my 2 guinea pigs

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Just like people guinea pigs can get sick from the cold

If you love your guinea pig one of the things you need to do is to make sure they are warm enough in winter. Winter can be a difficult time for guinea pigs, particularly for older guinea pigs, as well as very young ones or sick guinea pigs.

Just like people guinea pigs can be prone to various respiratory problems during winter, and you need to take appropriate action is to make sure your piggy is toasty and warm.

Of course it doesn’t matter if you keep your piggy inside the house, normal indoor temperatures are fine and it really makes very little difference whether it’s winter or summer.

However many people keep their guinea pigs outdoors right throughout the year. And many people also keep them in small guinea pig hutches, often with large areas of wire so that the wind blows right through.

This winter we brought our guinea pigs indoors. They were housed in a large shed with plenty of protection from the wind and rain, however once it got to the point where there were many frosty nights we thought it was nicer to keep them all indoors.

There’s a few things you can do to make sure they are warm if your piggies are housed in an outdoor guinea pig hutch.

If the hutch has many exposed areas cover the hutch on the coldest days and overnight. Anything that covers the hutch sufficiently to prevent the wind getting in will do the job, for instance tarpaulins or blankets.

Just remember to put weights around them so that they are not a lot off by the wind. And also make sure that during the warmer part of the day they are removed so that some natural daylight enters.

Also make sure that there is a good supply of warm bedding. Plenty of highly or some fluffy materials will allow your piggy to snuggle in underneath, providing some installation. Make sure the cages cleaned regularly so there is no dampness.

We also go to the local supermarket and get some small boxes and cut an entrance at one end so that they can snuggle inside the box at night.

And make sure they are well fed with plenty of appropriate food, just like us, guinea pigs need energy to stay warm and so need to eat well.

And of course the best way is to bring the guinea pig hutch indoors during the winter, so your piggy is snugly and warm and right to hand so you can give them a cuddle.

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