Best (and cheapest) way to keep warm in Winter?

[proudguineamomma:)]

Hi all.

I was wondering what others do to keep their piggies warm in the winter (if like me they keep theirs outside in a hutch with no access to inside the house or a shed etc).

I am going to buy more fleece liners (as they have fleece liners for their sleeping area but not for the main part of the hutch).

I have bought one snuggle safe pad and will buy another when I get paid (does anyone else use these and if so what do they think of them?)

I will also buy a thermal cover nearer the time too.

I was wondering if others do anything else to keep them warm? I was also thinking about buying small fluffy dog beds to put in their sleeping area too.

Let me know, all ideas and advice will be much appreciated!

 

[Piggies&buns]

A couple of wooden or cardboard hides stuffed with hay for them to snuggle into.
Definitely get more snuggle safes. They are essential for outdoor piggies as they are the only source of external warmth. I have four snuggle safes between my two boys and they are heated up each morning and each night. Put some under hides and some just in the hutch so they have a choice of being on a heat pad or not.
You wont be able to use fleece outside as once it gets cooler and damper, the fleece will not dry properly. It can also wick moisture from the air and your piggies will therefore not have any dry bedding. I also would not use fluffy dog beds. Just use an absorbent layer of your choice (shavings etc), and then completely stuff the hutch full with lots and lots of hay.

A thermal hutch cover on the hutch first, then a few blankets and then a waterproof hutch cover. Do bear in mind that once it gets below 15 degrees overnight the measures need to be taken, so I would recommend you get the thermal hutch cover soon given the nights do seem to be below 15 already.
If you can, then try to move the hutch somewhere as sheltered as possible.

You will also need a thermometer so you can be sure your measures are working and that enough heat is being kept inside the hutch.

My boys do live in my shed. They have a hutch in there also which they get locked into at night from late autumn to late spring and even with the protection of the shed, keeping them warm is a lot of work. It usually works well but I did have a failure last year when the temperatures just got too cold and I could not keep the hutch above 10 degrees. They have everything I've described above - the four heat pads, hutch stuffed with hay etc. Their hutch has a thermal hutch cover, then two thick blankets, then the waterproof hutch over (although they obviously dont need it for a waterproofing given it is in a shed), then a duvet gets thrown over the whole thing once it gets mid winter.

Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs

 

[proudguineamomma:)]

What hay do you use to stuff the hutch? As I know there is bedding hay but is it expensive?

Thanks for letting me know about the fleece, I didn’t know that!

I use wood shavings already but heard that it’s bad for guinea pigs so I was going to use the little bit I have left them find something else to use, so is it safe for them then?

I have four boars in a big hutch (2 upstairs and 2 downstairs). I was originally thinking about getting 4 snuggle safe pads and putting 1 in each sleeping area and 1 in each main area (I will attach a photo of their hutch to give you an idea of the size).

Where do you suggest putting the thermometer in the hutch so the boars can’t get to it?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I use meadow hay as bedding, and then give Timothy hay for eating. If you have a farm shop near you, you can sometimes buy it by the bale - something like £5-10 a bale. The only thing is that it isnt dust extracted when you buy it by the bale. Otherwise, bags of meadow hay from pet shops. You will go through a lot of it to keep the warm enough - with wet hay removed and replaced with fresh daily
I personally buy in bulk from Haybox, which is expensive - I spend £40-50 a month in hay in winter (I have two piggies and three rabbits) but there are cheaper ways of doing it if your piggies aren't fussy and dont refuse to eat any other type of hay!

Shavings are fine if they are in fairly large pieces and dust extracted, but there are other types of bedding if you'd prefer. I like to use aubiose or megazorb as my absorbent layer.

Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview

Your proposal for the snuggle safes is fine. You will just need to keep an eye that they are warm enough. I have two hides in the bedroom area and then put a snuggle safe in each one but half in, half out. They can then sit on it or next to it and still be under their hay stuffed hide. The hides themselves keep the warmth within them. I then have the other two heat pads in the main part of the hutch by each hay pile so they can eat and still be warm at the same time!

I have my thermometer cable tied to the outside of the mesh part of the door. It gives me a close enough reading (if anything the reading will be slightly lower than the actual temperate inside the hutch) to know they are ok