The end of the semester is nigh, which means that I have a TON of papers to write, and lab work to do. So, I have a bunch of academic things to do. lest I fail out.

It has rained 1.75 inches since midnight last night. Unlike last time, the tarp was battened down really well, and the only thing that happened was it sagged a bit. The pigs are active and well fed. And the temperature is in the mid 40’s. I will be moving them inside of the shelter today, as I am sick of always having to empty the tarp.  Everything seems to be ok with the cold weather, shelters are warm (and as of today, clean).

I find keeping their water bottle full (and unfrozen) is critical for guinea pig cold water management. In the summer, they have the lush grasses to graze on. During the winter, they have to rely on hay, which is dry. Their system needs to stay lubricated somehow.  Once I made sure that water bottles were filled twice a day, food consumption increased drastically. The temperature went up, and so did pig activity.