Will My Piggies Die?! -3 Degrees

ChubbyCarrots

ChubbyCarrots

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182711AE-1D39-4626-8FED-BABBC71D966B.webp I have two 1 and 1/2 year old male guinea pigs, my garage is currently being redone so we can’t bring them in and my parents don’t want them in the house!

It is -3 degrees outside and the snow is up to my knees, the hutch is on top of a run so I’m not worried about the snow hitting them but I’m worried about the cold!

Please help! What do I do please?
 
I wouldn’t be happy with them out in this weather, especially as the hutch is so very exposed. Could you not ask bring them in to a downstairs bathroom / utility room or similar? Just until the weather stops being so cold?
 
It'd be best if you can persuade your parents to allow you to bring them indoors. With the wind chill it's more like -13 out tonight! It is possible they may become poorly or pass away in such freezing temperatures.
If they really won't, fill up the hutch with mounds of hay to keep them warm, cover the hutch with either an old duvet or some bubble wrap, and then a tarp on top (leave a gap for ventilation though!) Wrap water bottles in bubble wrap and a sock over the top to hold it in place. If you can get hold of a snugglesafe heat pad then they can really help! They go in the microwave and stay warm for up to 10 hours!
 
If you can't bring them into a house have you got a garage, greenhouse or shed you can bring them into to get them out of the biting wind? I have outside piggies but I have brought mine in now. If that is not an option for you, you need to make sure they have MOUNTAINS of dry hay to snuggle up into. Also you need to have thermal covers on the hutch. My hutch has Hutch Snuggles with Bye Bye Fly Screen™ and Hutch Hugger™ too obviously appropriate to the size of the hutch and a blanket over the front to keep out the worst of the cold/frost. While they were outside (-3 to -4 is about as cold as they can handle) they had various snugglies to keep them warm, snuggle sacks from Ziggy's Piggies and hooded beds from Rosewood Two-Way Hooded Bed for Small Animals on Sale | Free UK Delivery as well as snugglesafes from Cosy Pod- Pet Warmer 1 each preferably. I also got a couple of snuggle tunnels from Ziggys piggies too. If you can put them in a garage, greenhouse or shed you still need to put all the warm stuff in as well.
 
Merrypigs Sanctuary said:
It'd be best if you can persuade your parents to allow you to bring them indoors. With the wind chill it's more like -13 out tonight! It is possible they may become poorly or pass away in such freezing temperatures.
If they really won't, fill up the hutch with mounds of hay to keep them warm, cover the hutch with either an old duvet or some bubble wrap, and then a tarp on top (leave a gap for ventilation though!) Wrap water bottles in bubble wrap and a sock over the top to hold it in place. If you can get hold of a snugglesafe heat pad then they can really help! They go in the microwave and stay warm for up to 10 hours!
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We put 2 socks on their water bottles and have an insolated heat cover is that okay please?
 
You are right to be worried.
Their hutch is completely out in the open - you need to get it under some shelter and up against a solid wall asap.
Currently it will be very cold and drafty and making it difficult fro them to stay warm.
Like others have suggested it needs to be covered with multiple layers of blankets or duvets for insulation, and then a water and windproof layer on top.
Inside the hutch you need to make several small, warmer areas.
Use corrugated cardboard boxes, line them with newspaper, and stuff them with straw on the bottom and fill then with hay. Cut a small entrance into each box, and position them in the hutch in the most sheltered corners.
Snuggle safe heat pads are the best idea, but if you don't have any on hand then a thick sock filled with rice and heated in the microwave will offer additional warmth for a short time (less than an hour), but might help to get things cosy more quickly.
And feed them lots and lots - unlimited pellets, unlimited hay, and small amounts of room temperature fresh food 2 - 3 times a day.
 
Make sure you stuff the hutch with as much hay as you possibly can and block off the hole that the ramp goes into with a piece of cardboard or wood. This will help stop any draft from getting into the hutch. As @Swissgreys has said, they need unlimited food at the moment as they will be using loads of energy just trying to keep warm.
 
I have an insulated hutch cover, blocked off run, 2 pillows, socks covering the bottle and hay, my sister was the last to feed them but she doesn’t care about them so I don’t know how much she put, I can’t move the hutch because of the snow.

