Emma Jones
In order for your guinea pigs to feel comfortable with you and stay healthy, it is important to set up the cage in the right place. Find out here what you should consider when choosing the location for your guinea pig run.
For the right location of the guinea pig enclosure, different things have to be considered. Most important are the temperature and other climatic conditions.
Temperature and altitude of the guinea pig enclosure
Guinea pigs have a comfortable temperature of 18 to 22 °C and need a humidity of about 45 to 60%. Fresh air must also be provided at the enclosure location without the animals standing in a draught, otherwise, there is a risk of respiratory disease.
It is also important that your guinea pigs are not exposed to direct sunlight. This is especially true in summer and at lunchtime. Since guinea pigs are diurnal, they naturally need a bright location with daylight. At the same time, it must be ensured that they can retreat to a shady spot, for example, a large wooden house or cork tubes, at any time.
In addition, it is an advantage if the enclosure is set up at stomach or chest height. If you lean down on the enclosure or grab the animals from above instead of from the side, they are easily startled. This problem can be avoided by raising the enclosure. Of course, this is not possible with a floor enclosure. It is therefore advisable to approach the guinea pigs here with particular care and without hectic.
Location when keeping guinea pigs outdoors
Even if the guinea pig enclosure is not to be placed in the apartment but outside on the balcony or in the garden, there are important things to consider. Here, too, it is absolutely necessary to guarantee the guinea pigs shady places so that they do not suffer from heatstroke. Since it gets cold, wet, and windy more easily outside than indoors, several well-insulated shelters are also essential when keeping them outside.