Ways to keep your piggies cool?

Guineapiggies_

Guineapiggies_

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello, it’s gets quite hot where I live in the summer any suggestions to keep your piggie nice and cool

Also to cool them down could you put them in a shallow paddling pool (shallow enough so that they can reach the bottom without having to swim) I’m not sure about this and summer is approaching so I do want to make my piggies as comfortable as possible.
 
Guineapiggies_ said:
Hello, it’s gets quite hot where I live in the summer any suggestions to keep your piggie nice and cool

Also to cool them down could you put them in a shallow paddling pool (shallow enough so that they can reach the bottom without having to swim) I’m not sure about this and summer is approaching so I do want to make my piggies as comfortable as possible.
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Hi!

LOTS of very helpful tips and information on hot weather care (including videos) plus health care tips on spotting the symptoms of potentially lethal heat stroke and what you can and cannot do: Hot Weather Management and Heat Strokes

Feeding issues in hot weather: The temptation to overfeed watery veg and fruit in hot weather!

Our swimming advice is a HUGE NO NO!
Please be aware that the guinea pigs in most online videos are actually paddling for their lives and are NOT enjoying it!

Forcing a guinea pig to swim is cruel and can have quickly fatal consequences from outright drowning if it cannot get out on its own to cardiac arrest, losing their balance if water gets into their ears or secondary drowning in the hours after swimming if too much water gets into their lungs and prevents oxygen exchange. A little water in the lungs can cause pneumonia, not to mention that guinea pigs can die from sheer fright. NOT a good and kind idea at all! :( Do you really want to do that to beloved pets just for a laugh for yourself?
Here is our swimming advice in detail: Can And Should Guinea Pigs Swim?
 
👆 defo NO to swimming despite the videos you might see posted online...

Mine are indoor piggies so I can keep them cool by closing my living room curtains and if it gets really hot (very rare in the UK lol) we have an air con unit built in the room...
 
Another no to swimming and water here.

However in hot weather some of mine like to lay on a tile - I just boguth a few end of line ones from the local DIY store and put them in their cages.
 
We have 100F+ heat here quite a bit of the summer. Here are some tips I have for keeping them cool:

1. Wet the bottom of their enclosure. In the bottom of their pen, we put some soft, sandy dirt that I thought would feel good on their feet, but not too dusty. I will take the animals out for a second so they don't scare when I spray the water all over their cage. I spray everything with the hose just to make sure they will stay cool.

2. Give them some wet mats to lay on. Every year I buy these indoor/outdoor mats from DollarTree to use in the pen. They retain water pretty well, so I hose them off, stick them in the pen, and put some houses on top so they feel secure. You can also do this with towels and they love to lay on them.

3. Only use wooden houses. Plastic houses retain a lot of heat, so use wooden houses instead. If you wet these, they might warp a little, but it stays super cool inside there.

4. Shade. Always keep your piggies in the shade when it's hot out.

5. Water. ALWAYS keep water available to your piggies. Multiple, large water bottles will ensure they won't run out.

6. Lawn time. If it's too hot to put the animals in their outdoor pen, I will put them on the lawn. Our back lawn is always in the shade so it's a nice place for them to relax. If you wet it a little bit, it stays super cool.

7. Feed cold, watery vegetables. Veggies such as lettuce, cucumber, and watermelon all contain a ton of water and can cool them off and hydrate them.

I hope these help your piggies beat the heat!
Gia xoxo
 
I like the tile idea - I've seen some cool pads on eBay are these any good? i don't want them to chew them, theres all sorts of cool pads for them on eBay just don't know which one to choose but might get a tile now
 
ladymuck83 said:
I like the tile idea - I've seen some cool pads on eBay are these any good? i don't want them to chew them, theres all sorts of cool pads for them on eBay just don't know which one to choose but might get a tile now
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Wrap any cool pads or fridge cooled snugglesafes in bit of fleece or shove them under a towel, the same as with any frozen water bottles.
You can find all the tips and much more in the guide in my first post. It is well worth reading through as it contains very effective simple measures that most people don't think of!
 
Wiebke said:
Wrap any cool pads or fridge cooled snugglesafes in bit of fleece or shove them under a towel, the same as with any frozen water bottles.
You can find all the tips and much more in the guide in my first post. It is well worth reading through as it contains very effective simple measures that most people don't think of!
Click to expand...

Thanks will have a look now - love all your welsh names for your piggies
we have Meic a Roi hah
 
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