Behavior Lonely guineapig?

[Emmmn]

Members from Australia want to chime in with their experiences?

Don't forget that it's more than just four-legged predators to be aware of. Humans have been known to steal guinea pigs right out of hutches or even take the pigs out and harm or even kill them. Local dogs or cats can also be drawn to hutches. Don't forget about cold snaps or heat spikes. Spiders, flies (fly strike is no joke!).

Also, in many cases, although not intentional, many guinea pigs left outside are out of sight, out of mind. The intention is to go out and check on them, to feed them, etc but without the visual inside, sometimes it can get forgotten. Also, with them outside, you can miss signs of illness that you would notice if you were walking by them while inside. Guinea pigs are prey animals so they instinctually will hide their symptoms until it's almost too late. Guinea pigs can go from seeming perfectly healthy to dead in 24 hours. So time is of the essence when it comes to noticing symptoms.

I think I know my area? The living area where I spend most my day has wide windows and sliding doors where I can perfectly see my pigs so somebody stealing them isn't of concern, they are also not far from the door either so I can see them popping their heads up. And I know about fly stroke which is why I'm investing in a FLY screen to cover the cage, as stated in it's name flies or any other insect cannot get through it unless it is intentionally cut.
I'd also like to add on the topic of them being stolen, I have a 7 month old puppy that is absolutely obsessed with my pigs so much that he growled at me once without realising who I was when he heard me entering the room where my one pig (at the time) was being held. The cage they are in is raised when they are outside where my dog (who is tiny but possessive) cannot reach or touch it in the slightest, I also do not let him anywhere near them when they are out of their cage. He is constantly growling and barking at people or any type of bug or animal that get to close to the house that I have to check up on him and who he is barking at whenever he does so.
So not only are my pigs in my line of sight whenever they are outside but I will also be alerted of anything that poses a threat to my family or my pets due to my dog.

I also stated which I don't know if you read that they will only be spending a few hours outside per day- literally three hours added up at about 30 minutes to an hour at a time, and because of Australia's bipolar weather they will most likely be coming inside a lot during those hours that I plan on leaving them out.

So I appreciate your concern but I'm pretty sure I got it covered.

 

[Omgitspink]

Are you building the cc cage for inside?

 

[CavyMama]

I'm sure you think you've "got it covered" and that you can see them from the house...but when you aren't home? Or asleep? Who is watching them then? I could show you a list of stories of people who felt the same way you do, "Oh they are fine. We've thought of everything" only to go out the next morning to find the hutch broken into and the carcasses of their pigs strewn about.

I hope your pigs are fine - I really do but inside there is a 0% chance of them being hurt or taking ill from a quick change in weather. Can't say the same for outside.

 

[jaycriae]

I know I'm late to this, I still wanted to say congratulations on your new pigs and I'm glad they're getting along! A couple hours a day outside shouldn't be too bad, as long as you make sure they have plenty of water and it's not too hot outside. Guinea pigs overheat a lot faster than people realize.

Good on you for going on Gumtree instead of to a pet store, also!

 

[Emmmn]

I'm sure you think you've "got it covered" and that you can see them from the house...but when you aren't home? Or asleep? Who is watching them then? I could show you a list of stories of people who felt the same way you do, "Oh they are fine. We've thought of everything" only to go out the next morning to find the hutch broken into and the carcasses of their pigs strewn about.

I hope your pigs are fine - I really do but inside there is a 0% chance of them being hurt or taking ill from a quick change in weather. Can't say the same for outside.

You obviously haven't read my replies properly as I have stated that when I am not home they will be inside and they will be coming inside at around 3-4pm EVERY evening. So do not try to twist my words and make me feel bad for what I am doing.

 

[Emmmn]

Are you building the cc cage for inside?

Yes

 

[Comely Guineas]

A couple of hours outside is equivalent to what people (including me) take their guinea pigs outside for grass time each day. I'm also assuming the pigs are in your yard which is reasonably private? (no one can see them from the street etc) So if people were to come into your yard then they've obviously got more on their mind to steal or hurt a couple of pigs. They'd probably be looking into stealing other things in your house. Do people freak out when someone leaves a dog or cat or any object in the yard in case it will get stolen? Not very often. Yes horror stories do happen where people do nasty things to all animals but it shouldn't become obsessive and deter you from being happy knowing you're doing the best you can.

I promise you there are a lot of people out there who have guinea pigs and completely mistreat them. Leave them out back 'they'll be right'. So we shouldn't be too harsh on people who are obviously just trying to do what they can for their pigs.

 

[Emmmn]

A couple of hours outside is equivalent to what people (including me) take their guinea pigs outside for grass time each day. I'm also assuming the pigs are in your yard which is reasonably private? (no one can see them from the street etc) So if people were to come into your yard then they've obviously got more on their mind to steal or hurt a couple of pigs. They'd probably be looking into stealing other things in your house. Do people freak out when someone leaves a dog or cat or any object in the yard in case it will get stolen? Not very often. Yes horror stories do happen where people do nasty things to all animals but it shouldn't become obsessive and deter you from being happy knowing you're doing the best you can.

I promise you there are a lot of people out there who have guinea pigs and completely mistreat them. Leave them out back 'they'll be right'. So we shouldn't be too harsh on people who are obviously just trying to do what they can for their pigs.

Thank you very much, and yes my backyard is private, there is a large long walkway type area on each side of my house where the gates are where people can look through and the only thing you can see from there is the shed and the water tank but because of my front yard garden you have to walk all the way up to my house to even see that. I also live on the top of a hill so my neighbours cant even see into my yard unless they climbed the fence which they wouldn't because they are very old and sweet and couldn't hurt a fly much less a guinea pig as they have small pets of their own.
Thanks for your support.

 

[HollyLeaf]

We used to bring our bunnies outside for a few hours every day in the summer, they had a nice large hutch that my dad hand built. My sister went out late afternoon one day to check on them and saw the neighbors dog tearing at the hutch and barking, and one of the bunnies, Tabatha, was dead from a heart attack. We didn't let them out without supervision too much after that. You never know what could happen. I've just started taking my pigs outside now that it's warming up to nibble some grass, but I don't dare leave them alone. I realize that yes, the us has a lot of predators. But it's not just predators to be wary of. We have a private yard too. That doesn't stop dogs and cats from getting in. I'm happy to know that your pigs won't be living outside constantly, but if you're going to bring them in every night anyway, why not just keep them inside, and bring them out once in a while for supervised grass time? I've seen what happens to animals kept outside in hutches. One of my neighbors had a bunny, and they kept her in a tiny outside hutch, and in the winter in a tiny cage in the garage. She didn't live nearly as long as our rabbits, and she was often forgotten about, and she didn't even have a rug to sit on, just the bare bottom of the cage. I hate seeing people do that to animals. They don't deserve to be treated that way.

I recommend taking our older members' advice to heart. They are not out to criticize you or irritate you. They just want to help you, and have you and your pigs best interests in mind. This forum frowns upon keeping your pigs outside.

Just some food for thought.

 

[kimclifford10]

I'm so glad that you got a cage mate for your pig! As many other people have suggested, just make sure you carefully monitor the pigs when they are outside. But it sounds like you are doing your best to be an informed, responsible new cavy momma! SO happy to hear that you are building a C&C cage for your boys, they will love you for it!