Winter Housing

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Heykids!

Heykids!

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Hi there

I was hoping for some advice please from all of you experienced piggy parents!

Last October I brought home my very first guinea pigs and they spent the winter indoors as they were just babies. In the spring, when the weather was much warmer, we moved them outside into a hutch within a garden shed. I have hopefully attached some images.





There is now a hatch that can be opened during the day so they can access the outside run.

What I was wondering is whether or not when the weather gets colder I ought to bring them back inside again and if so, what point I should do this. Also, if bringing them indoors is what would be best, can you recommend some suitable housing please. Obviously, the set-up they have outside is quite big giving them plenty of space to potter around and explore - by bringing them inside, I don't want them to be too worst off! Any recommendations on caging would be appreciated - for example, what are people's thoughts on 2 or 3 tier cages with ramps?

Thank you in advance for your help - so important to me that I do the best for "Compo and Clegg"!
 
Is there any way you can run power into the shed? I have into mine and have installed heating and lighting which is a boon during the cold dark winter months. Also perfect for cleaning them with out getting cold and wet yourself. ;)

IMAG0330_zps9288409f.jpg
 
I love your set up! Like Highway man my shed has power connected so my piggies have heating, if this is not possible for you then they should be fine without it, just keep them nice and dry by cleaning them out more often and providing more bedding and hay and hidey houses with hay inside for them to snuggle in. Drafts are an other important thing to avoid, so again providing them with snuggly places is very important. Also I would get them a 'snugglesafe' heat pad, or better still one each. These are heated in a microwave and then stay warm for 8 or more hours and piggies love to sit on them.

An other very important thing is, once you have decided whether to keep them in the shed or bring them indoors, then not to chop and change, by this i mean don't bring them indoors at night then put them out in the day, as such temperature changes are very dangerous and they will not be able to aclimatise to either :)
 
That set up has to be the most luxurious piggy accomodation I have ever seen!

I think that as you have your hutch in a shed, and therefore protected from the elements, you should be fine - obviously extra hay etc to snuggle is required, but I am sure they will be fine - its not like you have thin plywood hutch outside being rained on all night.... I love the use of the dolls house as a piggie hideaway!
 
The_Highway_Man said:
Is there any way you can run power into the shed? I have into mine and have installed heating and lighting which is a boon during the cold dark winter months. Also perfect for cleaning them with out getting cold and wet yourself. ;)

IMAG0330_zps9288409f.jpg
Click to expand...
I've got power running in to my shed but I don't have lighting or heating so always move them indoors in winter. If I had the heating and lighting that would be great and they could stay in their hutch in a shed shed accomodation . What kind of heating and lighting have you put in ? I'm always scared I would put in the wrong kind of heating and I'd burn down the shed at night ! Thanks mallethead
 
Thank you - this may definitely be worth looking into. I'm looking at someone else's post about heating sheds so I can weigh up the options... :)
 
I've just got a normal 13 amp extension lead into the shed. On the wall of the shed is a twin 13 amp socket. One socket has a light fitting fastened to the ceiling with a low energy bulb and the other socket has the oil filled radiator, which you can just see sat on the hutch. It gives out plenty of heat and because it's not touching anything, it's perfectly safe. ;)
 
Thank you everyone for your valuable suggestions. Also, thank you for your very kind comments about Compo and Clegg's "set-up"! I'm really pleased with it and think they're pretty happy too! :))
 
Mamaguineapig said:
I've got power running in to my shed but I don't have lighting or heating so always move them indoors in winter. If I had the heating and lighting that would be great and they could stay in their hutch in a shed shed accomodation . What kind of heating and lighting have you put in ? I'm always scared I would put in the wrong kind of heating and I'd burn down the shed at night ! Thanks mallethead
Click to expand...

You could always add in a MCB to prevent shortage or overloads :)
 
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