New owner - winter advice needed

[KirstyB]

Hi, I'm new to the group and we are thinking about getting some guinea pigs as pets for our daughter's. We've never owned guinea pigs before so are new to all this. Due to where we live the guinea pigs would need to live outside all year. Looking for advice on what precautions to take/things to buy and do to ensure the guinea pigs would be okay in the colder months. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

I'm sorry that I can't be of more help, as my piggies live indoors. A lot of our forum members have outdoor piggies and I'm sure they will be along soon to advise.

It's great that you are doing your research before acquiring guinea pigs. We strongly recommend rehoming from an approved rescue rather than pet shop or online buying

Rescue Locator

Please do consider the age of your daughter and your own expectations and time to care for piggies if you do choose to get them. They are not naturally cuddly pets and have strong prey instincts. I don't handle mine much, except for once a week health checks or medical care/nail trimming. They are much happy going about their own business and will pop over to see me for a treat when they feel like it. They don't (as most piggies don't) enjoy being handled.
They require a lot of specialist care, a careful diet and cleaning. Veterinary fees can be much higher than in other animals due to the specialised veterinary treatment required (and minimal piggy experienced vets - we travel 3 hours to our piggy vet, whereas our dogs have a vet just around the corner).

I've also attached links to the new owner guide:

Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides


Hope this helps with your decision making and planning for piggies

 

[Piggies&buns]

Piggies are most comfortable in temperatures around 18-20 degrees but provided they are kept draught and damp free and as warm as possible inside a hutch then it is possible to keep them outside year round, it just takes a lot of work and preparation.

You will need a very substantial hutch - thinly made plywood hutches arent really substantial enough to cope with a UK winter (weather damage will occur) and don’t keep draughts out well enough. Hutch size is also important.

Mine have a hutch inside a shed but have constant access to the shed floor to play. My shed unfortunately cannot be heated but the shed itself obviously protects them from the elements. My efforts therefore go into keeping the hutch warm as it’s obviously easier to warm that smaller space. To that end, in winter they get locked into the hutch at night.
If you have the possibility of moving them into a shed or unused garage then it would be good.

Inside the hutch, they have the hutch filled entirely with hay. They have four snugglesafe heat pads between the two piggies (once heated they last 8-10 hours so are popped back in the microwave morning and night to keep them warm at all times). Snugglesafes are essential for outdoor piggies.
Damp hay being removed and replaced twice daily in winter.
On the hutch I put a thermal hutch cover, then two blankets, then another hutch cover (this one is waterproof but obviously I don’t need it for it’s water proofing qualities given they are in the shed, but it acts as a valuable extra layer). I then throw an old duvet over the whole thing.
There is a thermometer on the hutch so I can monitor what is actually going on under the covers. I also have a plan to bring them into the house if these measures fail. Mostly these measures work well but this winter they did fail and it was too cold for them to stay out.

I actually have more trouble keeping them cool in summer than i do keeping them warm in winter

Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs

 

[Swissgreys]

When we planned to get guinea pigs I also initially planned to keep them outdoors.
We spent a lot of money on a very substantial and insulated hutch, but they came home early and never made it outside.

We do however have our rabbits outside in a covered hutch, and what I would say is that do not expect your daughters to have any interaction with the piggies during the Autumn and Winter months.
Firstly it is cold and wet and feeding and cleaning are pretty hard work. Plus if you get the hutch and piggies warm you shouldn't really be removing them for cuddles outside (assuming your daughters wanted to sit outside in Winter in the first place!). You can't bring hem inside as the temperature difference will be too great, so it does reduce the amount of interaction they are likely to have.

I am 100% in charge of doing veryhtting for our outdoor pets during the Winter, but my daughters do still do the guinea pigs as they are inside.

So I would make sure you think it through carefully - I am not trying to be the voice of doom and gloom, after all I was once in the same situation as you (although I did a lot less research!). But if you have visions of your daughters being involved and interacting with their piggies to feed and care of them, then it is better to have an honest idea about the reality.

 

[Piggies&buns]

@Swissgreys is absolutely right. My piggies and my rabbits are outside and my youngest daughter (9) is brilliant with the rabbits (she isn’t interested in the guinea pigs because they arent cuddly and don’t want to be held) but she won’t clean out in autumn/winter and although she will come out to feed, that is all she does. I tend to everything else during the colder months. Easier with the piggies being in the shed, and the rabbits have a fully roofed enclosure but she is so much less keen to come out and help. My eldest daughter (13) doesn’t do anything for the animals anymore

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hello and welcome to the forum
Exciting times and good that you are considering all aspects of the husbandry of keeping guinea pigs x

 

[Siikibam]

You’ve had great advice above. The other thing to consider is that if you’re to keep them outside, you need to have them living there by august at the latest. They’ll need to acclimatise to the weather as it cools down. What you have to bear in mind is the night temperatures rather than the daytime. You can’t put them out when the nights are still too cool.

With that in mind, you may find that (some) rescues may not rehome to you if you’re going to keep them outside, especially heading towards autumn. But that’s the best route we recommend when you’re looking for piggies.

Good luck deciding.