The age old question – should guinea pigs be kept indoors or outdoors? Historically guinea pigs were primarily outdoor pets, kept in hutches or cages all throughout the year. In most recent times however, guinea pigs just like dogs and other companion animals, have become more intimate family members and welcomed more readily into the home.  

Guinea pigs definitely benefit from a combination of inside and outside time, and a change of scenery between the two can be both enriching and engaging for our curious critters – but which one is the best for option for their more permanent housing?

Indoor housing

There really are minimal disadvantages to indoor housing, as it generally provides a safe, temperature controlled and predator free environment for your piggies to live. Not only do they tend to live longer lives by reducing access to these potentially life threatening risks, but it also increases the bond between humans and guinea pigs as they spend more time with and around the family.

Spending more time with your piggies, handling them and watching them in their natural environment will also allow you to pick up on any abnormalities or signs of illness earlier, which could also save your piggies life.  

The main disadvantage most people report for keeping their piggies indoors is mess and odour – both of which can be easily managed and prevented. We highly recommend using an Ozzy Hay sack, Wheek Wagon or Hay Cart to help keep your piggies hay clean and contained, and what’s more fun than choosing an adorable bowl to place their pellets and veggies in?!

As any piggy parent knows, our favourite furry critters are little poop and pee machines! So it doesn’t take long for an odour to develop if their cages are not maintained appropriately. Ultimately, the choice of bedding you choose and the frequency in which you clean your cage is going to make all the difference. We highly recommend purchasing a good quality and absorbent bedding that wicks away moisture and odour, as well as something that is easy to clean and change. Personally after using many different types of bedding in the past, I have found the *NEW* Ozzy Cage Liners to be one of the most efficient and easiest beddings to manage – shake off the poops, pop it in the washing machine and hang on the line for an hour, and it is back in the piggies cage in no time! So quick and easy, which allows me to clean their cage more frequently without needing to allow an hour or more for the process.

Outdoor Housing

As mentioned above, allowing your guinea pigs some time outdoors can be a very enriching and exciting experience for them, with a change of scenery, fresh grass to nibble on and soaking up that vitamin D, what’s not to love? Unfortunately many guinea pigs have met their peril outdoors with access to so many uncontrollable risks and we highly recommend supervised outdoor time only to mitigate these threats.

One of the biggest threats our guinea pigs suffer outdoors is the ever changing weather conditions and climate. They are very sensitive creatures, and quite susceptible to both the extreme heat and extreme cold. As we know the weather can change from one extreme to another within a matter of hours, with unexpected rain, hail, snow, or heatwaves – putting our piggies lives at risk. Heat stroke is one of the most common silent killers of guinea pigs, and is unfortunately most common in those kept outdoors, often occurring when the shade moves throughout the day and guinea pigs are left exposed to direct heat and sunlight. Likewise, particularly in the evenings, temperatures can drop quite significantly, affecting our piggies core body temperature resulting in hypothermia and death.

Outdoor guinea pigs are also threatened by many different predators they wouldn’t normally come across inside the home such as wild snakes or carnivorous birds such as hawks and birds of prey. There is also the risk of stray cats and dogs entering the yard and attacking the piggies, either physically harming them or psychologically causing significant stress.

In conclusion

After assessing the many benefits and risks associated with each type of housing, our conclusion is strongly in support of indoor housing options for guinea pigs, in combination with supervised outside time. Guinea pigs who are housed indoors are generally more bonded to their owners, receive medical attention in a more timely manner, and have a significantly reduced mortality rate in regards to heatstroke, hypothermia and predator attacks.

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