Snuggle safe microwave heatpad

[rose]

Hi,

At present I am trying to buy everything ready for the arrival of my guinea pigs. They should be here in two or three weeks. I read on one guinea pig owners website that she gives her guinea pigs one of these snuggle safe microwave heatpads and she says they love it in winter. She uses them indoors, at the moment mine will be indoors.

www.snugglesafe.co.uk/heatpad.htm

Has anyone here used one? They are about £22 each to buy.

Let me know if any of your guinea pigs like them.


All the best

Rose

[1toni2007]

hi, i would like to know if anyone has used these as well, so well done for posting the question, i know someone will be along soon who will know the answer. and nice to meet you Rose

[eppingstrider]

Well, we all like to snuggle up to something (or someone!) warm on a cold day or night, so I'm sure the piggies appreciate it, but the question is really whether they need it and whether it prevents them adjusting to winter temperatures.

Unless you have them in a cold spot indoors, I would hope the general room temperature is warm enough for a piggy, and that doesnt need to be very warm. I keep a maximum-minimum thermometer on my boys cage to see what the temperature has done at night.... It is fairly steady and rarely drops below 15C /58ishF. (my summer max is 28C/82F and the usual temperature they're in is 17-21/62-70)

Given that they are safe in their hidey holes (put your hand in and feel how warm it is in there!) and have nice furry coats, I would not want to put a warm source in to heat them up which would then cool down - they could have problem adjusting. I'd put a big pile of hay for them to snuggle under, and/or a blanket or duvet over the top of the cage on a cold night when the temperature might drop alarmingly.

You do need to make sure they're not in a draught, too.

But my work involves the subject of indoor comfort for humans, and someone who knows about piggies will be along in a moment!

[clarestrat]

Hi

I have just bought a snugglesafe heat pad the other day as my piggies live in a hutch outside and I was concerned that it is starting to get really cold at night I got it from pets at home for £19

I tested it out the other day and was quite supprised that it did seem to stay warm for a while even when in the hutch outside. I have actually just posted a photo of my piggies on the heatpad another thread about it but will put it here too. As soon as I put the heatpad in they ran to it and sat on it



I would definately reccomend it for outdoor piggies but not sure if it is needed for indoor piggies as it will be alot warmer anyway inside

[rose]

Hello,

Thanks 1toni2007 - its nice to meet you too ;D
Thank you eppingstrider and clarestrat for your help and detailed replies. I loved the photo by the way, very cute

I'm not sure what to do. I read on one website that they love them so I thought if they liked them so much, why not? I have just bought an electric blanket for myself. I'm finding it so cold at night at the moment and I was worried about them feeling the cold as well. I do feel the cold easily though it must be said. But I agree it is not as cold as it is outside!!! I had not thought of them adjusting to temperatures. But I will definitely give this some thought now.
I don't want to do the wrong thing by spoiling them too much, and giving them the snugglesafe heatpads if it will cause problems for them adjusting to the temperatures.

Thanks very much for your help.

All the best

Rose

[eppingstrider]

One of the things to take into account is where they've been living. I got my boys in the summer, so they didnt have any great changes of temperature, and got used to my house's winter temperature at the same time as I did (I'd only moved in in the spring!)

I'd check where they are being kept at present and what the breeder advises.

By the way, an interesting snippet from my past...I did some work with a pig breeding company once. Apparently pigs eat the same amount of food whether they're kept at higher or lower temperatures - but ones kept at higher temperatures are fatter. Dont know if it applies to guinea pigs though.