My outdoor housing idea

[Smudger]

Hi all!

I live in the South East of England, and have 2 albino guinnea pigs (Sparkle & Smudge) and 1 grey lop rabbit and 1 beige dwarf rabbit (Buster & Biscuit).

They've been living indoors with me (2 cages, Sparkle & Buster in one, Smudge & biscuit in the other-they're all male and I have to keep the guinnea pigs seperate from each other as they fight), but I've been wanting to house them outside as my place is very small, and I'd feel happier if they could have more space and choose to go outside when they wanted to.

So, this is what I'm going to do and any suggestions would be welcome!

I ordered a garden shed on Sunday, and once it arrives I'll build 2 runs into it-ground floor only, each one will be roughly 1.5' x 6', and will be seperated by wooden frames covered in wire mesh (like most outdoor runs are constructed). Each run will have a cat flap set into the wall, which will allow access to an outdoor run (again, seperated down the middle to stop any fighting, but so they can all say 'hello' to each other).

The Shed:

Secure locks on the door, and the wall and ceiling joists will have insulation placed between them and will then be boarded over to keep it warm for them. The cat flaps will be weatherproof and lockable. Each run will have a basic box shelter at one end, and if it becomes neccesarry I will look into a suitable heater/cooler to keep the shed at the best temperature for them.

The outdoor run:

This will be a wooden frame/wire mesh construction. It will be secured to the shed and the ground, the lid will be firmly locked to the base, and the ground under the perimeter of the run will have a row of bricks 3-4 bricks deep to prevent burrowing.

Hopefully this will provide them a secure enviroment where they can have more freedom than their current living arrangement allows, and will allow them to pick and choose when they want to go outside and play without having to rely on me to put them out there.

Thoughts/suggestions?

[cinn&sprinslave]

Ok that sounds good, I did something similar for a while except I (well other people helped) built a one room type shed right next to my house then I put a door their so I could get in (this is a very very brief description but you should get an idea). They had proper heat, light, air, etc. But I no longer house any of my piggers in there, I moved them all inside. (Only two were living in it) (and every one here was having a cow or fit so I just figured I could get rid of a couch or chair or something and bring them inside) (I now pracitcally have piggs in every room )

ok so for heat I would suggest heat lamps. Two or three depending on how big the shed is. Heat lamps work better than electric heaters. Electric heaters have high flammable warnings etc.

Cool Air- In the summer if it gets above 85 degrees take the piggs inside for a day of floor time or something. But even if it isn't 85 degrees I would suggest getting a cooling fan. One that automatically blows out cool air. Here is what I have (and used to use) "Seville Classics" it is a rather large fan but really keeps every thing cooled off. Works very well.Again heaters and air conditioners have high flammable warnings.


Rain- you would have to close off the outdoor run off when it is raining other wise the piggies and bunnies could get sick. Too cold etc.

I have other suggestions but I have to go.

Remeber outdoor environments should be the last choice. If you have other options then use them.

[Furkidsmommy]

Did I read that right. Do each of your guinea pigs each live with a rabbit?

[Smudger]

Thanks for the reply!

The only other choice I have is to leave them where they are now, but as I said I want to give them more freedom and space, and the only way to do that is a) move house, or b) put them outside. Moving house isn't an option at the moment!

What I'm trying to do with the shed is give them a living enviroment comparable to the one they currently have, with the added bonus of allowing them to play outside when they want to. I'm assuming that if the weather's bad that they will choose to stay indoors anyway-if not, the cat flaps are lockable so I can keep them inside until the bad weather passes.

I'm going to look into air-conditioning as opposed to heating, so I can set and maintain the perfect temperature for them all year-round.

Edit: Furkidsmommy-yes they do. Why's that?

[Furkidsmommy]

Rabbits and Guinea pigs should not be housed together http://www.cavycages.com/rabbits.htm
Please read the above link

[Smudger]

All fair points, but to be honest, the only problems I've had in about 2 years have been guinnea pig related: they started to fight each other and blood was getting shed, so they had to be seperated.

They all eat the same food (which is a rabbit mix from my local garden center, which seems to be exactly the same as the guinnea pig mix only without the sunflower seeds which are apparently bad for them), and sometimes I'll mix this with some Guinnea pig pellet mix.

As far as living together goes, each pair get along famously-the rabbits and guinneas' are very affectionate towards each other-they groom each other and always sleep/rest together, normally with the guinnea draping himself over the rabbit like a blanket!

I haven't had any problems with pasteurella yet (and hopefully I won't), but it's coming up for 2 years now (well, almost-we only got biscuit yesterday to keep Smudge company) and they seem very happy with their current living partners! Plus, whenever they go to the vet for check-ups or innoculations, the vet always comments on how healthy and happy they are.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the advice presented in the link that you posted, but I wouldn't house rabbits and guinneas' together if it was affecting their health. I understand the issue of rabbits being larger etc, but again, the only injuries sustained have been through Sparkle & Smudge fighting with each other (including Buster getting a bite on the bum once when they kicked off next to him and he didn't get out of the way!).

