How to keep Guinea Pigs and Rabbits warm in the winter
Hi readers! Many of my readers in the UK have snow at the moment so I thought I would do a post on how to keep our small pets warm.
Tips
1. Give them lots of straw to burrow in.
2. Increase their food (example: my guinea pigs are on 1/8 of a cup of nuggets normally so I am giving the 2/8-3/8 of a cup instead)
3. Increase their root vegetables and leafy greens.
4. Cover them at night to stop the cold going in.
5. Put bubble wrap or thick socks over their water bottles to stop them freezing.
What if you don't feed nuggets?
If you don't feed your small pets nuggets, but do feed them pea flakes, or a food mix, increase it just as you would do with nuggets. If you can get to a pet shop, buy some high quality hay, nuggets or Readigrass to give them some extra energy and weight (in the winter it is better for them to be overweight than underweight).
Indoors or outdoors?
It is better to keep small pets indoors during the winter but if you have family members who are allergic, or have other pets, here are a few tips on how to house them outdoors.
1. Keep them in a shed, outbuilding (stables, barn etc.) or a garage (that doesn't house cars) as it will be warmer.
2. Do all of the tips above!
3. Give them a heat pad if possible to keep them warm.
Only one guinea pig?
If you only have one guinea pig, or lone guinea pigs, they will need more straw and more food as they can't snuggle with another piggy. If you have a couple of lone piggies in a split cage, put their straw/snuggle beds against the divider so they can share body heat.
Only one rabbit?
If you only have one rabbit you don't have to worry as much as a lone guinea pig as rabbits have a thicker coat. As rabbits do live in the wild in the UK we know that they can cope with below zero temperatures. Obviously they will still need straw and extra food. It is better to keep them inside but if you have a good quality hutch and you but a cover over it at night they will be fine.
I hope you find this useful. This was just a quick post as the snow came upon the UK very quickly (I was not prepared for the quantity!).
Mo :)
Tips
1. Give them lots of straw to burrow in.
2. Increase their food (example: my guinea pigs are on 1/8 of a cup of nuggets normally so I am giving the 2/8-3/8 of a cup instead)
3. Increase their root vegetables and leafy greens.
4. Cover them at night to stop the cold going in.
5. Put bubble wrap or thick socks over their water bottles to stop them freezing.
What if you don't feed nuggets?
If you don't feed your small pets nuggets, but do feed them pea flakes, or a food mix, increase it just as you would do with nuggets. If you can get to a pet shop, buy some high quality hay, nuggets or Readigrass to give them some extra energy and weight (in the winter it is better for them to be overweight than underweight).
Indoors or outdoors?
It is better to keep small pets indoors during the winter but if you have family members who are allergic, or have other pets, here are a few tips on how to house them outdoors.
1. Keep them in a shed, outbuilding (stables, barn etc.) or a garage (that doesn't house cars) as it will be warmer.
2. Do all of the tips above!
3. Give them a heat pad if possible to keep them warm.
Only one guinea pig?
If you only have one guinea pig, or lone guinea pigs, they will need more straw and more food as they can't snuggle with another piggy. If you have a couple of lone piggies in a split cage, put their straw/snuggle beds against the divider so they can share body heat.
Only one rabbit?
If you only have one rabbit you don't have to worry as much as a lone guinea pig as rabbits have a thicker coat. As rabbits do live in the wild in the UK we know that they can cope with below zero temperatures. Obviously they will still need straw and extra food. It is better to keep them inside but if you have a good quality hutch and you but a cover over it at night they will be fine.
I hope you find this useful. This was just a quick post as the snow came upon the UK very quickly (I was not prepared for the quantity!).
Mo :)
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