Given that we all have to do things the right way, if we must stand a chance of attaining greater heights, the same is applicable, when trying to take a guinea pig outdoors.
It is important to do it the right way because, taking your guinea pigs outdoors at the wrong time or in an inappropriate manner, could end up jeopardizing the lives of those pigs. Well, that won’t happen to you because today, we’d be looking at how best one can take their guinea pigs outdoor.
So without further ado, let’s get on with it.
Things to consider when to take a guinea pig outdoors
Extreme Temperature
If you live in countries where it is either very hot in summer or extremely cold in winter, keeping guinea pigs outdoors isn’t really an option. However, if you live in moderate climates you can keep them outdoors as long as you make sure they have a warm shed or even better a hatch within a shed.
Hatch
While planning to take your guinea pig outdoors, make sure that you have a large shed or an empty hatch, made out of a sturdy material which should be at least 15 millimeters thick or try finding other material suitable for insulation.
Also, It is important that there’s enough air circulation so that it doesn’t get into them, while they are inside the shed. Again, it needs to be weatherproof, and the easiest way to achieve this is to have a box-like outdoor hatch, which can be opened from the top.
And even though the hatch should be big enough for all guinea pigs, it should also be small to an extent that your guinea pigs can heat it up with body temperature. So ideally, it shouldn’t be more than 30 centimeters in height. In fact, the best possible solution is to have a hatch in a big shed.
Spacing
Given that guinea pigs need space to run around, they need an enclosure to make sure that other animals cannot get into the enclosure. Thus, it needs to be secured by a fence on all sides, covering from the ground level up to the top. I wrote a very good guide for someone who wants to understand their pets behavior.
And the kind of fencing you will need depends on the nature of wild animals in your area because you’ll get to see your guinea pigs less if you keep them outside.
However, if you can’t possible erect a fence, then that means you will have to always watch them and look for signs of illness.
Warmer months
When we say warmer months, we aren’t talking about extreme hot temperatures like the ones during the summer, No. The warmer months here refers to the moderate sunny weather months, which are the perfect opportunity to let your guinea pigs adapt to the temperature outside.
Your guinea pigs need this in because after staying in their cold hatches for so long, they need to get accustomed to warm weather. And you should only put them outside in late spring that’s around the end of May.
During that time, it isn’t going to freeze anymore and the temperature will stay around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius during the night.
Groupings
An important thing to consider when taking your guinea pigs outdoors is that they should live in groups and the shed shouldn’t be in direct sunlight.
Water Level
When taking your guinea pigs outdoors, it is important to check their water bottles as the waters can freeze overnight. Most especially the water bottles outside their hatch.
So there you have it. Next time you plan to take your guinea pigs outdoor, please first consider the temperature, the hatch to be used, spacing available, water levels and most importantly taking them out during warmer months!
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Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
