Of course, guinea pigs naturally lived outside before they were domesticated. After seeing your guinea pig spend day after day living in an indoor cage, you probably have a desire to let your guinea pig play outside in its natural environment. However, it’s not as easy as letting your dog or cat out through the door and letting them roam around at their own free will. In today’s article, we are going to cover everything you need to know about taking guinea pigs outside. 

Is it Safe to Take Guinea Pigs Outside 

Yes, it is safe to take guinea pigs outside. In fact, it is highly encouraged to take a guinea pig outside at least once a week. This is very good for both their mental and physical health.

While living in a cage is very practical for guinea pigs, just like anyone they love the freedom to roam around and be free. If you notice your guinea pig doesn’t like roaming outside, perhaps it causes too much anxiety and it is better to keep them in a cage. While it is safe to take guinea pigs outside, there are a couple safety precautions you should take while letting your guinea pigs outside. 

How to take guinea pigs outside:

If you are going to take guinea pigs outside, you should follow these protocols:

Make a perimeter

While it doesn’t have to be a literal fence, we recommend setting up some objects that more or less keep your guinea pigs confined to a certain area. While they are not the fastest animals, they have sneaky speed that can allow them to sneak away if you take your eye off of them for a second. 

Fertilizer

It is very important that you take them to a spot outside that you know there is no fertilizer or other chemical in the ground. Even just coming into contact with some fertilizers can cause serious illness in guinea pigs. 

Control eating

You should keep an eye on what your guinea pig is putting in its mouth. As compulsive eaters, guinea pigs love trying all sorts of food and plants. While most of the things it can get its mouth on, such as grass, are not harmful, there may be some toxic plants in the vicinity. Therefore, we recommend feeding your guinea pig before you take it out so that he is discouraged form eating wild plants. 

Protect from predators

This is one of the most important things to keep in mind when taking guinea pigs outside. If you have cats or dogs, make sure they are kept inside or are nowhere near the area that you take your guinea pigs. If your cat does get ahold of your guinea pig, you should check out my guide on what to do if your cat eats a guinea pig.

There are also other predators, such as birds, that you should also keep an eye out for. Ideally, you don’t want any other animals coming in the vicinity of your guinea pigs.

Temperature

Lastly, it is important that you only take your guinea pigs outside when it is a suitable temperature. Guinea pigs are the most comfortable when it is 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit, so we recommend only taking your guinea pigs outside if the weather falls within that range.