It's snowing and the outdoor pigs have no snugglesafes

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obsessedwithanimals

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Will they be okay?

So basicallly I have my two girlies outside in a non insulated shed in a hutch.

They've got fleece and bedding, snuggly things, hay (I'll probably stuff their hutch tonight as it's so cold), fleecey blankets to cover the hutch but I have no snugglesafes.

This is partly due to the fact we don't have a microwave (or we do but my parents don't want to get it out of storage) and also it hasn't been very cold untill now and because I don't have the money to spend like 20 pounds on a snugglesafe so I haven't got one yet and I've also been wondering if it would be worth is as I might have to by two as my girls don't like sharing. :( I haven't had my piggys for that long either so.

Any tips on keeping them warm with the resources I have? :)
 
Amazon sell snugglesafes for £12.50, with free p&p.

It really is very cold outside now. If your shed is not insulated, then it is likely to be dropping to minus temperatures in the night. The RSPCA state that the minimum temperature for guinea pigs is 15 degrees.

I assume you are not able to bring them indoors, or you would have done so by now, so all you really can do is to give them lots of hay to snuggle up to. I really would suggest that you purchase at least one snugglesafe too. They are well worth the money.
 
Amazon sell snugglesafes for £12.50, with free p&p.

It really is very cold outside now. If your shed is not insulated, then it is likely to be dropping to minus temperatures in the night. The RSPCA state that the minimum temperature for guinea pigs is 15 degrees.

I assume you are not able to bring them indoors, or you would have done so by now, so all you really can do is to give them lots of hay to snuggle up to. I really would suggest that you purchase at least one snugglesafe too. They are well worth the money.
 
Try freecycle for anyone giving away a free microwave. That's where I got mine from!
 
Hiya dont know whereabouts you live but i have an old microwave that you could have if you are close? its only an old basic one- it just doesnt Ding when its finished when set on a short cooking time. Works ok otherwise. I'm based in north dorset,England.

My girls are in a shed but they have loads of hay, an old duvet thrown over the top of the hutch to help prevent draughts (although not tucked in anywhere or it would cut down the air supply) & an old tubular greenhouse heater on a timer under the wooden shelf the hutch is on for really cold weather!

But snugglesafes are probably a better alternative heat source, i'm thinking of getting some for mine especially as JerryBelly says there so cheap on amazon. (probably cheaper than the electric bill for heater too!) loads of rescues & people on here seem to swear by them.

or try a hot water bottle only as a short term solution, wont stay warm very long though & dont make it too hot either. Dont want any burnt feet! Also put it under thin layer of newspaper/ bedding in the hutch so that it cant be chewed. but the warmth can come up through.

xx
 
Could you borrow a cat carrier or something and bring them in for tonight?
 
You sound like you're making the effort to keep them warm - they are probably absolutely fine. In my opinion, outside piggies can cope fine in the cold, as long as they have loads of insulation and hay to burrow in. In some ways, snow is better than rain for shed piggies, as it acts as an insulator. Have you checked yours at night? I just feel them and under their bodies - mine always feel toasty warm so I am happy that they're okay. My 5 live in an unheated shed - I give them tonnes of hay, with a layer of soft barley straw at the bottom and I double cover their hutch with a really thick fleecey blanket. I've got 2 snugglesafes, but I haven't used them this winter yet as I like to keep them as an extra for when it's starting to drop well below freezing...like it's planned to do tonight here. I've given this a lot of thought and I have decided that an unheated shed still keeps them 3-4 degrees warmer, then the blankets a bit more etc... I know that when water in my garden has frozen, water in the shed never has, so it is definitely significantly warmer.
I hope that this has made you feel a little better about them being outside. :) I'm pretty obsessive with my piggies and wouldn't do anything that I thought did them harm - I've been keeping them for 20+ years and they've always been okay outside. But, I still do the 'body temp check' by feeling them and, if they did seem like they were struggling, they would come inside. I've only ever had one boar, who was a bit of a sickly fella, who I felt needed to come inside - in a cardboard box for the night, and then I had to rush out and buy him an emergency indoor cage in the morning! :)
 
