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A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!

119 replies

BonnieMummy · 30/03/2023 23:31

After the Guinea pig thread, on which which I enthusiastically posted piggy pictures, turned out to be a troll, I thought that there should be a genuine appreciation thread for these cute, demanding, potato shaped poop machines!
These are a selection of mine.
(Also, wtf would you start a troll thread about guinea pigs?!)

A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
OP posts:
Thread gallery
38
KathieFerrars · 01/04/2023 20:58

@OpposableThumbs2 So cute
@BonnieMummy What a fantastic herd.

Thank you to everyone for their lovely piggie pics. I've never heard of a teddy guinea pig so every day is a school day.

TruthsAndALie · 01/04/2023 21:38

I’ve found my people!

Chef, hairdresser, cleaner and playmate to 2 piggies who I adore! Can’t post names/pics as I regularly spam family and friends and is outing. Had them since babies, now 3.5 years old inseparable brothers.

Few things give me greater pleasure than to feed my wheaking piggies and watch them popcorn with delight at snack time or when a new toy arrives. Mine are lap piggies who love being snuggled up for a stroke and purr/lick in appreciation (although get a bit jealous if one seems to be getting more attention!). Piggies are such great pets - inquisitive, friendly, communicative and very loving. ❤️

BonnieMummy · 02/04/2023 07:14

@TruthsAndALie this thread is completely outing for people that know me but I’ve name changed! I have a regular username to talk about work stuff and another less frequent username to talk about personal stuff.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

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BonnieMummy · 02/04/2023 07:15

@TruthsAndALie in fact I’m double checking I’m BonnieMummy every time I post on this thread so I can’t be linked to my other threads!!

OP posts:
halfsiesonapotnoodle · 02/04/2023 07:21

MissShapesMissStakes · 31/03/2023 16:47

They are such great pets. We've always had boy pairs until recently when we rescued a boy who would NOT settle for another boy, despite the plan to pair him up with a newly single boy we had.

So he's been castrated and now my kids (and me) and looking forward to gradually getting more girls. The aim is to have the spare room as one huge c and c cage for a nice group of girls (plus one) eventually.

Dh isn't happy as we now have hairy potatoes in two rooms because the girl can't be around the other boys - she'd mess with their heads apparently.

Has anyone had a female in the same room as a boar pair - does it cause issues?

Hell yes! The boars will fight if there is a female near them so definitely don't go there!

BonnieMummy · 02/04/2023 07:38

@MissShapesMissStakes this is my set up for 6 girls and a boy. It’s ideal for 5 girls and a boy but I saw a lonely rescue pig in pets at home and couldn’t leave her!
They have a door to an optional ‘garden’ area to increase space.

(notice the first picture is completely poop free as no piggies had been in there since I cleaned it out!)

A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
OP posts:
MissShapesMissStakes · 02/04/2023 08:39

@BonnieMummy that's a great setup! I love the hay being a lovely big space but kept away a little from the fleece. Do they ever try to scale the sides of the ramps? One of ours is a bit of a daredevil.

We currently have a pair of males in one room in a 6x4 c and c, and they have a single male next to their cage in a 5x2 but his friend recently died (he was the best we ever had!) and he's just too old to start introducing anyone to. He has some health issues too so its hard to know what's best for him.

The other room has a 6x4 with a castrated male and a female. They've only been together about three weeks and did have another female in there (we rescued the girls as a pair) but she died last week sadly. Dh desperately wants the Guinea pigs confined to one room but the male pair are rescues who came as a pair but both are pretty feisty already, I think they'd destroy eachother with a female smell around. So they will all be spread out round the house for now.

How easy is it introducing new girls to the male/female cage we have? Boys have been a slow and tricky process (couple failed) so I'm hoping it will be easier to grow that group.

Pic is of out now old man as a baby

A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
woodhill · 02/04/2023 20:02

Ahh your GP reminds me of one of ours we had

She is so pretty

QueenofLouisiana · 02/04/2023 20:09

A sadly no-longer-with-us piggy. He was such a sweet boy, had been rescued from a hoarder, he had a bit of ear missing where it had been nibbled off.

I love piggies: their noises, their understanding of what lives in fridges, their beautiful bums!

A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
Matleaveconfused · 02/04/2023 20:16

This is the best thread I've ever seen on Mumsnet. I used to have piggies as a child and when I lived alone ( I had to rehome due to living arrangements and he had popcorned his last before I could bring him home). Now with 2 small children, 2 dogs and a husband that does not yet appreciate how amazing piggies are... its not to be.... not yet..... one day!!

VivaciousRadish · 02/04/2023 20:43

These are my five girls, the only photo I have of them together - Ruby, Pickles, Ginger, Topsy and Sophie, with Poppy at the end. They’re all rescues.

A genuine Guinea pig thread!!!
Oxborn · 03/04/2023 06:44

@BonnieMummy I love your set up it’s made me look at mine to adjust a little just wondering has anyone managed to successfully litter train their beauts

loop2u · 03/04/2023 07:00

Hi. We've. Even thinking about getting Guinea pig for our daughters. Could you tell me if they are high maintenance pets. Also do you have to get a pair and where do you keep them?

Oxborn · 03/04/2023 08:03

loop2u · 03/04/2023 07:00

Hi. We've. Even thinking about getting Guinea pig for our daughters. Could you tell me if they are high maintenance pets. Also do you have to get a pair and where do you keep them?