Thanks for all of your responses and do you think they will pass away please, (please be honest).
 
Han and Buddy said:
I have an insulated hutch cover, blocked off run, 2 pillows, socks covering the bottle and hay, my sister was the last to feed them but she doesn’t care about them so I don’t know how much she put, I can’t move the hutch because of the snow.

Thanks for all of your responses and do you think they will pass away please, (please be honest).
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It really is impossible to say as we have no way of knowing what condition the hutch is in, how good the insulation is, what the weather conditions are like where you are etc.
Hopefully they will be ok, and maybe tomorrow you can consider moving the hutch to a better position and adding some additional insulation.
 
Han and Buddy said:
View attachment 81922 I have two 1 and 1/2 year old male guinea pigs, my garage is currently being redone so we can’t bring them in and my parents don’t want them in the house!

It is -3 degrees outside and the snow is up to my knees, the hutch is on top of a run so I’m not worried about the snow hitting them but I’m worried about the cold!

Please help! What do I do please?
Click to expand...

Guinea pigs are not hardy. They need to be treated like tender plants.
Please make sure that any flaps and ramps are closed. Cold drafts can and have killed, and doubt will do so tonight. :(

Please tell this your parents and bring your guinea pigs into the house during any bad cold spell!
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs
 
Thanks so much for your concern everyone. At around 11:00 the snow was really coming down and is very deep now, I left the snow on top for insulation.

Good news, they survived the night. My mum was also really concerned and was looking at forums too. My dad suggested we move them to the garage, we have never put our cars in the garage and we just got our shelves installed so they will be spending a night there.

Their water bottles didn’t fully freeze but had huge ice lumps, I put them in boiling water and made sure they could drink from them.

We got one of my old pillow cases and stuffed it with hay and covered the floor in hay. Later on I plan on buying a snuggle pad too, a lot of people suggested it for me.

Thanks so much to you and everyone who answered me!

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Wiebke said:
Guinea pigs are not hardy. They need to be treated like tender plants.
Please make sure that any flaps and ramps are closed. Cold drafts can and have killed, and doubt will do so tonight. :(


Please tell this your parents and bring your guinea pigs into the house during any bad cold spell!
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs
Click to expand...


We’re moving them to the heated garage, we just got our shelves installed so it shouldn’t be a problem from here.
 
Lady Kelly said:
Phew! Mine are in out garage too (not used for cars). They have insulating covers and a ton of hay plus snugglesafes heated up regularly. I still worry about them and will be glad when this weather goes back to where it came from!
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Same here! My OH even said this morning that I had done the right thing putting them in the Conservatory which is a bit of a squeeze and inconvenient but at least it means they haven't frozen to death! (I think he likes the piggies really - just doesn't want to admit it).
 
David Pet Lover said:
Phew. You were right to be worried. Keep them piggies as warm as possible. Bringing them inside could simply save their lives. x
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That's why I brought mine in @David Pet Lover. They came in on Tuesday after a night of -6 (weatherman said -2) with windchill it was more like -11!:yikes: Had I known that they would have been in on Monday! They looked miserable on Tuesday morning and I felt so sorry for them I just had to brin them in! They are now ensconsed in my Conservatory. It's a bit of a squeeze and I have to wash the duvet they are on every day as I don't have fleece. A bit of inconvenience yes but rather that than no piggies! They are more than happy in there and going about their business and chuntering away. @Tim advised me to pop them in the Conservatory as it is the coolest room in the house so the change in temperature won't be too much of a shock for their little bodies. There is a radiator in there that is permanently on so it keeps it to an even temperature a bit cooler than the rest of the house. Around 15 degrees or so. I am so happy I made the decision to bring them inside even the OH said it was a good decision!
 
Lets all just hope this awful weather clears up soon, i also have been struggiling with my gp in the snow, but they are inside atleast.
My guinea pigs begin to popcorn and wheek when they hear knives chopping food or a shuffiling of a bag,and whenever my dad cooks it is very
I amusing hearing my dad saying.
"Into bed! Now! Back into bed!"
:))
 
Glad to hear that all the outdoor piggies are being protected from the cold and surviving.
Sorry so many of you have had such an anxious week with weather.
It’s supposed to ease this weekend I believe.
 
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