Down to 9/10 degrees tonight, piggies in or out?!

[LingDiLong]

Looking at the weather forecast it's supposed to be pretty nippy tonight - around 9 or 10 degrees. The guineas are usually out in their hutch and we'd imagined them staying out there til Octoberish time to be honest!! But that sounds a bit cold, will they be ok? Or shall I put them in their indoor cage for the night?

[guineapiglet]

Hi - hope all going well with the guineas and they are settling in! - I wondered whether their cage is directly outside to the elements, or inside a shed? Can't remember what you settled on? If inside a shed, I wouldnt worry too much as long as they have plenty of hay and the hutch is covered - they do have to acclimatise a little bit to the weather, but they are not good at handling extremes of temperatures, so dont bring them in and then take them out again - once they are in, they are in!!!

If hutch is directly outside and it is going to rain and storm, they need to have waterproof protection over the hutch and it needs to be out of direct contact with elements if poss - ie under some kind of shelter? Ours were in a large shed - is there a garage or something you could put the cage in? ( no fumes/car noise tho - it will scare them). They must be well insulated with hay, fleece etc as temperature gets much lower, and as a rule I brought them in around October half term, once the clocks had gone back - if it warmed up, then I would turn heating off in the room they wre in - they need to be kept reasonably constant, their bodies are no good at adapting to temperature change - ie extreme heat/cold etc - they dont handle damp well either, hence the need for waterproofing. It has got very autumnal. Do you know whether they were inside or out in their previous home?

[LingDiLong]

Thanks guineapiglet. They are settling in well! Our shed plans look like coming to nothing though - we cleared it out yesterday and discovered the roof is asbestos and is flaking. We can't afford to replace it at the moment unfortunately. The hutch they're in is against the wall of our house so is a little sheltered but not properly under a shelter iyswim.

I don't want to bring them in this early permanently as their hutch is a good foot bigger than their indoor cage - perhaps we'll insulate the hutch with some sheeting and blankets and make sure the hay is well topped up. Do you think that would be ok?

[guineapiglet]

It the forecast is rain, they definitely need some protection as their hay will get damp and will make them poorly - you can get bespoke hutch coverings online which are very good. Certainly dont think it is cold enough to bring them in permanently, it s really when it becomes dark and frosty when it is problematic for them long term. Shame about the shed really, they are ideal places for extra warmth - could the roof be redone but not the main structure? - Or could you put a polythene layer between roof and walls to keep it from flaking down? Just a thought.

[LingDiLong]

Apparently you can get special paint for the roof but opinion is divided over whether this is enough or if it really needs to come out.

The hutch is waterproof, when we 'inherited' it DH put a new felt roof on just to be safe and re-did the creosote type stuff on the outside. We've had some heavy rain lately and they've been nice and dry. It's more the cold I'm worried about - it's actually not forecast to rain tonight (for once!), just to get colder than normal.

[guineapiglet]

It might be you could get a roofer/shed maker (!)to just do the roof - it might not be such a big job - then they will be secure and warm. We got some big clear polythene to cover ours in torrential rain - it used to rain horizontally at times - and I could also put this over the run if it was a bit dubious about rain. They might find the temperature drop a bit harsh, but if they are snugged up in their hay ( you could pop an igloo in as well for extra layers) they should be fine.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Just got back today from Spain so this talk of -2 c in Aberdeen is a .Here in Darkest Essex it's okay.

We got our adult boars last October (it was pretty mild until December time). They were out in their Pighouse until late November (I did bring them in for Guy Fawkes weekend due to the noise).

We gave ours plenty of hay in their outside accomodation with a Snugglepad and hotwater bottles in fleece. They were always snug provided you make sure the hay is dry and they are draught proof but still have ventilation.I used to scoop out the wet hay and the pooh nests every day and completely renew every 3 days for a deep litter bed. (Lighter bed in summer is changed daily).

As you've got 2 girls they will snuggle together (boars don't).