Winter proofing ideas?

[Swan&Honey]

Good morning,
I have two female piggies in this 6 foot two storey hutch. I have covered the back, top and sides in old carpet, added an insulated cover and a rain cover and insulated the inside (they do not try and chew it at all!) I’m using newspaper, aubiose and hay and have made hides stuffed with and covered in hay in sleep areas. At night I have several blankets that go over the front under the rain cover and snuggle pads to add. The hutch is still only registering a few degrees above the outside temp though. However the piggies seem happy and warm. Just wondering if I’m missing anything? I’m in the east of England so it doesn’t get Baltic here!
Please only helpful suggestions.

 

[Swissgreys]

You really have done a great job insulating the hutch which will defiantly cut down on damp and draughts which is a wonderful first step.
However the temperature won't be much about outside temps unless you add a heat source.
Lot of members use snuggle safe eat pads and add these into outdoor hutches in Winter - I personally use them for my rabbits.
In cold weather they stay warm for around 8 hours, so I have several and switch them over during the course the evening.

 

[Swan&Honey]

Yes I have four of these to add into various places in the hutch too but not sure they like going on them!

 

[Betsy]

You've done a great job. Have you got any snuggle sacks? My piggies love them. I pop them on top of a snuggle safe when the temperature drops in the garage.

 

[Wiebke]

Hay is a great insulator; make sure that your piggies can snuggle right into a heap of it without creating large air pockets that can cool down much more.

 

[Piggies&buns]

The other thing I do is close the ramp off at night so they can only have the upstairs part of the hutch overnight. My hutch actually has a hinged hatch i can shut but I find it so much easier to keep them warm in just the top half of the hutch. I then spread my four snugglesafes around that one level.
I know the bluebell hutch doesn’t have a ramp hatch but if you are struggling and worrying they aren’t warm enough then maybe you could pop a piece of wood over the ramp hole each night, removing it in the day so they can roam downstairs, and then concentrate on keeping the top half warm enough.

 

[Swan&Honey]

You've done a great job. Have you got any snuggle sacks? My piggies love them. I pop them on top of a snuggle safe when the temperature drops in the garage.

View attachment 188562

Would these not get damp in an outside hutch?

 

[Swan&Honey]

The other thing I do is close the ramp off at night so they can only have the upstairs part of the hutch overnight. My hutch actually has a hinged hatch i can shut but I find it so much easier to keep them warm in just the top half of the hutch. I then spread my four snugglesafes around that one level.
I know the bluebell hutch doesn’t have a ramp hatch but if you are struggling and worrying they aren’t warm enough then maybe you could pop a piece of wood over the ramp hole each night, removing it in the day so they can roam downstairs, and then concentrate on keeping the top half warm enough.

Good idea, I did board the bottom up initially but they like to live quite independently and I found one would spend the night in the ‘bedroom’ and the other in the open area, worried me more they were getting cold there! The advantage of this hutch is the two bedroom areas so they both have access to one. Wish they’d snuggle up together for warmth!
Do you use the 4 snuggle pads day and night now?

 

[Swan&Honey]

Hay is a great insulator; make sure that your piggies can snuggle right into a heap of it without creating large air pockets that can cool down much more.

So basically stuff the sleeping area full? How often would you change this hay as they don’t seem to wee or poo much in there.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Good idea, I did board the bottom up initially but they like to live quite independently and I found one would spend the night in the ‘bedroom’ and the other in the open area, worried me more they were getting cold there! The advantage of this hutch is the two bedroom areas so they both have access to one. Wish they’d snuggle up together for warmth!
Do you use the 4 snuggle pads day and night now?

I’m personally not yet needing to use snugglesafes in the day time but my boys are in a shed so the temperatures aren’t yet chilly enough - it’s a good 5-10 degrees warmer in the shed than outside, so as long as it stays above -2 then I can keep my boys above 12 degrees relatively easily. The day temp was 10 here today but in the shed they’ve been a comfortable 19 degrees today (sun shining in the shed keeps it nicely warm enough). I can then trap that warmth in the hutch by timing when I pull their hutch covers down to maximise it which then combined with the insulation on the hutch, means they still have daytime warmth overnight. I have just started giving them two heatpads overnight now though just so they’ve got somewhere cosier if they want it. That will increase to all four at night and then further increase to having all four during the day as winter progresses.

Mine like to live pretty independently as well but I still close the ramp hatch and trap them up there. I don’t actually have a bedroom area in my hutch. I removed the dividing wall because, being boys, the single door into it was causing more trouble than it was worth. They have three hides in there tonight so can easily avoid each other. But, being in the shed, i don’t have to worry about draughts etc

So basically stuff the sleeping area full? How often would you change this hay as they don’t seem to wee or poo much in there.

Yes stuff it full. Come winter, they can barely move in the hutch for hay!
Any wet hay needs to be removed every day.
If you are finding it is staying dry as they aren’t peeing in there then it can just be fluffed up/topped up/removed as part of routine cleaning

 

[Betsy]

Would these not get damp in an outside hutch?

You need to change them every day. Here is Shy Little Meg all snuggled up with her brother RB Piggy Silver Fox Christian.

 

[Wiebke]

So basically stuff the sleeping area full? How often would you change this hay as they don’t seem to wee or poo much in there.

Don't pack it so full that they struggle to move and clear out the bit at the bottom that is soiled at need. You will get the hang of it. I noticed your cardboard box house in the hay - which is fine when it is warmer but a nice hay pile is great on the really cold nights and days.

 

[Swan&Honey]

Don't pack it so full that they struggle to move and clear out the bit at the bottom that is soiled at need. You will get the hang of it. I noticed your cardboard box house in the hay - which is fine when it is warmer but a nice hay pile is great on the really cold nights and days.

Oh I’m confused now, was told to put a cardboard hide in and stuff that with hay and hay around it so added warmth?!

 

[Wiebke]

Oh I’m confused now, was told to put a cardboard hide in and stuff that with hay and hay around it so added warmth?!

I just saw the cardboard hide without much hay in it in your picture.

 

[Swan&Honey]

I just saw the cardboard hide without much hay in it in your picture.

Ah I see, no that’s usually stuffed with hay and a heat pad under at night. Dilemma is when to put the heat pad in as want it to last the night but don’t want to let the cold air in when I open the hutch up to put it in!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ah I see, no that’s usually stuffed with hay and a heat pad under at night. Dilemma is when to put the heat pad in as want it to last the night but don’t want to let the cold air in when I open the hutch up to put it in!

For me, it’s just a case of acting swiftly in lifting the hutch covers to put them in to avoid a lot of cooler air getting in. I tend to just get under the hutch covers myself!