Worried About Winter

lucyr

lucyr

New Born Pup
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My guinea pigs are currently in their hutch inside a shed. They have their rain cover, blankets on top of the cage, extra bedding and food etc, and the doors to the shed get closed at night. They seem perfectly happy and healthy right now, but the temperature is getting even worse and I'm worried it will make them ill soon. What temperature is the minimum that they can be in (in their conditions inside the shed)? And would it be better to bring them in for a few weeks till it's warmer, or would the change distress them? They came inside last winter, but it's not easy now as we no longer have the same cages and they are fully grown now.
 
Mine are outside piggies but I have brought them in. They are in the outside run in the Conservatory it is the only space available and the run is squeezed in. I weighed up the options of them not coping very well with a change in temperature and a bit of inconvenience to me for a bit or freezing to death! Didn't take much to convince me to bring them in! I have no cages large enough so my son suggested putting them in the run.
Piggies inside.webp

You can only see Betsy's face and Dennis's bum in this picture the other 3 were hiding!
 
Betsy said:
Mine are outside piggies but I have brought them in. They are in the outside run in the Conservatory it is the only space available and the run is squeezed in. I weighed up the options of them not coping very well with a change in temperature and a bit of inconvenience to me for a bit or freezing to death! Didn't take much to convince me to bring them in! I have no cages large enough so my son suggested putting them in the run.
View attachment 81819

You can only see Betsy's face and Dennis's bum in this picture the other 3 were hiding!
Click to expand...
Good idea using the outdoor run for Aunties precious piggies!
Even although mine are in the heated palace they still have Snugglesafes and covers that hang down over their nests at night!
 
Do you have a way to record the temperature in the shed?
Bring them in is a good idea if the temperature change isn't too dramatic, or it really is getting too cold at night.
Is there some way you could put a small heater in the shed to keep it a bit warmer?
 
Betsy said:
Mine are outside piggies but I have brought them in. They are in the outside run in the Conservatory it is the only space available and the run is squeezed in. I weighed up the options of them not coping very well with a change in temperature and a bit of inconvenience to me for a bit or freezing to death! Didn't take much to convince me to bring them in! I have no cages large enough so my son suggested putting them in the run.
View attachment 81819

You can only see Betsy's face and Dennis's bum in this picture the other 3 were hiding!
Click to expand...

We would have to use the run too but I'm not bothered by them being in my room, it's just a problem with my mother as she can't be near rodents for long periods of time for medical reasons. Am currently trying to convince my step dad to let me bring them in though! So, it's okay for the change in temperature? Our vet said it wouldn't be good for them but I suppose they'e been moved about before so they should be fine..
 
Swissgreys said:
Do you have a way to record the temperature in the shed?
Bring them in is a good idea if the temperature change isn't too dramatic, or it really is getting too cold at night.
Is there some way you could put a small heater in the shed to keep it a bit warmer?
Click to expand...


Unfortunately no, there is no place for a heater and I'm not sure about the temperature. But what would you consider "too cold" ?
 
I went for -3 or -4 as the lowest. This was of course with MOUNTAINS of hay, snugglesafes, snugglies of various varieties, and 2 thermal covers plus a blanket overn the hutch. Monday night was the worst so far. The forecasters said it would be -2 when infact it was -6! My poor piggies! They looked totally miserable yesterday but perked up when I brought them in. I reckon that was a close call! Now when I wake up in the middle of the night I'm not worried about them.
 
Hi, do you have indoors thermometer to check the temperature in their hutch? It's possible it won't show temp. under 5°C (not -5) and just show "Low".
In my piggy shed temperature can be 10°C higher than outdoors, during such severe weather. with heating on.
They're currently on code "lock down", meaning they'll be shut in the top level of their hutch with extra bedding, snugglesafe, heating and covered up!
Please, ensure you replace ALL hay in their bedding area for tonight as damp isn't what is going to help them to stay warm. No matter how much hay they have, if it's wet/damp it's not going to help at all.
 
Hath said:
Hi, do you have indoors thermometer to check the temperature in their hutch? It's possible it won't show temp. under 5°C (not -5) and just show "Low".
In my piggy shed temperature can be 10°C higher than outdoors, during such severe weather. with heating on.
They're currently on code "lock down", meaning they'll be shut in the top level of their hutch with extra bedding, snugglesafe, heating and covered up!
Please, ensure you replace ALL hay in their bedding area for tonight as damp isn't what is going to help them to stay warm. No matter how much hay they have, if it's wet/damp it's not going to help at all.
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I don't have a thermometer, and thank you for the advice but don't worry, of course I've made sure to pile the hay high, and replace it so it stays fresh and dry!
 
Update: they are now inside their run in my room, which was just in time because this afternoon it snowed for the first time in years! 2 inches deep (which is a lot for where I live) so that was a close call.
 
lucyr said:
Update: they are now inside their run in my room, which was just in time because this afternoon it snowed for the first time in years! 2 inches deep (which is a lot for where I live) so that was a close call.
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I’m glad your piggies are now tucked up in your room!
This weather is just so cold for outside animals.
 
I'm very pleased I brought my piggies in! It's lovely to watch them interact. Its a shame I have no room to keep them inside permanently in the winter. I have tried to think where I could put them but I just can't fit them in!
 
Mine are indoors too...I moved the 4 group inside a few days ago, but when it go worse, the heated hutch came inside too yesterday...The summer house is now officially a hay mountain of temporary accommodation.
 
mine are still in the shed,changed bedding to fleece,10 snugglesafes,lots of hay,cucumber slices.readigrass to keep energy levels up ! they seem to be ok.next year I'm going to get the shed converted ,with insulation and electricity.or the spare bedroom will have to cater for 25 piggies !
 
Betsy said:
I'm very pleased I brought my piggies in! It's lovely to watch them interact. Its a shame I have no room to keep them inside permanently in the winter. I have tried to think where I could put them but I just can't fit them in!
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Move your OH out!
 
Betsy said:
I'm very pleased I brought my piggies in! It's lovely to watch them interact. Its a shame I have no room to keep them inside permanently in the winter. I have tried to think where I could put them but I just can't fit them in!
Click to expand...

This is going to be considered when we move house!
 
My piggy is inside all year round but before that they lived in a controlled shed. Which could be cooled down anyway I'm amazed the UK never gets snow we usually see about a foot of snow each year! In January we had a terrible snap which lead to about 12 inches of snow!
 
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