Cold temperatures

[squeakly]

Hey all, so it is currently 5°C in Derbyshire, England at the time 3:30am. My mum does not like the guinea pigs to be kept inside the house, so we keep them in our garage (without a car in there). However tonight it is considerably cold, so earlier I put a plug-in heater on for them intending for it to stay on overnight. My mum has instead turned it off because she wants to save money. I know that guinea pigs are relatively safe outside all year unless it gets extremely cold, but I can’t imagine it being very comfortable outside right now. I know that there are alternatively heat pads we could use, problem being we don’t have any and even though I keep telling my mum to buy some she’ll probably never get round to it. Could anyone give some additional advice? Thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

Lots of hay, thermal covers, blankets on the hutch is needed.
Heat pads really are essential though for outdoor piggies.
Can you not buy them yourself?

 

[Swissgreys]

Anything below 15 degrees is uncomfortably cold for guinea pigs.
Keeping them in a garage is a good start as at least they will be dry and out of the wind, but they will definitely need additional heating options.
The cheapest option (although more labour intensive) is to buy some snuggle safe heat pads which can be warmed in the microwave. They will last around 8 hours, so if you get 4 you can have 2 in the hutch and 2 to replace them with, as one set won't be enough overnight.

You need to make sure the hutch is also covered, to reduce residual drafts and trap any heat.
They need a well insulated area (add additional cardboard ot the walls and roof of the bedroom if possible and stuff this full of hay. You need to clean this area regularly to remove any wet bedding.

Make sure you have a thermometer somewhere near their cage so you can keep an eye on how cold it is getting.
And maybe try and talk to your Mum about it being cheaper and easier to bring them inside for the Winter - maybe into a utility room or laundry?

 

[squeakly]

Anything below 15 degrees is uncomfortably cold for guinea pigs.
Keeping them in a garage is a good start as at least they will be dry and out of the wind, but they will definitely need additional heating options.
The cheapest option (although more labour intensive) is to buy some snuggle safe heat pads which can be warmed in the microwave. They will last around 8 hours, so if you get 4 you can have 2 in the hutch and 2 to replace them with, as one set won't be enough overnight.

You need to make sure the hutch is also covered, to reduce residual drafts and trap any heat.
They need a well insulated area (add additional cardboard ot the walls and roof of the bedroom if possible and stuff this full of hay. You need to clean this area regularly to remove any wet bedding.

Make sure you have a thermometer somewhere near their cage so you can keep an eye on how cold it is getting.
And maybe try and talk to your Mum about it being cheaper and easier to bring them inside for the Winter - maybe into a utility room or laundry?

Thanks for your information. I have spoken to my mum and she was hesitant at first but on this night it was 2°C which was too far for me and she eventually decided to let them stay in for the night. She has started putting them back in the garage again even though it is still below 15°, but according to her they’re fine. I know they’ll survive out there in 7° but not to say they are comfortable in that temperature. She has begun putting lots more hay in the cage to keep them warm, and she has said she will let them stay in if she thinks it is too cold, but to her that’s below 2°. One good thing though is that she has said she is going to look online for heat pads, the question is when though. I will make sure I find some so that she can just simply buy them instead of delaying it because she needs to look herself. Then hopefully that will keep them warm outside until it reaches 3° which at that point I don’t want them out there at all. Thanks again

 

[Swissgreys]

Thanks for your information. I have spoken to my mum and she was hesitant at first but on this night it was 2°C which was too far for me and she eventually decided to let them stay in for the night. She has started putting them back in the garage again even though it is still below 15°, but according to her they’re fine. I know they’ll survive out there in 7° but not to say they are comfortable in that temperature. She has begun putting lots more hay in the cage to keep them warm, and she has said she will let them stay in if she thinks it is too cold, but to her that’s below 2°. One good thing though is that she has said she is going to look online for heat pads, the question is when though. I will make sure I find some so that she can just simply buy them instead of delaying it because she needs to look herself. Then hopefully that will keep them warm outside until it reaches 3° which at that point I don’t want them out there at all. Thanks again

It's great your Mum allowed you to bring them inside as 2 degrees is really very cold, however putting them back outside is not really fair on your piggies.
The sudden dramatic changes in temperature could cause them to become ill.
Think about how you would feel if you spent all night inside your house, but when you had to go out to work/school you weren't allowed to put on any additional layers like a coat.
Because you had been warm all night, the temperature change would be even more noticeable.

At this point in the year you need to decide whether they will be outside or inside - there really is no switching back and fourth.
Brining them in full time will definitely be the easiest (and probably) cheapest solution, not to mention the kindest for your piggies.