Getting Colder, how to keep Piggies Warm?

[Storm1974]

Any helpful suggestions/advice much appreciated.

We can't really have much heating on in our living room (Where the boys live), because of expense, but do cover their cage over really well at night, and can have a portable oil filled heater on IF needed, but have to be careful as our electric bill can be up to £10 a day in winter which we really struggle to afford! This is the first time we've ever kept piggies in winter as we only got them in August, so as it's getting quite a bit colder over the next few days, we need to start thinking about ways to keep them warm other than just covering their cage at night. We don't have a microwave, so can't use any of those heated pads that you put in the microwave. So was thinking about maybe using some other kind of heat pads that we could place underneath their fleece?

They do have lots of hay and boxes to keep warm in, but obviously when they are out and about feeding etc., they will need something else to keep them warm, especially when it gets very cold!

 

[Piggies&buns]

First consideration is what temperature is the room they are in?
You are looking to keep them ideally between 18 and 22 degrees but the general guide is if you are comfortable in the space then they will be too. If you feel cold, then they will already likely be too cold.

If it does get chilly in the room, Is there a possibility you can buy a small microwave to be able to have snugglesafes?
I have a £20 microwave from a supermarket which i don’t tend to use for much other than heating the boys pads!

What other kind of heatpad were you thinking? Anything which has cables/needs to be plugged in is going to pose a safety risk and would not be recommended. Snugglesafes are the best and safest way to provide a warm spot for piggies to sit

 

[Storm1974]

It's just that tomorrow is going to be around 8c (Feels like 5c) so probably be a max of 10-12c in the room and I know we will feel cold, so they will too.

Can't really afford a microwave and don't have anywhere to put one either as our kitchen is tiny!

I was just thinking of getting a couple of these heat pads from Savers and putting them under their fleece cover, around the cage, but I'm not sure how/if this will work, and even if it's viable for the whole of the winter, as it could get expensive considering they're disposable...
https://www.savers.co.uk/Health-&-Wellbeing/Pain-Relief/Hot-&-Cold-Treatments/Heat-Aid-Self-Warming-Pad-2-Pack/p/203453

When we got the boys back in August and it was warm and thinking because they were being kept inside, we didn't really consider that we would need to worry about them getting cold in winter. I remember I used to bring my Guinea Pigs (20 years ago) inside in winter, but I don't remember having heating on all the time for them, but then it was a long time ago.

 

[Storm1974]

It's just that tomorrow is going to be around 8c (Feels like 5c) so probably be a max of 10-12c in the room and I know we will feel cold, so they will too.

Can't really afford a microwave and don't have anywhere to put one either as our kitchen is tiny!

I was just thinking of getting a couple of these heat pads from Savers and putting them under their fleece cover, around the cage, but I'm not sure how/if this will work, and even if it's viable for the whole of the winter, as it could get expensive considering they're disposable...
https://www.savers.co.uk/Health-&-W...nts/Heat-Aid-Self-Warming-Pad-2-Pack/p/203453

 

[Piggies&buns]

I personally would not use those kind of heat packs. They aren’t for animals and i can’t see they going to provide the warmth they need.
Even if they were to work, you would be spending more on these in one month alone than investing in a microwave (space issue aside) and snugglesafes which would last years. Two packs a day to last all 24 hours - £60 a month.

If it is getting that cold in your house, then you would probably be best to treat them like non-heated shed dwelling piggies with lots of insulation and/or blankets.
I’d be suggesting silver foil insulation to wrap at least part of the side of the cage and cover the top with blankets to help stop cold air moving around them so much but just using thick blankets does the same thing.

 

[Piggies&buns]

And don’t forget lots of hay in hides and elsewhere in the cage so they can come out and still snuggle up in hay

 

[Storm1974]

I personally would not use those kind of heat packs. They aren’t for animals and i can’t see they going to provide the warmth they need.
Even if they were to work, you would be spending more on these in one month alone than investing in a microwave (space issue aside) and snugglesafes which would last years. Two packs a day to last all 24 hours - £60 a month.

If it is getting that cold in your house, then you would probably be best to treat them like non-heated shed dwelling piggies with lots of insulation and/or blankets.
I’d be suggesting silver foil insulation to wrap at least part of the side of the cage and cover the top with blankets to help stop cold air moving around them so much but just using thick blankets does the same thing.

Great advice, thanks. We have already been covering them over every night since it's got into the Autumn months. We've been using a big slab of cardboard which covers over half of their cage and then placed light fleeces over that, but we can do more now it's getting colder!

