Guinea Pig Care in UK Wintertime

T

towser

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Hi - my daughter's GPs had been in her bedroom last winter and we moved them out to a hutch and run in the garden in the spring / summer.

Moving them back into my daughter's room isn't practical this winter. I have plenty of room in my garage but lighting isn't that great - 2 flourescent lighting strips.

Would this be sufficient if I put lighting on in morning and turned off early evening?

As an alternative I'm looking at daylight simulation lighting for the garage but that's maybe overkill?

Any thoughts and guidance most welcome!
 
My guinea pigs live in the garage all year as there are too many foxes around to have them outside. The lighting in my garage isn't that great either over winter - it's fine in the summer as there is a large window for the light to come in and the Personnel door is always open (it opens onto the Conservatory at the back of the house). Sight is the weakest of the senses in guinea pigs and I never put the light on in the winter unless I'm in the garage with them. If it makes you feel better you can leave the light on all day but they don't really need it.

One consideration you may not have thought about is you need to keep them warm enough. Don't put them back in the cage in the garage you will need to keep them in the hutch. You will need a thermal cover for them. I have an insulating cover of foil backed bubble wrap and then a thermal cover on top of this on the hutch. When it gets cold in the depths of winter (from October until Feb/March), I have an old double duvet that goes over the top and down the front of the hutch over night to keep the draughts out. Plenty of hay is also required to keep them warm. Mine are on fleece and I clean them out twice a week over winter rather than once a week as the fleece stays damp. There are plenty of warm fleece snuggle sacks and tunnels in the hutch too that get changed round on a daily basis if they are damp from wee. You will also need a snuggle safe for each piggie and spare covers for them so you can change the covers when they get wee'd on. These need to be in the hutch 24/7 when it's cold. I have a remote thermometer in the garage so that I can monitor the temperature in there.

If they are going in the garage, you will need to put them in soon so that they acclimatise and get used to living in there. The drawing in of the nights stimulates warmer insulating fur to grow to help keep them warm.

Hope this helps.
 
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