Please make sure your guinea pigs are warm

[silver73]

Guinea pigs really don't do well in the cold. It is a popular myth that they are hardy but they can get cold very easily and can get respiratory problems.

If you cannot bring them in then please make sure they have plenty of bedding and make sure that the bedding is not damp. In addition, their cage will need to be protected from the weather.

Another worry is their water bottles freezing up.

news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_9240000/newsid_9245300/9245344.stm?ls

For water bottles

www.the-rabbit-hutch-shop.com/rabbit-hutch-water-bottle-insulator-bottle-snug.html

For hutches

www.the-rabbit-hutch-shop.com/hutch-hugger-rabbit-hutch-cover-94-l-x-49-d-x-49-t.html

www.amazon.co.uk/Snugglesafe-Microwaveable-Heat-Pad-Cover/dp/B001A36EUG/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1291218852&sr=8-14

no iam in harrow nw london. iam seriously considering getting little dawn a friend now!

those that have brought them indoors - do you just pick up the outside hutch and bring it in?

thats what i did and put it by back door-used to have an indoor cage but it went rusty so didnt have much of a choice

You should get her a companion as she must be so bored and lonely on her own. She could live for another five lonely years....

The Guinea Pig Welfare have a list of the five freedoms that guinea pigs should have and companionship is one of the freedoms:

"the ability to express normal behaviour. To be able to burrow in hay, run and have shelter to ?hide? in if desired. To have a friend(s) in the correct living sized accomodation"

www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/guinea-pig-care/

Mine are inside now. They stayed out all year last year even in the snow but it was -15 here the other night and I couldn't bare them being out. I've put them in a cat box, one of the ones I use for taking the cats to the vet. I know its not very big but they're doing nothing in the hutch apart from huddling inside their plastic igloo. So I figure they may as well be warmer in a smaller space. I'm putting them out in the day if its above freezing, just with loads of hay and the space blanket lined thermal hutch hugger.

My rabbit is bounding around the kitchen as there is NO ROOM for her hutch at all, anywhere. She is having a shit-fest by the back door and has chewed the hem off DH's good coat. Still, she seems to be happy :)

problem is surely once they are in tnhe nhouse surely tnhey must stay until spring, i doubt you can put tnhem in wnhen it is especially cold and tnhen out wnhen it is over freezing.
imo

Excellent post - Many pets died last year when it got really cold because they weren't properly cared for and protected from the weather. I ended up with 10 gpigs and 4 rabbits in the kitchen! It was busy but they all got much more attention than they would in the garage.
This year, so far, they are all out in the garage, with lots of hay and regular checking of bottles but we will bring them in again if it gets much worse.
Ariane5 - you could try contacting a local rescue - they are usually inundated with gpigs at this time of year and may have one around the same age as yours.
If you have a girl they will probably bond pretty quickly.
Are you sure it is the gpig and not the hay that you are allergic to?
Gpigs love to have company and will chatter and be much more entertaining in pairs or more.

DS was tested for guinea pig allergy but turned out negative at the time. He was tested for a lot of things but they decided to throw that in as well. He came up positive to cats even though we didn't have one, but had been looking after next doors that week.

Since then he has show signs of allergy if he picks them up and cuddles them. He has to make sure he washes his hands before he touches face.

What a shame. My dh is allergic to all sorts and it does make life tricky.

SBF - absolutely, once they're in, they should stay in all winter.

Ariane5 - apparently some rescues let you take your pig along to find a friend that they can bond with. Quite how this happens I'm not sure - I had a very stroppy single sow and had visions of her laying waste to dozens of innocent pigs. She's now in with her (neutered) nephew, who has recently lost his brother. A neutered boar is another possibility - rescues usually neuter all males that come in.

yes unfortunately its def g pig allergy we cant even pick her up as me and kids get giant hives all over our arms and chests if we do,sneeze ,wheeze etc etc! my sister has to come round to cuddle dawn daily and my ex has to clean hutch out and always makes time to give her some cuddles too as otherwise she would have no affection at all poor little thing.so a friend would prob make her very happy am going to see if i can get one for her

Mine lives in the living room in the winter. Her cage takes up way too much room but I couldn't have her in the shed freezing her little whiskers off.

She's a widow so she doesn't have anyone to snuggle with these days.

Bump