Conservatory Winter Care For Newbies?

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Happysocks

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Hi, we have just got our first pair of 7 week old boars and they have a wooden hutch that I think would only be suitable for indoor use, as the wood is thinner than I expected. We are keeping them in our conservatory over winter (at least) which is unheated but there are no draughts and it is dry. At the moment they have double newspaper and wood shavings on the floor and straw to sleep in. I have ordered a wooden corner bungalow which should arrive by the end of the week to go in their bed area. Should I put hay in their bed area as well as straw, and should this be right up to the ceiling? Shall I put something in the bungalow too? Also, as they are inside, do I need to insulate the outside of their hutch with foil insulation and/or a blanket, or is this just for outside piggies? Want to make sure they are warm and comfy but not stifled. Sorry if this is covered in a thread somewhere, but I could only find outside piggy info. Have also read about fleece liners or blankets - where to buy and does this go over the newspaper? These might be ridiculous questions to long-term piggy owners but I am starting from scratch and feel a bit bewildered by all the info in the posts.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum :)

Congratulations on your new piggies . The conservatory is way better than outside as you say it is dry and draught proof. Newspaper is also great for putting on the bottom of the hutch but shavings are not recommended as they are linked to health issues such as sore dry feet and respiratory problems. Straw is also not recommended as it can cause really awful pokes to the eyes. Hay is the best for them as it is warm but they also need a constant supply to help wear down their teeth, you can put this in their bed area too so while they are lying down they can still be munching.

To help keep them warm you can but snugglesafe heat pads that heat up in the microwave and stay warm for up to 10 hours. Fleece liners are great but do need to be changed every other day and swept out 2-3 times a day, the fleece snuggle pockets are also good for them to hide in and keep warm plus, if they are a little nervous of handling its and easy way to get them out their cage. I really wouldn't go too overboard with insulation on the hutch if the weather does become really cold and you have the other items in mention they should still be fine but you could still put a blanket over the front.

The places you can buy fleece items from are Snoozies Cozies on facebook, Just add pets, stephs piggy paradise, Laura piggiepigpigs there are also a couple more I can't think of their names x
 
You will be fine with shavings on newspaper, just put a layer of hay over the top in their living area. I've never had any issues with using shavings with pigs in this way. Same base can be used in their bedding area. Please take the straw out and just use hay. Because straw is more rigid than hay, there is a high risk of eye poke injuries, particularly at the speed the young 'uns race around at. To keep them warm, just fill their bed with deep hay. It will keep them plenty warm enough, allowing them to snuggle down under it all.
 
Thank you for you for advice. We now have the wooden corner bungalow within the bed area and it is plenty big enough for the 2 piggies (Rocky and Smudge). I have stuffed it with hay. We have a fleece blanket over the hutch with a small gap at the bottom to let fresh air in and pulling it back during the day. Will look into the snuggle safe heat pads and think I will get a thermometer for the conservatory. What sort of room temperatures should I start to put the heat pads in the hutch at?
 
There is no hard and fast rule and this is something you get more comfortable about judging as time goes on. The hard and fast rule is the guinea pigs need similar temperatures as humans and they achive this by either wrapping up warm (hay in their case - coats in ours) or having the heating on.

You can use heat pads at any time the temperature drops below 18 degrees Celsius . I would say heat pads are desirable in the temp range 15 -18 degrees, and necessary at any temp below 15 degrees.
 
Where are you based @Happysocks ? We have members all over the world so it is useful to have some idea of your location e.g. Country & County. Are you happy to add your location to your profile?
 
PiggyOwner said:
There is no hard and fast rule and this is something you get more comfortable about judging as time goes on. The hard and fast rule is the guinea pigs need similar temperatures as humans and they achive this by either wrapping up warm (hay in their case - coats in ours) or having the heating on.

You can use heat pads at any time the temperature drops below 18 degrees Celsius . I would say heat pads are desirable in the temp range 15 -18 degrees, and necessary at any temp below 15 degrees.
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15 degrees? So do you put a heat pad in with your piggies every night of the year?
 
I run a rescue & any overflow piggies we get, live in our conservatory which is unheated but we leave the door open from the living room & this keeps the conservatory at a resonable temperature even on the coldest nights. Never needed to use a heat pad except with poorly piggies. I keep mine on puppy pads with newspaper below & layer of hay on top. They also need a house or hidey which needs lots of hay topped up at night for them to eat & nest in :) x
 
It's for my sake too. I wouldn't spend enough time with them if the temp dropped below 15 degrees
 
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