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primrose said:
You sound like you're making the effort to keep them warm - they are probably absolutely fine. In my opinion, outside piggies can cope fine in the cold, as long as they have loads of insulation and hay to burrow in. In some ways, snow is better than rain for shed piggies, as it acts as an insulator. Have you checked yours at night? I just feel them and under their bodies - mine always feel toasty warm so I am happy that they're okay. My 5 live in an unheated shed - I give them tonnes of hay, with a layer of soft barley straw at the bottom and I double cover their hutch with a really thick fleecey blanket. I've got 2 snugglesafes, but I haven't used them this winter yet as I like to keep them as an extra for when it's starting to drop well below freezing...like it's planned to do tonight here. I've given this a lot of thought and I have decided that an unheated shed still keeps them 3-4 degrees warmer, then the blankets a bit more etc... I know that when water in my garden has frozen, water in the shed never has, so it is definitely significantly warmer.
I hope that this has made you feel a little better about them being outside. :) I'm pretty obsessive with my piggies and wouldn't do anything that I thought did them harm - I've been keeping them for 20+ years and they've always been okay outside. But, I still do the 'body temp check' by feeling them and, if they did seem like they were struggling, they would come inside. I've only ever had one boar, who was a bit of a sickly fella, who I felt needed to come inside - in a cardboard box for the night, and then I had to rush out and buy him an emergency indoor cage in the morning! :)
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I completely agree. I can see no reason why outdoor piggies could not cope with the temperature at the moment as long as they have plenty of hay and a rug over the cage. :)
 
primrose said:
You sound like you're making the effort to keep them warm - they are probably absolutely fine. In my opinion, outside piggies can cope fine in the cold, as long as they have loads of insulation and hay to burrow in. In some ways, snow is better than rain for shed piggies, as it acts as an insulator. Have you checked yours at night? I just feel them and under their bodies - mine always feel toasty warm so I am happy that they're okay. My 5 live in an unheated shed - I give them tonnes of hay, with a layer of soft barley straw at the bottom and I double cover their hutch with a really thick fleecey blanket. I've got 2 snugglesafes, but I haven't used them this winter yet as I like to keep them as an extra for when it's starting to drop well below freezing...like it's planned to do tonight here. I've given this a lot of thought and I have decided that an unheated shed still keeps them 3-4 degrees warmer, then the blankets a bit more etc... I know that when water in my garden has frozen, water in the shed never has, so it is definitely significantly warmer.
I hope that this has made you feel a little better about them being outside. :) I'm pretty obsessive with my piggies and wouldn't do anything that I thought did
them harm - I've been keeping them for 20+ years and they've always been okay outside. But, I still do the 'body temp check' by feeling them and, if they did seem like they were struggling, they would come inside. I've only ever had one boar, who was a bit of a sickly fella, who I felt needed to come inside - in a cardboard box for the night, and then I had to rush out and buy him an emergency indoor cage in the morning! :)
Click to expand...

Thank you for your replies guys. I'll definately be considering getting a snugglesafe but for the mo the pigs seem okay. Like you I tried to work out how cold it is in the shed. It's definately warmer then outside. Also their water bottles aren't freezing. And I don't know if this helps but the dryer in the shed is almost always on and I think it warms up the shed a little. xx
 
I hipe your piggies are ok, it was -16 where i live last night and your only a few miles away, i would really recommend bringing them in hun. xx
 
Bounty and Loki are both outside in a non insulated shed. They both have snugglesafes as well as barley straw and hay and both seemed fine this morning, squeaking to me for their food. They also have a piece of carpet over them at night, I do feel sorry for them considering my other pigs are indoors but I don't have enough cages to fit them all in.
 
Hi,

As they are in a hutch in a shed with lots of hay and dry bedding I would say they should be fine. Its the draughts and damp combined with the cold that are the bad things for piggies.

Hay is a good insulator, and a good tip if you cant afford snugglesafes atm is to tack thick greenhouse insulation bubble stuff to the sides of the shed or their hutch to insulate it you can buy it on ebay.

Also an upturned box inside their sleeping area to add extra insulation stuffed with hay:)
 
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