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Pigs Getting Me In Debt, Any Help Would Be Really Appreciated.

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Coco&Luna

Adult Guinea Pig
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I'm really struggling with my gas an electricity bill because of Luna.
I'm now £700 in debt with my gas and electricity from trying to keep the temperature of the house up for Luna.
During the night the temperature drops to 14-15 degrees when i don't put the heating on.
Luna seems to be really sensitive to this and quickly develops a URI overnight when it happens.
So i've had to set the heating to click on at specific times during the day and night to maintain the house temperature at about 18-19.
I can't do this anymore because the debt will quickly become unmanageable if i don't, i'm already really worried about it.

I've got heat pads, the problem with this is that a couple of times a week just now i'm leaving the house at about 2pm and not coming home until the next morning because i've got family problems coming out my ears and need to be with them, and the pads don't stay warm that long.

I cant put that many cosies in the cage just now because Luna and stanley have only been together for a short time and when i add in the cosies with only one opening it seems to trigger dominance issues and Luna starts being a right snappy cow to the poor boy. lol.

Any help at all could be really, really appreciated. I can post pictures of their current set up if it might give any one ideas?

Thanks so much,
 
I'm really sorry you are struggling. I don't think I can be any help, just I hope your situation improves x
 
Is your cage on a table? If so, rather than heat the whole room, I would put an oil filled radiator under the table (aka under the cage) this will create an area of the cage that will be warm enough.
 
IMG_20150622_182901[1].jpg IMG_20150622_182721[1].jpg

Thanks guys.
That's their cage just now.
@Claire W I have been doing that, i was folding the fleece right over at night leaving a gap of one grid uncovered for ventilation, but she was hooting away again by the next morning even with that and giving her a talking to and telling her to toughen up hasn't worked either :td:. I might try a double bed quilt over it and see if that makes any difference.

she's such a dainty wee flower. :hb:
 
@PiggyOwner I was gunna buy a little radiator, but people kept telling me that they cost an absolute fortune though and would be just as bad?

I bought a little heater fan but havn't used it because apparently they're just as expensive and i've been too scared to find out.
 
@worried val of york That's actually a really good idea! Is that sheeting used for camping?

I know, I hate scotland, lol, it was actually snowing here about 2 weeks ago about the time we were supposed to have a heat wave. pffffft.
 
@PiggyOwner I was gunna buy a little radiator, but people kept telling me that they cost an absolute fortune though and would be just as bad?

I bought a little heater fan but havn't used it because apparently they're just as expensive and i've been too scared to find out.
I didn't think the oil filled radiators were too bad.

My guinea pigs are in a shed in a hutch. The legs are high enough to fit a radiator underneath. There is no way I could heat the entire shed economically. I have never had to put the radiator any higher than 2 - it creates under floor heating ! I have thermometers in the hutch to monitor the temperature to make sure it is warm enough.
 
You can buy emergency blankets which look like foil from poundland. They reflect heat from the piggies and heat pad.
Oh, i'll go down tomorrow, your a star!

@PiggyOwner :tu: I was sure I had one the council left when my central heating conked out and forgot to take back, but i can't find it anywhere. I'll have a look on amazon tonight.

I'm also gunna buy a tube of window sealant because that rubber seal round the edges is peeling off (& i may have helped it along a bit because it was annoying me and peeled off a whole edge...), maybe that makes a bigger difference than I thought.
 
Hi, sorry that you are in this situation. No more suggestions about heating the room there seems to be many good ideas already but a while back when I was in debt to the fuel companies I changed over to a key meter. This meant that I paid for the fuel as I went along and was also able to slowly eat away at the debt, This was taken off as a weekly tariff. I'm not sure whether this would be suitable for you or even if it is still available. x
 
@Midge&Panda I've been wanting to switch to a key meter for ages, people keep advising me too. I honestly don't know why i didn't do it ages ago. it would suit me alot better as well and would stop any surprise debts popping up when i don't pay close enough attention. :( i'll deffo look into it this week.
 
prepayment meters are still available but tend to be more expensive. Have you checked with your supplier that you are on the cheapest available tariff with them? Whilst you are so far in debt it's not going to be possible to switch to a different supplier so worth doing a check. I've heard that the halogen heaters can be quite efficient but fan heaters are expensive to run
 
I'm sorry you're in this situation Coco&Luna - and isn't it ridiculous we're talking like this in June ! I hope we've provided some ideas you can work with.

I think it would be a good idea to contact your supplier - firstly - as Lady Kelly has already said - to make sure you are on the cheapest tariff. They may also have some advice for you - about spreading the cost of your debt and ways to stop your debt getting worse.
 
Just another thought ... have you any neighbours or friends who could pop in while you are away and replace the heat pads?
 
I'll need to phone them again tomorrow to see if anything else can be done. I'm already paying £160 a month to it just now. bleh. As long as i sort it quickly before i can't handle it anymore i'll be ok.

The only person that would be able to help would be by dad, but he's got S&E mental illness and can be forgetful, i've asked him before and he's completely forgotten, lol & i'd honestly trust a stranger in a balaclava before i'd hand my key over to my neighbours ;) haha
 
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/search/filter/panel-heaters/type/any/module/shopcategory/page/1

i bought the £54 one of these for my kitchen as its freezing in the winter, these panel heaters use about 4 light bulbs worth of electric when on, it takes the chill off of my kitchen & you can paint it to match the decor of your room too if you want?
i have it on a timeswitch i bought from wilko for about £3 to come on in the middle of the night ready for me in the morning :)

try putting some clear polythene up at the windows (with tape or drawing pins or blue tack) to give it the double glazing effect & get some thick, cheap curtains from a charity shop, the longer the better. they keep back loads of draughts & keep the heat in really well. (or a duvet cover with a sheet or two folded to size in it, if no curtains available)

put draught excluders at all your doors (roll up some rags or newspapers to go in front of the gaps under doors, doesn't have to be expensive stuff).

how expensive would it be to get a lamp like reptiles have? are they any good for piggies? i have no idea if they're safe for them does anybody know if this could be an option?

have you spoke to the utility companies? you may be able to get a cheaper tariff as suggested or they may lower your payment if you say you're struggling?

the emergency blankets are a great idea too.

xx good luck
 
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