Snugglesafe heat pads

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Elster

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Hi.
My daughter recently got 2 guinea pigs and we are first time guinea pig owners!
We're in the UK and worried about the forecast drop in temperatures over night this week.
They are outside in a hutch and we hope to manage them outside through winter, possibly moving them into a shed if it gets really cold.
We have already put on the thermal cover and have been adding extra hay to the bedding area at night.
I have 2 Snugglesafe heat pads arriving from Amazon today. At what temperature do others recommend we use them?
Also if anyone had any tips on how to encourage them to use the ramp to the bottom of their cage it would be much appreciated!
 
Welcome to the forum

It’s night time temps which you are watching now. Anything below 15 degrees is considered chilly for them. The sudden drop expected, certainly in my area, down to around 5 degrees will have me putting in winter measures. It’s those sudden drops which are hardest on them.
My piggies live in my shed year round so my measures are timed slightly differently given they have a huge amount of protection from the shed (and my shed is a few degrees warmer due to all its insulation) but at 5 degrees it’s too cold for them.
Think of them as like yourself at this time of year - if you’re cold, they’re already cold. They like temperatures around 18-22 degrees.
I would strongly recommend that if you do have the option to put them in a shed for winter that you do so - it will make a lot of difference to them just to be out of the wind chill. It makes cleaning out and interacting much easier for you also.

You say you got them recently. How recently? Were they already outdoor living?
This is an issue because piggies who have not had all summer outside to be able to slowly start to acclimatise to cooling conditions will really find it harder than piggies who have been out from April/May until now.
I generally recommend that it’s a bit late now for indoor piggies who have not been outside for a month already to go outside for the first time. It means that they are going to need more protection than those who are used to being outdoors.
I would suggest that you not only use thermal covers but to also insulate the hutch. Silver foil insulation stapled onto it works well. Adding blankets onto the hutch underneath the waterproof covers can also help keep more warmth in.
It’s a bit of a balance because if you do too much now then you are left with nowhere much else to go when it really gets cold!
Come next autumn/winter it will be easier for them as they will have had time to acclimatise. Given that time, i find they tend to cope better with cooler conditions than they do with heat.
I’ve never had mine get too cold in winter but it’s heat in summer which is the real test. I’ve only had one summer (the one just gone) where they’ve been able to remain outside all summer (I’ve always had to move them into the house).
You’ve got time to plan for summer though!
Hutches are dangerous places in summer. Even a run on the lawn can be dangerous. A sun heated breeze can raise the inside temperature quite considerably. Anything over 25 poses a danger to them.

Make sure you are using thermometers in the hutch year round.

Regarding the ramp.
There are a few things to note.
Piggies are not climbers and prefer to roam on a single level making two storey hutches not always ideal for all pigs. Upper levels don’t count towards the cage size in any event ie double storey doesn’t double the space.
They may learn to use it but they may also not. All you can really do is:
- Make sure that it is not too steep. Most hutch ramps are too steep for them so raising the bottom with something like a brick can help.
- Add grip to the ramp. They are not likely to use an uncovered wooden ramp. When I had a two storey hutch (which I soon split into two separate hutches for a pair up and a pair down!) I used Velcro to stick some vetbed to the ramp to provide grip. The vetbed could be taken off and put in the washing machine, having a spare piece to replace it with.
Otherwise put some veg on the ramp and see if they become encouraged that way. Time really and whether they have the inclination to try!

What sex are your piggies?
What size is the hutch? 5ft is fine for two girls but a 6ft is needed for two boys

Do note that for boars in particular, ramps can become a point of issue if one claims it and refuses to let the other use it. I only keep boars so that is another reason I don’t like ramps in hutches!

Swissgreys

Thread 'Cold Weather Care for Indoor and Outdoor Guinea Pigs'

1 Outdoor guinea pigs living in a hutch
- How to prepare your hutch for Winter
- Insulation
- Daily care
2 Outdoor guinea pigs living in a shed/garage
3 All outdoor guinea pigs
4 Indoor guinea pigs
- Preparing your cage
- Preparing the room


1 Outdoor guinea pigs living in a hutch

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Thread 'New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection'

Contents Overview
1 What This Collection Is About
2 Guinea Pigs as Pets
- Family and Classroom Pets
- Sourcing Your Guinea Pigs, Common Pitfalls and Your Customer Rights
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3 Living Environment
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Thank you for your reply.
They are both females and babies, born about 8 weeks ago. They have been outside since birth, having free roam of a garden and shed once they were 4 weeks old.
Out hutch is 5ft and 2 levels (hense the ramp problem!)
Would you suggest using the heat pads the next few nights when it's down to 4c and then moving them inside a shed once it's also colder in the day so we don't use all precautions straight away?
 
That’s better than with them having already been outside.

Yes I would suggest that. As they are young their ability to keep warm is a little less so they definitely do need the measures being taken now.
Moving them into the shed where possible is a very wise move. As I say let 15 degrees be your guide but also go by how you are feeling.

I'm not sure whether you are giving them lawn time but I would suggest you don’t now it’s cooler. The guide for when it’s ok for them to be on the grass is that if you can stand on grass with bare feet wearing a t shirt and not feel cold and damp then it’s ok for them.
In spring, if they are to have lawn time, then it needs to be built up very slowly every single year to allow their gut to adjust - roughly 10 mins a day for a week, 20 mins a day for a week and so on and so forth until they can be out for a few hours.

As I say mine were in a shed and when I had just one pair in a two storey hutch, the hutch had a ramp hatch I could shut so I shut them upstairs at night during winter to keep the warmer. It was easier to go all out on hay, heat pads etc on a single level
 
Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of guinea pigs. I have no advice as my boys are indoors.
 
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