Hi Shed-owners.... I'm new to this forum. We have 3 piggies who have been living in an outdoor hutch since March. Last month, I built a C&C case set up in our shed, as I couldn't fit the hutch through the narrow door. I've got cortex plastic on the floor for insulation, with a thick furry insulated vet fleece on top. Each biggie has it's own cat littler tray, filled with moisture-wicking megazorb, hay and a wooden house stuff with hay (so no territorial bickering whilst cooped up indoors over the cold wet weather). I've put fleece blankets and aluminium insulated blankets around it and am putting snuggle safe heated pet pads in on top of the wooden houses for them each night but I'm still worried about the cold. My shed has no electricity - I wanted to put a paraffin or gas heater in there but was worried about fumes. Any advice much appreciated?
Heating for shed
- Thread starter Happypigs
- Start date
Lady Kelly
Senior Guinea Pig
Hi @Happypigs, welcome to the forum. I have moved your post to its own thread as I think it would get lost in the members gallery. I don't have a shed set up so can't advise but hope other members can
OK thanks
Do you have a thermometer in the shed to know what is actually happening?
I can’t imagine a gas or paraffin Heater would be safe in a shed. I would also think that once turned off the temperature would drop quite quickly and it is those sudden fluctuations which can also cause problems for piggies.
I keep my boys in a shed but they have a hutch in there and get locked in at night. It takes a lot of work to keep the hutch warm in my unheated shed (about a foot of hay over the entire hutch, two blankets, a thermal hutch cover and four snugglesafes). I can’t imagine it being at all easy to keep a c&c warm enough in an unheated shed.
I can’t imagine a gas or paraffin Heater would be safe in a shed. I would also think that once turned off the temperature would drop quite quickly and it is those sudden fluctuations which can also cause problems for piggies.
I keep my boys in a shed but they have a hutch in there and get locked in at night. It takes a lot of work to keep the hutch warm in my unheated shed (about a foot of hay over the entire hutch, two blankets, a thermal hutch cover and four snugglesafes). I can’t imagine it being at all easy to keep a c&c warm enough in an unheated shed.
Thanks - I don't have a thermometer but it's a good idea to get one - I'll do that this week and compare outdoor and in-shed and see what the differential is. I have no where to bring them in the house, unfortunately, or I'd do that - despite the cat! I was thinking of putting cardboard boxes full of hay inside the cage but thought they'd just get wet and cold with the urine. The cat litter tray with the megazorb, hay and wooden houses seems to work well, especially with the snugglesafes on top, and the vet fleece is almost an inch thick of insulating fur but still... thermometer first....
Lady Kelly
Senior Guinea Pig
My hubby made me a hay box from wood and I used lino tiles from B&M to line it with, that keeps my outdoor pigs a bit more insulated. You could always cut the top off a box and then upturn it so they still have a shelter filled with hay but without the bottom getting soggy (it will still go soggy in time as mine like to throw boxes onto their sides just to wee on them)
I know @BossHogg has a heater in his shed, but not sure if it runs off mains power though.
You might also find some tips in the shed thread.
Member Gallery: Sheds
You might also find some tips in the shed thread.
Member Gallery: Sheds
Thermometers are so valuable when having outdoor piggies! My shed sits roughly 5 degrees warmer without any heating so that helps but even so, 0 degrees outside means in the shed it’s still only 5 degrees, hence the amount of work I have to do to keep it warmer within the hutch itself (which is usually around 15 degrees under all the hutch covers)
Boxes filled with hay is a good idea. It’s no different to being in a hutch filled with hay in respect of urine making bedding damp - it just needs to be changed daily.
I have an oil filled radiator in my shed, it doesn't cost that much to run.
Thanks, BossHogg - I don't have an electric supply in my shed but am considering running a heavy duty extension cable down the garden and feeding it in through the cat flap and putting a thermostat oil-free radiator inside... the things we do for our pigs!I have an oil filled radiator in my shed, it doesn't cost that much to run.
Have ordered thermometer - coming tmrw... reckon finding a way to get electricity and a heater is going to be the only way I won't fret though
aaarrrgghh - thermometer arrived. Bought one that stored maximum and minimum temp as well as current - gutted to see the lowest recorded temp overnight was 8.5 degrees... Thanks for the tip! Extra hay boxes in today and have ordered an oil-filled radiator and high-amp extra long extension cable to be delivered tomorrow... Thank god I checked before it got any colder!
I’m glad you are able to sort it out before it gets any colder.
I’ve just noticed though, you said in your first post that you put the snugglesafes on top of the wooden houses...not inside the houses for them to sit on?
I’ve just noticed though, you said in your first post that you put the snugglesafes on top of the wooden houses...not inside the houses for them to sit on?
