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guinea pig people. Do your piggies come inside for winter?

tulsi

tulsi

Wise Old Thumper
My whistlers have gone outside (in their new 2 story wooden hutch) whilst the bedroom is being used for rabbit bonding. Do you think that guinea pigs could be outside in their hutch if it was in a shed???

I have a quad of rabbits (the ones being bonded).

A pair of rabbits (in a hutch within a run)

Three guinea pigs (currently in a thin wooden hutch).

The quad need to be in the shed/run combo because it offers the most space but I am wondering weather to have the whistlers a) in my bedroom or b) in the shed in an insulated 6 x 3 hutch.

Views/opinions/general chat about (and pictures of) guinea pigs very welcome.

Will try and take pics of my lovely whistlers too.
 
Ideally, yes, piggies should live indoors. The outside is too cold for them in winter.

However, last winter and this winter my piggies have/will be outside. They started off inside but my partner has asthma and it was getting to the point where he could hardly breath at night, so they had to move outside :(

They are in an insulated hutch, inside a shed. They have plenty of hay and hidey holes, and 3 snugglesafes heated up each day in the winter. They have been ok outside last winter, but they tend to stay inside their hidey holes, so it can't be too fun for them :(

Next spring I'll be getting a summerhouse and installing heating in it, and that will become their permanent home. I think the ideal temperature for them is about 17/18 degrees.

So, i'd say if you can have them inside, go for it! If you can't, then just make sure they have lots of hay, insulation, snuggly beds, snugglesafes etc and they should be absolutely fine
 
My piggies are outside this year as it means they have more space. I am ordeing them some snuggle-oo ultras from cosycavies to keep them warmer and when it gets really cold will be putting heat pads in too. They are longhaired though so they have a bit of warmth anyway :)
 
My girls are outdoors in the rabbits shed. Sadly they are not allowed indoors. They have a thermal cover, cozys, fleece tunnels and loads of hay in their bedding area. I also have snuggle safes ready for them when it gets chillier.
 
Hmm. I guess having them in my room would be an ideal opportunity to get them used to being handled. They are right by the back door atm and its lovely hearing their wheeks when any packets are rustled!!!

I want all the animals in my bedroom really. Think they will be the ones though as rabbits dont seem to mind the cold as much.

Thank you all for your advice and cosyness hints :wave:
 
No, ours stay outside, even in the past few winters when we've had -8 to -10.

Guinea pigs can actually tolerate lower temperatures than many people think, it's humidity/dampness and drafts they can't deal with. Make sure that any covers aren't keeping damp air in (plastic covers can do this) and that they have lots of lovely warm bedding like straw.

Ours are in the shed for the first time this year so should be toaster, which will be nicer for them :)
 
Our friends bring theirs indoors on very cold nights (below about 4 degrees). But they are in a group of 4 and they do get toasty in their hutch. They usually give them one of those willow stick arches inside the bedroom area, with a fleecy blanket on top, loads of hay/straw and a snugglesafe. They huddle under the arch. I think they are probably warm enough but probably also very bored as they don't tend to venture out much.
 
I've only ever had indoor piggies, but I know plenty of people keep them in sheds in the winter.
 
My outdoor ones live in a shed all year round and do just fine. I put a kingsize quilt wrapped around the hutch from about October - March, and loads of bedding, and a heat pad on the really cold nights. It helps if there's more than one piggy as they keep each other warm. At the moment I only have one boy, Ringo, and I;m really hoping we can find him a buddy before it gets any colder.
 
Didnt know they could tolerate cold although knew about draughts and damp. I think I will probably go for the bedroom option as I would just worry too much otherwise.
 
Mine all live outside all year round lots of snuggly hay and softvstraw and we put a box inside their beds to snuggle in for extra warmt when realmcold I think bringing them in would just stress them out cause they not used to it however squeak passed away recently leaving bubbles behind and im not sure wether to bring him in and stress him out but hed be warm and have us for company or try and bond him with my other two boys curly and wurly but not sure how to do this especially as non of the are neuted so not sure if its a good idea
 
curlyanwurly said:
Mine all live outside all year round lots of snuggly hay and softvstraw and we put a box inside their beds to snuggle in for extra warmt when realmcold I think bringing them in would just stress them out cause they not used to it however squeak passed away recently leaving bubbles behind and im not sure wether to bring him in and stress him out but hed be warm and have us for company or try and bond him with my other two boys curly and wurly but not sure how to do this especially as non of the are neuted so not sure if its a good idea
Click to expand...

