Extreme Weather

If cavies lived in an ideal world, the temperature would never drop below 18'C or above 22'C, with a relative humidity of 45-70% and a 12-16h light/day cycle. In the real world, clearly they can survive conditions that differ from the ideal.  However temperatures over 30'C are not well tolerated, particularly by long haired breeds, older cavies and pregnant sows. Likewise all cavies are more vulnerable particularly older ones and newborns at temperatures below 17'C.

It is important to remember that cavies or guinea pigs as we know them are an entirely domesticated animal. They do not have incredibly long life spans and as such they are not terribly hardy. They do have wild relatives but these animals are quite distant in needs and requirements. The environment of domestic cavies needs to be comfortable and of stable temperature. Drastic changes in temperature can cause physical trauma and even death. 

Indoor housing offers a better protected, sheltered and overall safer environment. This may be in the family home, a specially built dwelling, shed, verandah or awning. If you choose to keep cavies outside in Winter and Summer then extra management is definitely going to be necessary.

Keep a thermometer close to hand on or in the guinea pigs environment to help you monitor fluctuations in temperature.The risks of cold weather include but are not limited to upper respiratory infections, pneumonia and related conditions, hypothermia and also arthritis pain in joints for older cavies. Likewise, hot weather can cause heat stroke, toxaemia (particularly in pregnant sows), spontaneous abortion of litters, dehydration. The worst case scenario is of course, that extreme weather at either end of the spectrum can cause death.

Provide lots of nutritious food. Don't let your cavies go without. In extreme weather, increase your cavies vitamin c intake. Use a feed/pellet that is fortified with vitamin c and also offer more fruits and vegetables with high vitamin levels. Parsley, capsicum, coriander, tomatoes, carrots, rocket, cos lettuce and other green fresh leafy green vegetables can help increase your guinea pigs immune system and strengthen the body to better combat illness. 

Weigh your cavies weekly. One of the first signs of illness is often weight loss. Keep a record that you can refer to, so that weight loss can be easily detected. Cavies are a prey animal that have evolved to hide almost all signs of illness. You often won't know they are sick until their condition is severe. 
 

Summer Cooling and Heat Management
In Australia the Summer months can be particularly hot, temperatures often exceed 30'C. In some areas the top temperatures will reach more than 40'C at the height of Summer. Your guinea pigs must have fresh, cool, water at all times. One water bottle isn't enough, always have two. That way, if one gets knocked off, stops working or empties, there is a second one available. You can clip shade-cloth flaps onto the outside of your yard hutches to cover the water bottles, which will help keep them cool and reduce algae growth.

  

 Make sure the hutch is positioned in the shade. Find a spot which is shady all day. If you don't have one available then you need to create shade. Build a cover using star pickets and tin, or even a tarp strung up between trees will do the trick.

You can also place damp cloths or towels over the hutch. I often water the outside of my hutches and the lawn around them in the middle of summer. Don't hose your piggies though, drastic changes in their body temperature is very dangerous! You need to allow them opportunities to cool themselves gradually.

Frozen ice packs or bottles work well. They help to cool the cage area and also provide relief for overheating piggies. Wrap them in a tea towl or fleece cover so they can't chew the plastic, to ensure they don't get too cold and to protect the skin on their paw pads. If you are using small plastic water bottles, you could even pop and old sock over it!

You can also freeze their food. Provide frozen fruit or fruit juice into clean bowls for your cavies to nibble. This is delicious for them but also helps to lower their internal temperature. Just cut up fresh summer fruits such as rock melon, watermelon, strawberries, apple, pineapple etc and place in an ice tray with water. Then freeze them overnight ready for the next day.

Give your piggies their usual pellets/diet in the morning and save the frozen treats for the heat of the day. That way you ensure they are eating plenty of healthy protein rich food first as fruits are high in sugar.

If you decide to make frozen juice treats ensure that you have made them from fresh juice. Commercially purchased juices are full of things that are not good for piggies such as preservatives, artificial colours, flavours, extra sugar and sweeteners.

Tiles are another item you can place in your guinea pigs cage. If you keep them somewhere cool and bring them out during the heat of the day, they will repel the heat and stay cool for quite a while.


Summer First Aid
If you see your guinea pigs laying flat out, legs splayed, then they are too hot! They do this to try and cool themselves down. This is a warning sign that shouldn't be ignored. You need to take immediate action to help them cool down. If you do nothing, the next stage could be heat stroke.

A tepid bath can provide immediate relief. The water should be not warm  and not cold, just in between. Lower your cavy gradually into the water and support them, so that their little face is above the water and the rest of their body is submerged. After their bath you can wrap them in a damp towel.

If they still seem too warm you can place a fan nearby, blowing over them but not into their face. Moniter them closely, as any changes in temperature need to be gradual. A sudden shift in core temperature can cause shock.

