Winter Housing Dilemna!

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claire8234

claire8234

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Hi

Now I know most of you will groan when you see I'm bringing up the topic of winter especially as it is so nice today :)) but I am having to think about what to do with my piggies when it gets colder (I like to be organised!)

I have two boars who are 7.5months and have always lived outside. They have a really big two storey hutch and go outside on the grass most days, so they have lots of space to run about in the fresh air :)

Considering we had temperatures dropping to minus eight last winter I know that when it starts getting really cold they are going to have to be moved inside but I am not sure which is the best option

We have a garage but I am not sure the hutch would actually fit in there what with all our bikes, camping equipment etc. There is also no natural light so they would spend most of their time in the dark :( I know the main problem in the winter is damp and draughts rather than the cold but I'm not convinced going in there would be much warmer.

Option two is to get an indoor cage and they can go in my daughters bedroom. Again we have the problem of being very limited for space (and money) so any thoughts of making a spacious C&C cage or buying a huge cage can be forgotten about! I have seen a number of indoor cages for sale but they do seem tiny (especially compared to a big hutch). Would they be happy in there or would they start fighting?

The advantages of bringing them inside I suppose is that you don't have to battle the elements to clean and feed them, they don't get "forgotten" about by the kids who don't want to go and look after the guinea pigs when its raining etc and my daughter can spend more time with them after school when its already dark outside.

Husbands gripe is - we already have a house for the bl@@dy things why do we need to buy a new one!

Sorry for the long post

Any suggestions appreciated

Claire

x
 
I would think as long as you got them a reasonably sized cage and were able to put things inside that they could quite happily sit in on their own they shouldn't fight and providing they get to run around every day, they should be fine inside.

I wouldn't be having my pigs outside this winter either after the last. Plus it will be cheaper having them inside because you won't have to pad them out with loads of hay. :P
 
Ye I agree bring them in the house. Last winter was so cold I wouldn't risk it.

How is the space in your daughters room? What about and ELC ball pit and set it up as their temporary home? Not sure if this would work x
 
Thanks for the replies.

I think I will bring them in when it gets really cold. I will keep a look out for an indoor cage - I want something that isn't open as I have an 18month old and I don't want him bothering the guinea pigs!

Does anyone know what size cage I would need?, i.e whats the minimum size they need, I have seen a lot of cages but they barely look big enough to keep a hamster in!

The only place they could go is on top of a chest of drawers they would be out the way and off the floor. Other than that its under the window but thats in front of the radiator so not a good place
 
could you not bring the hutch inside for winter?

for 2 boys its recommended that no smaller than 5ft by 2ft or they may fight.
 
As stated in my first post the only place for the hutch would be the garage and I am not sure it would fit - also no light in there.

The hutch is huge two storey one and I don't know many people who could put one of these inside their house! I certainly couldn't, nor would I want to.

I will have to see if there is somewhere I can put a cage - a five foot cage is going to take up a lot of room and our house is tiny :(

What about a two storey cage so they have room to move but isn't as wide as a five foot one?

I wonder if my daughter will mind having all her floor space taken up my guinea pigs :))
 
I am having to plan overwintering my guys and I have 4 to fit in. I am lucky that I have a spare room that is ear marked for them, was supposed to be for guests but at the moment with all the stuff in there and the fact that I have not been up to sorting out the boxes and stuff, I will have to upend the double bed in there and use that floor space and sort the room out when the pigs are back outside I think next year.

I cant find a big enough cage for them and think the c&c is going to be the only solution, I will add a second level as I will put the eating station upstairs (easier to get at and keep clean i think) leaving the bottom layer to be floor space and make up for the lack of run grass time during the winter.

I am sure your daughter would love to have her bedroom floor turned into a piggie home :)) just fence off the perimiter and tell her she is sharing ;)
 
I def wouldn't leave piggies outside over winter, unless in an insulated shed with heating. We had temps here of -18. :{

Our indoor cage sits on top of plywood placed over the top of my daughter's bedroom drawers (cage is larger than the drawers). We have bits along each edge of the plywood so the cage won't slip off. It's still easy for my daughter to reach into her drawers as well.

HTH
 
Hi

I don't have an indoor cage yet. All the ones I have looked at just seem so tiny or I did see a two tier one which would have fitted in perfectly but it was nearly £100, way out of my budget!

I am contemplating buying some girds off of ebay for £30 and making a cage. Thay way it can sit on top of my daughters chest of drawers and I can make it the exact size I want. :)
 
I'm so glad I made the change over to a C&C cage, never looked back. The piggies old cage is kept for when they go on hols to my parents when we go away. :)

I've photos posted up on the cage thread of my set up, but if you need any close ups of the base we use to rest it on top of the drawers, I can take some for you.
 
my guinea pigs live inside in winter but we have a giant rabbit so she has to live outside as tried her inside and she hated it and one day i looked out and there was a big fat rat sat in there eating her food it was bigger than my pigs. The council came and disposed but said that i would keep getting them aslong as i had outside pets but I'm the food source not where they live as we back on to the railway.

My pigs have not been out over night since it scared me so its not just temperature you have to consider its disgusting unwanted guests.
 
This is something that I'd been wondering about as well. Now I know it's not a good idea to have them outside over winter I will have to start thinking about this as well. When I got my girls I was offered their indoor cage, but as I already had the 2 tier hutch I use for them and the cage looked rather small, I said no to it. I know I will have to seriously think about a solution, especially as my husband will moan if I want to buy another one rolleyes. He already moaned when I got the girls as I told him they were being given away, but came back from driving up to London for them £30 lighter :)). Think it might be a case of bringing in their hutch when winter hits.
 
Last winter, the thermometer dropped to -20 so I brought them all in and put them in a large indoor cage. This year I've got a new shed, it's going to be insulated and heating/lighting put in so they'll be nice and snug, I've now got extra piggies so I haven't got the space for them all indoors.
 
Hi, I have the same problem i brought mine inside as the temp outside was very cold but only have a small cage, dont have room for a much bigger one although did see this one on ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360368204697?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

or this one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rabbit-Ca...691050192&po=&ps=63&clkid=3768325429397561391

I also took on another 2 males yesterday that arrived in a small indoor cage. My plan at the moment is to let them have a run around in the kitchen which seems to keep them happy i was worried about them fighting but they seem quite happy being inside. They are alot calmer around us all now even my 20 month old daughter as they hear us all day :)
 
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