Keeping Super Furry Animals cool

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Soooo, this will be my first summer with the boars , I got them in October. I remember it was easier to keep my December DS warm than my June DD cool. And the pigs have the disadvantage of a real fur coat to contend with.

I'm not happy to leave their PigHouse door open (they've got a screen/wood door that slots into place when the wooden door is open) when I'm at work.
DH is going to take out a couple of windows to replace with a metal screen and fly screen mesh, but that won't be until the weekend.

I've put newspaper and shredded paper to bed in with a pile of hay to scoff (I'll put their hay rack back) .They were having a huge haybed for warmth,most of it got wasted TBH as they peed it -changed daily/2 days.

I can give them ice in a water bowl- but they don't drink much.
Today they were in their run, with two hidey boxes and an old shower curtain pegged over half to give shade.

An other ideas? I'm worried about the little boys getting too hot.They were larding about today, a bit of popcorning, mainly snoozing in the run.
(My childhood guineas were in Scotland, I think if we had a warm day we let them free range, but there are too many foxes and cats here)

One of my boars spent this evening at the vets on a drip as a result of heat stroke :-( We are hoping he's going to pull though but it's touch and go.
The vet suggested a deepish sand tray in the cage/run. Sand bathing helps them to regulate their temperature in the way they would in the wild. There are instructions on the internet for building the right size tray.

Marking place. Indoor piggies!

Ours were sprawled on the floor today, haybox to hot I assume. I was thinking about getting one of these cooling slabs.

Frozen veggies?

Completely changing the subject, are yours happy with shredded paper?

Ours have litter then newspaper then hay but I am getting through a stupid amount of expensive hay. I was thinking of getting a hayrack for them to eat from and bedding with some thing else...I seem to be accumulating newspaper since we have had the pigs

Could you use a old sheet instead of a shower curtain?
More ventilation maybe?

I have used a wet towel to create shade over the run before. It seems to help a bit.

Last year DD used old sheets and towels to shade the run whilst the pigs were in it, so it was covered on top and along two sides (the south and west sides) so it was shaded all day regardless of where the sun was but it still allowed a breeze through.

carrots idea wrt a wet towel should help as it would cool evaporatively. Last year, DD would set the garden hose gun to "mist" and give her boys a spritz when they were outside when it was really hot for evaporative cooling - not that they appreciated it happening! She also dug out an old fan of ours and put it over their indoor enclosure at night when it had been hot in her bedroom so they didn't overheat - she said a slight draft would probably do them less harm than them getting too hot.

We also have some old marble slab left from when we moved in and removed the fireplaces and that stays relatively cool. I have also heard of ceramic tiles being used for the pigs/other small furries to lie on to keep cool. One downside of this seems to be the pigs peeing all over it (as they do) then lying on it .

Could your DH/is it possible to install an extractor fan in the pig house that is thermostatically controlled to suck hot air out of the pig house once it reaches a certain temperature? Changing the windows for mesh and fly screen sounds like a good idea. Shading these windows would also help keep the temperature down a bit (even once changed).

Is it outside in their run you're worried about, their pig house, or both? Why aren't you happy about leaving their pig house open with the screen door whilst you're at work?

You can fill a couple of plastic bottles with water and freeze them. Then put them in the run for the piggies to lay besides

Thanks for the replies
Ellie for GP. Where are you in the country? I didn't really consider heatstroke until yesterday, it's come on all of a sudden (the hot weather).

I use the shower curtain over part of the outdoor run mainly to protect in the breeze- the boys had been out last week but didn't like being in the elements. The run has a small shade to attatch but it only covers a tiny part. The shower curtain gives a parasol effect.

DH is going to put more bolts in the screen door.
The window he's putting the screens on is facing a wall so it's shady, I just want a bit of 'flow-through' of air.
I know logically they would be as safe in the run (its a 7'x4' rabbit run with pegs to secure it) as in their Pighouse.
DD has got an old wooden toybox that we can cut two holes in to give them shelter.
It's seeing a fox last week that has freaked me out-right next to my hoghouse (the felon!)

I have a small rectangular fan/heater, I could put that in their hoghouse (must remember to put on cold not hot though )

They seem okay with shredded paper at the back of the haybox.They still have a pile of hay to eat, but pooh at the back of the box. They don't tend to eat non edibles, so paper is safe with them.

I've got a snuggle pad- that could go in the freezer couldn't it? Or if not, I could fill their hot water bottles and freeze them, then place in a towel.

Yesterday the boys had a rubber bath mat under their hedgehog house. GP1 peed on the mat and lay on it vom face. Filthy blighter.

Carpet bathmat today and a bath this weekend methinks.

I caught little pig digging in their water bowl today Is that normal?

Made a bloody mess over my floor!

I swear that thing has a screw loose!

Gross about pee pigs! Yuk!

Digging? Strange behaviour. Mine dig about in the pellets but give the water a BodySwerve. We've only seen GP2 take a sip of water once. (It's fresh daily, nothing living in it)

Maybe your GP had dropped food in the water bowl and wanted it back?

