Keeping piggies cool in this heat....

Status
Not open for further replies.
pixachu

pixachu

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Points
120
Location
Surrey
I try to leave our two piggies outside in an apex run with shelter (and free access to a penned off shady area of the garden) as much as I can at the moment, with plenty of water and some dry food (as the grass is wearing thin just now!)

But it is just so hot that I decided to dip their feet in water to cool them down. They seemed to like it, so I wet their backs a bit too and they seemed happy. I also made a frizbee into a paddling pool but they were not impressed....!

They seem happy enough and each afternoon they have a mad 5 minutes popcorning :))

Just wondered if there's anything else we can do? We only got our piggies in October do it's their first summer :)
 
My pigs live indoors so can't offer much advice but I have heard that putting a damp towel over the end of the run helps keep them cool and you should not use plactic pigloos when it is hot as they get way too hot.

I am paranoid enough about my pigs at the mo, 7 are heart pigs so am watching them like a hawk.
 
Get a plastic bottle and nearly fill it with water. Put it in the freezer overnight, then you can take it out in the morning all frozen and put it in the run. I have seen my pigs licking the cold condensation off the bottle as the contents melt. They also occasionally lie alongside it. Once evening comes again you can put the bottle back in the freezer so it's ready for the next day.
An old bedsheet (preferably white) is good for shading a bigger area.
 
Mine are also indoors but i have still been using the frozen bottle trick every day, with lots of fresh cold water and veg, i spray them with water and they have a fan on them.

x
 
My indoor pigs have a fan too (and the air con on when we are home), plus ice pods and lots of water. We keep the curtains drawn across all day too.
 
My piggies usually live outside but there is no shelter in my garden. I put them out until 10:30 and now they are in a run in my garden and not very happy with it but they would definitely die in my garden it's ferocious out there today!

Will use the frozen bottle idea, why didn't I think of that!
 
I'll try the frozen bottle idea :)
They seem quite happy, although I think they are wondering where all the lush grass has disappeared to!
 
I have been spraying my girls, they have an ice pod and frozen bottle in there. I have caught Esme a couple of times curled up asleep round the ice pod so it must be working.
I would put them out in the run but it is probably still hotter than in their hutch, so having to wait till it cools down. Its scorching out there!
 
Where our hutch n small run is it gets very hot, luckily I'm off work at the moment so they are going in their run early on which is on grass. Every few hours I Hose the grass around them down so if cools their area off. I put a white sheet over the top and then they have extra shade provided by putting a plank of wood leant against a cat basket do its cool under their. Mine don't like the cold bottle but love their cool pad. I give them lots of cooling veggies little n often
 
My pigs are indoors in our back bedroom (the pig room as we call it, there is no bed in there haha), which is ideal as the sunshine comes in on the other side of the house so they are always in shade. We leave the window open all the time as it's on the third floor so can't be broken into, and the curtains half closed just in case but it never gets bright or too hot. They have fresh, cool water every day and veggies soaked in water to keep them happy :)
 
My Piggies have a fan too, and ice bottles in there cage. (Plus they've had a big haircut ) So they should be keeping cool now :)
Its me and my son that are over heating :( !
 
My boys have been out in their runs most of the time over the last week or so, with ice bottles and a damp towel over part of the run. Its always in shade. Every now and again we dunk their feet in the bird bath and use a spray bottle to spritz them with water - they seem to appreciate it and it livens them up every time. We always know when they've cooled down as they get a bit hyper.

I feel guilty when I'm at work though and I have to leave them in their hutches (they still have shade, ice bottles, water etc).
 
Mine are indoor piggies but get an hour or so supervised time on our front lawn (don't have a back lawn). For the last few days I've been getting them out there from 7.30 to 8.30 am. It's been far too hot after that. Even with shade it's stifling, just try sitting in a tent when it's like this. I've followed tips which I've picked up on the forum. The best one is the large plastic bottles nearly filled with water & put in the freezer overnight. I wrap these in thin towel & put one in each run. They lay next to them & sometimes on top. Luckily I work from home so can check on then regularly.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top