Housing....in the garage?

[NinjaGuineaPig]

Hi everybody. I'm the proud owner of two guinea pig girls and I love very much and with all my heart. They are my only friends I have because I am homeschooled. Unfortunately, my brother recently developed a viral infection in his lungs and asthma and the Dr. said we had to get rid of them. I was devestated by the thought of losing them, but then my mom and I got the idea of housing them in the garage.

I'm at a 50/50 here because if im scarred if I house them in our garage they will die of the cold or get bit by a spider or something but the I dont have anyother choice. Our garage does not house a car and it is quite big. I'm very confused and don't know what to do and I'm running out of time. Please if anyone has any advice or even suggestions on keeping them warm, please help. Thanks for your time.

[crazywiggy]

Sorry to hear about your brother and th whole situation... that really sucks!

Guinea pigs really should be inside for their own health and safety - but I think the garage may work - depending on what it is like and what your parents are prepared to do to make it safe for piggies.

Obviously the most important thing is that it is not used for a car or other motor vehicle as the fumes are toxic. It is also vital that the garage is secure and has natural light. If there isn't a window it isn't even an option.

For keeping guinea pigs safe and comfortable...

Is your garage connected to your house? If so it may get some warmth from your central heating. Try putting a thermometer in there to see how hot and cold it gets - extremes of temperature are very bad for piggies. If not is there any way you could heat it? Insulation can also be helpful at controlling the temperature. Maybe you could add an internal wall with cavity wall insulation or something similar in between the two.

Make sure the pigs have lots of warm bedding, like shredded paper or hay, that they can snuggle up in.

You also need to be careful of draughts - I don't know if a c+c would be suitable if your garage is draughty. You may need to increase the height of the coroplast on 3 sides (not all or you will reduce ventilation).

I guess it erally depends on what your garage is like and how far you are prepared to go to make it suitable. Good luck with finding the best solution though!

[NinjaGuineaPig]

No, its not connected to our house but we have a mini heater I can put in there somewhere I suppose and there is a bunch of windows. I'll be sure to raise the coroplast walls and use fluffy bedding. I was also thinking of making a cozy pocket for them to snuggle in. The internal wall idea is awesome and very clever! Thank you very much for your help! We really apprecitate it!

[pigsmakemesmile]

hi ninja,
My 5 pigs are in my breezeway which is attached to the garage. Unlike a garage, there are mostly screens which my husband and I covered with heavy duty plastic. I live in NE Pennsylania and it gets quite cold and windy. It was a good idea, my breeze way stays warm. I have 2 space heaters in there kept away from their house for safety, It's quite comfortable. I also keep plenty of fresh hay and use that cotton stuff in their hideys for warmth. They seem quite happy I can even leave the kitchen door open (leads to the breezeway). I suggest using heavy plastic like 0.6mml (thickness) on both inside and outside of the garage windows. Try spray foam insultaion you should be able to get this from the hardware store and use it to plug up any holes or leaks that may create drafts. If their cage is near a wall and it's not insulated, put some insulation up on that wall. For the garage door, you can try covering the crack with rolled towels to block out andy drafts. Just be sure to keep any toxic, chemical items and gasoline out of there. Try space heater, one or maybe to but please remember to thouroughly scour the garage for anything that could ignite of become flammable, If you have items hanging from the ceiling as some people do, please remember to look ubove their cage also, look for holes that rodents like chipmunks, squirrels can sqeeze through, or anything large a cat can get through. I'm talking from experience. I have an old garage and have found foreigners in it. I think it could work with some inexpensive modifications.

[NinjaGuineaPig]

Originally Posted by pigsmakemesmile

hi ninja,
My 5 pigs are in my breezeway which is attached to the garage. Unlike a garage, there are mostly screens which my husband and I covered with heavy duty plastic. I live in NE Pennsylania and it gets quite cold and windy. It was a good idea, my breeze way stays warm. I have 2 space heaters in there kept away from their house for safety, It's quite comfortable. I also keep plenty of fresh hay and use that cotton stuff in their hideys for warmth. They seem quite happy I can even leave the kitchen door open (leads to the breezeway). I suggest using heavy plastic like 0.6mml (thickness) on both inside and outside of the garage windows. Try spray foam insultaion you should be able to get this from the hardware store and use it to plug up any holes or leaks that may create drafts. If their cage is near a wall and it's not insulated, put some insulation up on that wall. For the garage door, you can try covering the crack with rolled towels to block out andy drafts. Just be sure to keep any toxic, chemical items and gasoline out of there. Try space heater, one or maybe to but please remember to thouroughly scour the garage for anything that could ignite of become flammable, If you have items hanging from the ceiling as some people do, please remember to look ubove their cage also, look for holes that rodents like chipmunks, squirrels can sqeeze through, or anything large a cat can get through. I'm talking from experience. I have an old garage and have found foreigners in it. I think it could work with some inexpensive modifications.

A breeze way huh? Thats a good idea! I can kinda get a picture of it. It does get very cold in SoCalifornia (contrary to popular belief ) especially if u live near the mountains! I didnt know they sold spayfoam insulation! That sounds pretty neat! Yeah I gotta watch out for opossums so I better check for holes. Thank you very much for your help! I've got some pretty good ideas now!

[lynn's Cavies]

Hi there,
I have to house my guinea pigs and rabbits in our workshop because I have asthma and allergies. I have a space heater in there and I monitor the thermometer daily. They have 2 large windows and it is insulated. It has worked out wonderfully for more than 2 years. I use fleece as bedding because they are warm enough with the heater but you could always stuff their cage with hay for extra warmth.
Also, I have recently added a baby monitor so I can hear them in the house. It helps because I can hear the heater coming on and off and know it is working. I also can hear any distress noises they might make if anything happened. My next addition to it will be a webcam.

Anyhow, you can make it work, it isn't as good as being in the house with you but unfortuantely, circumstances like this come up. I also drape a baby blanket over part of their C&C cage almost like a tunnel. Just for extra warmth.

[pigsmakemesmile]

Thank you for your reply,
I wanted to mention that if you want to see me cage and breezeway they're, in just click on the camera up top under my username.
good luc k.

[pigsmakemesmile]

Lynne's cavies just reminded me,

My daughter has 3 rabbits, she use to keep them in the breezeway also in a separate cage, I made her move them out because of their distinct odor. My husband purchased from Loew's hardware center, an 8 x 14 shed, fancy with windows, sky lights, etc. was on sale for $600.00. Anyhow, we put it behind the house. My daughter put a space heater in it with a timer, it's large so the rabbits have the entire shed to run and hop in. In the summer they go out in their large play area during the day then come in at night and stay in during inclement weather. When she moves on out in the future, this will become my pigs home.