Outside over winter

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purplepony

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum so sorry if some of my questions seem obvious!

Firstly, I have owned my 2 piggies for 9 months. They have lived outside since May. At the moment they are on finacard bedding in both the living and sleeping area. Their sleeping area also has hay which I top up every few days as the tend to eat it! They also have an igloo with safe bedding that I put in their hutch at night and take out during the day so that they have as much room as possible when they're not out in their run.

My main question is how do I ensure that they are staying warm enough during the winter months? Their hutch also has a water-proof covering on it. Unfortunatly I have no shed or garage that they can live in over winter to protect them from the worst of the weather.

So far they seem to be doing just fine and are maintaining their weights.

Many thanks
 
Firstly welcome :)

Piggies need hay to help their digestion which is why they eat it. They should have access to hay 24/7. To keep them warmer you can fill (top to bottom) the bed side of their hutch with hay as they will burrow in it.
You can give them a nice layer of hay over the finacard (in the main part of their hutch) too.

What is safe bedding? How big is their hutch? I ask because you say you remove the pigloo to give them more space, the minimum recommended size for 2 piggies is 4ft x 2ft.

If you can fit a duvet cover around your hutch under the plastic this will help to insulate or staple bubble wrap to the 3 wood sides & part cover the meshed front with a blanket, carpet or similar. You must leave a gap for air to circulate.
 
Hi there. My piggies live outside too. They have a scratch and newton hutch snuggle and then a scratch and newton hutch hugger over the top of this.
http://www.scratchandnewtonshop.co.uk/range.php?range_id=21

They also have a dome filled with hay, lots of hay in their sleeping area and a snugglesafe heat pad which we put in at night time. I have a second heat pad which I am going to give them during the day too when it is cold during the day.
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/...yY2AodwSGOkQ&gclid=CKf2l52Zrp4CFVyY2AodwSGOkQ

I also put a piece of carpet over the wire mesh a night leaving a small gap for air.

Your hutch should be ideally positioned in a sheltered area too.

I know that these things are pretty expensive but I think they are well worth the money although you can find cheaper alternatives.

Niki has given you some fab advise too xx
 
I bought a roll of the insulating silver bubble-wrap (which is what the Scratch & Newton Hutch Snuggle is made from) from my local Focus (it's made to go behind radiators) and cut it to fit. I managed to do the rabbits' 6'x4' shed and the guinea-pigs' 5'x2' hutch with one big role (which cost 25 pounds - they usually do deals in the Winter, so it should be cheaper now). I then covered them both with a thick tarpaulin. So long as the bubble-wrap fits snugly, it works really well. My rabbits' shed is noticeably warmer than outside.
 
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Thanks for the replies guys.

Safe bedding is the soft white paper bedding that you can get from pet shops and online. Their hutch is 2ftX4ft (i'm saving for a bigger one) so I remove to igloo during the day so that they can have as much room as possible, as I know that their hutch isn't ideal. I tried filling their sleeping area with hay so that they could burrow into it, but they next morning I always find that it has been trampled down!

I've already got a scratch&newton hutch hugger on and carpet covering the wire mesh at night to kkep the worst of the draughts out.
 
My girlies have their hay fluffed and topped up last thing at night before I cover the hutch with a towel. They are also covered with a tarp held down with bricks. I fully replace the hay every few days to keep it fresh.
 
purplepony said:
Thanks for the replies guys.

Safe bedding is the soft white paper bedding that you can get from pet shops and online. Their hutch is 2ftX4ft (i'm saving for a bigger one) so I remove to igloo during the day so that they can have as much room as possible, as I know that their hutch isn't ideal. I tried filling their sleeping area with hay so that they could burrow into it, but they next morning I always find that it has been trampled down!

I've already got a scratch&newton hutch hugger on and carpet covering the wire mesh at night to kkep the worst of the draughts out.
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Your hutch is fine but obviously bigger is better :) Piggies do trample their hay, my hutches look lovely when i've just cleaned them out & within 15 minutes all the lovely fluffed up hay is squashed flat :))

For me you have done all you can to ensure your piggies are warm, they may well snuggle up to one another as some of mine do. They will be acclimatised to the colder weather with living outside & so should be fine, my piggies live in hutches outside, within a shed which is more for my convenience but when i first had piggies years ago they were housed in hutches in the garden & lived to over 7 & 8. They had tarpaulin for the rain & carpet for warmth/to prevent draughts & were fine :)
 
My pigs live in a shed in a cage. I have a special heat emitter over their cage that helps keep it 20 degrees celcius. I also put a snugglesafe inside their igloo with fleece bedding. I use wood shavings and hay as well. I cover half the cage with a towel to keep out drafts from the shed door. The shed is insulated but its very old and the door has a bit of a draft. My rabbit is free range in there too but can't get at the pigs. He can only look. :)

Lynn
 
I fill my guinea pigs bedroom with straw and they love it, i have also bought a cavy cosy with 9oz wodding in it and they sleep in that to they seem ok at the moment i also cover the cage with a large blanket and a hutch cover.My Archie always looks like he has had a good night sleep when i wake him in the mornings bless, he is eating loads of food but i suppose this is normal in the winter,mind you he eats loads in the summer to lol Archie also has his mate Biscuits to cuddle up to......So far so good but i can't wait for the better weather again so i can put them out to graze
 
You can put a cardboard box in the bed section (the sort beer bottles/crisps come in are about the right size). If you stuff this with hay so they can just snuggle in there too it will keep them warmer and not be trodden down so much. Only do this if they get on really well tho - you don't want one piggie hogging the box and the other out in the cold.
 
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