What Are Your Best Tips For Keeping Your Pigs Warm On A Budget?

dandelionfluff5

dandelionfluff5

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Hi, due to health reasons I am on a low income at the moment. I do the basic things to keep my girls warm such as lots of hay and having the heating on as much as I can afford, plus lots of warm fleece liners in their cage. Anyone else got any other tips, as I feel I need to be doing more?
 
Either a hot water bottle although not to hot, wrap it in a towel so it's not against the skin. Hot spots, apart from plenty of hay, I'm sorry I can't think of anything else
 
Snuggle safes are very good as they last hours but not the cheapest of things. Alternatively you could put warm (not boiling) water in plastic water bottles and wrap them in a tea towel for extra warmth, these would need to be replaced more often though and make sure they don't leak :)
 
You could put a few random old (clean) towels/fleeces in the cages in random spots so they can burrow/hide under them. You could tie one up too, about piggy height so they can hide under it but it's also low enough it's just above them and keeps them warm :-)
 
Hi, I use snugglesafe (zooplus.co.uk has them pretty cheap) with my piggies outside. They're great and if you place them in box stuffed with lots of hay they'll last even longer compared to if just left exposed.
Just create boxes (plastic,cardboard,soft) with hay in as this way they'll be able to keep warm (smaller area to hold the heat).
If your cage is kept on the floor place it higher up or on blankets. You can even cover most of the cage with blanket to retain heat during night time.
Before snugglesafe I used two plastic boxes with same floor area but different depth. One was a lot shorter than other so they did slide in together nicely. I've cut out opening in the top box for entrance. And placed hot water bottle in the bottom box, then placed top box with a lid on and stuffed it with hay. It was lovely and warm! And they couldn't get near the water bottle to chew it.
 
Snuggle safes and fleece cosies. Plus lots of hay. I personally would avoid any hot water bottles or bottles of warm water for fear pigs would chew them (I just don't feel they are a particularly safe option), I'd rather pay a few pounds more for a snugglesafe knowing it's going to last. Having your home heated to a constant temperature so they aren't too hot/too cold and aren't faced with huge changes in temperature would be best even if this means having the temperature a bit lower than you have been doing (so there's less of a jump when it's not on)
 
I use dirt, and it really works. But also, guinea pigs can withstand quite a bit of cold. So you don’t need to do much more than what you’re already doing.
 
MattDaMan said:
I use dirt, and it really works. But also, guinea pigs can withstand quite a bit of cold. So you don’t need to do much more than what you’re already doing.
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@MattDaMan what do you mean when you say you use dirt? How do you use it and how do you think it keeps piggies warm? I’ve never heard of this in the UK which is where most of our members are based.
 
I put the dirt on the floor, and the piggies make little indents in the dirt. It needs to be cleaned often, but it retains heat. It also works really well inside of tunnels, and makes a great bedding.
 
MattDaMan said:
I put the dirt on the floor, and the piggies make little indents in the dirt. It needs to be cleaned often, but it retains heat. It also works really well inside of tunnels, and makes a great bedding.
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I see that you are in Ecuador @MattDaMan. I do not know what your climate or soil are like. But this would not be recommended in the UK.
 
Layers of fleece to burrow into. Cuddle cups, fleece tunnels and as already mentioned lots of hay and boxes. If they are indoors they will be fine. Mine were indoors and I rarely used the heating due to cost and it also being too hot overnight with my awful storage radiators.
 
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