I know this is completely off topic . but me and my hubby are thinking of getting guniea pigs and i would like some advice please. I know people have mentioned guinea pigs on here so any hints and tips would be appreciated!
fizzy wrote:
I know this is completely off topic . but me and my hubby are thinking of getting guniea pigs and i would like some advice please. I know people have mentioned guinea pigs on here so any hints and tips would be appreciated!
Think Terri jj is the resident guinea pig expert.
We have 2, they are easy enough to keep, and not too costly.
we clean them out once a day, they have hay all the time, and pellets. Veg twice a day.
They are friendly, and squeak whenever the fridge gets opened as they want to get fed!
Terri JJ would be the expert to talk to. Think she has got 40 hours of them
I took on 2 that were poorly. Really lovely pets. They make the sweetest noises! Like all pets they need a safe comfortable place to live, food, water, fresh air and love. Ours had a big 2 level cage in the living room which had space to eat, sleep and run around. We let them roam about when we were home and the cats were out. In the good weather they would run in their pen in the garden. They had fresh veggies with their pellet food that were given daily. As they were poorly they were registered with the vets and went on many check ups (you CAN get insurance for small pets)and medication given when required. They had the best life they could have had and I would do it again and again!
following!
I agree Terri JJ is probably the resident expert. She spends a lot of time caring for of over 40 of them !
Bump, for Terri.
Yes Terri is your expert.
Guinae pigs are cheap as pets once the initial costs are done with. Buy a big cage/pen, something that looks far to big, and put lots of little houses and hiding places in it. An outside run is an essential for fair weather, they are great a trimming the lawn. I suggest pottery food bowls and a large water bottle. Obviously sawdust and straw for bedding, I use to put newspaper on the bottom too, makes it easier when cleaning them out.
I use to clean ours out on a Sunday and a Wednesday, I don't think they need more than twice a week. You must have at least 2, they get lonely. Never handle them after eating food, always wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling them. If you get them young the more you handle them the happier they will be with human contact.
Ours use to live outside, with a heavy tarpaulin over them at night, but you can keep them in a garage if needed. I hope this helps.
Just seen this !
Guinea pigs make great pets. They need to be kept in groups of 2 or more if they're female (sows) or pairs if they're males (boars). They can be kept outside all year round in the UK proviided their hutch is warm and kept clean. They are prone to pneumonia if they have to live in damp conditions. Equally they are just as happy living in a cage indoors.....away from draughts and extreme changes of temperature. They will need somewhere to exercise.....a run on the lawn is ideal when the weather is dry and not too cold. A playpen indoors is also suitable. If they have a run outside, it must have a lid.....birds of prey, cats etc will kill guineas.
They are proverbial dustbins and can eat almost any fruit, veg or salad with the exception of potatoes (Inc!using skins) and they must never be given anything that grows from a bulb. They don't make their own vitamin c, like humans, so they do need fresh food daily. Pellets, hay and fresh water are also needed daily.
Please feel free to ask for info on anything I've missed or you're not sure of xx
Terri JJ has expertly put all that needs to be said. I just wanted to add I had guinea pigs all through my childhood and loved them so much! They make wonderful noises like they are talking to you! Clucking and purring and sweaking.
The pet shop that sold us ours told us they were two females, turned out one was male and we ended up with little guinea pig babies! That was so exciting for me, and the babies are born with all thier fur and eyes open, like super cute smaller versions of the adults. We ended up having multiple hutches and runs tofor them to graze on the lawn to separate the females from the males. If you don't want this, learn to identify thier sex before you buy, because some pet shops are rubbish and don't know themselves.
Lovely pets, they'll even sit calmly on your knee and let you stoke them.
Ooooh I've just seen this!
I am also a Guinea Pig fanatic!
I agree with most of Terri JJ's advice, but I disagree with keeping them outdoors.
Guinea Pigs require the exact same temperature conditions as us. If you're too cold or too hot, so is your guinea pig. In turn, if you don't think its warm enough for you to sleep outside, it's definitely not warm enough for piggies to stay out overnight.
The biggest misconception with piggies is that they can be treated like rabbits, which they can not! Even though a rabbit can be kept in a hutch outdoors, leaving your piggy out all year round will seriously shorten their life expectancy.
The second most common misconcenption is that pigs only live to be 3-5 years old. With proper care, they can live anything up to 8-10 years. (The oldest guinea pig recorded lived to be almost 15!)
Also, even though a guinea pig will eat any fruit and veg, there are many which are poisonous to them, or at the very least will give them diarreah (which can be deadly) so read up on this VERY carefully. This is the same for medications. Make sure you get a vet who knows about guinea pigs (they're classified as an exotic pet) as some vets who don't know about guinea pigs specifically will administer drugs that are fine for rabbits/cats, but are actually poisonous to piggies.
In addition, piggies need a constant supply of food (and I mean constant.) Without food in their digestive system, guinea pigs intestines will actually close, stopping them from being able to process any more food. So make sure they always have fresh, good quality pellets, fresh water, fresh grass and hay daily, and plenty of piggy-friendly fruit/veg. They also need hard wood to chew on to keep their teeth in check.
They need cuddles, attention and exercise daily, and love talking and socialising. Piggies see in colour, so be sure to decorate their cage. My guys used to love mirrors, bells and other parrot/bird toys.
Check their nails, teeth and weight regularly. Their nails need trimming, and depending on diet their teeth may need cutting too. If you're unsure on how to do any of this, just make a regular appointment with your vet. I used to trim my little guys nails, but take them to have their teeth checked.
Uhh... That's all I can think of right now off the top of my head. If I think of anything else relevant I will pop in and post again!
Oh and obviously they need their cage cleaning out regularly with piggy-safe bedding. You can potty train your pigs to pee a poop in one area which will help reduce full cage changes.
Also - don't freak out when they eat their own poop. It's gross, but vital to their health!
I've never had them but a friend does, and I just wanted to agree - they make the best noises! So cute!
Thanks for all the replies everyone!
Im loooking forward to getting a couple in the near future 