Stand: Off the ground or not?

[ShaunaMuse]

Okay I got a question for you guys. As most of you know I have 4 guinea pigs and their pen is currently on the floor in front of a huge sliding glass door. It works amazingly well in the summer, however it is now winter in Montana and the temps are dropping ALOT. Between the wind and the snow that is already here I am worried that it is getting to cold. I have a thermometer hooked to their cage so I can tell the temp and it is staying between 66 and 68 even in the middle of the night. There is about a foot of space between the side of the pen and the door itself and I do have towels along the bottom of the door to keep the drafts out. I alsp have a blanket up covering most of the door to keep the pressing cold out. I was thinking about raising the pen off the ground using grids as a stand. I think it would keep the drafts from getting into the pen. The in laws and the husband think that with the pen currently sitting on carpet covered floor and the fact that there is a heater set up between the sliding door and the pen that it should be fine because it remains between 65 and 68 according to the thermometer I have hooked over their pen. They believe that if I raise the pen off the ground it will create a blanket of cold air that will just sit under the pen even if I leave the heater on ground level so that it heats the air before it rises under the pen. Advice?

[Tessa Bea]

Warm air rises, so scientifically, your pigs should be warmer off the ground in my opinion. I have my three off of the ground in a 2x5 C&C, but for a different reason. We as humans are much larger than guinea pigs, and I think being on the ground only makes us look bigger and more scary; resulting in more skittish natures. Being off the ground puts them at an easier level to be able to see what is going on and feel more like part of the family. Also, by having them off the ground, I have space underneath in the "grid table" to put all of their supplies and keep them out of the way.

I hope this helps!

[ShaunaMuse]

I was thinking that would be another reason to lift it off the ground. I do not need the room for storage because I am lucky enough to have a balcony I can use to keep their stuff on (ie hay in storage bins). I always approach the cage on my knees so I am level with them. I even have the hubby doing it now -- I think I am just going to lift it and try to figure out if its going to work or not

[Tessa Bea]

It's good that you approach them at their level. I have a one bedroom apartment, so the storage space is a very good thing! Best of luck.

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by Tessa Bea

Warm air rises, so scientifically, your pigs should be warmer off the ground

I was going to say the same. The temperature is fine because they are best kept in temperatures between 65-75F. But there could still be drafts in between the sliding door and their cage even though you have towels there. Cold drafts can cause illness. In your situation, it would be better to have their cage on a table.

[ShaunaMuse]

Tables are to high. There is no way the hubby will let me raise up the cage that much. We have already talked about it an I am not fighting with it any longer. The front room is his room and he is already letting me lift the cage but will not let me lift it any higher than one grid height. Not to mention my cage is 4x6 so most tables aren't big enough that I can find.

[princesspoppy]

I understand about drafts and vibrations(human foot steps). But what about when people have free range pigs. ?

[ShaunaMuse]

So I think I solved my own issue. I need a place to put old clothing that we don't wear anymore and it just so happens that KMart has LARGE storage bins on sale here for like 3 dollars. So kill two birds with one stone. Get enough to go all along the bottom of my cage and put the clothing in it. Everyone wins.