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Guinea pigs are happiest within a temperature range of about 16 to 24 degrees celsius. Any lower and they’re liable to get chilled, any higher and they could suffer from heatstroke. It’s best to keep them indoors when it’s getting cold - they like being somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of the house, where there aren’t any loud noises, and where, if you have any other pets, they can’t be reached.
If at any point your guinea pig is wheezing, has a runny nose or makes a noise when it breathes, then you’ll need to take it to the vet, as it may have developed allergies or caught a chill. In hot weather, if your guinea pig isn’t moving much and is breathing fast with its mouth open, then it’s likely your guinea pig is suffering from heat stroke and needs to have cool water put on it (that isn’t ice-cold) and be left in a cool place to recover. If they’re still panting, apply more water to them to help their body temperature decrease.
Indoors
Spare and seldom-used rooms in houses are excellent places to keep your guinea pigs, as long as they're not very dusty or damp. Garages and laundry rooms aren’t great places to keep guinea pigs because of toxic fumes, drafts, chemicals and temperature fluctuations. Guinea pigs exposed to strong draughts have a tendency to develop severe upper respiratory tract infections, and they don’t do too well if it’s humid or if the temperature in their home goes up and down frequently. This is because they’re used to the temperature changing much more slowly, and they don’t have very good mechanisms of heating or cooling themselves in such conditions.
Guinea pigs indoors do best within 17-20 degrees celsius, out of direct sunlight, and away from sources of heat like radiators or fires. If they’re going to be indoors for long, then they’d really love a space to exercise in. If you have an Eglu Go Guinea Pig hutch, then they can simply run around in their attached run, but if you don’t have one of these then it’s a good idea to make your own or buy an exercise enclosure for your pets, one that is free of hazards and far away from any of your other pets.
Outdoors
Guinea pigs living outside really like to be nice and cool in the summer. If it goes above 26 degrees celsius, then they need to be brought inside and cooled down properly. If they’re out in their run then you’ll need to give them a nice shaded area to get out of the sun. Like us, they can get sunburnt quite badly and don’t enjoy being stuck outside in the heat. Unlike us, guinea pigs can’t sweat to cool themselves down, so keep an eye on them when it’s really hot.
In the winter, some owners choose to put their run at the side of the house so that it’s sheltered from wind and a little protected from the rain. During the winter months, it’s best not to let your guinea pigs out on wet grass, as this can put them at risk of getting pneumonia. If your guinea pig hutch is made of wood, then you’ll need to be careful that it doesn’t get damp and cause your guinea pigs to get a chill.
Sheds
If you want to put your guinea pigs in the shed, then you’ll need to make sure that it’s nice and warm in the winter and properly aerated in the summer. As long as the shed is dry inside and within 16 - 24 degrees, your guinea pigs will be very happy in there, although they might prefer to have their run outside in the summer so that they can enjoy running around and munching on the grass.
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