Help My Guinea Pigs Are Being Attacked!!!!! Help!!!

[sloveladypowell]

I moved my 2 guinea pigs outside due to a sever allergic reaction to the odor in the urine. Well everything has been going fine,

BUT i have new neighbors, and they just got a cat. he/she has countinously tried to get ahold of my cavys. i tried covering the cage, spray that scares them away, i even left my poor chihuahua outside to help guard them. The dog outside semi works, but i cant leave my poor dog outside. its way to cold for him, perfect for izzie and kia they love it.

its a very large 64 square foot garden complete w/ their own vegies. I could bring them inside but that is a last resort. my cavys love their garden, i have never seen them so happy.

Does any1 have any ideas on what i can do, i ask my neighbor but she said it was my problem and that i should leave her cat alone. i raised thease cavys since they were 5 weeks old. please. i'm desprate. they are a huge part of my family.

(the cage is a large 8ftx8ft planter box w/ grids around the sides, and the top of a pet store cage for shelter, the cat sneaks in at night or even during the day)

[pigsforlife]

I find it hard to imagine how you can be allergic to the odor of their urine. You are either allergic to the PROTEINS in the urine or saliva or the pigs hay. What is the difference between leaving your dog outside and your pigs? Pigs should be treated equally, like a family member and therefore your answer is simple. BRING THEM INSIDE! If you have a problem with smell, CLEAN IT MORE OFTEN! Pigs are fragile little critters that are not only good targets for predators (like your neighbours cat) but also can not cope with the (often drastic) temprature changes.

[Ly&Pigs]

Cavies really do not belong outdoors. I just hope for your sake that you don't go outside one day and find dead pigs because the neighbors cat attacked and killed them.

I find it hard to believe that you don't want to leave your dog outside because it's too cold but yet you leave your pigs outside to possibly end up freezing. Pigs need to be in a stable temperature environment otherwise they can end up freezing or with heat stroke.

[sloveladypowell]

My doctor was the one who told me what the problem was. The odor combined with my asthma is very bad combo. I even bought a $300 dollar airfliter for the room they were in. AND YES I WAS CLEANING THE CAGE EVERYOTHER DAY, using carefresh ultra, and it was a 2x8 cage. I have tried everything to keep them inside.


I have talked to vets and they say it is perfectly okay for them to be outside. This is the first time I have ever had a problem with any attacks. There are other cats in the neighborhood and they don't have a problem with the cavys. My family european family has raised cavys in outdoor enviroments for years. They maintain their temp by nesting in hay and keep cool when its warm with frozen water bottels. I have never seen mu girls happier.

I'm buying a outdoor hutch for them in the morning.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone but all I was looking for is help. Or a better idea that would work for my family.

(my puppy would love to stay outside with his best friends, but he can't deal with the cold. He is a chihuahua. He prefers it extreamly warm)

[pigsforlife]

Pigs can not deal with the cold either. And I wasnt implying that your dog should be housed outside, heck I wouldnt even recommend that, just that your pigs should be treated equally.

[sloveladypowell]

[quote=pigsforlife;364822]Pigs can not deal with the cold either. quote]

The extra hay provides warmth. Along with blankets for night time

[Jennicat]

Originally Posted by sloveladypowell

My doctor was the one who told me what the problem was. The odor combined with my asthma is very bad combo.

I have a boyfriend with severe allergies, and it's much more likely that you're allergic to the hay. Of course, the doctor wouldn't know just from you telling him about it. We had to go through allergy testing. He was perfectly fine when they tested him against guinea pig dander and urine.

Originally Posted by sloveladypowell

I have talked to vets and they say it is perfectly okay for them to be outside. This is the first time I have ever had a problem with any attacks.

Maybe your pet's life being threatened by a predator is a pretty gosh-darn solid reason why it's a bad idea to keep pigs outside? Vets, sadly, are not generally trained in small animal care and husbandry. My vet complains a lot that once you get your license, you can go out and practice on any animal you want, even if you never had a class on that animal in your life.

Originally Posted by sloveladypowell

There are other cats in the neighborhood and they don't have a problem with the cavys. My family european family has raised cavys in outdoor enviroments for years. They maintain their temp by nesting in hay and keep cool when its warm with frozen water bottels. I have never seen mu girls happier.

Poor pigs. If putting them outdoors where they're being attacked by cats, and being ignored for large parts of the day made them happier, it seems like they didn't have a very fulfilling life inside.

Originally Posted by sloveladypowell

I'm buying a outdoor hutch for them in the morning.

I do not know of a single outdoor hutch on the market that meets the minimum cage sizes recommended here. Does this all fit in with making your guinea pigs happier?

Originally Posted by sloveladypowell

The extra hay provides warmth. Along with blankets for night time

How does it do against cats, dogs, and other predators? Even with "outdoor hutches", I've seen many cases of animals attacked by predators. They can break into the hutches, especially since the animals are unsupervised for large periods of the day.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by sloveladypowell

The odor combined with my asthma is very bad combo.

I have a horrible hay fever too. And hay fever is very common. It's possible that your doctor didn't mention it because he didn't know the exact situation.

Some hay has a lot less dust and it helps. I use a dusk mask when dealing hay and that helps too.

Originally Posted by sloveladypowell

I was looking for is help. Or a better idea that would work for my family.

We are trying to give you the best help there is. That is, not at the expense of pigs.

Whey you said you pigs were happier outside, do you mean jumping ups? They do that when they are in new environment due to excitement. It doesn't always means that they are happy. Beside, they couldn't have expected temperature change and predators coming.

