Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Small pets

Mumsnet does not check the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you're worried about the health of your pet, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Will my guinea's and rabbits be warm enough this winter?

8 replies

Nancyclancy · 06/11/2014 17:57

I have 2 guinea pigs and 2 rabbits. Rabbits are together in one hutch, guinea pigs together in another.
Both cages are in a sheltered spot in our garden. I line their cages with newspaper, then put in a decent amount of wood shavings then as much straw and hay as they need (we live in a farm so they have plenty). Cages are draught free and waterproof. Obviously we'll keep an eye for leaks etc
Will they be ok?

OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget · 06/11/2014 19:45

I'm not a rabbit keeper but guineas do need protection from damp and draughts.

Can you put the hutches in an outbuilding at all?
Hay is a good insulator. I put soft barley straw on the floor and at the sides of their haybox (wrapped in newspaper) then a Snuggle pad wrapped in newspaper in the hay.

The first winter I had our pigs, I noticed if they weren't warm enough they'd just stay in one place, so their muscles got seized (I panicked when GP2 was doing a 'rolling' walk, but he had a sort of cramp, poor thing. If they were warm enough they pootled about doing hog things.

Rabbits are hardier and some don't seem to notice the weather (if they are outdoor not house-bunnies)

Nancyclancy · 07/11/2014 11:32

Thanks for your reply. I have put the guinea pigs in their hutch inside my children's wooden play house. I've bought a fitted cover for the hutch too and they have additional little houses that go inside the hutch. Heaps of bedding too, infact it's really warm and cosy in there.
I will get a snugglepad for them too.

OP posts:
WetAugust · 09/11/2014 23:37

Don't have experience of pigs but with my rabbits, they are in a sheltered spot and the outside if their hutches are wrapped in bubble wrap loft insulation. They have a hutch huger over the top with a poly screen that drops down to keep them warm and dry. When it's very cold I hang more insulation from the front of the cage and yes hutch hearing pads. They have been out in -7c and were fine.

Angelface5 · 11/11/2014 15:39

My bunnies and gp is in the shed now for winter with lots and lots of straw and hay lovely and cosy and dry. X x and they have loads of room and my dd can go out there and sit with them much better than a normal cage. But will still have run round garden on not rainy days Smilethey have a animal hut within the shed aswell with straw so hope they will be warm over winter.

Wowthishurtsalot · 11/11/2014 17:15

Rabbits are hardy little beasts. If you're really worried you can get a kind of hot water bottle for bunnies that is ceramic and you heat in the microwave

Mine have coped and made it to the grand old age of 3 in our recent hard winters but they've always been outdoor bunnies

WetAugust · 11/11/2014 18:11

I use the pads that you heat in the microwave and release heat over the next 10 hours. They are really quite warm.

WetAugust · 11/11/2014 18:11

Soory - menat to add, it's the rain and damp that harms them so if they are dry theyll be OK.

eeyoreeeyoreoh · 13/11/2014 20:58

My pigs are indoors now and have been for a few weeks.

I was really resistant to the idea at first, but it's actually lovely having them inside to interact with all the time.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page