BethOJ Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 Hi, this will be our first winter with our Guinea pigs outside in the eglu. It’s been great all summer. We bought this because of the fact it says it’s good in all weathers and we have no option of bringing them inside anywhere. Now it’s starting to get colder I’m worrying, everything I read online is so negative towards keeping them outside and the eglu in general. I’m looking for stories of people with positive experiences of the eglu in the winter and how they manage to make it work? i can see how you could make it cosy inside but it’s too small to keep them shut in all day so will need the run too? But you can’t keep the run warm?! Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 If they are ‘normal’ haired guinea pigs and have been outside all summer and now gradually getting used to colder weather, they can handle low temperatures quite well. Long haired, wire haired and other ‘odd’ haired varieties are best kept indoors. If you make sure the run and house are kept as dry as possible, they should cope. I have a colleague with outdoor pigs, but they don’t have a run and just go about their business in the garden. Although she does let them in the garage with very bad weather. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisonFamily Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 My guineas used to spend most the year in the eglu go and run - the only problem was we only had grass to put them on so from Nov - Feb we used to bring them into a shed otherwise they just become so muddy - they used to happily go out in the rain and as long as they had somewhere warm and dry to go to were happy. I did find separating I used to lose food bowls under hay in the go so had a small wooden raised wooden house (it was suppose to be a hedgehog house) that I stuffed full of hay as well just as somewhere else to go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethOJ Posted October 3, 2022 Author Share Posted October 3, 2022 On 10/1/2022 at 9:19 AM, Cat tails said: If they are ‘normal’ haired guinea pigs and have been outside all summer and now gradually getting used to colder weather, they can handle low temperatures quite well. Long haired, wire haired and other ‘odd’ haired varieties are best kept indoors. If you make sure the run and house are kept as dry as possible, they should cope. I have a colleague with outdoor pigs, but they don’t have a run and just go about their business in the garden. Although she does let them in the garage with very bad weather. Thanks for your reply. They are all normal haired apart from one which is a teddy. We really have no where to put them indoors nor would be husband allow it! There are 6 of them so we need a large area . On 10/2/2022 at 11:48 AM, HarrisonFamily said: My guineas used to spend most the year in the eglu go and run - the only problem was we only had grass to put them on so from Nov - Feb we used to bring them into a shed otherwise they just become so muddy - they used to happily go out in the rain and as long as they had somewhere warm and dry to go to were happy. I did find separating I used to lose food bowls under hay in the go so had a small wooden raised wooden house (it was suppose to be a hedgehog house) that I stuffed full of hay as well just as somewhere else to go. I hadn’t really thought about the mud! They will be in the grass but we are going to have waterproof covers over the run so I’m hoping it stays dry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 As long as they are a bonded group, they can keep each other warm at night too. Alternatively you can place the whole (or part) of your set up on paving slabs. You can often get those on things like freecycle. It will be much easier to keep clean and control mud in winter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethOJ Posted October 4, 2022 Author Share Posted October 4, 2022 On 10/3/2022 at 8:43 PM, Cat tails said: As long as they are a bonded group, they can keep each other warm at night too. Alternatively you can place the whole (or part) of your set up on paving slabs. You can often get those on things like freecycle. It will be much easier to keep clean and control mud in winter. yes they are bonded, we are getting a second eglu so there will be two attached to a higher run now there are 6 of them so we can shut them away at night in groups of 3, as I thought it would be too small to shut 6 in one! I hadn’t really thought about the mud! They will be in the grass but we are going to have waterproof covers over the run so I’m hoping it stays dry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
