Do you keep your Guinea Pigs inside or out?

Just wondering how many people keep them out all year and how many have them indoors.

Mine are inside just now but was planning to have them out from late spring but have just been thinking about having to go outside every day in winter to feed and clean them, we don't have a shed big enough or any other sheltered area.

Should I keep them inside in winter and outside in summer?

Let me know what you all think, thanks.

we keep ours inside all year round, for 2 reasons: we only have a concrete yard, and they have a lot more room inside- they are 'free range piggies' and live in the hallway, so they constantly have an area around 10ft by 4ft to run around in! But their nails get v long as they are on carpet so they have to be cut quite regularly, and if you have kids its not practical having small creatures running around trailing sawdust behind them!

Mine are kept outside from spring to the start of the cold weather, they then live indoors till it warms up again outside.

we keep ours inside all year round, for 2 reasons: we only have a concrete yard, and they have a lot more room inside- they are 'free range piggies' and live in the hallway, so they constantly have an area around 10ft by 4ft to run around in! But their nails get v long as they are on carpet so they have to be cut quite regularly, and if you have kids its not practical having small creatures running around trailing sawdust behind them!

Do they not wee and poo everywhere?

I only have one Guinea Pig left now and he lives inside. The hutch is my TV stand! In the winter when it's very cold, he can run about the kitchen/bathroom and when it's warm enough and all summer he goes in a run on the grass in the garden. Even then he stays inside from dusk onwards because we live in an area where there are foxes. The foxes had one of my other two guinea pigs when I left them out too long after dark, so I'm warning you, foxes can be a serious concern.

As for weeing and pooing everywhere, yes of course they do, but you can litter train them. As mine runs in kitchen/bathroom on hard, easily cleaned floors, I just put newspaper in the corner he uses most and he tends to generally stick to that corner and then I clean up after him each time. Oh, and the sawdust and hay/straw do tend to spread across the floor, but you get used to sweeping up every day or most days - it's really not too bad unless you're really fussy!

However you decide to keep your piggies, it's important that they have space and time to run about most days and that their claws are kept clipped when necessary. Piggies that run around are happy piggies - a bit like free range chickens! lol

We have 2 in the kitchen. They were outside but are much happier inside. They have the run of the place and will only siht in their hutch. Must get their nails trimmed though.

We also have a house rabbit who appears house trained but will siht all over the kitchen if it is raining outside (she uses the cat flap). Not pretty when she has Diarrhoea. If she gets anywhere else in the house, she will drop piles on the carpet. She loves sihtting on carpets! Not exactly my cup of tea but my wife is a bit of an animal nut.

All my pigs have lived indoors, for a couple of reasons. I only have a small balcony, no garden, so I don't really have anywhere to put them outside. Also, I'm such a terrible worrier I'd panic all the time about whether they are ok! If I did have space to keep them outside, I wouldn't. It's nice to see them all the time and interact with them regularly, even if it's just poking my fingers through the bars when I'm walking past. I'd miss them such a lot if they were outside! They are currently in the living room until I re-make their large cage, and then they will be back in my bedroom.

All my pigs have lived indoors, for a couple of reasons. I only have a small balcony, no garden, so I don't really have anywhere to put them outside. Also, I'm such a terrible worrier I'd panic all the time about whether they are ok! If I did have space to keep them outside, I wouldn't. It's nice to see them all the time and interact with them regularly, even if it's just poking my fingers through the bars when I'm walking past. I'd miss them such a lot if they were outside! They are currently in the living room until I re-make their large cage, and then they will be back in my bedroom.

Yes, that's another thing I forgot to mention - the part about being able to see and interact with them when they live indoors. They're much more part of the family that way. When I first had mine, I put the hutch outside, under the kitchen window, but it only stayed there for five minutes! It's so lovely to be able to cuddle, watch and listen to them when they live in the house. You get used to their routines and they get used to yours too. It's so sweet to hear them voice all their different calls and it's funny, they soon let you know that they can hear the fridge opening, or the veggies being chopped!

If your piggies live in the garden, it might begin to feel like and become a bit of a chore going out in all weathers to see them. I wonder how many only get looked at twice a day when they get fed/watered and how many get neglected? The other thing to bear in mind is that Cavies are not indiginous animals and they are quite sensitive to changes in weather. They can catch colds easily. We certainly have a changeable enough climate here in England to warrant any outdoor hutch being heavily covered with carpet or the like in winter, especially during the night, just to keep them warm enough. Most advice you find anywhere is to bring them in during the coldest months of the year anyway.

Another good thing to consider about all this is that, with proper (and even with less rigorous) hygiene, Guinea Pigs' cages really don't smell, like other small animals can, so even from that point of view it is fine to keep them in the house.

I would never stick a pet in a garden on its own, especially not where I live! All 18 of mine are indoors and its going to stay that way

We have 2 in the kitchen. They were outside but are much happier inside. They have the run of the place and will only siht in their hutch. Must get their nails trimmed though...

You can trim their nails yourself, using a pair of toenail clippers. You just have to be careful not to cut the quick of the nail, or it will hurt and bleed. It's easier to see what you're doing if they have pale coloured nails, but impossible to see if they're black or very dark, in which case you have to make a cautious guess as to how far back to clip.

My local petshop (not in Sheffield) offers a nail clipping service for a small fee of a couple of pounds or so - that might be an option to look into if you're unsure.

Some vet nurses will do it for free also I do it for free if people live local to me

Some vet nurses will do it for free also I do it for free if people live local to me

Yes, was going to mention the vet option, but didn't know if they charged or not!

I was also wondering if all of your 18 pets are Cavies, or if you have other animals too? 18 cavies running about the house!!! You'd have to have quite a large space...?