Housing |
| | Indoors vs Outdoors |
 | To answer this I always say indoors - without a shadow of a doubt. Firstly indoors is dryer and less draughty therefore providing far less ideal conditions for the development of parasitic, fungal and respiratory conditions. But a pet kept indoors is so much more a part of the family - he will generally get more attention and stimulation where he is passed frequently, than when kept outdoors or in a shed/ garage. It also gives you a much better chance of noticing when your piggy is less active than usual, or anything else that may indicate that they need extra attention or veterinary treatment. Pigger's ail very quickly when they are poorly, so the extra interaction and observation from having them in your home could easily save your pet's life. |
| If your piggy is housed in a shed/ garage, never keep them in a garage where a car is kept as the exhaust fumes can be lethal to them. If an animal is kept outside, always ensure they have an area that is dry, draught proof, yet well ventilated and that they are well sheltered from all weathers like sunshine and rain. Hutches in the sunlight can become like ovens even though the inside is shaded, so you will need to protect your pig's house from this. Also ensure that the hutch/ enclosure is completely safe from any other animal getting in - this could be another of your pets like a dog, or a wild animal. |
| Cube Cages |
 | See how I built my pigs some cube cages using the design at www.cavycages.com. They are so very easy and cheap to make yourself and even free ranging piggies thrive with the extra cage space. They give the pigs so much more room to move around, play and exercise than standard cages and as soon as you have them you'll wish you'd done it sooner! You can make them with levels, doors, lids and other features to make them cat proof or just more fun - see the site for details! Also, look at some other ideas for home made cages that might inspire you to give your piggers the space they deserve! |
| Standard Cages |
 | If you use standard indoor cages get as big a size as possible, make sure you give your piggy plenty of time to exercise out of the cage. They can't run around much in these, nor can they have a bit of personal space away from their cagemate, so wherever possible try to build the cube cages or another homemade living area with lots of space! |
| Bedding |
 | I use a thick layer of black and white only newspaper to line the cages which is nice and absorbant. Then I add a good layer medibed which is a soft chopped straw bedding made for horses with allergies. I top this off with a big pile of hay for them to stomp around in. I used to use kiln dried pine flakes but chose to change as the quality deteriorated. With pine it is very important you avoid any bedding which contains sawdust or smells strongly of pine, both of which are harmful to pigs. Aspen is a good choice, although difficult to get in the UK. Never use cedar as this is toxic to guinea pigs. |
| I change the cages out completely every two to three days. Not only does this keep their environment nice and dry and clean which helps stop fungal, parasitic and respiratory conditions developing, they love nothing more than a freshly cleaned cage and will popcorn around happily when they get back! Never wait for the cage to start smelling before you change it - a pigs nose is very sensitive and very close to the ground, so by the time you think it pongs, it will have long been most unpleasant for them. Also remember that beddings which take away odour, don't change the fact the pig is sitting in its own poop and wee - so they still need to be changed as often for the sake of hygiene. |
 | When I have a poorly pigger, for example one who has had a URI, or a pig who has just had an operation, I use vetbed. Vetbed has excellent drainage properties and is designed to keep the surface nice and dry. The other alternative in this situation is towels but I find this unsatisfactory as the surface stays damp. You can wash vetbed in your washing machine, although be warned that the animal hairs and some lint may not please your machine! |
| Guinea Pigs and Rabbits |
 | Many people wonder if guinea pigs and rabbits can be housed together. On the whole I would advise against this. Aside from the fact that they have quite different dietary requirements - rabbits can't digest as many veggies as a piggy should get, and dried guinea pig food should have added vitamin C which a rabbit doesn't need - the back legs of a rabbit can cause serious injury to a pigger's delicate skeleton. A rabbit just hopping around calmly can inflict accidental injury to a pig, and if they get scared or excited the chances are greatly increased, especially in a confined space like a hutch or cage. Added to which guinea pigs and rabbits often try to mate with each other - which isn't dangerous in terms of the two breeding as they can't, but is in terms of the potential for injury from a rabbit enthusiastically mounting a pig, or a rabbit kicking off an amorous piggy. I would limit any mixing of the two species to supervised floor time and wouldn't house them together - both are best with their own kind! The rabbit on the left is my old bunny, Fiver. |
