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guinea pigs and wet/damp weather

gemmam

Alpha Buck
Hi, I am new to keeping piggies outdoors and just wanted some advice on what to do when the weather is wet/damp? I have read that piggies shouldn't be put on the grass when wet as they can easily get chills on their chests, so what do people do in winter? If it isn't raining but the ground is still damp does this mean they still can't go out? I assume bringing them inside for a run is out too as the temperature change won't be good for them.
 
Hello :wave:

My piggies live outdoors all year. The main point to remember is that its the draughts that cause them the most probs so just make sure your hutch/run is in a sheltered area.

I cover my runs with tarpaulin and put an old pet carrier in it with some vetbed so they have somewhere warm to get out of the damp if they need to. My runs are on the decking, I only put them on the grass if its sunny so they tend to stay pretty dry.

If you did want to bring them indoors for a run your best bet is to leave the heating off so that its not so big a change in temp. I often sit indoors dressed like an abominal snowman so I can have some playtime with them.
 
hi, you could set a run up in a garage or shed if you have space and put lots of tunnels, boxes etc in for them to play in.
 
Thanks, I haven't got a garage/shed for them but will be moving their hutch and it will be fully under cover as there is a sort of concrete roof between my house and outbuilding and the hutch can fit under there. Not enough room there for the run as well though so maybe setting it up on the patio would be best, then I could do the tarpaulin and pet carrier thing. Would this be ok even when it gets quite cold?
 
Thanks, I haven't got a garage/shed for them but will be moving their hutch and it will be fully under cover as there is a sort of concrete roof between my house and outbuilding and the hutch can fit under there. Not enough room there for the run as well though so maybe setting it up on the patio would be best, then I could do the tarpaulin and pet carrier thing. Would this be ok even when it gets quite cold?

you could put a piece of carpet on the floor or pieces of cardboard boxes from the supermarket just to take the chill off the floor :)
 
Wow, good thread.
Just been thinking its my rabbits and guinea pigs first winter out outside.

(last year they were in a shed)...

Will be taking notes from this thread :D

Any other tips?
 
Ours are outdoors all year and we have a little fluffy igloo bed they sleep in and then we pop a snuggle safe in if it's really cold
 
Are there any good products out there to keep them warm?

It's my first time have a bunny outside. His hutch is very sheltered, between my house and next door but I've got a hutch cover on there too. He lives on vetped and megazorb (in the private area).
 
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