Outside play-area for the summer

[ParanoidEv]

Hello!

I wondered if anyone else tried making something like I am wanting to do and has any tips/suggestions for me.

In the garden we have a little serparated piece of land. There grows nothing there, it just gets used to throw ground from old plants on etc, so it's just wasted land. So since I now have piggies, I wanted to make a summer(/spring) playtime-'resort' for them there.
My idea was to buy a grass-roll (real grass) and roll it out before it's time for the pigs to go outside so it can get attatched to the ground. Then build something all the way round and on top so no cats can do any harm to the pigs. I was thinking about something like this but only smaller. I haven't really figured that part out yet.
And that would be the base. Anyone had and idea on what materials to use, or fun things to make within the cage? Maybe like a little pond that I can put in fresh water?

[Piglet]

I don't get it, you can't put those wire thingys on the floor to act as a base.

I was thinking the same as you. Spring is on its way so I want some sort of play area out side. All I'm doing is making a play pen out of cubes and then making a cube roof.

[tashagurl]

My cage was outside for most of the year, weather permitting. I detached a dog crate and used that for fencing. I wouldnt put a pond in though. I have a bunch of pics in my gallery if you want to look.

[bunnyluv17]

The problem with sod would be that it has probably been treated with some sort of fertilizer and/or chemicals, and if the piggies eat some of the grass it could be very harmful. So I would reccomend trying to find organic sod or grow your own grass. If they are going to be outside unsupervised and in the summer they will need protection from predators, the weather, and the heat/sun. I wouldn't put a pond in because if a piggie fell in they may not be able to get out.

[ParanoidEv]

Hello, thanks all for the replies! I wasn't going to put the grid on the base, the base would be grass and the sides would be that type of grid, a modified dog cage would be a good idea indeed. I do not have the cube type-grids here and it wouldn't be temporary, which I like. Ofcourse I am going to watch out what kind of grass I put in there, I was making the area there because we do have a big garden with grass but that IS treated so they can't walk there. Anyway, I ment a little pond were the water wouldn't come higher then their heads when they should jump/fall in, just to drink out instead of a glazed bin. The place is resonably shaded so that wouldn't be a problem

[ParanoidEv]

Would it be possible to grow untreated veggies, like a crop of salad, within the cage?

[tashagurl]

Ive thought about that. But wouldnt they eat it down to the ground before the poor vrggies had a chance to grow?

[ParanoidEv]

Hehe, so true, that would be very possible with piggies. But I'll give it a try, and will also grow a few outside the cage

[John4216]

If your going to let them play outside in the enclosure remeber they do not tolerate heat to well and prefer 65-75 degrees roughly. I would also strongly suggest that you use mosquito netting to cover it as well. Most people tend to forget about the insect life that can affect your piggies in a bad way. Fleas, ticks, and mosquito's to name a few that can carry nasty diseases/parasites that can harm them.

[ParanoidEv]

Heh I had to convert the degrees but I got it! It doesn't tend to get very hot here luckily so that wouldn't be a problem. I live in the rainy Netherlands, when it gets too hot for me it would probably be the same for the pigs. That also means not that much nasty insects but I could imagine a mosquito bite would itch terrible for a small piggie! I still have an old big mosquito-net for a bed, so I could give that a new life

[John4216]

Not just the itch either...mosquitos carry all sorts of nasty things that can kill pets so its always better safe than sorry