Hi @loop2u Guinea pigs definitely need to be in pairs as they are very sociable, personally I don’t think they are high maintenance they poo a lot but I’ve been reading up on litter training, how olds your daughter?

loop2u · 03/04/2023 08:19

Hi @Oxborn thanks for your reply.
She's 4 and she's really wanting a small pet. I'm not sure whether she's a bit to young at the moment but Guinea pigs would most likely be our choice for when we do decide to get her one

WoofWoofBeachLife · 03/04/2023 08:42

Awww I love ❤️ this thread! I've always wanted a piggy, my exh would never let me. At the moment my DH and me can't take on any more ferries we have 4 large dogs and my health is rubbish, maybe one day. I've read a few people on the thread saying they are hard work, in what way? The pooping? I love all their little noises 😍

MissShapesMissStakes · 03/04/2023 10:16

@loop2u my youngest dd has had Guinea pigs since she was about 5 and is now 11. She wasn't able to help much at 5 but now basically does all the care. She cleans them out daily and cuddles them and is very confident and careful handling them.
I do the nail clipping and bits that are more delicate.

They aren't that hard to look after but that depends on where you keep them and how much attention you want to give them.

If you want them to be happy being handled they need practice with that. Although a couple of our rescues aren't happy to be handled, they don't tend to bite. I think in all the years only one of us was bitten and that's when dd was holding her fingers out to one and had cucumber juice on her. It was a hungry bite rather than an angry bite.

We have ours inside and I think that's played a huge part in dd spending so much time with them as they are easily accessible. I have a friend with outdoor pigs and her kids have to make more effort to see them, and it's especially harder in winter or rainy days as they need to go to the end of the garden.

In summer they can be outside enjoying the grass though, even if they are indoor pets.

As ours are inside dd likes to sweep their fleeces twice a day (takes less than a minute). But they don't need doing as often as that. Maybe every other day at the least though as they end up treading in it and making more mess/getting smelly.

Their fleeces I wash around once a fortnight.

I find nail clipping can be a faff with some of the less cooperative ones. But it's easily doable (especially if you get ones with white claws). And if they are tricky you can take them to the vets and have the nurse clip them for about £15 every 8 weeks ish.

I really think they are underrated as pets.

loop2u · 03/04/2023 10:49

MissShapesMissStakes · 03/04/2023 10:16

@loop2u my youngest dd has had Guinea pigs since she was about 5 and is now 11. She wasn't able to help much at 5 but now basically does all the care. She cleans them out daily and cuddles them and is very confident and careful handling them.
I do the nail clipping and bits that are more delicate.

They aren't that hard to look after but that depends on where you keep them and how much attention you want to give them.

If you want them to be happy being handled they need practice with that. Although a couple of our rescues aren't happy to be handled, they don't tend to bite. I think in all the years only one of us was bitten and that's when dd was holding her fingers out to one and had cucumber juice on her. It was a hungry bite rather than an angry bite.

We have ours inside and I think that's played a huge part in dd spending so much time with them as they are easily accessible. I have a friend with outdoor pigs and her kids have to make more effort to see them, and it's especially harder in winter or rainy days as they need to go to the end of the garden.

In summer they can be outside enjoying the grass though, even if they are indoor pets.

As ours are inside dd likes to sweep their fleeces twice a day (takes less than a minute). But they don't need doing as often as that. Maybe every other day at the least though as they end up treading in it and making more mess/getting smelly.

Their fleeces I wash around once a fortnight.

I find nail clipping can be a faff with some of the less cooperative ones. But it's easily doable (especially if you get ones with white claws). And if they are tricky you can take them to the vets and have the nurse clip them for about £15 every 8 weeks ish.

I really think they are underrated as pets.

I would like to keep them in the house.
Are the cages for them quite big?

TeenDivided · 03/04/2023 13:09

@loop2u Ours started in a 2x5 C&C cage which was a bit smaller than a single bed (we are using a bed base to raise it off the floor. That didn't 'feel' big enough so we added a 2x2 extension to make an L shape.

loop2u · 03/04/2023 13:18

TeenDivided · 03/04/2023 13:09

@loop2u Ours started in a 2x5 C&C cage which was a bit smaller than a single bed (we are using a bed base to raise it off the floor. That didn't 'feel' big enough so we added a 2x2 extension to make an L shape.

Thanks for that. So I would need quite a large space to keep them in

GreyCarpet · 03/04/2023 13:23

We have rabbits but I do love their smiley piggy faces!

MissShapesMissStakes · 03/04/2023 13:52

I think you end up wanting to extend as much as possible. My dd is hoping to have one the whole area of the spare room one day when we only need one cage (boys can't be in more than pairs, girls can)

Oxborn · 03/04/2023 14:27

MissShapesMissStakes · 03/04/2023 13:52

I think you end up wanting to extend as much as possible. My dd is hoping to have one the whole area of the spare room one day when we only need one cage (boys can't be in more than pairs, girls can)

I’ve got 3 boys together and they are ok

MissShapesMissStakes · 03/04/2023 16:53

@Oxborn that's really unusual! Both rescues and vets have always told us no more than 2 boys. A couple have said we shouldn't even have another pair in the same room - but we have, in separate cages, and they've been fine.

Oxborn · 03/04/2023 17:10

MissShapesMissStakes · 03/04/2023 16:53

@Oxborn that's really unusual! Both rescues and vets have always told us no more than 2 boys. A couple have said we shouldn't even have another pair in the same room - but we have, in separate cages, and they've been fine.

O really they get on really well have the occasional bicker but I’m they all sleep together huddled up, We must be lucky then 😊

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