I have heard (on the guinea pig forum) that neutering doesnt make any difference to bonding. That is not to say that boars are easy to bond but not being neutered wont matter. Good luck.
 
curlyanwurly said:
Mine all live outside all year round lots of snuggly hay and softvstraw and we put a box inside their beds to snuggle in for extra warmt when realmcold I think bringing them in would just stress them out cause they not used to it however squeak passed away recently leaving bubbles behind and im not sure wether to bring him in and stress him out but hed be warm and have us for company or try and bond him with my other two boys curly and wurly but not sure how to do this especially as non of the are neuted so not sure if its a good idea
Click to expand...

I thought 2 boars was the 'stop off point'? and adding a third would probably cause fights. I remember reading it on the GP forum I think, can't find the thread though. No idea :lol:

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?68624-3-boars-living-together-can-it-really-work
 
Oh wow I didn't know there was a gp forum im off to have a look thanks folks , for now I think I will put their runs next to each other as they have free access to their runs from their hutches then at least bubbles can have a bit of company
 
I have heard of lots living outside, but then I have heard of lots of friends guinea pig's dying in the winter months when outside. I have 2 rescue females, and they are indoors, because they love interaction with people so much, and I did read somewhere that they should have a minimum of 15 mins one to one time with their owner each day.

Personally, I go for the group hug thing with the 3 of us, but for half an hour while we all watch Emmerdale :lol::lol:

I think guinea pigs are even harder to tell when something is wrong and they are poorly, and often the only way you do know is when you find them cold when you next go outside to them. Marmalade has been poorly a couple of times, and she is 5 now, but because she was indoors she was whisked to the vets straight away, but I'm sure Tracy (RGPW) would agree, because I phoned her on the last occasion for advice, that if Marmalade had been outdoors she would have gone to the bridge a couple of months ago.
 
RogerRabbit999 said:
I think guinea pigs are even harder to tell when something is wrong and they are poorly, and often the only way you do know is when you find them cold when you next go outside to them. Marmalade has been poorly a couple of times, and she is 5 now, but because she was indoors she was whisked to the vets straight away, but I'm sure Tracy (RGPW) would agree, because I phoned her on the last occasion for advice, that if Marmalade had been outdoors she would have gone to the bridge a couple of months ago.
Click to expand...

Our male guinea pig lost his friend when they were indoor pigs - us being there made no difference to how quickly he died. Unfortunately that's life sometimes.
 
jemjabella said:
Our male guinea pig lost his friend when they were indoor pigs - us being there made no difference to how quickly he died. Unfortunately that's life sometimes.
Click to expand...

I guess, it just worries me that on both occasions with Marmalade, because she was inside her not being right was spotted pretty much straight away, and she has made a full recovery, but had she been outside, to all intents she would have appeared fine, when she actually wasn't.

I'm not implying of course that no animals die inside, but I do think that that is one of the main reasons that house bunnies live longer, because any illnesses often are spotted quicker and dealt with, which had they been outdoors that may not have been the case.

My main thing with guinea pigs outside anyway, is how much human interaction they would get during the winter months.
 
RogerRabbit999 said:
I guess, it just worries me that on both occasions with Marmalade, because she was inside her not being right was spotted pretty much straight away, and she has made a full recovery, but had she been outside, to all intents she would have appeared fine, when she actually wasn't.

I'm not implying of course that no animals die inside, but I do think that that is one of the main reasons that house bunnies live longer, because any illnesses often are spotted quicker and dealt with, which had they been outdoors that may not have been the case.

My main thing with guinea pigs outside anyway, is how much human interaction they would get during the winter months.
Click to expand...

Its the human interaction thing that is making me want them in my room tbh. They are outside the backdoor atm and it is soooooooo great to hear them whistling when I go down in the morning. The shed is a long way down the garden. They will have each other ofcourse but I did get them because they are so lovely and I want to be with them. Just wish my bedroom was big enough for the wabbits as well!
 
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