(Definately gross pee. GP1 had a wet side. I thought he'd been in the shallow water bowl.DD smelled him "Nope, that's pee"

Nope no food in water. Just plain old water

This is the same pig mind, that jumped from my arms whilst I was standing . Luckily the little blighter landed on a rug (a soft one) rather than the floor. He's fine, but why would you do it?

I'm telling ya...screw loose!

She smelled him , I spose thats the only way....

Ellie - how is your piggie?

Here is some general heat stroke and GP information
www.oginet.com/pgurney/heatstroke.htm

Bonkey my DD will do anything for her boar. I'm hoping this will come in handy if the boys ever get impaction vom face.
She will pick up GP2 and say "Mum he's got a soft pooh in his bum" (he's often easing out a soft eating pooh. We put him back to sort himself out or she'll deftly flick it out of his bottom if we want to cuddle him.

GP1 jumped out of my arms then out of DD arms onto the carpeted top of the pighouse haybox.
She was in tears, GP1 just walked off undeterred.
I reckon that's 2 lives gone.

Yes they all have a screw loose (owners more so)

Is this your little pig that's the Cavy Zebedee?

I washed all mine today to cool them down a bit

They weren't impressed!

I washed all mine today to cool them down a bit

They weren't impressed!

My pig didn't make it, he passed away last night. Put up a fight bless him but he was too ill :-(

And now I have a very miserable and lonely looking boar who is wondering where his brother has gone. Very sad...

We have bought a pad from Pets at Home for the remaining boy that you put in the freezer for 3-4 hours and then place in the cage to keep them cool. Pretty much a giant ice pack. An going to try him with it today.

Oh Elllie! That is very sad. I'm sorry.

Guinea pigs do grieve. How old is he? Maybe he could have a little op and then you could get him a female friend. We have one neutered male in with 5 girls and he has a very happy time

I have been advised to get a young boar (8-10 Weeks) as a companion. My vet will not neuter unless there is a pressing medical need. Eddie is 2 and was the dominant boar in the partnership. He's normally very playful. Right now though he's just sitting in his bedroom. No pop-corning, no weeking, no running. He's fine physically but just very sad I think. It feels horrible to even think about getting a new pig just yet though to be honest... I loved that bloomin critter so much.

Oh, Ellie. I saw your name come up on this thread and thought "Oh she's posting to say her pig is fine or he's not made it" And it was the outcome.

Poor piggie. And poor brother boar.
Lots of TLC and he's so young to be alone. You'd be getting a piglet for your boar, even though to you it seems like replacing your lost piggie.
A little male piglet is the best way to go forward.Suddenly lonely GP can go into depression.
Maybe a rescue or a breeder and you can let your boar be matched up.

I've got 2 brothers and I don't think I'd like them to get neutered unless a medical need. It's a safe operation in a fit GP (younger ones cope better) but there's lots of threads on here where a singleton boar has been matched up and it's given them a new lease of life.

I've saved a couple of the big soft drink bottles to fill with water and freeze.
Neccessity is the mother of invention.

I have matched single boys lots of times very successfully so it can be done. Rescues are often reluctant to let you try. A breeder might take your boar in and see who he likes from his stock. I have seen that done lots as well. If you get a young one it might be worth getting two as with the age diiference you might have a perpetual problem otherwise. Sadly there are no guarantees though. Try to spend time cuddling and playing yourself until he has a friend.

carrots if you have an older boar and two babies how does the dynamics work?

I'm hoping to have my hogs forever for many moons and I've often thought two little boys would be a good option because when one goes there are 2 left.In theory the 2 younger ones but not always.
When the 2 pigs go through their terrible teens do they try to overturn the older boy? Or would they be established enough?
Or if one of the younger ones shows himself as the natural succesor, does the older one step down?

My pigs I had as a child just whittled down their numbers until we got down to one. (We had 4 sows at one point, they went one by one until we had one old girl). Ours were indoor in winter and night , the last one followed us about like a little dog. We had her IIRC about a year on her own.But that was many years back.

Oh no Ellie you have my sympathies :(

If you can find a breeder they should be able to find him a mate. I did it for big pig a few weeks ago. She just put him in with a few baby's and they did the rest. No major problems and they get on great.

I have been told though that it is tricky to keep boars in trios. Normally one ends up getting singled out or there are more fights,etc, then you may possibly end up having to find lonely one a mate and then have two pairs.....but having said that, I have heard a few stories of it working :)

Another option is to get him neutered and get a few females...but I think it can be risky on a pig

Give lots of attention to your pig until you can face thinking about another, it must feel horrible 'replacing' one so soon :(

When you feel up to it, there is loads of info here . They also have a list of rescues some where who may be able to help.

70 we didn't have problems that way but I can see that there is potential. Our older boar was the dominant one so maybe we were just lucky.

As I said, when our final old boar was on his own we looked everywhere for a friend for him. Eventually we got a young boar and had him neutered so that once the old boar shuffled off this mortal coil the young boar could go and live with the girls, which is where he is now.

It was very scary as piggies are so little but he bounced back really fast and is a happy wee boy now.

Your very best option would be to find a breeder who also has older piggies and ask him if he can pair your pig with one of them.

The one near us puts them together in a smaller run and hangs around to see what happens. If it doesn't look good he separates them and tries a different one.