Guinea Pigs outdoors

[Secuono]

I do not breed GPs, don't believe in eating them. I rescue them and would never eat em, so please no comments about cooking them up on this thread! Thanks!

I have 4 pigs as my pets, 2 that are rescues that don't quite get along with my older 2 sisters. They live in the living room in AC and heat. But, I'd love to have them outside.

My issue is our humid nasty heat, I've lost a pig to heat stroke, not fun! I was thinking of using the chicken pen, but then where to hang my rabbit cages...
Really can't make a new pen that would be safe enough for them. I've started scraping out the muck that's built up and going to put it all along the higher side of the pen on the outside, since it slopes and rain just runs in, no good!
It's a 12x13ft or so area with chain link and then wire mesh along the bottom. Shade cloth covers the top and 3 sides are protected from wind. One side is the coop, other is a metal panel and last is a tarp.
I would put down grass seed first, as it's nothing but gross dirt. I'm hoping the shade from the tree and the cloth on top will help keep it cool enough for them to be outside in the hottest hours of the day.
They would have houses stuffed with hay to get into when it rains and during Winter.

I've thought of using this area for the rabbit colony, but I could use a section of the duck yard instead. It would be larger for the growers to be on.

I guess I need to start building a shed or something for the rabbits....ugh...Could buy a Carport metal shed, but I hate how it's all the same price, even if you make it smaller...
Guess I need to find $565 for a 12*21*5 shed. lol.

Anyone have GPs living outside? Pictures??

 

[akane]

Pet bred pigs are sensitive to temperature because unlike show pigs no one has bred them for tolerance. We did use to put ours out from March to november but first they had a low deck with dirt that stayed cool and later they were in a building with concrete where I have my rabbits now that stays sometimes up to 10F cooler than outside. Above 100F not much will keep them from risk of heat stroke though. They will not be happy below 60F and may get sick below freezing.

 

[ladysown]

my guinea pigs are outside 24/7. I live southwestern Ontario.

I used to be able to say I had no issues with guinea pigs and the heat until I lost an extremely pregnant sow last week. But overall I find they tolerate the heat just fine. I run a herd of 6 pigs in a 4 x 4 cage. it is wired all around as guinea pigs will dig. It has wood on one side. I move it twice a day to new grass. they have a low dog food bowl for pellets and a big bowl for water and three hiding holes.

I have learned that unlike rabbits I can't take an indoor pet guinea pig and toss it outside starting in December. Any rescues I do are strictly in the summer. they need to acclimatize to the heat.

what to do with pigs in hot humid VA weather? I'd give them low bowls of water they can climb into as needed. Gives them clay pots to hide in for coolness from heat. (take a clay pot, knock a GP sized hole in one side of the top end and then turn it upside down). I'd offer branches with leaves on from GP safe trees (apple, pear etc).

 

[Secuono]

Well, scraped out the worst of the muck and put it on the side to get water to run around the pen. Tossed out lots of fresh grass seed.

Do you think I should toss out hay evenly on the ground to cover the seeds and then move the pigs out on top of it? Let the grass grow while they are in there? I can fence off sections as needed to let one half grow thick and then move them onto it, like rotating pastures.

It is definitely cooler in there than just under the tree or other one layer of shade.

 

[ladysown]

if it's wet and mucky in there you'll be asking for foot problems. Guinea pigs need to be kept fairly dry to keep them healthy.

 

[Secuono]

Yea I know. That's why I moved the muck out to the side where the water runs in from.<br /><br />__________ Sun Jun 24, 2012 12:41 pm __________<br /><br />Ugh....it poured on me....guess I am buying roofing panels tomorrow....

 

[akane]

I've had guinea pigs suffer heat stroke at 85F when not in the large stable with concrete in majority of it and no direct sunlight. 2 aborted their litters that day. We spent hours with them in the ac changing out damp cloths to save them.

 

[Secuono]

Yea, I don't breed, so they won't have any extra stresses on them.

 

[akane]

The young and boars out there suffered heat stroke as well. We though one 6 week old was a goner. They just recovered immediately on bringing in to ac because they weren't aborting pups. We only put guinea pigs out on cool days to eat grass now and keep them at least in a solid sided building otherwise but right now most of mine are in ac.

 

[a7736100]

I have 6 outdoors and I'm not too far from you. They don't get direct sun. I just got them last year and they wintered out there OK.

 

[Secuono]

Well y'all, used the area for my grower rabbits instead. Gonna keep the pigs indoors in the AC.

 

[Cindi Davis]

I have mine on the back porch but its shade protected, and he seems to be doing ok but am keeping a close eye on him.