Can Guinea Pigs Die From Being Too Cold? (What You Need To Know)

Everyone wants to feel warm in winter, and not get pierced by the cold air. Well, it’s the same for our guinea pigs, they hate being too cold. Freezing temperatures don’t bother some animals. But, can guinea pigs die from being too cold?

Guinea pigs are very sensitive to cold weather and can easily die from being too cold when exposed to low temperatures. A guinea pig’s ideal temperature is between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (or 18 – 23 degrees Celsius). Cavies should never be exposed to temperatures below 60 degrees for any period of time. By taking precautions and monitoring their environment closely, you can help ensure your pet’s safety during colder weather.

Winter poses a threat to our little furry buddies, so we need to help them.

Here you’ll find out how to keep your piggies warm and a lot about how you know your guinea pigs are too cold. Let’s start by diving into the big question and the piggies’ reactions to cold.

Can Guinea Pigs Die From Cold?

Countless guinea pigs lose their lives every cold season. It’s even worse when the owners aren’t aware of guinea pigs’ sensitivity to the cold. It’s dangerous to not prepare the piggies’ environment for the cold weather. 

Many piggie owners are unaware of the inability of their piggies to withstand cold. Temperature changes throughout the day can be risky for your piggies’ health.

That’s why it’s best to try keeping your piggies indoors, so you can control the temperature of your fur babies’ environment.

The longer your piggie is exposed to cold, the more its likelihood of falling sick. A guinea pig in an environment that’s less than 60°F is a guinea pig that’s going to hypothermic soon.

Guinea pigs have a very low tolerance for extreme cold and can die within a short time. If you bring your piggies out in the cold, you’ll need to use some skill to keep them warm. If you don’t, they’ll be exposed to the many risks of cold weather on piggies.

They typically start shivering and puffing up their furs when the cold hits them. Later on, they can get hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) and pneumonia. This can result in heart failure and consequent death of your little cavies. 

How Cold Is Too Cold For Guinea Pigs?

It’s too cold for guinea pigs if it’s less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit (or 16 degrees Celcius). They’ll either get hypothermia or get seriously sick.

In temperatures between 65-75°F, your piggies are perfectly fine.

When the temperature drops below 60°F, your piggies will become inactive and hypothermia is a serious risk. It’s because the blood flow to their skin becomes reduced in their effort to conserve heat. 

They feel weak and become unresponsive (a sign of severe illness). 

When you feel cold, you should know your piggies are likely feeling worse. Try to secure your piggies safely from the cold as much as you would secure yourself. 

At What Temperature Do Guinea Pigs Die? 

Guinea pigs can die if their blood circulation becomes very poor. Poor blood circulation is due to low body temperature (hypothermia). This can occur when you expose them to temperatures below 60°F.  

Your piggie can feel cold because of the air conditioning in your home or car. It doesn’t occur only when you take the cavies outdoors.

If the region you live in is as of now freezing, you should monitor your little friends closely (like VERY closely). Always make proper preparations against cold or hypothermia in your guinea pigs.

Keep an eye out for any changes in your guinea pig’s behavior during winter (like lack of appetite or lack of movement) – specially if you’re housing them outdoors.

Take action when you notice that your guinea pigs are too cold to make sure that they don’t end up dead from hypothermia or some other cold-related illness.

How Do I Know If My Guinea Pig Is Cold? 

Pay attention. Dear piggie owners, if you neglect your piggies, you wouldn’t know they’re cold until it’s too late. They can lose their lives within a short time if you’re ignorant of their sufferings due to the cold.

Truth be told, detecting this is not easy because those little furry guys can hide sicknesses. But, we know our piggies well, don’t we? I trust that you can spot even the tiniest of symptoms.

 Okay, so you’ll want to watch out for any of these signs:

• Labored breathing
• Discharges from the nose and eyes
• Sluggish or non responsive
• Sneezing and coughing
• Cold ears and limbs

When your cavies are cold, they start shivering (as a natural response to cold) and their fur stands on end. It’s all they can do to get a little warmth. But when the cold gets more severe, the shivering stops (and that spells trouble). 

If you place your hands on their ears and limbs, you’ll notice they’re very cold. Now, the eyes also look reddish and the gums will look pale.

Their behavior becomes clumsy, as though they’re confused and drowsy. If left unattended, your cavy will lose consciousness and collapse.

Well at this point, it’s a serious emergency that will most likely lead to the death of your cavy. That’s if you waste any more time.

How To Keep A Guinea Pig Warm 

Whether indoors or outdoors, your cavy can feel cold and become sick. Now you wouldn’t want your furry cavies to get pneumonia, would you? I guess not.

