can always ask any questions you have and we would all be more than happy to help. Im sure your piggies will love it!

[Faunn]

I printed out the long explaination, and I'm going to show it to my mom+dad. Currently, I'm deciding on moving furniture around in my room so I can have a bit more room.

[C&K]

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I printed out the long explanation, and I'm going to show it to my mom+dad. Currently, I'm deciding on moving furniture around in my room so I can have a bit more room.

That is great news, hopefully it works out, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Personally, as a parent, I think that whatever my children want to do to their rooms or whatever pets they want to share it with, is their business. If I would allow it in a large bedroom, I would allow it in a small one. We managed to work in a single bed, futon, computer desk, small library, long dresser and entertainment centre into my 11 year olds room, and it is only 9 x 10 feet!

However, my mother would freak out if our dresser did not fit exactly at the foot of our bed on the adjacent wall, and our two night tables where moved anywhere from being 6 inches on both sides of the bed, apparently it look "awful", so I am rather certain she would not have been keen on a giant C&C in the bedroom (or anywhere in the house for that matter!)

Anyway, I digress, let us know how it goes! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
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[Aertyn]

Cavies and kids, gosh that sounds like my mum...

My bed is in the exact center of my room (we had to measure how far it was away from each wall), the two bed side tables are exactly 3 inches from the side of my bed, and she absolutely refuses to let me change anything around so I can fit in a cage for my pigs. She agrees that they should be inside, and said I would only be allowed to have them in my room, and yet will not allow me to move anything around so that I can actually fit a cage in my room...

go figure!

[C&K]

[FONT=Arial]That is really frustrating. All I can suggest is keep working her by suggesting that it is indeed, your room, you are the only one who has to look at the disorder! Maybe keep handing in new floor layouts of your room every week with different possibilities. She knows inside is best(that is the hard battle), she just has to let go of her anal retentiveness!

At least in a few years you will be able to make all of your own decisions on furniture placement in your home, but that does little to help your pigs now.

I don't know the dynamic between you and your parents, and usually I don't suggest nagging or rebelling against them, but I would perhaps try to really lay it out on the line, say that if anything happens to them, you are going to feel immeasurable guilt, be it over heating, freezing, or over heating. If they get sick and die, you are always going to wonder if it would not have happened if they where inside.

I don't know if you could, but I would be just about brazen enough to make a C&C, move them in, and then see how she deals with it. But, this could backfire by turning into a very ugly power play in which she turns around and never lets them in again just to make a point that she is in charge.

*Sigh* It is just so hard to know what to do.
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[Faunn]

[FONT=Arial]I don't know if you could, but I would be just about brazen enough to make a C&C, move them in, and then see how she deals with it. But, this could backfire by turning into a very ugly power play in which she turns around and never lets them in again just to make a point that she is in charge[/FONT]

Cavies-and-Kids, (Talking to me?) both my parents say after my pig passes away, we'll have no more piggies (NO!). Hopefully, I'll be able to drive and (Even against orders...) Will drive to the shelter and purchase 2 and hide them untill my mom finds out. She'll get pissed, but she wouldn't bring them back. I think...

[BabyGrl]

Faunn, you really need to respect your mothers wishes. If she says no more than that is how it needs to be. Disrespecting your parents is not going to help your situation.

[C&K]

Cavies-and-Kids, (Talking to me?) both my parents say after my pig passes away, we'll have no more piggies (NO!). Hopefully, I'll be able to drive and (Even against orders...) Will drive to the shelter and purchase 2 and hide them untill my mom finds out. She'll get pissed, but she wouldn't bring them back. I think...

Sorry If I confused you, In post #63, I was talking to you, however Aertyn replied to my comments with her own experiance, and I was talking to her in post #65.

I don't know what to say in regards to going against your mother. How old are your pigs? They can live 5-7 years, even longer. You may find yourself out of your parents house before you find yourself pigless.

Why don't they want you to have more pigs?

[Aertyn]

Cavies and Kids, my relationship with my parents...not good. I barely talk to my father (because he barely talks to me), and my mum, well...im an 18 year old so my relationship with her is the same as any other 18 year old really. Unfortunately I'll be living with them for another 5 years or so. As my Uni course is 4 years, and I'm not starting that until next March. But I'll keep working. The eldest pigs are nearly 2, so they will be 7 before I can even think about leaving home...and technically they aren't really mine, mum pays for everything, and I clean them out. But as soon as I get a job, I'm going to start buying their hay and veggies (just have to track down some good hay). So I'm slowly converting here to the whole idea of keeping them inside. Weird thing is, when we were first looking at getting Guinea Pigs, we actually looked at one of those big indoor cages (like this one, except it was the big one, and it didn't have the ramp, http://www.critterstore.com/sp-60277.html).

I just can't figure that women out.

