can you keep guinea pigs outside all year?

[threecurrantbuns]

And if not would they be ok in there hutch Jo the garage during colder months?

I keep mine in the garage in the winter...they seem fine! I cover the top of their cage with a square of carpet to make it less drafty. Lots of newspaper, wood shavings and straw and they stay warm.

Our garage (car doesn't live in it) is flippin freezing in winter. It's concrete base and corrugated metal roof.
Ours have a wooden playhouse which is quite nice and warm, but I brought mine in for the night in winter.

You can insulate with carpet on top of the hutch.
Snugglepads (a microwavable flat silicone disc in a fleece cover)
Hot water bottles (again in fleece covers)

I use rubber car mats, cardboard (insulating) and newspaper -to make cleaning easy and absorb bodily fluid.

I put straw at the back of the haybox to insulate (straw and hay costs the same where I buy it. It gets thrown out daily, but straw is more voluminous).
Lots of hay to eat and keep them warm. When I bring them in for the night their ears and paws are always warm, they do flatten the hay bed. But where they lie is snuggly. (They don't cuddle together, none of that nonsense)

I personally wouldn't keep my boys out at night. It's nice to settle them for the night when it's frosty outside, knowing they are snug in the dining room . Need to make sure they don't get too warm though.The change in temperature is bad for them.

Then I have to spend half an hour getting their house ready for the day

I have four guinea pigs which live outside all year. I wouldnt keep them outside if they had previously been indoor piggies. In the winter we put little houses in their bed area with lots of hay and straw. We also cover them every night, with a quilt plus waterproof. They are fine, although I would bring in an elderly unwell piggie if necessary. If you do decide to bring them in on an especially cold night I would make sure they are kept in the coldest room, otherwise it would be too much of a shock for them when they go back outside.

Hi - I think that is a problem for guineas, they have no temperature regulation so cannot deal with extremes - going from a centrally heated room to a cold frosty outside would be a killer - they dont handle extremes and they dont handle damp well - it is best to keep them at a fairly constant temperature in winter if poss. As others have said, they need to be insulated with lots of hay and the cages can be covered up with carpet/old duvets, anything with thermal qualities - but not in a draught. - We have a basement and used to bring them in during the winter months, they were allowed to be free range, with little cardboard toilets in certain places - yes! they can be trained to use these - they found it very excting to be able to explore inside........the other thing is get them some igloos for inside in the winter, these can be stuffed with hay and will keep them warm and cosy. ( mentioned in another thread, DO contact local farm if you are rural, bale of hay, big bale is about £7 - and lasts for a long time, much better than the little plastic coated bags..) Have fun!

Baled hay is much better value but it can contain alot of debris (I remember from my horse-riding days) .
Bits of baler twine, plastic, huge twigs.

I have found large twigs and dried thistle in my bagged hay and there was a news story yesterday of a girl in South Woodford who found a deers leg in her guinea-pigs hay bag.