Keeping your outside Guineas warm

[noyouhavehadawee]

My 2 have always resided outside in a hutch within a wendy shed but following the death of one I am left with a lone piggy (this could change end of week when we go see lovely rescue lady ). Anyway lone pig is quite elderly and any newbies may not be as hardy as my girl so im looking to luxury up the living quarters - I have done a slight refurb involving lino this weekend and new toys/ mini pen and lowered the legs right down on the hutch and now im thinking HEATING! What do you guys use - I was looking at tubular heaters - area is 45 x 68 and playhouse height. Anyone use anything not dependant on electricity?

Good plan to think ahead, but we've noticed in Darkest Essex that the nights are fair drawing in

I'll list all the things I've tried with varying degrees of success

Deep hay -as in the haybox full to the brim. This is what my boars liked best to keep warm.It gets peed on and needs changed loads.
I bought some lovely lush hay for them , but it must have had alot of seeds, GP1 had a weepy eye on Sunday. DD and I hoiked out a grass seed. He's fine and it hasn't put him off his hay but now I've taken it out of the haybox and put it in a trug.
In the haybox they've got...

Fleece: nice and snuggly but the demons pee on it, it gets stinky and you need to brush the hay off before you wash it. I put a folded fleece in the haybox and a cardboard box with a fleece inside so they've got their wn space,
So far, so good. GP1 eye fine.

Snugglepads- solid silicone discs, microwave. They have a fleece cover. They stay warm about 8 hours but they're hard

I used hot water bottles but only in a waterproof pillowcase protector. I use new ones every year to reduce the risk of rubber decay. (You can wrap in newspaper to insulate)

Pet Hotties- soft gel microwaveable pads. Don't fit in my microwave without alot of elaborate tucking in of edges and don't keep the heat.

Tubular heater on wall - about 12" long. I could honestly get more heat if I stood with a lit match

Last year I bought them a small oil filled radiator. OK it needs electricity. And something high enough to stand on (and keep out of the way of piggies who could chew the lead) But it was the best thing.
Only thing was I had to put it on 30 minutes before they went out for the day. And it switches itself onto 'standby' when it reached temperature. Which me at first "My pigs, they'll freeze"

Straw is a good insulator but not recommended for guiineas (I use at the back of my Haybox but not while Dill is a minipig)

And if you get a baby piglet, give it some alfalfa hay (but not for the adult)

Good luck with your new arrival. It makes a huge difference to a bereaved pig. We saw to GP1 "How do you cope" when GP3 popcorns and runs about. If he had eyebrows, they'd be like this \ /

BTW SnugglePads are cheaper on Amazon than P@H .
IIRC we paid £14 on Amazon compared to £22 elsewhere

snugglepads and deep hay sounds the ticket - I am insulating the walls with green left over laminate floor underlay. Yes its parky out tonight I agree just chucked a load more hay in with her the poor love. Rescue lady is meeting me Friday in a carpark lol to deliver me a little girl just over a year old - a lilac ginger and white one, I am a tadge excited. Going to chuck Charlie and Lolas original sleeping tub and get a new neutral one but theres another in my new set up as well so they have there own space. Any tips on introducing greatly received. I am soooooooooooooo excited . I think Charlie senses something since the refurb she has really perked up and has even been out on the lawn squeaking. Lino on the floor is soooooooooooooo easy to clean!

my boys will have their snugglepad tonight, buried under their fleece.

they are coping -just- with the hay in a trug and fleece to cuddle.

my goodness how much these creatures pooh .
at least a haybed hides it.

Thanks for these tips. Just ordered a snugglepad.

How late in the year can guinea pigs stay outside? Ours are outside now in an old chicken house with attached run and lots of hay when they haven't eaten it all but presumably they'll need to go inside a shed when it gets really cold? This is our first autumn/winter with them.

Sorry for thread-hijack OP!

Bramshott mine live in a wooden playhouse (with a little oil filled radiator when it's cold, they are spoiled )

We bring them in for Guy Fawkes (noise mainly).
IIRC last year they came in at night end Nov.
Year before early Dec.

Last year wasn't so bad but I remember in 2011 the water bowl froze overnight a few times (they weren't in the Pighouse and they had fresh water in the morning)

Last year I had two lardy adults males.
This year I've got the Pigling (who is about 14 weeks now) and my 3yo boar (who isn't getting any younger , Bless him)

We'll play it by ear. It depends where you live too, The damp is worse for them than cold. It's easier to insulate them.

This year I need to rethink the overnight cage. GP1 and his brother shared a 4'x2' though judgily (filled it with hay and told them to sleep).

Little GP3 is a force to be reckoned with. I need to increase the space or GP1 will get no peace [smile[

Ok, so they are ok for now I think (particularly once the snugglepad arrives). We lost one of the first pair we had very unexpectedly, so DD1 and I are now very 'twitchy' when it comes to the guinea pigs...

noyouhavehadawee - love the sound of your new GP and the car-park handover!

Mine are free range in a room in the house, I have never kept them outside or in a cage. They only go out on warm sunny days.

Sorry, also meant to say thank you for the advice!