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Quick question - temps

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Dane

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Our piggies are indoor piggies but we like to put them out on the grass in a run so they can graze and be well piggies.

My question is what sort of temperatures are they ok at? They seemed happy enough outside today at 15c until I had to drag them in kicking and squeaking because of a heavy rain storm.

TIA, Dane
 
The girls saying hi to my cat.
The cat isn't interested in them btw and they all sit happily on my knee together. :) Sorry if pic is a bit big.


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It's an odd question I suppose as there are plenty of GP's living outside or in sheds in England and it gets bloody cold in winter. As I said though, these live the cushy life in a centrally heated living room.
 
Dane said:
It's an odd question I suppose as there are plenty of GP's living outside or in sheds in England and it gets bloody cold in winter. As I said though, these live the cushy life in a centrally heated living room.
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yes i think the indoor piggies are more at risk especially when they have had set temps inside then fluctuating temps outside,mine are indoors too and they never go outside under 18 degrees but my house is usually at 21 or 22 so i dont like to change that to much for them,our climate here is also warmer so we probably get alot more warmer days so maybe stick with the 15 degree rule x
 
"The guinea pig has long been a domesticated animal, from around 5000BC in fact. As a result, and much like dogs, their genes and health are a mess. A guinea pig is very far removed from any wild animal, domesticated for such a long period of time they are very vulnerable to temperatures outside of a very strict range - 65-75 degrees F which is 18-24 degrees C. Not even the UK, where I live and where is considered a temperate climate, can keep within these magic numbers for a single day and night.

"The hair of a guinea pig is no thicker than the hair on a human head. And as we all know from being made to wear hats in the autumn and winter as small children, that hair doesn't keep you very warm! On top of that, guinea pigs lack the ability to sweat, meaning that when they heat up they have no physical way of cooling themselves down again. The death rate of pigs kept outside in summer, or even left unattended in a run is sadly high.

"Many people seem to think guinea pigs are equivalent to rabbits, "designed" to live outside, happier when close to grass and so on. Now, I can't speak for rabbits, but with guinea pigs being such a social animal, housing them outside is very unfair. They love to welcome you into their herd, they love to have soft comfy things to lie on, they love to have lots of space to run around in and do their "zoomies", and they love to hear you doing things about the house. The idea that they are outdoor animals, as you can no doubt guess from their desired temperature scale, is just silly. This only came about because of this link with rabbits, which can still be seen by the number of people that keep rabbits and guinea pigs together - terribly dangerous!"

http://community.livejournal.com/guinea_pigs/tag/care:+indoors+vs+outdoors

I quoted this to you not to "get on at you" or start a debate but to give you the comfortable-temperature range and to then explain why it is so high.
 
Mine have been out in the runs this week with temps around 13 degrees. They have hideys, a tarpaulin over most of run to keep rain out. They are there whilst I am cleaning out and loved it. I take every opportunity to let them munch grass. Having said that, they were only out for about an hour each, and in a very sheltered grassy area.
i think the problem could be moving between temperature that vary too much ie, outside cold/central heating in. x
 
"guinea pigs being such a social animal, housing them outside is very unfair."

I would love to know who wrote this - they are indeed social animals but with their OWN kind wherever they are housed!
 
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