  

After you have cooled your piggy ensure they have a drink. You can feed them Vitrate, Lectade, Nutrigel, glucose, gatorade or honey in a 1ml syringe. Aim to feed them 2ml every hour. Within 2 hours of the above treatment your guinea pig should be feeling better. They should be able to stand and appear more alert. They may be shaky for a while and not want to eat for several hours. It is best to keep them somewhere safe, quiet and cool inside, where they can be closely monitered.

If they don't improve or already have severe heatstroke by the time you find them then you need medical assistance. The signs of heat stroke include drooling, discolured gums, panting, rapid heart-beat, convulsions, weakness in limbs, appearing lethargic or unable to move. Wrap them in a wet towel and get them to a vet fast. They can inject fluids subcutaneously which can save your guinea pigs life.

Top Hot Weather Tips

• Turn air-conditioning on.
• Turn fans on.
• Run water sprinklers on over the roofs of hutches.
• Place frozen freezer bricks inside old socks in the hutches.
• Place frozen wet washers (or other material) in the hutches.
• Preferably place the frozen items on tiles (standard wall or floor tiles) with no litter/bedding on them underneath the water bottles.
• Place wet towels, shade cloth or other material over hutches, preferably with a fan blowing on them.
• Empty and refill water bottles with cool water regularly. Do this hourly if need be, they heat up fast. Cavies won’t drink hot water.
• Dunk cavies in a bucket of tepid water (except their head of course).
• Spray cavies with cool water from a spray bottle.
• Feed cavies chilled or frozen treats - grapes, carrot, watermelon etc.  This helps lower their core temperature.
• Keep vitamin C up by providing high quality pellets and food naturally high in vitamin C such as parsley and capsicum to avoid toxemia, an often deadly condition more likely to occur in hot weather. o Lay wet washers or other material in the hutch.
• As a last resort (power failure etc.) put them in your empty bath tub or the floor of the shower, this is often the coolest spot in the house.  

Winter Warming and Cold Management The cold temperatures we have in the winter months in Australia are particularly dangerous to your cavies. Your guinea pigs need to be kept warm during this time.

The easiest way, is to keep them in pairs or groups. All girl groups or bonded male pairs work best. Unless you specifically have a different sex pair together for breeding. Either way, the concept is simple - more bodies, more warmth.

Lift the cage/hutch from the ground because the ground is cold. Use wood or bricks to raise the hutch up but ensure the base is covered. You don't want to create a draft or space for predators to enter. 

Cover your hutches using blankets, doonas, heavy duty shade cloth, cardboard or shop bought cage covers, to reduce drafts and provide further shelter from the chill of the winter air. Ensure that there is always adequate ventilation though, you don't want to suffocate your cavies! 

Make rice socks. A very simple, innovative and inexpensive idea, just stuff an old sock with rice and stitch the opening closed. Pull another sock over this from the opposite direction and then stitch it closed as well. Heat the rice sock in the microwave for 60 seconds to create a heat source that should last for hours. 

Use piggy pouches and snuggle beds so that your cavies can burrow to keep warm. These are often available for purchase at cavy shows and there are also many members of the fancy making and selling them online. You can also make your own at-home variety by clipping polar fleece material into a plastic lunch box. Or simply offer piggy sized blankets made from old clothes or a warm fleece material. This gives your piggies something to snuggle into or hide under to stay warm. 

Provide hidey boxes with hay. Dry, fresh hay has excellent insulating properties. An appropriately sized cardboard box with an opening cut into it can be stuffed with hay to provide a warm area for hiding during cold nights. Alternately you can leave the cardboard box empty and cover it with a towel.

Whatever methods you use, the most important thing to remember is all bedding needs to be fresh and dry. As cute as little snuggle houses and piggy blankets are, they will soon become soaked with urine, wet and soiled from faecal matter and dropped food. They will then begin to stink and harbour bacteria. I cannot over-express the importance of changing your cavies bedding frequently. 

Dispose of cardboard boxes regularly and replace them with new ones. Remove and replensih hay and other litter/bedding materials. Collect all blankets, snuggle beds and other material items daily. Air them out in sunshine during the warmest part of the day and then return them in the afternoon. Take the time to hand-wash them when they become soiled and dry them well before returning them to the hutches

Winter First Aid
Know what you are looking for, the symptoms of hypothermia include rapid, shallow breathing, shivering, a slowed pulse rate, paling of mucous membranes, being cool to the touch, the hair on their coat may stand on end (in an effort to insulate the body) and they may become listless, lethargic and unwilling to eat or drink. Not all symptoms may be present.

If your cavy is showing symptoms of cold related issues bring them inside immediately. However, do not try to warm them up too quickly. Place them on dry bedding and put a fleecy blanket or towel over their body to help insulate their body heat. Offer small sips of water and contact your nearest small animal vet for further advice.