When are your guinea pigs coming in for the winter?

[Sittinginthesand]

Just that? Ours have been making the most of the warm weather and grass, and I’d like them to stay outside as long as possible. What’s the cut off - nighttime

You can keep them outside throughout the winter and they'll be fine. I used to put an insulated cover around the hutch and provide them with plenty of straw and hides to keep them warm. If you plan on bringing them in and have the space I'd start in the next week or so, as the temperature has changed and it's no fun cleaning them out in the wind and rain

Mine stay outside all winter, they have an insulated cover over the hutch and when frost is forecast they have a heatpad in their bed and extra bedding. If snow is forecast I may bring them in and put them in a crate but they are quite happy outside

Mine live inside, they feel the cold the sane as we do so if it's too cold for you to sleep outside overnight it'll be too cold for them as well. I think maybe 16 degrees is the lowest recommended temp for them.

www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rodents/guineapigs/environment

15 degrees apparently.

Ours have been in the eglu all summer but we plan to bring them in at the weekend. They’ll then spend the autumn and winter in doors.

Mine lived outside but in the garage. They were absolutely fine & I liked having them sheltered from the bad weather. Last run/lawn time used to be end of September until March. Always felt a bit sorry for them in winter & bought an old indoor cage to use as a change of scene from the hutch. I used to set it up in the garage & they always seemed quite happy.

My daughters want to get guinea pigs but they would have to live outside and from what I've read that seems cruel?

We have a tiny house too small for us and I'm very allergic to all things animal.... and we dont have a shed.

But Ive been out in heavy wind and rain today and hate the thought of having them cooped up in the cold...

Also they cant stay in a small hutch can they? They need the run. But surely the run will be too cold?

If there's a way to make it work I'd love to know (or a bigger house with a garage/utility I could keep them in...)

My sisters piggies live in her garage. They have an insulated cover and the cage ks placed inside a massive, kids playpen she attatched chicken wire to.

Mine lived in the conservatory, all year round, but had an outside run plus shelter.
They were outside all day in the summer and on a decent winter day went out for an hour or two in the middle of the day . Dh grew seed trays of grass for them for the winter..... just a couple as he swapped them over when grazed down. (but they weren't anything to do with him and he didn't really like them you understand!)

Conservatory sounds brilliant! We'd so do that if we could. And love your dh growing them food 🥰

Mine are in. It was 6c the other night and I really worry for them

A guinea pig should never be left outside overnight even in summer.
Any reputable rescue will only let you adopt if you agree to keep them indoors.

Wow really?

@PileOfBooks

My daughters want to get guinea pigs but they would have to live outside and from what I've read that seems cruel?

We have a tiny house too small for us and I'm very allergic to all things animal.... and we dont have a shed.

But Ive been out in heavy wind and rain today and hate the thought of having them cooped up in the cold...

Also they cant stay in a small hutch can they? They need the run. But surely the run will be too cold?

If there's a way to make it work I'd love to know (or a bigger house with a garage/utility I could keep them in...)

We're in the process of converting a wooden play house to a piggy home. We've lined the walls, ceiling and floor (raised) with installation bord and wired it for light and a small heater. We're planning on building a c&c cage covering the whole floor of the house, which will give them plenty of running around space. Then putting a smaller 'bedroom' inside, to fill with hay.

The rescue are happy with this, though said they wouldn't be able to rehouse to us without the heater. Luckily DH is an electrician, so it's not coat too much to build, though the costs would quickly add up if you had to hire people.

Though if your allergic, might not be the best idea anyway. The clean out and care is too much for a child, so you would still need to be involved. Could she be persuaded to get a gecko or something else hairless?

We have a tiny house too small for us and I'm very allergic to all things animal If you are very allergic then regardless of the size of accomodation , guinea-pigs won't be for you . The hay ( which gets everywhere) and their fur is very allergenic . You'll be constantly trying to compromise and it won't be fair on them.
And no disrepect to your daughter , she'll swear on a stack of Bibles that she'll do all the cleaning........but she won't .
My DD and I shared our pigs , but there were times when she was ill , away , or even "Mum can you do the pigs" . I had to feed and clean mine so obviously her pigs as well . We usually shared the work 50;50 .

We had a wooden playhouse that DH converted .
Remember with guinea pigs it is the damp and changes of temperature hot-cold or cold-hot that harms them.
Ours were happy in their house , they had big hayboxes , open onto the floor area . Fresh paper and hay daily .
In winter they came indoors for Guy Fawkes then when it got cold (usually late Nov/early Dec) We put them in an unheated bedroom .
At 3am they chewed the water bottles and chattered hopefully if someone got up for the loo.

If they were going out to their shed we ran a little radiator , made the beds up with fresh hay that was kept in the house .
Cardboard over rubber car mats n the floor ( then newspaper) cardboard or insulation behind the hayboxes - either the rolls or any package , away from little teeth
Those Snuggle Pads give gentle heat , microwave , wrapped in newspaper , tucked under the hay .

They take up a lot of space ! .

Oh and if I had a £ for every But guinea-pigs come from Peru , it's minus 10 there overnight I'd be a bloody millionaire .

My pigs have never been near Peru. They were fat little domestic fancy coated guineas , not rangey brown cavies .
The wildest they got was Kent .