[aqh88]

I have talked to vets and they say it is perfectly okay for them to be outside

Those vets are idiots about guinea pigs. Most vets are. Sure I can go ask my local vet who does cats, dogs, and livestock about guinea pigs but I'm gonna get answers based on what works for cats, dogs, and livestock. He has killed some of my guinea pigs in the past before I knew better. Now I use a guinea pig knowledgeable vet with a c&c cage.


Your pigs will get eaten eventually outside. Maybe they will be fine for a year or 2 but even that is too soon to lose an animal that could live 6-8years. This is farming territory. Everything here lives outside. So of course we thought pigs belonged outside too. We tried every type of cage/pen possible and I'm sorry to say we lost 5 pigs to animal attacks while I was growing up and many babies to theft. We now know pigs do not belong outside. I also nearly lost some to heat stroke about 6years ago while I was letting them eat grass outside. Pigs are too sensitive to temperatures to even be put out for a few hours on most days. If it's too cold for your dog it's too cold for the pigs. Even small thin coated dog breeds are ok to about 40F. Pigs can start to get stressed and sick at 60F. This summer they will be at extreme risk for heatstroke. It was only around 80-85F the day I nearly lost mine. If I'd checked on them 5mins later at least one would have been dead. Then there is the possibility of snakes, spiders, birds of prey (common predators if your pen doesn't have a top), and other things that could poison or otherwise injure your pig even if they aren't big enough to eat them. The odds are against you. They will die many years sooner if you leave them outside.

There are many ways to deal with allergies. Yes you can be allergic to the urine but it's the proteins in the urine not the smell. You need to keep as much of the proteins in the cage and out of the air as possible. That means a low dust bedding, fleece is a great option if you have allergies, and wear a dust mask and gloves while cleaning. The cleaning so frequently is probably making your symptoms worse. Cleaning the cage is the worst for people with allergies. Sometimes you have to get someone else to clean the cage for you. It takes about 2 days for my allergy symptoms to go away after cage cleaning day. If I was cleaning everyday anything but fleece I wouldn't be able to have pigs. Go search the forum there are endless suggestions on how to deal with allergies and many of us have allergies and live with ours pigs at least close to symptom free. I also have degus and gerbils and I very rarely have even a slight stuffy nose other than cage cleaning day.

If you can't figure out a way to deal with it I would suggest you look for a new home for the pigs with someone who can keep them inside and will care for them properly. They will live a longer, happier, less stressful, and healthier life safely indoors.

[VoodooJoint]

Dangers of Outdoor Housing
UK GP housed outside dies of heatstroke
GPs stolen from outdoor cage
2 GPs in outdoor cage killed by dog (on Animal Precinct)
HAWK, drops guinea pig in someone's yard
Violent thugs batter family pets to death
Thread about people breaking into outdoor hutches and sheds
2 guinea pigs stolen from outdoor shed
Guinea pig attacked by rats in shed
Magpies attacking GPs in their outdoor hutches
4 GPs dead. Cause is a suspected mouse infestation in shed and garden
Ant infested yard and hutches
Warning for those keeping animals outside
Guinea pigs stolen from "Cavy Sanctuary"
GPs stolen from outdoor garden
More Guinea pigs die of heatstroke
Guinea Pig Killed by Cat

Summer is Coming. Should You House Your GP Outside?
Outdoor vs Indoor

[VoodooJoint]

Ooops, I almost forgot to add the latest link to the "Dangers of Outdoor Housing" list.

Guinea Pigs Being Attacked by Cat

[FoolOnTheHill]

Welcome to the forum, sloveladypowell. As you can see, , this forum is against outdoor housing for various reasons - animal predators, hot and cold weather, and of course outside, you would most likely not interact with them as much, therefore maybe not noticing illness or change in behavior. But I think you need make the best of your situation at the moment (making sure the cat cannot get to them)

I have no experience with allergies, but maybe you should get tested again, as it may be hay or their fur which irritates you. Using fleece bedding or serving their hay in a paper bag might help.

As they are currently outside you do need to protect them as much as you can. I would recommenced constructing a solid house for them to stay in at night, and shelter from wind, rain or hot sun. Make sure the floor is lined with plastic to stop urine spreading into wood and becoming stinky. Then i would make sure the run has a roof that can't easily be blown or knocked off, maybe chicken wire? If it's too large to cover at the moment I would solidly cover some of it and let them sue the rest while you are around to supervise. I'm not sure of the weather conditions where you are but you will need to adjust their bedding to make sure they are comfortable. If it is very cold/hot try and bring them in overnight. Or - better - do you have a shed or *unused* (no poisonous fumes!) garage you could house them in?

overall I would try and arrange for them to be inside...maybe a little-used room or something? Anyway as they are outside and apparently liable to attack I thought I would try and help them stay safer outside.

[sloveladypowell]

Finally someone who can atleast be understanding.

I swear I have been tested over 5 times. And the vet I went to has had cavys for years. Both indoor and out after her son moved back in.

We live in Northern California, the weather isnt bad enough yet to the point where they need frozen water bottels. It averages around 72 during the peak hours. and the low 60's at night. In which case they have fleece blankets, and excessive amounts of hay (i by my hay by in mass quanties)

I wish I could bring them inside but, the size of our house with my allergy problems is unbareable. Its only 724 sq. feet between four people. I converted my room so i could have them inside but after trying every option of bedding, 4 diffrent hepa filters, numerious allergy test, cleaning the very large cage everyday and then the outside encloser.

They are even more apart of our family outside. May not seem like it to everyone else. But we spend more time outside than we ever would in. The cavys are almost never alone, espically on weekends. They have even became friends with my 3lb chihuahua. They touch noses and the cavys popcorn when they see him. Its really cute.

AND honestly if I didn't care about my cavys and wanted them to die, which is what most people seem to be hinting at, would I even bother comming on here asking for advice?