# Guinea pigs indoors?



## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Hi all. 
I have always loved guinea pigs but as I live in a first floor flat, and only have access to communal areas of grass, I didn't think owning them was an option. 
Now I have just discovered C&C cages.... 
But I am thinking it is cruel to keep piggies indoors without a proper lawn for them in the summer. What do you guys think? 
Thanks! :biggrin:


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

guinea pigs are indoor pets any way really, they arent really able to cope well with our weather, in the summer they get too hot and easily over heat, and in winter they can easily freeze to death.
if kept out side they should be kept in a shed. but they are best suited to indoor life, aslong as they have plenty of space and floor time then you are fine


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## guineamadness (Nov 26, 2013)

hi there I have 23 boy piggies that all live indoors, I do let them out in summer but only for a short time, all mine get the run off the house, it is perfectly fine to keep them indoors, the bad points for outdoor piggies is the heat and cold, but the heat can still get them, so if you keep small bottles and put water in them and freeze them, the piggies love it. peppers are a must green or red, celery, hay and dry food, I use selective guinea pig pellets as I can get a 10kg bag online for £17.99, bedding please do not use sawdust as this can irritate their lungs, I use newspaper, fleeces, vetbeds, and hay depends on the weather. vitamin C is a must this is in the veg, small amount in the food. hope this helps and c &c cages are cool.


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## Colette (Jan 2, 2010)

Nothing cruel about keeping piggies indoors - lots of people think its preferable in fact. Guinea pigs just aren't designed for cold weather, damp, predators etc.

I had my piggies in a large c+c cage and its great - the cages are spacious and easy to clean, having the pigs indoors means they get far more attention and just being there all the time tends to make them that bit tamer imo.

As for grass - piggies need access to good hay at all times, plus daily veggies, so fresh grass isn't really an issue. However, you could always get a cat grass kit and grow some for them


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thank you everyone. Looks like I really do have something to think about!  When I was little my guinea pigs lived indoors but had access to the back garden in the summer. I suppose a bit of picked fresh grass is always an option..hmmmm....
Colette, what do you use for substrate in the C&C? Do you find they smell much? I have my mice on Back to Nature, but it's not cheap! 
Thanks for all the good advice x


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## Colette (Jan 2, 2010)

I used the fleece method of bedding (gross if you get it wrong, but very effective if you get it right)

The idea behind the method is to use 2 layers of different fabric on the floor of the cage.

On the very bottom you need a thick layer of something highly absorbant. I started off using several thick bath towels, which were ok but not brilliant, before I found a decent mattress pad. If you go for a mattress pad / topper make sure it is not a waterproof one designed for kids or incontinent people - it must be absorbant!

On top of this you put one single layer of fleece.

Make sure you secure the bedding by weighing it down round the edges, or clipping it in place somehow, so that you can tidy it up without moving it too much and messing it up. 

Once or twice a day (depending on how big the cage and how many pigs) you remove the poops; either sweep them up or use a hoover if your fleece is secure enough.

As necessary, do a full cleanout, where you remove the poops and any excess fur and hay etc and put all the fabric through the washing machine. I had 2 pigs in the equivalent of a 2x5 grid c+c, and cleaned out once a week.

When you wash, put some white vinegar in the wash with the fabric which helps to disinfect and remove bad smells. Do NOT use any fabric softener or a 2in1. Fabric softeners can put a sort of waterroof layer on the fleece that prevents it "wicking" and will be disgusting for the pigs.

Before you start it is recommend to do a full wash of your fleece several times, just to be sure that it is NOT waterproof at all before you use it.

The idea of the method is this: Fleece is a man made fabric that's basically plastic based. It acts a bit like a sieve or a grid floor (but much more comfy!!). When the animals pee the urine should sink down through the fleece, and get absorbed by the bottom layer (towels or mattres pad). The surface of the fleece should dry within a couple of minutes.

(Think about when you wash your clothes - your cotton tops will come out wet and take a while to dry, but fleece tops dry incredibly quickly.

The initially outlay for the fleece method is obviously high (you need at least 2 sets so you don't have to wait for one lot to wash and dry befoer you can put the piggies back), but after that you make your money back. It can work out very cost effective in the long run in a large cage like a c+c that would use loads of disposable bedding. In terms of cleaning out - it is higher maintenence in the sense that you do have to poop-scoop every day (as the poo just sits on top), but a full clean out only takes about 5 minutes as the washing machine does all the work.

The only thing I can't stress enough is to make sure your top fleece layer allows liquid through and dries rapidly, and that your bottom layer is absorbant and thick enough to contain all the pee. If either of these things doesn't work properly the urine wion't wick away and the pigs end up just sitting in wet patches.

Obviously the alternative is loose bedding like Carefresh, but it will work out quite pricey in a big cage.


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## Colette (Jan 2, 2010)

Also, about the grass...

I currently don't have any piggies but I do have 3 indoor cats; so I grow grass for them to munch on. I now use this:
Catit Design Senses Grass Garden | Free P&P on orders £25+ at zooplus!

It's brilliant! You get the substrate and grass seeds, water and grow. Because it has the green mesh on top they can't dig it up, eat the substrate or anything else silly and the base means you don't get water everywhere. You could easily get one of these, grow the grass to a decent length and give it to the pigs for a few days to eat. When they've finished it, just grow a new batch.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Wow. Colette, thank you so much for taking the time to explain all that! All new to me! I currently have Wispy the mouse, and am not planning to get any more animals while I have her as she needs a lot of attention, but that gives me time to do my research. Thanks again for all the info. This is all very exciting!


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## Spookypigs (Feb 2, 2014)

mices4 said:


> Hi all.
> I have always loved guinea pigs but as I live in a first floor flat, and only have access to communal areas of grass, I didn't think owning them was an option.
> Now I have just discovered C&C cages....
> But I am thinking it is cruel to keep piggies indoors without a proper lawn for them in the summer. What do you guys think?
> Thanks! :biggrin:


I've kept guineas for 20 odd years as an adult. I also bred them for showing.

You don't need a lawn and it isn't cruel to keep them indoors, in fact it's much better because they'll be safe from severe weather and predators.

Mine thrive on fresh veg, fruit, grain and hay.

I've also persuaded my local pet shop to buy in and rebag Readigrass. Readigrass is produced for horses so massive bales of the stuff isn't suitable for small pet owners. I used to get them but I had 200 pigs to feed so I got through it very quickly. I can now buy smaller bags from he pet shop for my girls. It's fibre and mineral filled dried grass. Fantastic for nutrition and keeping their back teeth down. I get fresh grasses in the summer, as well as all the other stuff such as goosegrass and dock.

I use wood shavings for bedding. Never sawdust.

My last pair of piggies lived until they were 8/9yrs


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## SianChloe (Feb 14, 2014)

we've got two caged piggies in our first floor flat, personally I prefer it to keeping them outside, I've had piggies in the past die from heat in summer but inside the temperature is much easier to control.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks everyone! Well, it looks like once I have finished the decorating I will have to get going on my research and make some decisions! Very exciting!  Thanks for all the good advice and reassurance.


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

I have 2 indoors and 4 in a shed. I do have access to a garden for them though. You can buy grass trays so they can still nibble on grass, or grow seeds in a cat litter tray.


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