Thanks for your concern, it's appreciated!

[cinn&sprinslave]

Well I am glad you will be looking into a heating/cooling machine! To keep the Temperature accurate. Good job! I have to say that if I had to choose between moving or housing my guinea pigs outside I would probably choose outside.

Piggies and bunnies should not be housed together but it sounds like yours have been together for a while now and are living peacefully. Since you are most likely still going to be housing them together the only thing you need to worry about is Nutrition, your guinea piggs need their own food (Timothy Based Pellets, preferably Cavy Cuisine by Oxbow hay) and veggies (so they get enough Vitamin C), and the rabbits need their own food (pellets preferably by Oxbow Hay). And they both (piggies and bunnies) need an unlimted amount of Timothy hay.
But still keep in mind that your piggs may be seriously injured by your bunnies. By putting them together you are risking their health and lives. But it is your choice no one here can force you to decide.
Good Luck with building a good outdoor environment.

[Smudger]

To me, splitting them up isn't really an option as it would mean having to house them all individually-Sparkle & Smudge have proven time and again that they can't be around each other without fighting, and the 2 bunnies would probably be the same. I'm aware of the risks involved, but after nearly 2 years of rabbit/guinnea harmony I'd rather leave them together than split them up and have them with no one to play with.

Anyhoo, your concern (all of you) is appreciated, and I understand that yes, rabbits have the potential to be physically dangerous to guinnea pigs, but as I said before I haven't seen any evidence of that so far-again, the only harm that has befallen my guinneas' has been from the guinneas' fighting each other.

So, with that in mind, any suggestions on how my housing idea could be improved? I want this to be the best of both worlds for them: a safe indoor/outdoor enviroment that will give them the most space I can offer.

[bunnyluv17]

Are you going to build outdoor runs too, or just let them run loose in your backyard? Letting them loose is very dangerous so I hope you are building runs. Do you have raccoons, foxes, or any other predators where you are? The wire spacing for runs must be very small so raccoons can't stick their paws in. The outdoor runs must have top, bottom and sides. The top prevents predators from getting in, and the bottom prevents rabbits from getting out and predators from digging in. I would give them lots of hay/straw in the outdoor run so the rabbits can dig and burrow.

Since they will be living outside, they will be more suseptible to illness and injury so you need to do thorough exams of your animals almost every day. Outdoor rabbits are prone to flystrike. Don't forget that all of them will still need lots of attention and care ( even during snowstorms, thunderstorms, and all kinds of weather)

[cinn&sprinslave]

oh for an outdoor run idea see a pic of my outdoor run-
http://www.cavycages.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=1242&password=&sort=1&cat=516& page=1

The wireing would need to be smaller if you have raccoons like BunnyLuv said.

[Smudger]

The two indoor living areas will each have a cat-flap that allows access to an outdoor run for each guinnea/rabbit pair-they won't be having free run of the back garden! The runs themselves are probably 3' square each, made of wooden frames covered with wire-mesh with a very small grid. Each run is topped with a sturdy lid-one half is the same mesh as the sides, the other is a sheet of wood which provides a shaded area. I plan to have a small brick wall buried under the perimeter of each run, to prevent escape via tunnelling, and will secure the runs to the floor (probably with metal tent pegs), and the lids to the runs (probably with some suitable shop-bought catches).

I just decided (after a chat with my dad) to insulate the floor of the shed with thick polystyrene sheets, and to cover those with some packs of tongue and groove chipboard flooring (the stuff you use in attics).

All in all, this should hopefully be a little palace!

[cinn&sprinslave]

Cool! I bet the piggs will love it! Whats polystyrene sheets?

[Smudger]

Thanks!

Predators shouldn't be a problem either-we get the odd fox around here, but my garden has a 6' high fence all around, and the outside floor area around my fence is all concrete so they couldn't dig their way in if they wanted to!

Polystyrene sheets: that white stuff used for protecting items-you find it when you buy computers, tv's etc-it's normally moulded to fit around the item in question, but in this case it will be in large flat sheets. Easy to cut to size, and a good insulator.

[cinn&sprinslave]

Ok thanks for the info on Polysyrene!
So how is you outdoor housing going?
Did you get your shed yet?

[Smudger]

Haven't got the shed yet-it turns up on the 9th of November, so I'm currently putting in the concrete base for it.

I think I've managed to find a good thermostatically controlled heater/cooler to maintain the ideal temperature all year round, and I've also found this:

http://www.sctltd.co.uk/acatalog/WirelessCam.html

which I plan on getting so I can keep an eye on them when I'm busy in the house!

[Piglet]

That is so cool!

[loves2travel]

good idea with the camera, although i wouldnt get into the habit of using it too much. If you see a cat pounce on them when you look in the camera, chances are, it will be too late by the time you go out and try to rescue them.