Any tips on keeping piggies warm in winter?

[piggypoos]

Hey i was wondering if anyone could help i am really worried about keeping my outdoor pigs warm in winter. i recently developed an allergy to hay so i can only give my pigs hay cookies and hay cakes (which they love as much as loose hay). However i know people say to put lots of hay all over the hutch and stuff it in the bedding areas, houses, igloos etc. Obviously with my allergies this is not an option so i was wondering if anyone knew of a substitute that would keep them just as warm?? would shredded paper be ideal or would it hurt them?
in terms of insulation, i stuck thermal bubblewrap over the hutch, a fleece blanket, bubblewrap and the waterproof cover over it all just for added warmth. the shed theyre in is not heated and although we have stuck thermal bubblewrap over the walls it does not seem that much warmer than outside. The only protection it seems to give is from the wind and the rain. i do have snugglesafe heatpads but they only seem to last around 5 hours which is barely enough to last them through the freezing night. they have a fluffy bed and a cozy tunnel but I'm not sure how warm they really are.
please help i am so worried about them tonight!! thanks x

 

[claire8234]

Piggy poos

There are a number of similar posts on here regarding housing piggies outdoors so you should be able to find lots of info.

I have kept piggies outdoors in a shed over winter and yours should be fine as long as you do all you can to keep the hutch insulated. There will be lots of people with differing opinions on this so I will just tell you what I do and hope this helps you a bit

Concentrate on making the bedding area of the hutch the warmest and most insulated, yes hay is the ideal option here but as you said this isn't really an option for you. You could buy a special guinea pig bed online. I have a snuggle oo ultra from cosy cavies which is like a fleece igloo. It has a special pocket to hold a snuggle safe heat pad in. the whole bed stays warm for hours and helps keep the bedding area of the hutch warm as well. I then put a cardboard box over the whole of this so the fleece bed and heatpad are inside the box (obviously you need to cut out a hole for your guinea pigs to get in and out of) I then stuff a generous amount of hay between the top and sides of the bed and the box. You could use shredded paper instead.

I then put a piece of fleece bedding over the cardboard box so it hangs down over the side, again more hay packed in over the top of this, shredded paper in your case. Make sure you take any wet paper out and replace it as wet bedding will make them cold

Local DIY stores sell big rolls of radiator reflector foil which I feel is a much better alternative to bubble wrap as it reflects heat back into the hutch and I don't think bubble wrap does this as well. A thick piece of old carpet and a blanket goes over the front of the hutch and a waterproof hutch cover if you have one.

I've gone outside first thing in the morning when its been freezing. Checked on the guinea pigs and their bed was as warm as toast They also have each other to cuddle up to to keep warm.

HTH

x

 

[claire8234]

Sorry I forgot to say that chopped cardboard bedding such as eco pet bed cardboard bedding http://www.ecopet.co.uk/ might be another option for you to try.

I use it over the top of newspaper and under the hay, it is absorbant and cardboard retains heat quite well. I'm not sure how easily you could use it to fill your piggies bedding area instead of hay but it may be something to consider.


There are a number of suppliers that stock shredded paper designed for small animals so shop around as you'll probably need a big bale this is just an example of what is available http://www.berriewoodwholesale.co.uk/det/355/White-Shredded-Paper-Long-Cut-9-5kg-Bale/

Good luck

x

 

[kryten]

Local DIY stores sell big rolls of radiator reflector foil which I feel is a much better alternative to bubble wrap as it reflects heat back into the hutch and I don't think bubble wrap does this as well.*


x

Actually, those same DIY stores sell "thermal" bubble wrap that has foil stuck to it. So best of both worlds!

 

[dylansmummy]

I'm not sure if this would help with warmth but i use from my local feedstore a beddinng called pet safe its shredded tea bag outers it looks like the hamster nesting stuff and it comes in a big bag for £6.99 as my old piggie kept getting respiritory infections did work out costly but looked cosy.