Can GPs adjust to different temperatures?

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charlienpatches

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Hi
I am new to guinea pigs so may have lots of questions!
I have read through lots of the forum and have found loads of great advise, so thanks! At the moment, we are concerned about the guineas getting cold outside.
We bought an indoor playpen so have been trying to bring them inside for a few hours each afternoon/evening (after school/work) for a run around in warm temperatures. Then we have to put them back outside to sleep in their outdoor hutch. Can they regulate their temperature ok by moving them between indoors & outdoors in this way? I read somewhere that they can't?
Also, we have our hutch outdoors, with a hutch cover, blanket & tarpaulin on roof, 2 snuggle pads & lots of hay...will they be warm enough in winter?
We could possibly move them into garage but it will be dark for them all the time.

Thanks!
 
No they can not adjust. If they are outside at this time of year, they need to stay outside, don’t bring them into a warm house.

They ideally need to be kept between 18 and 23 degrees, they are not cold weather creatures. However, plenty of us do keep them outside but You need to take lots of extra precautions. Hutch covers (thermal and waterproof), blankets, mountains of hay, boxes filled with hay and snuggle safes all help as does keeping the hutch in a sheltered position. But, this is no guarantee and you need to monitor and have a back up plan . Put a thermometer in the hutch so you can check that your precautions of hutch covers, snuggle safes etc are keeping them warm enough. A garage being constantly dark is not a good idea but it’s a bit of a catch 22 because it will help to keep draughts and wet off. If a beast from the east scenario was to happen again, then it is possible they would not cope outside.

Mine are in a hutch in my summer house (and have access to play within the summer house itself during the day). I have thermometers everywhere - one outside, one inside the summer house itself and one inside the hutch. The summerhouse isn’t heated but it stays around 4 degrees warmer within the summer house itself than the outside temperature, the general hutch temperature under all their thermal covers and blankets is around 6 degrees warmer than outside. But to show the power of snuggle safes, within the bedroom area of the hutch with the snugglesafes, hay, wooden log huts and a blanket over the top of the huts to help hold the warmth within their beds (and then obviously all the hutch covers), I am able to keep their bedroom around 15 degrees which is fine for them at the moment. I have four snugglesafes between my two guinea pigs, they have a two storey hutch and I usually put two snugglesafes upstairs (one in each of their beds) and two downstairs. However, despite my efforts, there is always the risk that it’ll get too cold so I always have a plan to bring them indoors if and when I am no longer able to keep their bedroom temperature constant.
 
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Thank you for the information. What about bringing them inside to be held by my children for 10-15 minutes? Will this cause temperature issues?
We might need to look at the possibility of the garage or the shed...but the shed is damp, so not a great idea.
We do have an indoor cage but I feel it is quite small...even for 2 piggies.

We have put a thermometer in the hutch, but it is attached to the inside of the roof. The past couple of days it has said only 6 degrees, which I know is very low. But I figure it is warmer on the Snugglesafes and amongst the hay.
 
As long as you can leave a window open in advance and during so the room isn’t warm, then a 15 minute cuddle should be ok, but their temperature needs to remain constant.

How big is the indoor cage?
 
I'm not exactly sure as we were given it, but I think it is very similar to Ferplast Rabbit 120 Guinea Pig and Dwarf Rabbit Cage at Pets at Home which measures 51 x 120 x 58cm.
 
This is what I do in their bedroom area. The blanket holds the heat inside the log huts. I pull the blanket a little way down the front of the huts as well, it’s open just enough for them to get through. There is also hay on top of the huts up to the roof but little piggies have been busy doing some roofing demolition work today :D! You do need to be careful with blankets when used outside as they can wick moisture from the air and end up damp.
You can just see one of my piggies, Popcorn, showing how much he likes his bed!

Measure it and you may find it works as a back up plan, even if it is only temporary and you do need to get a bigger indoor cage. A cage measuring 120cm long by 60cm wide is the absolute smallest size cage/hutch piggies should be kept in. Its ok, but bigger is always better. If your piggies are female, and it is a 120cm then you might just about get away with it as a temporary measure. If your piggies are boys then a 120cm won’t be big enough. Boys need 150cm x 60cm, or larger if possible.

Those type of ferplast style indoor cages come in a range of measurements from 80cm right up to 160cm
 
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