I think I'm getting there!!

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Guinea-wiggles

Guinea-wiggles

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Hi all, I asked for some help last week about keeping my piggies warm & toastie in their outside hutches.
I took the advice of several people (XXTHANKSXX) and bought some insulation from wikes and managed to insulate both hutches (which was brilliant)
This is the girls hutch
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This is my effort so far....
I half sealed the large windows
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Then I covered the outside in insulation
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Then I covered it in waterproof dogs towls
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Then a blanket for the icy cold weather
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I've just got to get a snuggle cover made or make one myself.
 
The boys hutch already has a snuggle cover so I just added bits for extra warm.
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The insulation
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The beds
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And finally the blanket for the icy cold days
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And I still wasn't totally happy about the set up so I started to think about what I could do about it.
Whilst having a conversation with my brother (not the guinea pig lover) he said it's a pity you didn't buy that bigger gazebo with the side panels (which was to big for the corner where the piggies are).
So I thought whats waterproof or the next best thing ......shower curtains
so I bought 4 thick shower curtains and covered the the sides & back, then I added to clear (ish) shower curtains to cover the front.
So at night time when the temperature really falls I just shut the curtains and it's a lot warmer and more toastie.
I've even bought a thermometer to check the temperature through out the day.
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Wow, what an excellent job, you really have put some thought into this. My piggies are outside, too, in a stable and am getting worried about the drop in temperature now. I think I might use some of your brilliant ideas to insulate their hutches. Thanks again.
 
Thanks for that but the insulation ideas aren't my ideas, I asked for help on here and a lady called Clare (I think ?) posted pictures of her outside hutches and I think a human could have lived in them as they looked so snugg.
But lots of people mentioned this insulation from wickes, it cost me around £18 for it (but there is loads) on the pink hutch it's insulated twice.
If it helps the waterproof dog towls are from poundland but I needed 4 to do the top half of my girls hutch and the fleeces are from Tesco's £2 each (loads of colours too).
The snuggle beds are little dogs beds from wilkos and they're £2.49 each.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME OUT and I now feel a lot happier knowing that my piggies won't be so cold.
 
You've done a great job. Love the gazebo! I hope to clear some space in the outhouse down the garden for my boys v soon. In the meantime I have stapled foil-backed bubble wrap over the sides/back/top. I made a cover from clear tarpaulin. I have also now put a fleece blanket over the top and front for nights (and I keep it pulled over the bedroom side all day). Inside they have LOADS of hay and fleece cosy cavies snuggles. I have just taken delivery of a snugglepad (heat pad). I noticed their waterbottle which was inside all of the above was not esp cold at all this morning despite the frost.
 
flips said:
That looks fantastic. Well done. Love the shower curtains. Genius. :(|)
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LOL I just couldn't think of anything else waterproof and they had an offer on in argos so I thought why not.
Although I must say the sales assistant looked at me strangely for buying 6 shower curtains, she must think I have a very large bathroom or lots of bathrooms lol.
 
woweeeeee....love the girls PINK bit!

Wanna come round and design my cages lol

Hope the spoilt piggies love it all x
 
That's the work of my little girl Georgia-Mae (she's 7 bless her) she wanted the pink princess castle for her princesses, only problem now is that she wants me to buy the train design or fire engine design (from the same company) for my boys so I'm like erm no Georgia I think Alfie & Albie are fine in the normal brown cage lol.
I was instructed by her to make sure that I only bought pink things hence the pink blankets, pink toys, pink food bowls........bet you can't guess what her favourite colour is?
 
if you have B&Q or Focus, near buy they sell some silver bubble wrap space insulation, whick keeps the heat in. its very cheap, you could then staple it around the sides and back of the hutch for extra warmth as i think we are going to have a very cold winter...
 
clairelove said:
if you have B&Q or Focus, near buy they sell some silver bubble wrap space insulation, whick keeps the heat in. its very cheap, you could then staple it around the sides and back of the hutch for extra warmth as i think we are going to have a very cold winter...
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Umm I'm not sure if it's the same thing that I've already bought, it's like tiny bubble wrap with a silver backing?
 
doglovinpiggylover said:
aww bless, i soooo missed out on the pink thing when i was little! :(
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lol I have 2 girls and lots of pink stuff which I suppose is ok cos it's all of our favourite colour.
I have 2 older brothers so I can't remember having lots of pink in my childhood either maybe thats why I love it now x)
 
Awww well done! :)) I used the showe curtain idea as a waterproof hutch snuggler :))! It looks like you have a great set up well done ! :))
 
Just got the waterproofing to put on the castle hutch, I emailed someone who makes the waterproof snuggles and he asked for pictures but 5 days later I'm still waiting for a price but I have seen a shop near me that sells waterproof tablecloth material so I may aswell measure the hutch again and make one from that and it'd only cost me £16 at the most.
 
Well I've bought the tablecloth material today (pink of course lol) and put it on the hutch so it's so snugg & waterproof.
I thoutght right as soon as I sew the curtain together the cavey corner (as my little un calls it) is finished but my brother came down today and decided to build a fence and gate in front of the gazebo to stop unwanted visitors so that's pretty cool.
This is the finished hutch.
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lol just thought it was in keeping with the castle hutch, I might even paint the fence pink too umm mind you the boys are up there aswell so it might have to be blue and pink lol.
 
I see your in derbyshire B&Q insulation is expensive. Now if you can get to Nottingham by car I can save you HEAPS of money. In Nottingham near notts county ground there is an army surplus place. I brought thermal stuff from there as cheap as chips. It basicly is the tents they use abroad. Its white with the foil stuff inside what the hutch covers are made from. Now in HIGH WIND that gazebo is going to blow down and shower curtins are not very warm, but I bet if you went and brought some stuff from the army supplies the gazebo would be a whole lot heavier:) and warmer. I think its worth trying its blinking cold now january and feb are much colder.
 
The Gazebo is in a corner so it's sheilded by a high hedge and garage there's hardly any wind gets to it and it's the same hight as the garage so the wind flows over it.
The shower curtains are weighted and will be sewn together & my mum has already said once she finds out our old tent (from when my brothers were younger & went camping up near the peaks) she'll cut it and sew it to the curtains., and the gazebo has been threaded through the hedge and pinned to the floor, tied to the fence, tied to the garage and drilled in to concrete.
The cages have all been insulated (twice) with the silver insulation stuff that loads of people on here recommended.
But I'll look at it again and see if there's anything else I can do.
 
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