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?
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?