Oh, you might be wondering how to keep them warm, and you’ve probably tried a few methods that seemed futile. Don’t worry, I’ll be giving you a very detailed, tested, and trusted list of ways to keep your piggies warm.

Why do you think I said “tested and trusted”? Well, it’s because this information is from different cavy owners in many parts of the world. I’m not bluffing, you’ll see that soon enough. 

I conducted a manual survey on 98 piggie owners around the world on how they keep their piggies warm.

I’m going to share all the information, but let’s see the highlights of my survey first:

• Many of the piggie owners use insulated hutches for their piggies during winter.
• A few said they use fleece as beddings during the cold.
• Several piggie owners place heating pads in their piggy’s enclosure.
• Some owners placed blankets over their piggies’ hutches to add extra coverage.
• Numerous owners said they kept their piggies together for more warmth.
• Others added that they use snug covers for the piggies’ water bottles to keep the water warm.
• A good number of them use snuggle-safe microwave pads.

73.5% of the piggie owners use heating pads and cardboard boxes filled with hay. This group consists of indoor owners who also use blankets over their enclosures.

26.5% of the piggie owners use insulated hutches covered with tarpaulin and blankets. This group consists of outdoor owners who also use fleece beddings topped with hay.

In addition to the above list, I compiled a list of more pro tips from my survey to help you. 

Tips for outdoor piggies:

• Lift the enclosure off the ground (two inches or more). This’ll prevent moisture from rising through the wood or making it cold.
• Use hay instead of straw for beddings (straw is coarse).
• Try out a wooden or sea grass hideaway topped loosely with hay.
• Use a thermal waterproof cover over the enclosure.
• Buy big veggie boxes from the supermarket, line them with puppy pads and pile them high with hay. Then put them in the enclosures (a very comfy hack).

Tips for indoor piggies:

• Don’t use electric heating pads, piggies can chew them or cause a fire.
• Top up the hay in their enclosure as much as you can.
• Drape old blankets and moving boxes over the enclosures.
• Keep your piggies’ cage away from windows or doors that are opened frequently.
• Mix shredded paper with the hay to get thicker beddings for the cage.

Are Guinea Pigs Okay Outside In The Winter? 

Keeping your piggies outdoors in the winter when you don’t have an alternative is not bad. But, you’ll need to up your game by making their surroundings as safe as possible. This will involve making some improvements to keep your piggie warm and cheerful.

• The first thing is to make sure that your piggies’ enclosure is well insulated and not in the wind’s direction. To insulate the enclosure, you can cover its outer part with blankets, tarpaulins, and fleece. Set it up properly by nailing it down, and still leaving enough space for ventilation.
• Now double-check the cage’s location, you can try moving it to a safer place like a shed or outbuilding. This will help in protecting the enclosure from the wind.
• Never put your piggies’ enclosure in your garage because car fumes will make them sick (and maybe even kill them)
• Add huge piles of hay into their cage, too. Your piggies will snuggle into them and feel warm.
• Make sure your cavies’ water never freezes or gets too cold. Use water bottle covers to keep the water from freezing but still check it regularly. 
• You might want to get a microwavable snuggle pad too. They are very useful in keeping piggies warm and they last up to 12 hours. You just need to microwave them before placing them in their enclosure.

Here’s the main thing, clean the cage regularly. Ensure that it’s always dry else the piggies will feel cold in there. A dirty cage means diseases and sicknesses for your piggies. 

If you’re keeping your piggies outdoors in the winter, never drop them on the floor, even if it’s grass. Dropping them on the floor will give them chills (and you know piggies hate that).

Failure to make these arrangements can result in your cavies’ death.

What Are Signs Of A Guinea Pig Dying?

You don’t need to go haywire every single time your piggie acts differently. You need to be observant and equipped with knowledge of these lovely creatures. This is for you to be able to tell different piggy symptoms apart.

Sometimes your piggy is “just a little down”, other times it may be dying. When your piggy is dying, it may show:

• A puffed-up coat 
• Low body temperature 
• Zero appetite 
• Raspy breathing
• Obvious weight loss
• Doesn’t move

Pneumonia (a respiratory tract infection) affects cavies and their owners too. It’s actually the leading cause of guinea pig death.

Plus, pneumonia is contagious, so many guinea pigs can get infected by one. It’s caused by bacteria that’s found in dirty cages.

Final Thoughts 

Winter can be alarming for you as a piggie owner (yeah I know). I get that you’re worried about your piggies’ health in this harsh weather.

But, you’re now equipped with the knowledge to protect your furry babies from cold. 

Whether you keep the cavies indoors or outdoors, the aim is for them to be safe. Nobody wants to lose their little piggies right?