What am I doing wrong?

[Engel]

Hi all,

It's getting to that time of year where it's dropping chilly at night. Pigs have hay, hutch covers, shed is covered with insulation foil and yet last night it got to 4°C in the hutch! Obviously that's not good for the pigs but I know if I bring them in now, then they'll have to stay in and it's meant to get a bit warmer over the next week or so.

I've gone through the cold weather guide and I have done everything except heat pads as that just offers a warm spot to lay rather than warming up the hutch. Any ideas?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Definitely use heat pads! No they won’t warm the hutch but they are so valuable to the piggies in providing that warm spot. It makes all the difference. Being able to go into a warm hide with a heat pad will provide what they need to keep warm.
I use a pad per piggy.

Bear in mind that they are out of the elements being in the shed, they can gradually get used to colder conditions (they tend to cope better with cold than they do heat) and that as they are not damp and not in draughts then cold is easier to manage (it’s when they get cold and damp that is the massive problem).

You aren’t doing anything wrong though. Keeping them warm outside is hard work and without the shed being heated, you are doing what you can do and the right things.
My shed (in winter) generally stays a bit warmer than yours does but my measures are the same - shed and hutches insulated, covers, blankets, lots of hay and heat pads.

 

[Storm1974]

Definitely use heat pads! No they won’t warm the hutch but they are so valuable to the piggies in providing that warm spot. It makes all the difference. Being able to go into a warm hide with a heat pad will provide what they need to keep warm.
I use a pad per piggy.

Bear in mind that they are out of the elements being in the shed, they can gradually get used to colder conditions (they tend to cope better with cold than they do heat) and that as they are not damp and not in draughts then cold is easier to manage (it’s when they get cold and damp that is the massive problem).

You aren’t doing anything wrong though. Keeping them warm outside is hard work and without the shed being heated, you are doing what you can do and the right things.
My shed (in winter) generally stays a bit warmer than yours does but my measures are the same - shed and hutches insulated, covers, blankets, lots of hay and heat pads.

What heat pads do you use please, and how do you stop the piggies from nibbling on them/how long do they stay hot for etc?

Our two are inside, but our storage heater is covered by the end of their cage (We've only got a small living space & the cage is very long, so we had to put it on our table and one of the end of the cage covers the heater!), so we can't have it on, but we do cover the cage at night with cardboard over most of the top and then blankets over the top of that. So we are considering getting heat pads as well, especially for when it gets even colder, but not sure which ones to buy them?

 

[Piggies&buns]

What heat pads do you use please, and how do you stop the piggies from nibbling on them/how long do they stay hot for etc?

Our two are inside, but our storage heater is covered by the end of their cage (We've only got a small living space & the cage is very long, so we had to put it on our table and one of the end of the cage covers the heater!), so we can't have it on, but we do cover the cage at night with cardboard over most of the top and then blankets over the top of that. So we are considering getting heat pads as well, especially for when it gets even colder, but not sure which ones to buy them?

I use snugglesafes.
They don’t chew on them
Staying hot - it depends. They say 10 hours indoors but the reality is that in colder temperatures of outside or an unheated space it won’t be that long (mine are in an insulated but unheated shed). I can around 8 hours but it can be 6 hours if it is very cold

 

[Cheekypigs]

Think of them like hot water bottles, it can be quite comfortable in a cold bedroom if you have your hot water bottle.