Would you cover an indoor GP hutch with a blanket for additional warmth?

[dietcokeandwine]

We have just acquired two gorgeous boy guineas and have them in an indoor hutch (the sort with a large plastic tray and cage over the top - savic nero 4 I think it's called). They're kept in a small outbuilding that we have in the garden. The hutch has a plastic sleep/hidey space thing that we fill with hay daily and to be honest it hadn't even occurred to me to blanket-cover the hutch at night until my mum came up yesterday and started fretting that we weren't!

Now admittedly we always used to blanket-cover our guinea hutches when I was growing up (I had guineas right through childhood until after university) but they were in wooden hutches either outside or in a shed, where obviously there would have been quite a few draughts, so blankets were essential in winter. But our two are in a building that is about the same spec as a house to be honest - we had it built originally as an outside office so it's brick built with wall/roof insulation, floor underlay central heating, UPVC door/windows etc etc. So a good deal less draughty (in fact to be honest no draughts at all) so I wouldn't have thought any need to cover the hutch at night?

What do you reckon? Am I being too laid back or is my mum being paranoid??

Guineas seem completely happy by the way.

[fruitshootsandheavesupafurball]

We don't cover ours up outside, but they are in a wooden hutch.
However they are indoors this year as we thought the strong winds last week might blow the hutch over so brought them in.

We are just about to buy an indoor hutch as their wooden hutch is too dark for them indoors. They never seem to get any light

I would cover them up if they are outside in an indoor designed hutch as these hutches are much more open and won't retain the heat as much.

[schmalex]

If the guineas are happy and they've got plenty of hay to hide in, I would think they would be ok. They come from Peru after all, I think it gets pretty cold there!
According to this they're fine down to 12c:
www.provet.co.uk/Guinea%20pigs/guineapighome.htm

[LordOfTheFlies]

It's the damp you need to worry about as well though. Yes Peru is cold but it's dry cold.
My 2 boys have rubber car mats, cardboard and newspaper inside their wooden sleeping box. Then half a bag of hay (I use Pets@Home 3kg bag) to line it, then 2 or 3 hotwater bottles with fleece cover.
They don't cuddle together ,they like their space.
The hay gets flattened down after a day, so I lift the damp stuff, shake out the droppings and put it to the side every night (like you do with a stable) This lets the floor air.
The whole lot gets changed every 2-3 days.
My piggies are in at night at the moment.
Last night their water bowl froze.

[KRITIQ]

As Lord says, guinea pigs don't cope well outdoors in our Northern European climate without plenty of special measures to keep them warm and dry. An indoor cage within a shed like you describe, they should be free of draughts which is good. An old quilt covering most of the wired part at night, (but leaving some space for air!) or an old duvet would probably be welcomed by the wee furry guys. Good luck!

[LordOfTheFlies]

I bought a little fan heater yesterday to waft into the GPs haybox before they go outside, just to take off the morning chill.(It's not left in the pighouse)
Then they have their hotwater bottles and their greenhouse heater in the pighouse.

Spoiled or what.

[carrotsandcelery]

Damp and draughts are the guinea pigs' enemies. If the room is draught free and dry then it is probably ok.

Personally, I would though. It doesn't take much to cover them with a blanket to be sure.

[silver73]

I don't like the sound of an indoor cage in an outhouse at all as i think the cold and damp will travel to the base of the cage plus they are completely exposed. At the very least I think their cage needs to have something underneath it and they need to be covered and have hot water bottles day and night.

GPs never show if there is a problem as they are prey animals so be careful with that. Also I would have two houses for them to sleep as GPs often don't like to share a house which means one is left out in the cold.

GPs are not hardy and don't like the cold. If they get cold and/or damp it can kill them very quickly.

My girls are inside in a C & G cage. Have hot water bottles in the day as no-one is around so heating is on low and have hot water bottles at night. They each have a house stuffed full of hay and we put fleeces over their cage at night.

[RandomMess]

It's so strange when I read all of this. Mine were hardy - outside (in a deluxe home built weather and draught proof hutch with triple carpets on) for most of the winter and all snuggled into together in the hay filled bed. Hutch was nothing like the ones you can buy readily.

I do completely agree though they don't do damp and draughts and indoors is best for them - I didn't know any different back then!

[dietcokeandwine]

Thank you all so much for your comments... but I obviously didn't explain myself properly in my earlier post, particularly given silver73's response.

I guess the word outbuilding is misleading - it is not a shed - or an outhouse - it's a small centrally heated building, not much different to having them in your kitchen or utility room I guess. Essentially, they are kept indoors (just not in our actual house, as the building they are kept in is a few feet away from the actual house). There are two radiators in the building so it is kept at a constant temperature and all the doors/windows are UPVC ones so completely draught free. Their cage is also on a stand so they are not on the floor.

I think I will get some kind of blanket for the cage as am feeling paranoid having read some of your posts. I can't believe some of you give your guinea pigs hot water bottles though! Are you really serious? Even when they are kept in your house? Makes me wonder how our piggies ever survived in our shed all those years ago....mind you, my sister and I did make curtains for the shed windows to help keep the heat in

Seriously though, thank you for the feedback, it's very useful. I guess I need to get up to date with modern day guinea pig care!

[silver73]

Thanks for posting back I feel so much better about where they are. Piggies really are not ok in the cold and damp but they sound like they have a lovely place to live.

We do give them hot water bottles (the pet variety) as they are getting on now and like to sit on them. I read somewhere that their legs can start to ache as they get older. We also have two Primark fleeces that go over either side of their cage in the day so they have their houses and also under the fleece to give them cover and then in the evening when they go to sleep we cover the cage over completely. They seem to really like it.

[LordOfTheFlies]

Several people I've spoken to IRL are a bit and at the lengths we go to with our pig-o-lets.

I maintain a few hotwater bottles, a heater and a shedload of hay is cheaper than a vets bill in the long run.And in summer this will tail off (apart from the hay, this will continue)

Alot of rabbit owners think that rabbit/guinea care is the same.So if the bunnies can cope with things then GPs can. (Not true I say)

And it's more than my life's worth to neglect DDs boys my boys.

[dietcokeandwine]

The thing is, now you've said about hot water bottles etc I can totally see the logic of it. Particularly the bit about older ones getting achy legs, I remember two of our female guineas (who lived to be about 8 from memory) getting very stiff legged when they got older, they would probably have loved a hot water bottle, it just never occurred to us at the time. Our new boys are only 4m and seem toasty in their hutch so I don't think they need bottles at the moment but will certainly consider it as they get older.

I guess too that like with baby/childrens accessories you can buy a lot more for pets these days than you used to be able to (never knew you could get proper pet hot water bottles). Have a feeling our piggies are going to be well indulged - have just ordered them a big 8 sided indoor playpen so they can have more of a run around in the lounge during the day...DH is going to go mad