We are having a heatwave - what can I do to keep my guinea p

Things you can try are freezing a plastic drinks bottle (almost full of water) then wrap it in a towel and place in your pigs cage - if they feel too hot they can lay next to it and cool down. Make sure you keep their fluids up by providing plenty of fresh foods (fruit/veg) - keep an eye on their droppings if you are providing more than usual ! Make sure you have your air-conditioning on (if you have it) and if you have a portable fan, turn that on (but make sure your pigs are not in a draught). If your pigs are outside it is vital that they are placed in a covered area and protected from a direct onslaught of the sun's rays. If you put them out in an exercise run - always ensure there is somewhere for them to shade themselves under.

I find freezing a stone or piece of marble and putting it in the cage works well also (I do that with my hamsters & rabbits). As well as putting a icebag under their cage (if its plastic bottomed), putting ice in their water or giving cold water to them.

Well yeah I never thought about that marble or something similar should work. You have bunnies? I would love to see pics I like them, but dont have space for them

Yeah, I have 2 rabbits at the moment. Raven & Izzy, both males. Raven is black with gray feet and Izzy is white with a little gray on his face. They're mini lops. I'll try and post pics sometime soon

Usually with my rabbits I do the freezing a plastic bottle. It seems to work best with rabbits.

Aw how cute!

I find the ice bottles and cold stones help a lot during heat waves, even though I have air conditioning. Another option is to wet towels in ice water, ring out excess water, and bundle it in the cage for the piggies to lie on. It's a general cold place, rather than specific icy or cold places, and the wetness helps keep the heat away.

Piggies can tolerate heat up to 70 degrees faranheit. Above 75 degrees faranheit, heat can kill piggies, especially those with health problems. High heat and humidity can bring out health problems the pig didn't show before.

A fan is almost imperative, even for outdoor cages, in high heat and humidity. Heavy air is extremely hard for anyone with respiratory problems to breathe. It's the same for piggies. Moving the air is a breaze, not a draft, and helps piggies breathe in high humidity.

Also, basements/cellars are great places to keep piggies during periods of high heat and humidity. The temperature is usually lower than in the ground floor rooms, and because the basement/cellar is underground, the humidity usually isn't as bad. Even high humidity is less of a problem, when the temperature is lower.

If you don't have air conditioning, try to at least have a dehumidifier for those awfully humid days. Putting the pigs in the basement with cool cloths, a fan and a dehumidifier is a pretty good way to keep them comfortable. In places where humidity is rarely a problem, check with rental places for dehumidifiers, for the rare time you need one.

Using a fan with an outdoor cage maintains a breaze that might be hit or miss otherwise. The wet towels, ice bottles and cold rocks work wonders in a cage in the shade. The fan just adds another level of cooling that increases their comfort level, and helps the piggies get through the hot spell.

Thanks a lot for your post. This sounds very helpful and Im sure those who needed this answer appreciated your help.