Yes, the snugglesafes are too big to fit inside two of the houses, which each fit one pig and some hay... one house is bigger and can fit the snuggle safe inside but it's a squeeze with the pig too. During the day, they like to sit on top of the wooden houses (even preferring this to the house with the snuggle safe inside - I think they like the height/vantage point) and I've put thick insulating vet bedding up the walls so they can snuggle into it (the houses are in the corners) and a fleece blanket over the top of the cage. Last night, I put my cat's old thick fleece igloo bed in - which fitted a snugglesafe, some vet bedding and 3 guinea pigs to share body heat if they wanted to... am just throwing as many options at them as I can until the radiator arrives tomorrow!
Thanks - I started off in that thread but the moderator thought I'd get more replies starting a new one.. I've gone down the extension cable/heater route now so will just have to try that first and see how we go!
Thanks - is yours on mains power? I did some research last night and every source said not to run space-heaters off extension cables as the risk of over-heating is really high... but I'm using our camping cable which is 16amp so higher than mains 13 amp and will hopefully be ok....I have an oil filled radiator in my shed, it doesn't cost that much to run.
David Piggie Lover
Senior Guinea Pig
Well done @Happypigs you came on here asking for advise . . you had ideas of your own and you read listened and now getting ready for winter with great advise from the forum .
Not all people do that and it's disappointing we try and help and falls on deaf ears. Well done guys.
Be lovely to see your piggies. pls
Not all people do that and it's disappointing we try and help and falls on deaf ears. Well done guys.
Be lovely to see your piggies. pls
David Piggie Lover
Senior Guinea Pig
I have a old oil heater and it turns off when reaches a certain temp.
I have run a lead from the kitchen to the shed, the plug in the kitchen is fused, I've used heavy duty cable into a double socket on the shed wall which is fused, finally, the oil filled radiator is fused so I have triple protection.
Thank you for that - I was a bit apprehensive that I'd get a load of criticism for not bringing them indoors or for leaving it too late etc. - but I'm so glad I did. Really appreciate your comment. Too dark to get a pic of them now - but here they are doing a piggy pile-on in the summer (they had 3 of these bridges to hide under and yet elected to all squeeze in the one. We have one abyssinian "Sparrow", one white coronet "Snowflake" and one crested smooth "Rosie").
Most importantly, they're now warm! Radiator installed and ON.
Attachments
Thanks.The camping cable wasn't long enough so I've bought a 13AMP extension reel with an overheat protection function and have run it down the garden and through the cat flap. Probably a trip hazard but pigs are warm which is all that matters - haha!I have run a lead from the kitchen to the shed, the plug in the kitchen is fused, I've used heavy duty cable into a double socket on the shed wall which is fused, finally, the oil filled radiator is fused so I have triple protection.
Thanks - the radiator has a thermostat so will do the same. In this weather though, and with an uninsulated shed, I imagine it'll be working ALL the time
David Piggie Lover
Senior Guinea Pig
We can’t all have our piggies indoors. As long as they are warm enough and well taken care off then all is well. People say you don’t interact with outdoor piggies as much and I disagree. I’m out with my piggies so much that it is inside my house which doesn’t get the interaction!
Well done for taking action for them. They are lovely piggies!
I've kept my animals in a shed for over 10 years, it is warm and well lit. It's a lot easier for me in the winter when it comes to cleaning them as the wood chippings aren't blowing all over the garden.
Here are the ladies... waiting patiently in the cat bed (apart from nosy Rosie) whilst I clean out their cage and then taking it in turns to sit on top of the various hides... or, in the case of the blue one... one inside, one on top and one squidged down the side Plus snooty Snowflake having a chin scratch...
Plus snooty Snowflake having a chin scratch...Attachments
Technically, the pigs have commandeered the kids' playhouse. Luckily, it's just tall enough for me to stand up in but I could still do with a hard hat on cleaning out days! At least they only get a full cage overhaul once a week - my back couldn't take any more!I've kept my animals in a shed for over 10 years, it is warm and well lit. It's a lot easier for me in the winter when it comes to cleaning them as the wood chippings aren't blowing all over the garden.
Darcey15
Teenage Guinea Pig
Hi there, could I ask which radiator you went for please? I am looking for something to heat my shed also. Its fully insulated, including the floor/ceiling so the temperature (with snugglesafes) has been ok so far but I think I've insulated it so much the air cant circulate at night when the window is shut & I'm getting condensation. I've bought some dehumidifier boxes ( and have run a dehumidifier down there to dry everything out but its massive & I cant do that every day) so I think I need heat now. My shed is a way down the garden so I'd need an extension also (no cat flaps here so i will have to work something out!). I've been looking for options but cant decide if an oil filled radiator is best or one of the dimplex tubes which some people seem to recommend. Is yours working well? ThanksThanks - the radiator has a thermostat so will do the same. In this weather though, and with an uninsulated shed, I imagine it'll be working ALL the time