Winter chilling.......

[pedro1976]

Hi, hoping for some sage advice from you lovely piggy obsessed people. Coming up to my first winter with guinea pigs so working out temps etc. They live in a cage in a wooden shed, I am currently ensuring waterproofing is in place and have a radiator in there to dry it out.

The sleeping area is lined with fleece/vet bedding then hay then snuggle pods. I put hay on top too but they quickly trample it all down.

For the rest of the upstairs there is a mix of fleece (with towels/bathmats underneath) or vet bedding.

Downstairs is Fleece with towels and wood shavings in one corner along with their hay feeder and pile of hay for feed and play.

I try to keep the temp at around 12c for them but am also conscious of the cost of leccy. As soon as the wife's back is turned I plan on insulating the whole shed but not quite yet .

Is this enough with the heater or what temp should I try to keep them at........

 

[Piggies&buns]

Mine live in my shed year round But if I can’t keep the temperature above 15 in winter then they come indoors
there is a potential issue with using fleece outside in winter in that it can draw moisture from the air which means it can be damp and due to the colder temperatures, it doesn’t always dry Properly. Due to this, I only use fleece in summer and switch fully to thick Layers of hay in winter.
they need to be kept above 15 degrees. They are most comfortable at around 18-23 degrees.
I would recommend that you also get microwaveable snugglesafe heat pads to pop under hideys to give them somewhere warm to sit.

 

[Wiebke]

Please also make sure that the floor is insulated.
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs

 

[pedro1976]

Please also make sure that the floor is insulated.
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs

The Shed floor has 6mm insulation on it and I have corrugated cardboard and 6mm insulation to go in the cage too. Just need to get it done!