Sun cream on piggy ears?
- Thread starter weepweeps
- Start date
PigglePuggle
Senior Guinea Pig
I think providing shade and limiting time outdoors in hot sunny weather may be better than using sun cream, as piggies may get it in their mouths or in their eyes and that would be very unpleasant for them. Could you cover part of their run with a sheet or towel, and keep run time to morning and evening on very sunny days to stop sunburn but also possible over heating which is more of an issue with piggies? They should always have plenty shade and on very hot days a cool pack (or frozen water bottle in a sock works well!) to lie on if they feel too hot 
Thank you. Great advice. When I had piggies a few years ago I tried frozen water bottles in their hutches (I had 4 boars all living separately 
). They were petrified of them 
. They kept as far away from them as possible 
.
). They were petrified of them . They kept as far away from them as possible .
Posyrose
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With piggies with pink ears I've used sun screen but also made sure there was shade ( but the sun moves so I was covering all bases). I also use frozen water bottles but they tend to get ignored.
Free Ranger
Forum Donator 2023/24
I've heard that pigs radiate heat from the ears so sometimes you might see very pink ears but it's not sunburn... it's because they are hot. Unless they're skinnies they'll be in their fur coat all year round so shade will be very welcome!
I'd go down the shade route - hideys in the shade so they can come out into the sun to eat but run back and cool off when they feel the need. I don't put my plastic hideys in the sun at all... it's like an oven in there within a few minutes!
Last thing to think about is the surface. I have a slabs set in the grass which piggies can run on to if they wish as the run is movable about-able. But direct sun heats the slabs to burning hot - and I only found this out because I go out the back in bare feet, which most people don't. We spend a lot of time in the UK thinking is the ground warm enough or dry enough, but there are also situations when it can burn!
I'd go down the shade route - hideys in the shade so they can come out into the sun to eat but run back and cool off when they feel the need. I don't put my plastic hideys in the sun at all... it's like an oven in there within a few minutes!
Last thing to think about is the surface. I have a slabs set in the grass which piggies can run on to if they wish as the run is movable about-able. But direct sun heats the slabs to burning hot - and I only found this out because I go out the back in bare feet, which most people don't. We spend a lot of time in the UK thinking is the ground warm enough or dry enough, but there are also situations when it can burn!
