Guinea pigs in the cold

[Jimjams2]

We're picking up guinea pigs this weekend. We have an eglu for them- it's very waterproof so they won't get damp at all, I have bought little nesting things for them to sunggle into. Is it still going to be too cold for them at the moment? I know they're not as hardy as rabbits. We don't have a shed. The alternative would be to buy an indoor cage for the really cold spells (but I'm not keen on that- we have a cat for starters). WOuld going in and out be worse than getting used to the outside.

hiya jj,
apparently going in and out is worse for them(or so we were told)and we have had a hard lesson to learn with the death of our guinea pigs over christmaswho were living in a lovely cage inside the shed but they did not survive.

we now have an indoor cage and they are living just near the back door(where it's fairly cool and quiet-they only get disturbed when we go out or need the toilet so are not startled every two minutes)

the new ones are also a lot more friendly and tame as we keep talking to them and give them tit bits of food and more hugs as they are more accessible
take a look of a pic i will post ....they are so cute xx

ive had a few G pigs over the years..i always bring them in if its bitter or snow.. On a cold night, i make sure that they had LOADS of hay and a thick blanket over the whole big hutch to keep them warm.

I'm SO jealous!

Guinea pigs rock.

expatinscotland

have you seen my new piggies in members profile(sorry can't do alink)

they are so cute!!

i love the way guinea pigs squeak.

i had one called Nunu who was lovely!

We bring ours in, they are in the playroom in a big indoor cage thing and I'm sorry but you can't mention guinea pigs on a mn thread and not havethis

oh dd will absolutely love that clip...thanks for sharing it megalegs...

jimjams - do you realise what you have started here!!!

Have a look on the RSPCA website about how to care for your guineas and advice on keeping them inside or out.

A little bit of valuable information I wished I'd know about with guineas is if you suspect them of being ill at any time - take them immediately to the vet - guineas get ill very quickly - I know, ours died yesterday. I noticed he hadn't eaten much in the morning and a few hours later he was dead

Ours live inside too & get played with a very great deal. I was told by the vet that indoor guinea pigs have a much longer life expectancy than outdoor ones.
Going in & out is supposed to be very bad for them as they have very poor temperature control & can get pneumonia easily.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do Jimjams - they are adorable pets.

I would be keener on outside. I was thinking about putting a couple of these in the eglu:

snugglesafe

have you seen the photo on members profile jimjams of my new guinea piggies?

good luck

We picked up two last weekend and they are still inside due to the bad weather. They have got to go out at some point, you can smell them even though I'm cleaning them out everyday.

I wouldn't worry to much about the cat. We have a cat & Dog and they don't pay them any interest at all. I just put a blanket over them when we go out in case they get scared ifyswim.

The snugglesafe things look fab

Jimjams, I had guinea pigs for years, up in the north east, which gets REALLY cold - we used to load the cages with hay (make sure it's hay not straw, as straw irritates their eyes), and we put a roll of carpet on the top of their cages, held down with a brick, so that at night we could let it hang down over the opening, (carpet side towards the hutch iyswim - so when it was down you could see the underside) - didn't have any problems. The only problem I could see is if they've been inside and are young, it might be a bit of a shock to go out straight into sub-zero temperatures.

thank you- tortoishell- yes that my concern- they're weeks and have been in a heated shed up until now. I wonder whether to get a cheapo indoor cage and wait for the weather to turn mild!

I lovethe dancing guinea pig posted earlier btw

will check now chatee

8 weeks!

I'm worried that ds1 might end up letting them out inside-he probably won't he'll probably ignore them, but I don't quite trust him. Am also concerned our cat will stress them.

Have emailed the person they're coming from to check where they're living at the moment. Shame it was so mild until this week!

an eglu outside would be fine, as long as it's stuffed with straw. they look quite warm and insulated

They are a lot warmer and more insulated than a wooden hutch (by god they're heavy!) My Mum is looking for heat pads for me tomorrow. I'm not too worried long term, just while they're little babies.

i looked at the eglu site, i'd love one for my outdoor rabbits, they're fab, it says they are snub and warm in winter too. your guinea pigs are lucky!