Want to buy a guinea pig and you are wondering if guinea pigs can live outside or if they live exclusively inside?

Keep on reading to find out interesting facts about what temperatures are ideal for a guinea pig living outdoors, as well as some pointers on how to keep your guinea pig warm outside and what temperatures are too hot for you to take your guinea pig outside.

But let us start with the basics. Inside or outside?

Do Guinea Pigs Live Outside or Inside?

The good news is that guinea pigs are very adaptable when it comes to living indoors or outdoors, provided that they have plenty of room to play and exercise.

Whether you keep your guinea pig inside or outside, the most important aspect to keep in mind is that they must be protected from the summer heat and extremely cold winter temperatures. 

Can Guinea Pigs Live Outside All Year Round?

If you can provide them with the right temperature and offer them enough room to move around, play, hide and exercise, as well as a proper diet, guinea pigs can live outside all year round.  

During winter, however, you need to be prepared to protect the guinea pigs and their environment from rain, wind, and cold temperatures, as they are extremely sensitive to low temperatures. 

The same applies to the extremely hot temperatures during the summer. You should keep your guinea pigs in areas that are shielded from direct sunlight. Otherwise, your pet may suffer from overheating.

How Can I Keep My Guinea Pigs Warm Outside?

• Adding items that help insulate the guinea pigs in their enclosure, such as microwave heating pads that are safe for pets, is a great idea if you cannot bring your guinea pigs inside the house during winter. You could place them in an outside hutch, with insulated floor and walls, so that the cold and humidity cannot penetrate the enclosure.
  
  
• Block drafts from reaching your guinea pigs with towels and draft stoppers for the doors and windows of the hutch.
  
  
• Use shredded paper bedding or hay, so the guinea pigs have something to burrow under and retain body heat. Small fleece blankets are also a great option, as the guinea pig can snuggle up under them. You should, however, avoid cotton wool blankets and materials that your guinea pig could eat and end up with intestinal issues.
  
  
• Small hutches that resemble tiny igloos, made from plastic, are also a great item to place in your guinea pig’s cage to help them keep warm. Cut out small boxes with fleece pieces inside them can also work wonders if you cannot buy those small hutches from the pet store.
  
  
• As for heating pads, you should check to see if they are pet-safe and make sure that they are not overly heated. An alternative for this is hot water bottles. Make sure that you secure the cap, to avoid water spilling in the cage. Guinea pigs are especially sensitive to the cold in humid conditions. To make sure that your pet stays dry, you could also add a waterproof covering to the hutch or cage.
  
  
• Adding a thermometer inside the cage will help you maintain a comfortable temperature for your guinea pig. To make sure you do not forget to check on your pet, you could buy a smart thermometer, that will let you know when the temperature in the hutch or cage drops below 18 degrees Celsius.

Can Guinea Pigs Live Outside in the Winter?

Provided that the temperatures do not go below 15 degrees, yes, guinea pigs can live outside in the winter. However, if you live in an area with harsh winters, it is recommended to keep guinea pigs inside. 

How to Keep Your Guinea Pig Cool Outside in the Summer?

• Make sure you do not expose your guinea pig to direct sunlight. Avoid sheds or garages in the summer, as your guinea pig will suffer from poor air circulation.
  
  
• Placing ice packs wrapped in cloth in the cage can be a good idea, as is using fans or air conditioning systems. The latter should not, however, blow cold air directly towards your pet, as it could make it sick.
  
  
• You could also place a container filled with ice cubes in the guinea pig’s enclosure so that it regulates the temperature inside. It should, however, have a tightly closed lid, so that your curiosity-driven guinea pig does not fall into the ice-packed container.
  
  
• To protect your guinea pig from the heat, you should also adapt their diet accordingly, by adding more fruit and vegetable with higher water content. Cucumbers are an excellent treat for guinea pigs in hot weather.
  
  
• Trimming the guinea pig’s fur during summer may also be a good idea, or you could just brush its fur regularly, to remove excess fur that might increase heat retention.
  
  
• If the temperatures still rise, despite your cooling techniques, you should consider bringing your guinea pig inside, especially if the thermometer shows temperatures of 23 degrees Celsius and up.
  
  
• If your guinea pig still shows signs of overheating, despite your attempts to make the environment as cool as possible during summer, you should consider bringing it inside when extreme temperatures cause it distress.
  
  
• Signs of overheating in guinea pigs may consist of but are not limited to increased heart rate, closed or fixed eyes, rapid breathing, very slow or shallow breathing, lethargic behaviour, with the guinea pig laying down most of the time, as if it goes “limp”, as well as excessive drooling.
  
  
• As a first response to overheating, you should bring the guinea pig inside and wet your hand and run it through the pet’s fur to allow it to slowly cool down.
  
  
• You can also wet washcloths or towels, squeeze the excess water out and place them over the guinea pig to offer it a cool environment.  Fans set on the medium setting may also help cool down the guinea pig. Give it plenty of water and food that is high in water content, such as melon, cucumbers, or iceberg lettuce.

Other Questions

What Temperature Can Guinea Pigs Stay Outside? 

If you plan on keeping your guinea pig outdoors, you should be aware that certain temperatures are comfortable for your pet. Guinea pigs can easily adapt to temperatures that vary between 18 to 23 degrees Celsius. 

When it comes to cold temperatures, anything that is lower than 15 degrees is dangerous for guinea pigs, as they could freeze to death. 

Heatstroke is another frequent issue that can be avoided if you do not expose your guinea pig to temperatures that are higher than 26 degrees. Their sensitivity to colder temperatures is due to the fact that their blood flow to the skin reduces to conserve heat, while hotter temperatures dictate the blood flow to increase towards the skin, in order for them to cool down, as they cannot sweat. 

Can Guinea Pigs Die from Being too Cold?

Unfortunately, guinea pigs do die from being too cold, especially when being kept outside in winter. An ill-equipped hutch, combined with temperatures that are lower than 15 degrees, can lead to a guinea pig to literally freeze to death. Being too cold increases the risk of high levels of stress, illness and eventually death. 

The most dangerous conditions for guinea pigs involve cold temperatures and humidity. If moisture reaches a guinea pig’s skin through the fur, the animal cannot properly regulate its body temperature and can end up freezing to death. You should also keep in mind that guinea pigs require more food in the winter, in order to withstand the cold weather.

Can You Keep Guinea Pigs in Your Bedroom?

Yes, you can keep guinea pigs in your bedroom. Your bedroom is a safe environment for guinea pigs, provided that the temperature is right and that there is optimal airflow in the room. If the temperature in your bedroom is anything between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius, your guinea pig will feel comfortable.

However, besides the fact that your guinea pig will probably get more attention while living in your bedroom and you will benefit from a cute and cuddly companion, there are some drawbacks to keeping the pet in your room. 

Guinea pigs can cause allergies, due to the hay or the bedding in their cage. It is also the case for people with respiratory disease or asthma. Another aspect to keep in mind is that guinea pigs, crepuscular creatures that are most active during dawn and dusk, so they may be a bit noisy and disturb your sleep. 

The smell of a guinea pig’s cage may be another drawback to consider when placing it in your bedroom. Since they defecate frequently, you should clean their cage more often if you do not want the smell to become bothersome.

Also, remember that you will not be able to use essential oils and other perfumes to create a pleasant smell in the room where the guinea pig lives, since these animals can suffer from serious respiratory disease due to their strong sense of smell.