# First time Guinea Pig owner with a few questions



## CCAJ (Mar 11, 2012)

Hi,im new to this site 

We are getting 2 Guinea pigs next week and i had a question or too.

They will be living outside in a wooden hutch but i know they will need covering away from droughts etc what would be best to cover them with? The special snug cover can be a bit pricey so i was wondering if there was an alternative option?

Also,along side a handful off pellets/veg every day,do they also need hay every day also? or every few days?

Any other tips/suggestions would be great,thanks


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

the best option is to actually have them inside, believe it or not guinea pigs are not good outside pets at all, they do not cope well with our warm summers or cold winters at all.
if you want to keep them outside they really need to be in a shed or playhouse


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## Guest (Mar 11, 2012)

CCAJ said:


> Hi,im new to this site
> 
> We are getting 2 Guinea pigs next week and i had a question or too.
> 
> ...


Personally I think GP's are better kept indoors but I do know some that keep their's in insulated sheds.
If you are set on the outside idea then the hutch snug is the best option.

They need a constant supply of fresh hay to help wear their teeth down.

Are you going for boars or sows?


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## wind1 (Oct 24, 2010)

I bought a large bench cover on ebay and adapted it to fit an outside hutch with a thick blanket underneath. A cardboard box stuffed with hay inside the hutch also helps to keep them warm. I have recently bought a pet heatpad for my kittens bed at night and it stays warm for 9 - 10 hours so you could also use one of these in the bed in the winter. Their diet should consist of mostly hay and grass so hay every day is essential.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

Hi CCAJ, 

hay is the most important part of a piggies diet it should make up a good 80% of their diet. you can also feed dried twigs (check out the safe foods list at the top of the rabbit section) as well as herbs which they'll benefit from 

a hutch for 2 piggies needs to be 4ft by 2ft min and they'd benefit from being in a run everyday for plenty of exercise. 

a really good way to tame them is with a daily soft brush


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