[Aertyn]

Sorry, tis too late to edit my post.

http://www.onlinepetstore.biz/Default.aspx?tabid=26017

It was the largest one, but we had the same problem, we really had no where to put it.

[Faunn]

Well...I have one, and he's about 3 years. Also, because I have had 3 pigs total...I'll need to check with my mom about exactly why, because I'm not sure...

[x__Piggies__x]

Hi i am new here, im a girl, XX from the UK.
A few years back i had two sow guinea pigs, lived for 6 and a 1/2 years, second piggie passed away a few weeks following the first ones death, they lived outdoors, in a large hutch in a shed, ever since they were babies, (at the time the thought of keeping them indoors didnt enter my mind, and i was 9 at the time so decisions wernt in my hands anyway) they were happy enough, but i must admit i didnt visit them much, especially in the winter, and never got them to earn my trust because of not handling them regular etc and i always regret that.
On Sunday i bought two 10 week old male piggies, i named them pepper (because he is black....original huh?) and Cotton (because his head is brown and his bum is big and fluffly and white, so he looks like cotton balls) now i bought them a new wooden hutch and due to mums instructions put them outside the back door up against the wall, since sunday i have visited every day, cuddled them, fed them, and tried to care as well as i could, but every night when i tried to get to sleep, i felt guilty, and hated the idea of keeping them outside (and this was before i came on this forum!!!) i don't know what it was, i know this sounds silly but they are like my little babies and the idea of leaving them outside not only worried me but made me feel bad. one of my piggies, Cotton, keeps getting milky fluid in one of his eyes, and i read that this could be down to draughts which made me feel so unbelievably sad because being outside would obviously be what caused it. Especially as they are babies and came from an indoor pet shop, i just felt wrong.....coming on here has certainly confirmed why i felt so bad!! and even though after crying over some of the truths youve stated on this thread, im glad i come on here, after reading some of these posts, i just couldnt bear the thought of them staying outside, i called my mum up, and it didnt take much at all to convince her to let my piggies come indoors with me. I'm so thrilled, i think we are going to put them in the spare room (door open of course!!!) or at the hallway upstairs near my bedroom.

I just wanted some advice, i have only just bought this hutch so would annoy me to think i have thrown my money down the drain, but is it unsuitable to keep guinea pigs in a wooden hutch indoors???
now on my hutch the roof opens, so i could easily unscrew the hinges and take this off, would this make it a better home for them??
I just don't want them to be worse off indoors, because it will be new to me, so if the hutch is fine indoors, do you have any more advice or tips? like should i open a window for more ventilation in summer, should i use, more or less hay, any other requirments for keeping them indoors,??? i want to give them the best life possible and don't want to make any mistakes when there living indoors
I was going to buy them a new cage when they got bigger anyway, but is a hutch ok for indoor use?
I'd appreciate your help, and thank you, for making me realise i wasnt mad in thinking my piggies deserved to be indoors with me =)
x-x-x

[Ly&Pigs]

one of my piggies, Cotton, keeps getting milky fluid in one of his eyes

That is grooming fluid and perfectly normal. They use the milky fluid from their eyes to clean themselves.

but is a hutch ok for indoor use?

Not really. I doubt it's the size you need for 2 pigs. The minimum housing requirements for 2 pigs is 7.5 square feet. For 2 boars, it's recommended to have 10.5 sq. ft. because boars are more territorial. Unless your hutch's inside measurements are at least 28"x42" or larger, it's too small. Also with them being on wood, the wood will get nasty from pee and will start to harbor bacterias.

As far as hay, they need a constant unlimited supply of grass hay. They also need a plain pellet (no mixes) and fresh veggies daily to ensure proper dietary needs are being met.

I have to tell you that members under 18 are not allowed to post their age for internet security reasons so I've edited your age from this post and from your profile. I would like you to read this link as well. It's a guide for newbies to cavy cages with links to many good pages. http://www.cavycages.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17032

[turnip]

hi im new i'd just like to say i've always kept my guinea-pigs indoors and they lasted ages bless them

[guineasqueak]

Whay does the cage have to be kept off the floor at leat a foot (mine is, but I never even thought that that mattered unless they lived outdoors???)

[x__Piggies__x]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

Unless your hutch's inside measurements are at least 28"x42" or larger, it's too small. As far as hay, they need a constant unlimited supply of grass hay. They also need a plain pellet (no mixes) and fresh veggies daily to ensure proper dietary needs are being met.

I have to tell you that members under 18 are not allowed to post their age for internet security reasons so I've edited your age from this post and from your profile. I would like you to read this link as well. It's a guide for newbies to cavy cages with links to many good pages. http://www.cavycages.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17032

Thanks for the info, sorry about posting my age, i didn't realise!
My hutch is 20" x 41" and i think its big enough for them at the moment as they are only small, when they get bigger i was thinking of making my own cage for them. I will clean the hutch out when needed, if it does smell bad, i will have to invest in a new cage sooner than planned.
Thanks