Some good tips on this site too I've just found. I was also considering a hot water bottle?
How To Keep Your Guinea Pig Warm In Winter (9 Awesome Tips) - Squeaks Scales & Tails

 

[Piggies&buns]

Great advice, thanks. We have already been covering them over every night since it's got into the Autumn months. We've been using a big slab of cardboard which covers over half of their cage and then placed light fleeces over that, but we can do more now it's getting colder!

Some good tips on this site too I've just found. I was also considering a hot water bottle?
How To Keep Your Guinea Pig Warm In Winter (9 Awesome Tips) - Squeaks Scales & Tails

We don’t advise hot water bottles inside the cage - risk of bursts and burns.
Maybe you could perhaps rest a hot water against the outside of the cage and put an open ended hide near it so they can feel the warmth without being able to get to the hot water bottle. Make sure you don’t overfill it or use boiling water as it could still burst and risk injury to the piggies.

Otherwise the insulation and perhaps lifting the cage off the floor is all you can do without adding a heating source.

 

[Bluebell]

To cheer you up a bit Storm 1974, my house doesn't have central heating and there has never been any heating at all in the room my guinea pigs currently live in. They have never looked remotely bothered and are healthy and long lived so don't get too worried!

 

[Storm1974]

And don’t forget lots of hay in hides and elsewhere in the cage so they can come out and still snuggle up in hay

To cheer you up a bit Storm 1974, my house doesn't have central heating and there has never been any heating at all in the room my guinea pigs currently live in. They have never looked remotely bothered and are healthy and long lived so don't get too worried!

Great to hear, thanks Bluebell.
Will still worry about them though.....Worry is my middle name lol!

 

[Merab]

We keep our house at a constant 17 degrees during the day.
The piggies get extra hay and plenty of fleecy tunnels to keep them warm.
I do have old towels pegged around the outside of the cage to help with warmth.
We don’t use snugglesafes as we don’t possess a microwave.
They have always been fine.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Unless your piggies are used to living in a very warm environment or are old and frail I really don't think you need to worry.

Guinea pigs evolved to keep warm in cooler temperatures. They have fast metabolisms which create body heat, compact bodies, short legs and no tails, all of which minimise surface area and so help to reduce heat loss and they don't sweat so there is minimal heat loss via body fluids. On the flip side these attributes mean they are not well adapted to keeping cool in hot weather and so heat poses a much greater risk to them.

The important thing is to make sure they are not in damp or drafty conditions. And that they have plenty of fresh hay to eat, nest in and sit on. They will need to eat more when it is colder to maintain the extra calories they are metabolising by keeping warm (just like skinny pigs need to do all year round)

Most of my piggies live in the piggy shed plus I have a few who live indoors in the piggy room. I have been putting the heating on in the piggy shed at night for a few weeks now and like to maintain it at around 15°. Sometimes it gets to 16° and sometimes a little lower. For example yesterday evening when I went to turn it on the temperature was 12° and no one was fluffed up, shivering or cold.
Indoors I don't have my heating on yet and the piggy room maintains itself at a pretty steady 15° or sometimes 14° overnight. I have pegged fleece around the grids to keep out drafts and use an old towel as a draft excluder at the bottom of the door at night.

 

[Storm1974]

Unless your piggies are used to living in a very warm environment or are old and frail I really don't think you need to worry.

Guinea pigs evolved to keep warm in cooler temperatures. They have fast metabolism which create body heat, compact bodies, short legs and no tails, all of which minimise surface area and so help to reduce heat loss and they don't sweat so there is minimal heat loss via body fluids. On the flip side these attributes mean they are not well adapted to keeping cool in hot weather and so heat poses a much greater risk to them.

The important thing is to make sure they are not in damp or drafty conditions. And that they have plenty of fresh hay to eat, nest in and sit on. They will need to eat more when it is colder to maintain the extra calories they are metabolising by keeping warm (just like skinny pigs need to do all year round)

Most of my piggies live in the piggy shed plus I have a few who live indoors in the piggy room. I have been putting the heating on in the piggy shed at night for a few weeks now and like to maintain it at around 15°. Sometimes it gets to 16° and sometimes a little lower. For example yesterday evening when I went to turn it on the temperature was 12° and no one was fluffed up, shivering or cold.
Indoors I don't have my heating on yet and the piggy room maintains itself at a pretty steady 15° or sometimes 14° overnight. I have pegged fleece around the grids to keep out drafts and use an old towel as a draft excluder at the bottom of the door at night.

Great advice, thanks!

They seem ok today, although it's not sub-zero outside, obviously. But luckily they are in the warmest room in our bungalow (Next to the kitchen) and we have them very well covered over, of course leaving gaps for ventilation but no drafts!