My Winter Setup -

[mcampster]

I've been reading these forums for the past 6 months... lots of great content, lots of different opinions :-). I have been looking for the best setup for our 2 boars who will be housed outside over the winter. They are 12 months old and have been enjoying the freedom of our garden for the last 6 months, but not the temperature is dropping I was looking to come up with a solution. This is what I've got so far, and I must say I'm pretty pleased with it. Why am I sharing it? 2 reasons... 1 to get feedback from people on anything I might have forgotten, and 2 to put this out there as an alternate option for those that can't have their pigs inside or even in a shed.

Hutch Cover

We purchased our hutch second hand, and it came with a waterproof and thermal fitted cover. This was excellent at keeping it cool in the summer and to some degree it kept it warm overnight so far this year, but there was a particularly cold night about a month ago where the internal temperature of the hutch dropped to under 10C. This is when I realised I would have to do more.

Snuggle Safe

Upon reading these forums, I purchased one of these. Not much effect on the ambient hutch temperature, but I guess it gave one of the pigs something to snuggle up with for the first few hours at least. But the claim it lasts 12 hours is simply not true. Mine was stone cold in less than half of that. And having 2 boars meant that we would need 2 as they won't sleep in same part of hutch. Factor in the hassle of having to go the back of the garden in the middle of the snow/rain to come, and I figured I needed more.

Tubular Heater

I purchased one of these from Screwfix (UK). Its 40W and 30cm long. I attached this to the smallest room in their hutch and left it on full whack. It seemed to add about 6C to the outside air temperature. Perfectly good for Autumn/Spring, but I when the temperature goes into sub 10C I figured it would struggle.

Thermal Insulation

Next step was to better insulate the hutch. I purchased this from Wickes and using a staple gun, covered the inside of the top floor of the Hutch. This proved to make a HUGE difference. With the heater on full whack, the overnight temperature in the Hutch was 24C (so hot I had to go outside in the middle of the night and turn it down!). This was +12C on the outside air temperature. So just by lining the internal walls of the Hutch with this made nearly enough of a gain that I felt only on the coldest of nights I might need a little more.

A bigger tubular heater - Now the trial of the other Dimplex heater was over, I added an 80W heater to the remaining upper floor space. I added this so that both pigs could get a good nights sleep as they don't typically sleep in the same room.

A pet blanket - I added a 40x50cm heated pet blanket. This was a case of 'just in case' but I'm not sure I'll need it.

The Finished Hutch

 

[mcampster]

A question... if the top floor of the hutch is kept at 18Cish all winter, and they can go outside into the run (e.g. 5C) as they please, what's the difference between this setup and bringing them in the house overnight? Effectively they will be able to go from 18C to 5C anytime they want. Now I know this is not recommended, but have I just created a pseudo indoor environment? Maybe I should keep it at 16C, since they are still outdoor piggies. Thoughts?

 

[My Piggies]

I'm sorry I have no experience as my piggies live indoors. I'll tag @Piggies&buns who has outdoor pigs and may be able to help you.
Best of luck to you and your piggies

 

[Piggies&buns]

A question... if the top floor of the hutch is kept at 18Cish all winter, and they can go outside into the run (e.g. 5C) as they please, what's the difference between this setup and bringing them in the house overnight? Effectively they will be able to go from 18C to 5C anytime they want. Now I know this is not recommended, but have I just created a pseudo indoor environment? Maybe I should keep it at 16C, since they are still outdoor piggies. Thoughts?

They won’t be able to go into a run in winter as the ground is too cold and damp. You certainly wouldnt want them in a run if Is only 5 degrees outside - they can only go in a run if it is over 15 degrees, the grass is completely warm and dry. The test for this is if they can only go in a run if you are warm enough without a jumper and that you can stand on the ground with with bare feet for five minutes without feeling cold or damp.

You need to keep them above 15 and as close to between 18 and 22 degrees as possible

Snugglesafes are good to provide a warm spot, and when placed inside hideys they do warm the hidey. they don’t have the strength to warm the entire hutch though. However, I have four snugglesafes between my two boys so they do do well at keeping it warm enough. They are said to last 10 hours but won’t last that long if the hutch is completely outside. Mine stay warm at good 8 hours but my boys live in a shed.

 

[mcampster]

They won’t be able to go into a run in winter as the ground is too cold and damp. You certainly wouldn't want them in a run if Is only 5 degrees outside - they can only go in a run if it is over 15 degrees, the grass is completely warm and dry. The test for this is if they can only go in a run if you are warm enough without a jumper and that you can stand on the ground with with bare feet for five minutes without feeling cold or damp.

You need to keel them above 15 and as close to between 18 and 22 degrees as possible

My approach was that if they were cold, they would stay inside, and if they fancied a run around they would pop out, get some day light then head back in when they wanted. After all, its not always above 15C in the mountains of the Andes where they run wild. They still need to forage during their winter. I just thought that they should have a warm place to return too, like their burrow would be.

Or are domestic pets different in this respect? I must admit they are our first pets so we definitely learning on the job.

 

[Piggies&buns]

My approach was that if they were cold, they would stay inside, and if they fancied a run around they would pop out, get some day light then head back in when they wanted. After all, its not always above 15C in the mountains of the Andes where they run wild. They still need to forage during their winter. I just thought that they should have a warm place to return too, like their burrow would be.

