Is It Cruel to Keep Guinea Pigs Outdoors?

Is It Cruel to Keep Guinea Pigs Outside?

It’s not cruel to keep your guinea pigs outside. Guinea pigs can live long and healthy lives outside if they are provided the right necessities and luxuries. Just as an indoor guinea pig, their quality of life falls on how well you can provide for them.

With the right guinea pig outdoor cage, food and enrichment, they will be more than happy to spend their days outside.

Can You Leave Guinea Pigs Outside All Year?

It’s perfectly safe to keep your guinea pigs outside all year round.

Their runs, hutches and cages need to be in an area that is out of direct sunlight, insulated and in a dry area that can avoid rainfall.

Just like for an indoor guinea pig, you’ll need to frequently supply fresh water, a healthy and balanced diet and plenty of fun toys.

Can Guinea Pigs Go Outside in Winter?

Guinea pigs are more than capable of being outside during the winter as long as you take the right precautions.

The cold might not be the biggest issue when it comes to guinea pig outdoor cages, but the wet and damp certainly is. You need to ensure the guinea pig outdoor cages are raised above the ground to prevent them from becoming wet from rain or snow. Consistent moisture in their enclosure can lead to mould growth that could lead to sickness and overall discomfort for your piggies.

You should also manage the temperature of the guinea hutch to make sure it’s not getting too cold.

Not just to keep your guinea pigs warm, but also to prevent their water from freezing, which would prevent them from drinking.

What Temperature Can Guinea Pigs be Outside?

Guinea pigs’ ideal temperature range is from about 15°C to 26°C. While it’s always recommended to remain within this range, it can diverge slightly for short periods of time. Though, you should never let it go above the higher temperature as guinea pigs are highly vulnerable to heatstroke.

Can Guinea Pigs Die from the Cold?

While guinea pigs are able to cope in the cold, they still have their limits. Being too cold can cause them high amounts of discomfort and stress which could potentially lead to their death.

Being too cold for extended periods of time reduces the efficiency of their immune system. Alongside stress, their immune system will not be able to defend them from sickness which could easily lead them to becoming ill.

Young guinea pigs are especially vulnerable to more drastic temperatures as they aren’t able to regulate their body temperature the way adults can.

Outdoor cages for guinea pigs often come with built in insulation, but if you’re keeping young guinea pigs then it may be best to add some extra insulation.

Can Guinea Pigs Go Outside on Grass?

Your guinea pigs are more than welcome to enjoy some time on the grass. It can be quite enriching for them to spend some time outside on natural ground. It’s important to check the ground first though, muddy areas can be a little difficult to walk on for a guinea pig and may cause their paws to become sore.

You should steer your guinea pigs clear of any polluted grass, areas that contain pesticides or areas that a dog or any other animal may have defecated on as these all have the potential to make your piggies sick.

Guinea pigs also enjoy grass as a snack, just as they enjoy hay. They will happily chow down until it’s all gone. They’re grazers, so you may want to monitor how much time they spend on grass – you may end up with no lawn left.

How Long Should Guinea Pigs be Outside?

It’s recommended that a guinea pig has at least one hour outside their cage or hutch a day. However, this is absolutely the minimum. Guinea pigs require lots of time to run around and burn off energy. If you are transitioning your indoor guinea pig into becoming an outdoor guinea pig, then you will want to slowly build up the amount of outside time they have. Going from being exclusively inside to exclusively outside can be quite stress inducing.

For a guinea pig that is already predominantly outside, they ideally should only be allowed free reign of their run when you are home and able to monitor them.

While you are away or during the night, they should remain secure in their guinea pig hutches.

How to Protect My Guinea Pig from Foxes?

Foxes should be one the biggest concerns for an outdoor guinea pig owner. The first, and most important, rule is to never leave your guinea pigs outside their hutches or cages unsupervised at night. Guinea pigs alone in the dark are very easy target for predators.

Most outdoor cages for guinea pigs will come with latches to keep it closed, though it may be a good idea to reinforce these or upgrade them to bolt locks. Foxes are known to be able to open the simple latches with little effort. There are some guinea pig hutches that already come with the stronger locks, but they may be a little pricier.

For the guinea pig’s run, you may want to upgrade the type of mesh surrounding it. Chicken wire is the most common mesh used for runs, but it’s far too easy for foxes to break through this. You’ll want to opt for something stronger like weldmesh or chain link. Make sure their run is covered at night too, even with something like a blanket. A fox is much less likely to look for something they can’t see.