Conservatory

[New guinea pig owner]

Hi I'm just wondering if anyone keeps their piggies in the conservatory? I'm thinking about moving my outdoor piggies into the conservatory over the colder months (bringing the hutch inside). It can still be cold in there during the winter so I'm planning on keeping the thermal cover on & giving them comfy beds etc. Would it be ok to use fleece bedding? would heat pads still be necessary? Any advice would be great. Thanks

 

[Siikibam]

If it can be cold (below the temp they can tolerate comfortably) then I’d say heat pads are still necessary.

 

[Piggies&buns]

it’s going to depend on the temperature as to what extra measures you need to take to keep them warm. As you’ve said it still gets cold in there then yes I would say that heat pads would still be a good idea. You could use fleece bedding as they will be inside but again if it is colder, giving them fleece tunnels or hides to snuggle into perhaps with a heat pad as well would be nice for them.
Being out of the elements itself is a good thing though!

 

[New guinea pig owner]

Ok thank you, will look at getting some heat pads & fleece tunnels. Ive bought self heating type pads but dont know if they will be any good. They have wooden hideys at the moment so maybe I could wrap the hideys in fleece or something to save on costs. Hopefully it will be nicer for them indoors & I 'll be able to sit with them for longer

 

[Betsy]

These are the heat pads you will need (My boys used to call them piggy hot water bottles when they were small)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SnuggleSaf...1_1?dchild=1&keywords=snugglesafe&qid=1595944

You'll need one per piggy and also some spare covers are always a good idea. Shop around as prices vary.

 

[New guinea pig owner]

Aww piggy hot water bottles Thanks for the link, I can see me buying them a lot of "early christmas presents"

 

[Freya1234]

My pigs live in a C&C cage in the conservatory all year round. In winter I make sure they have lots of fleece hidies and I also have a portable radiator that plugs into the wall that maintains the temperature quite well, the suggestions that other people have given you sound good as well. In the summer I have windows open if it is hot and the pigs spend most of their time outside only coming in overnight. I also keep all of the blinds shut so that the sun doesn’t heat up the conservatory as much.
I would recommend buying a thermometer to keep in there just so you can see what the temperature is like for them it also helps you to be able to maintain the temperature.

 

[New guinea pig owner]

Thank you for your advice, will have a look at ordering a thermometer ☺