Or are domestic pets different in this respect? I must admit they are our first pets so we definitely learning on the job.

Yes they are very different - They are delicate creatures and need to be kept warm and dry. You won’t be able to let them have a free roam out in winter - they will need to be kept confined to their hutch (Which is also why it’s important the hutch is big enough (a 6ft hutch on a single level for two boys)).
When it comes to foraging for food, hide food amongst their hay in their hutch - this will keep them occupied for hours! I buy forage from Piggie Parcels and they spend ages rummaging through!

 

[mcampster]

They won’t be able to go into a run in winter as the ground is too cold and damp. You certainly wouldnt want them in a run if Is only 5 degrees outside - they can only go in a run if it is over 15 degrees, the grass is completely warm and dry. The test for this is if they can only go in a run if you are warm enough without a jumper and that you can stand on the ground with with bare feet for five minutes without feeling cold or damp.

You need to keep them above 15 and as close to between 18 and 22 degrees as possible

Snugglesafes are good to provide a warm spot, and when placed inside hideys they do warm the hidey. they don’t have the strength to warm the entire hutch though. However, I have four snugglesafes between my two boys so they do do well at keeping it warm enough. They are said to last 10 hours but won’t last that long if the hutch is completely outside. Mine stay warm at good 8 hours but my boys live in a shed.

And contrary to a lot of people saying that its too wet for them, our Guinea Pigs seem to love the rain. Whenever it rains they seem to come out into the run and popcorn all over the place. I did read about wet being bad for their feet, but they must dry pretty quickly on going back into a warm home full of dry hay and fleecy blankets.

 

[Piggies&buns]

And contrary to a lot of people saying that its too wet for them, our Guinea Pigs seem to love the rain. Whenever it rains they seem to come out into the run and popcorn all over the place. I did read about wet being bad for their feet, but they must dry pretty quickly on going back into a warm home full of dry hay and fleecy blankets.

I really wouldn’t recommend letting them do this and definitely not when it’s cold. Cold, damp piggies can lead to poorly piggies. They need to be dry and kept at a consistent, warm, temperature

 

[mcampster]

Yes they are very different - They are delicate creatures and need to be kept warm and dry. You won’t be able to let them have a free roam out in winter - they will need to be kept confined to their hutch (Which is also why it’s important the hutch is big enough (a 6ft hutch on a single level for two boys)).
When it comes to foraging for food, hide food amongst their hay in their hutch - this will keep them occupied for hours! I buy forage from Piggie Parcels and they spend ages rummaging through!

But isn't it animal instinct to seek out what makes you comfortable? So as long as they have the choice of a cold run around or a warm snuggle, surely thats enough? Locking them away in a 6ft hutch for 6 months, to me at least, seems more harsh than giving them a little more freedom.

 

[Piggies&buns]

But isn't it animal instinct to seek out what makes you comfortable? So as long as they have the choice of a cold run around or a warm snuggle, surely thats enough? Locking them away in a 6ft hutch for 6 months, to me at least, seems more harsh than giving them a little more freedom.

We can only give the advice - piggies aren’t hardy and can easily get ill if they are cold and if they get damp then it’s even worse. Unfortunately our UK climate is a difficult one for piggies which is why moving them indoors where possible or into a shed/garage/sheltered position and not letting out on cold, wet grass in autumn/winter is the advice.
With a big hutch that meets recommended sizes (in excess of if possible) they will get plenty of exercise and can be provided with enrichment to keep occupied. They will be absolutely fine with it and won’t be harmed by not getting time in a run. But there is a risk to them if they get cold and damp so you need to make the balance for yourself with the advice available and what you are comfortable with.

 

[Engel]

I'm with @Piggies&buns on this one. A cold, damp piggy will be a poorly one. The cavies we keep as pets do not and have not existed in the wild. Wild cousins of our piggies are from Peru. As it's pretty close to the equator temp differences are minimal. It wouldn't be wise to let them out into the cold. You'll probably find they won't go out or will not be out very long.

 

[VickiA]

With @Piggies&buns and @Engel. Piggies who’ve been out on cold damp earth can easily get chilled leading to respiratory illnesses that can strike quickly. Ideally you would bring their hutch into a shed out garage but I appreciate that may not be possible for everyone.

@Lady Kelly keeps her piggies outside in a hutch over winter. Her OH built the piggies some additional winter insulation in the form of wooden boxes. I’ll see if I can find the thread.

 

[VickiA]

Found the thread

Look What The Oh Made Me!

 

[mcampster]

We can only give the advice - piggies aren’t hardy and can easily get ill if they are cold and if they get damp then it’s even worse. Unfortunately our UK climate is a difficult one for piggies which is why moving them indoors where possible or into a shed/garage/sheltered position and not letting out on cold, wet grass in autumn/winter is the advice.
With a big hutch that meets recommended sizes (in excess of if possible) they will get plenty of exercise and can be provided with enrichment to keep occupied. They will be absolutely fine with it and won’t be harmed by not getting time in a run. But there is a risk to them if they get cold and damp so you need to make the balance for yourself with the advice available and what you are comfortable with.

And the advise is much appreciated. I'll certainly feel more relaxed about them being 'cooped' up an day so will make sure we only let them out on the best of days.

So with that in mind, I'm even more pleased with the heaters