As Autumn rumbles on , with the promise of winter. Time to start weatherproofing the Super Furry Animals

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

We're still in a lull of pleasant days. The guineas can have a couple of grazing hours in the early evening.
But, it will change.

I need to clear out the small room for them in winter. I have a grid-shelf unit that I can customise to make an indoor pen. (Like C&C)

I'm eyeing up the garage if I need to give them alternative outdoor accomodation. It's got a concrete floor, bit dark, but it's safe with a power source and we can out their Rabbit Run in and fill it with hay and straw and cardboard IF they need to go glamping. (Usually a 10pm emergency evacuation when the roof of their shed was damaged or the NDN tree had a branch hanging dangerously near )

Stockpile hay for bedding. Pellets. Soft barley straw (at the back of their haybox, in newspaper)

Weigh them.
DH (techy type) set up a Spreadsheet on the PC to 'plot' their weights. We have nice kitchen scales and a large bowl.
The girls have steadily gained.
GP3 lost 2oz when he was bonded but he's gained it back (and an extra chin )

Piggies aren't good winter weather babies, they like a bit of cossetting

I've read some things that say they can go on concrete, but others that say they can't?

Concrete isn't ideal but if it's a choice between dry concrete and wet grass, I'd pick the concrete but it would need something on it , otherwise my pigs would just sit there.

Our garage floor is concrete so we put a tarpaulin or an old oilcloth table cover down, then the rabbit run, loads of cardboard to insulate, a bag of straw and a bag of hay then an old duvet on top.
Couple of their housies to hide in.
(This was a middle of a rain-storm type scenario where we had to evacuate them and we hadn't prepared their inside space. The boars were quite happy to glamp )

70 - I am surprised you have time to work, your pigs sound like a full time job! I'm sure they will adapt to their winter accommodation.

Mine stay in the utility but have a duvet over the top at night and daily runs in the kitchen/conservatory. They will no doubt meet Current bun again - they don't meet up during the summer as the pigs go outside during the day. The conservatory is his territory so he will have to share again (they do go in a run so he can't get too friendly).

I work P/T so I do occasionally give some care and consideration to my human patients.

DD is excellant with the Pigs, we have it down to a fine art

Last year when the NDN tree was hanging dangerously, it was in half term. She brought them in and put a temporary pen in the kitchen for them while DH braved the garden (I got off easy, I was working )

Thank you for starting this thread as new Piggie adoptee here.

I'm trying to work out what our winter housing options are:

Outside the back door (outside but easily to hand)
Utility room but haven't squared it with OH yet....
Barn - daylight but a bit far from the house
Lambing/sheep shed - warm from the sheep but maybe dusty from the straw?

I know the utility room would be easiest but if OH refuses, which is next best?

I'd want them near the house in winter - our Pighouse is half way down the garden but faces the kitchen windows/door.
The garage is behind it (not much further but beyond the reach of the security light . It has a motion sensor light and a light inside)

DD isn't keen to traipse down at night though.

The lamb shed would be warm and cosy with all the sheep, you could make sure they have a cover to keep the straw dust out?

Utility room sounds best - you could rehome DH ?

Ours come in at night in winter and have the little bedroom- which is next to DH and I.
And has no door . So I can hear them chewing, grumbling, wheeking , ripping cardboard

But the radiator is furthest away from them and I can open the window a centimetre or so to keep them ventilated.

Love the idea of reforming DHs!!!

Reforming?! Meant rehoming!

Ours have a hutch with an insulated cover right outside the back door and next to the house wall (sheltered from wind and frost free area).

If it is an indoor reared piggy I guess they need to be indoors. Ours (age nearly 7) have always been outside - insulated cover, raincover and sleeping area packed with hay. We are over in the West though - so we don't tend to get the biting frosts...

Reforming DHs!!! You were so right the first time

The piggies have their microwave Snuggle Pad tonight (each pig will get one bumcheek on the pad) I need to buy another one.

It's nice that they sleep in the same haybox I think. When we had the boars they didn't do sharing of sleeping quarters. But the sows are quite ameanable to sharing GP3s haybox with him . They are decent like that, even though it was HIS house before theirs

70 what is the guinea pig equivalent of scatter cushions when a lady moves into a bachelor pad?

YY there IS a load more scattered poo about now.
When we had two boars there were two definate Pooh Nests , one in each far corner.

When we had the girls in quarentine, I realised how messy these little creatures are compared to the boys (and how much they pee )

But I reckon Dill is tolerant providing he has their company , bless his heart. (And the walking Room Cleaning Service -me- tottles along with amazing regularity to take care of it )

Great to find this thread as a relatively piggie owner, dd got 2 girl gps at end of May for her birthday & so far have been outside in hutch & enjoying lots of time in their run on the grass. Plan for winter is to move the hutch up to the side of the house which has covered area with walls on 3 sides & lean-to type roof but is open to the garden at the back so not completely enclosed but out of the rain & wind. We have a cover & blankets to use to keep them warm, but what I'm not so sure about is where they can get out to run around - even today when I put the run on the patio they stayed in the wooden shelter bit at the end despite tempting dandelion leaves on offer in the outside run - I think the stone is just to cold! Can I bring them inside & set up a run somewhere in winter or will this just confuse them with change in temperature? Outside covered space is full of bikes etc & have made space for hutch but no room for run. Their hutch is quite spacious & 2 levels but don't want to see them cooped up in there for months so wondering what to do.

You can bring them inside for a run as long as they don't go from cold-hot or hot-cold.
Our pigs went out in their run on Sunday, they have a tunnel with three tubes so each sat there with their faces poking out eating.
When I cleaned their house my little piggie was glaring at me , giving me judgey looks

Our house isn't warm during the day, and when my pigs come in for winter nights they go in the small bedroom which has it's radiator on minimum or off.

I made a run in our garage for the pigs a couple of years back.
We put their rabbit run on it's roof and put some cardboard down to protect their feet, then a fleece or towel to walk on. Boxes , tunnels, paper bags, pile of hay. DD used to sit in with her iPad and chat to them or try to make them excercise.

Sounds like a good set up - need to see what I can sort out, is usually cool in the house during the day if it's just me not working - doesn't seem worth heating for 1, so could maybe bring them in a couple of days then see if I can set something up outside too. Think I need to start collecting cardboard etc!

Bumping this thread.

I put a good layer of thick soft barley straw on the entire floor of the -it has a door cut for the willow tunnel)Pighouse(it is softer than hay) then a nice bedding of hay in each of their sleeping areas. GP4 likes to sleep in the trug/willow house sometimes (I put the willow hedgehog house inside the upturned trug to insulate it) it was GP1 favoured house.
They will usually sleep in the haybox then GP5 escapes to the cardboard box for peace.

Need to 'encourage' my DD to help clear the small room this weekend to set up my piggies run for Guy Fawkes which goes all for over a week