Worried about winter

[Claire W]

My piggies live in our spare bedroom and it’s the warmest room in the house.

However, like everyone, we’re concerned about rising energy costs so are trying to leave it for as long as possible before putting the heating on.

Hub has suggested that we don’t have the heating on overnight or too much upstairs during the winter but I’m worried about the pigs getting too cold. As I say, their room is the warmest in the house and it stays warm when the door is closed.

Hub says that the pigs have ‘fur coats’ and hay to snuggle in to so they’ll be fine but I’m worried. I know that outdoor pigs grow a winter coat but do indoor pigs baring in mind that we’re going to leave it for as long as possible before putting the heating on?

I have snugglesafes for when it gets really cold

 

[Winniepeg]

I’m no expert by any means but I’ve got my piggies through cold winters with one heater, plenty of fleece tunnels and a ton of hay. Their cages are covered with fleece blankets too

 

[PigglePuggle]

I think you should have a thermometer in their room Claire and be guided by that. Keeping the door closed against drafts and closing the curtains overnight will help keep the heat in, also you could put down old rugs or throws or blankets on the floor to insulate that better.

In a small space, an oil filled radiator can be much more cheap and efficient than having the central heating on.

And a blanket over the cage at night can really help too.

They should be fine with snugglesafes, lots of hay and fleecy beds though, especially through the autumn- and they will start growing a winter coat if they gradually acclimatise to the coming winter, my Clover has already grown a layer of fuzzy guard hairs over her usual smooth coat, she does this every winter, and Blod and Luna have floofed up more ready for winter!

I usually set the timer for my heating, rather than having it on all night, 15 mins heating every 3 or 4 hours is often enough to keep the chill off even in the coldest months.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I’m sure they will be fine. I have never had central heating on during the night, it goes off at 9.00 pm and comes back on at 7.30 am the following morning. As long as they have plenty of hay and a few cosy beds they will be warm enough.
When I had guinea pigs years ago they spent winter outside or in a garage, they were the healthiest and most long lived of all my piggies. They didn’t suffer any illnesses or problems and lived long lives. It’s damp and wind that guinea pigs have problems with, your piggies will still continue to live a cosy and happy life without extra heating

 

[Merab]

I have old bath towels pegged around the outside of the cage where it’s against an outside wall.
With plenty of fleeces and mountains of hay mine have always been fine in winter.
I’ve reprogrammed our heating clock today to 17 degrees from 5:30am until 10:30 pm when the temperature is reduced to 16 degrees.
I think this should save some energy, keep the house at a constant temperature and everyone and everypig happy.

 

[Wiebke]

My piggies live in our spare bedroom and it’s the warmest room in the house.

However, like everyone, we’re concerned about rising energy costs so are trying to leave it for as long as possible before putting the heating on.

Hub has suggested that we don’t have the heating on overnight or too much upstairs during the winter but I’m worried about the pigs getting too cold. As I say, their room is the warmest in the house and it stays warm when the door is closed.

Hub says that the pigs have ‘fur coats’ and hay to snuggle in to so they’ll be fine but I’m worried. I know that outdoor pigs grow a winter coat but do indoor pigs baring in mind that we’re going to leave it for as long as possible before putting the heating on?

I have snugglesafes for when it gets really cold

We're never having the overnight heating on. I use a large fleece or sheet to peg over the side of the cages that abut the bay window which takes care of any colder air drafts pooling at the bottom of the bay window. We also have thicker curtains, which I insisted on when we redecorated and which act as an additional insulation during both cold and heat extremes. For my elderlies I use snugglesafes for the night. I heat them according to how cold the nights are - fully only for the really frosty nights.

Mostly, overnight temperatures don't fall below 18-19 C. It needs to be a very frosty night for them to get lower. That is only a 1-3 C overnight fall at the worst and well within the comfort zone. Piggies do best between 15-25 C; what they are not happy with is larger sudden temperature jumps well over 5 C.

If you are worried, place a larger cardboard box in the cage (opening facing away from the window) that you fill with pleny of hay (but not so solid that the piggies cannot move) for them to snuggle into. Hay is a great insulator and it doesn't use extra energy.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

I love how much you care for your piggies and look out for their welfare. I can't really add to all the great advice above other than to say I am sure they will be fine. Even if the temperature sometimes dips below 15 they really won't mind if they are dry and out of draughts, especially if they have snugglesafes.

 

[superka]

My piggies live in our spare bedroom and it’s the warmest room in the house.

However, like everyone, we’re concerned about rising energy costs so are trying to leave it for as long as possible before putting the heating on.

Hub has suggested that we don’t have the heating on overnight or too much upstairs during the winter but I’m worried about the pigs getting too cold. As I say, their room is the warmest in the house and it stays warm when the door is closed.

Hub says that the pigs have ‘fur coats’ and hay to snuggle in to so they’ll be fine but I’m worried. I know that outdoor pigs grow a winter coat but do indoor pigs baring in mind that we’re going to leave it for as long as possible before putting the heating on?

I have snugglesafes for when it gets really cold

One word. Calking..... Not just the room The whole house. on average if you add up all the cracks in your house that leak in cold air from outside its the equivilent of having a door just wide open. You dont need a guinea pig form you need a handy man forum. you'll see, seal up all those cracks and you'll be opening windows in the winter time. Seal the house shut. you want fresh air? open that window manually. have control over the air and heat loss of your home. Also if you own the home you can always insulate the walls better. even if you dont landlords usually dont mind when you improve their homes and often will give you a rebate on the work off your rent. calculate how long you plan on living. how much you spend on heating every winter. how much you could reduce that by. if you plan on living their a few years it will probably be in your best interest cost wise alone. the rebate off your rent is an extra bonus.

 

[Wiebke]

PS: You can also save energy by microwaving two snugglesafes together; just run the microwave a minute or half a minute longer.

A fleece (or two) all over the cage and sides for the nights also holds the warmth in for longer. I use this for my free standing cages and runs during colder nights.