Keeping the pigs warm in the shed, hides/shelters..

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eksarahw

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Brr…the weather just took a bit of a dip here and the temperature went down to about 6 degrees last night…I was worrying about them..
At the moment I have my two young girls (almost 12 weeks) in the shed, with silver insulation and foam tiles plus Lino on floor, free roaming with c and c grids and plastic hides with loads of hay.
I’m picking up snugglesafe heat pads today but am considering a more sturdy wooden box hide/hides or have also found these sturdy plastic homes, has anyone used these?

The Cosy Pet | The Cosy Range
Or
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CosyCabins?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1566221186&from_page=listing

Thanks everyone 😊
 

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My own piggies live in my shed. They used to live in hutches within the shed which made things much easier to keep warm and protected. Circumstances have meant I have had to move mine into c&c cages in the shed which is something I’d personally always avoided due to the fact it can be much harder to keep them warm and protected when you don’t have heating in there. I have had to do it myself now and this will be the first winter with the new set up.

My advice is:

remove all the plastic hides you currently have. Plastic outside/shed can create condensation inside them when cold air combines with the piggies warm bodies and breathing, which creates damp and can make piggies poorly.

Use two exit wooden hides and tunnels instead and, stuff the with lots of hay. Condensation will not form in wooden hides.
The houses in the link look nice but they are single exit hides which should be avoided plus they are very pricey (of course your choice!).

Use and lots of huge hay piles.

Multiple snugglesafes spread around the cage and under hay piles. Put some snugglesafes in hides but also leave some hides without them so they have a choice.

Peg blankets and silver foil insulation over the top of the cage to stop draughts and cold air falling down on them.
I have actually been out to my shed this morning and prepped my insulation and blankets to peg over the top tonight! I always used extra blankets and insulation on their hutches anyway .

I would also get rid of the food bowls. We don’t recommend their use anyway as spreading their veg and pellets in amongst hay is a better way of feeding as it means they have to forage. In winter this is even more important - they can’t get out into runs for playtime so need plenty of stimulation in their cage. Also it encourages them to move about and can help keep them warm.

If you haven’t already, put a thermometer in the shed itself so you can monitor what is actually happening.
 
To add, plastic hides can also be a bad idea in summer for outdoors - they trap heat and become a risk of heatstroke
 
Thanks for your quick reply!
The photo is from a few weeks back and now I just spread out their veg and pellets, I learned that after buying all the wee bits and bobs 😊 Any particular wooden hides that you would recommend?

I had thought the cosy homes would be good and easy to keep clean but yes I understand what you’re saying about condensation. I also don’t know whether they would agree to share it, then one would literally be out in the cold.

Thanks again,

Sarah
 
I always try to have twice as many hides than pigs - so my boar pairs have four hides in their cage so there are more than enough options. It also means I can provide two hides with heat pads and two hides without pads - they have the choice. What you don’t want is for them to be too warm in a hide with a pad and then have to go and sit out in the open.

A cardboard box with two holes cut in is just as good but obviously needs to be replaced once chewed/peed on!

This is what I use. They come in a variety of sizes from hamster size to rabbit size. I tend to buy the large rather than medium
 

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I have also got some smaller fleece blankets (something like 50x30/50cm) which I fold in half and lay over the top of my wooden hides and drape a little down over the open ends to help keep more warmth in
 
Thanks. I have one of these already and could get some more.. but I assumed they wouldn’t be cosy enough for the winter months? Was thinking of a square or rectangle hide type thing…I’ll have a wee look for inspiration, thanks again for your help!
 
They are perfectly cosy when filled with hay and have a heat pad in, along with all other warming measures and insulation.
I have used those type of hides for more years than I can remember for my pigs and rabbits!
 
Our piggies live inside- we don’t keep a very warm house over winter.

We have hop inn’s. Which are well loved. 2exit wooden hides& I stuff with hay.

Our boys also love their wooden log bridges.




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There is this kind of house going along the lines of the links you posted. Only downside is that they are single exit (obviously when the ramp is down!) which is the only reason I don’t use them for my boars. I use these for my rabbits though.
 

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When mine lived out in my shed I also put up thermal curtains 🤣 as mad as that might sound. I found the windows were quite drafty and the curtains helped with the draft overnight.

I had wooden houses similar to the ones posted above and an old hutch (removed one of the doors) which I filled hay and they stayed lovely and warm.

As damp/humidity can cause issues try to opt for ‘Pockets of warmth’ rather than the whole shed, unless you have the option of a humidistat/fan.
 
I have curtains at my shed windows also!
I have in the past also put bubble wrap on the windows when it was very cold
 
Thanks everyone for all your advice. The girls survived their first proper chilly night snuggled in their favourite corner with two snugglesafe pads and a mountain of hay on top of them 😊 same again tonight then back to normal temperatures for a bit, phew!
They love sleeping on their balcony section, perhaps so they can see outside or see the sun come up? I was tempted to put the pads on the bottom floor but seeing as that’s where they usually go, thought to go with that in case they didn’t find the pads and got cold… hope all your little pigs are well and warm ❤️
 
Have just ordered two of these sturdy looking houses… I loved the look of the Hop Inn, thanks for the recommendation. I think it was just a little narrow to fit a snuggle safe inside so I had to keep looking. There were so many with just one entrance… here’s hoping these aren’t too big and fill up my shed! Thanks again everyone 😊
 

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You are right, you can’t fit a snuggle safe in a hop in. Glad you found something that suits your/your piggies needs.
 
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