Guinea pigs....should I? New owner.

[Illbefinejustbloodyfine]

I'm considering getting a pair of Guinea pigs. I have 2 DC, and they would absolutely love them. I've had and cared for many types of animals over the years (cats,dogs,ponies, sheep, cows, chickens, ducks....)

Basic questions. Can they live outside? I've known some people keep them in and some out , some a bit of both.

Cats - I do have a cat. But also, there are several others around. Would a cat hanging around bother them?

What are the general "running costs". I still have geriatric ponies so used to pets costing a bloody fortune!

Give me the pros and cons please!

I'm well aware that the dc may well lose interest.

Similar to @Seahorseraces in many ways. we have two pigs which we keep outside march-October and in our summer house November to February. We got them for our two girls who now show very minimal interest in them (the girls were 4 and 5 when we got them - too young really). I on the other hand put them in their run (either on the lawn or on the summer house floor) and clean them out every day. They really are very messy! In honesty we get very little 'reward' from them as pets but I think as others have said when they're outdoors you don't have that constant interaction with them. I think if you have indoor pigs you get a lot more from them - more interaction, more cuteness, less shy, fun habits to watch. But the downside is the smell and space!

guinea pigs are so fragile they become ill really fast and you need to keep a good eye on them. Ive had around 6 pigs in total and i cant imagine any of them would have done well outside in uk weather. Even as indoor pets i was at the vets a couple of times a year. they are the best little pets ive ever had, they're so funny and i recommend at least 2 pigs for every household😁

I’ve always loved Guinea pigs and finally persuaded DH to get a pair of girls for my birthday almost five years ago. They live outside in a hutch in the summer and we have a run on the grass for them. They live inside in the winter and I love having them inside. We put towels and boxes down for them in the living room for daily floor time and they love it.

They are great pets and have such personalities all different to each other, sadly one of our girls died in August 2023 so we rescued one to be a friend to our girl, sadly she died six months later (the rescue one), so we rescued another.

They are so funny and have their quirks if you dare open the fridge or rustle a bag in their vicinity they wheek at you!

DH has fallen in love with them, probably more than me! He and our second rescue girl have a real bond with each other.

We had them as kids and they lived outside in a hutch. The temperature isn't an issue but I wouldn't do it know as they get very little interaction. OK if they have more than one and a large area to play in. But what's the fun of a pet you have to go out in the cold dark garden to play with?
Also be aware that they csn live a long time so it's worth considering how long you want to commit to then. Our last ones lived until between 12 and 13, my brother had them as a young teen, grew up, i inherited them when he moved out and had kids and they were still going!

I did inside during winter. No point having them otherwise. They smell, they have huge cage requirements. But I miss the little squeaky voices. Not a short term commitment either. Ours lived to almost 7.

3 Is definitely a better number than 2 - if one dies then you do not have to think about getting another cage mate.

Personally, I've had a run of bad luck with illness and as a consequence would never have no vet insurance again. Thjngs can get very expensive very quickly. My vet was telling me that things have moved on in the last 10 years and there are much better outcomes medically.

They are lovely little pets. The worst thing about them is that they are a prey animal, so they hide their illnesses and by the time you spot that there is something wrong with them it's likely to be too late. Consequently I have mine in the living room where I can keep an eye on them. I feel if they were outdoors it would be too hard to do this.

I have mine on fleece but would not buy the fleece liners again as they do not have a waterproof lining inside. I'd buy rubber backed bathmats.

I don't find them smelly - maybe because I don't use sawdust.

Thr problem I've had with c&c cages is that the grids come apart too easily, and that there is no bottom. We have an occasional problem with mice and when thr cage was on the floor we could not keep thr mice out of it. It was like a 5 star restaurant for the mice. As a result, my husband will be building a custom built mouse proof cage in the near future.

If I have any other thoughts I'll add them.

3 piggies here. They have a C and C cage in the box room and live there all year. Definitely too cold outside unless you have significant insulation around and underneath the hutch. I’d miss them anyway if they were outside and it would be less convenient to check water etc daily. No smell if cleaned twice weekly, I use puppy pads and newspaper in the cage.
Id recommended weighing them every fortnight as weight loss is usually the first sign of illness and can be missed until it’s too late! Also check them weekly for any signs of a problem.Get them from a rescue not Pets at Home ! Good luck

We use Aldi bath mats, much cheaper than fleece.

We've had guinea pigs for 7/8 years, they live outside all year round. Decent solid big hutch and a thermal cover plus masses of hay to burrow in keeps them warm. At first we brought them inside when it was really cold but they got so stressed with constant noise indoors - as others have said, they're prey animals and scare easily.

In summer they free range the garden like little furry grazing cows. Have seen them chase off the neighbour's cat, who no longer dares approach! But I do also have a sealed run - I imagine a fox would be a risk.

Oh, and anyone who says their indoor pigs don't smell is just nose-blind! Guinea pigs wee, it stinks even after a day no matter what bedding you use.

We do get through a lot of hay, but otherwise it's mostly veggies they eat. Guinea pigs are great, good luck!

The aging doesn't worry me. I no longer have a pony to ride because I keep animals forever, oldest if 37...

Do they tend to have a toilet area or just go all over the place?

I have a large dining room, one half of which is very very cluttered. It's a dumping ground. So I plan to clear that and put the cage there so I won't miss the space.

Struggling to find any at a rescue that aren't too old.

Some of the ones I’ve had seemed to dedicate one particular pigloo (!- little round plastic house) into a toilet. They’d still go all over the place but you’d lift the house up and it would be filled with poop 😳 (and I’d clean them out 3 times a week)! Others we’ve had just poop randomly everywhere. They really are poo machines. It’s their urine that smells rather than the poo.

They poo and pee everywhere and an incredible amount, they're much smellier than say a hamster and you will need to clean them out at least a couple of times a week if you have them inside.

They're not easy pets, they need tending to daily and need fresh food everyday, regular nail trims. Though ours are almost 4 and have never need the vets.

Guinea pigs should NOT live outside. We had 2, and they lived in a large cage in our dining room.

Would I have more? No. They wee and poo CONSTANTLY and need cleaning out very regularly so they don't smell....they also eat their own poo.....

They are sweet but hard work.

Look up C&C cages. You can configure them to fit the space you have.....examples here:

https://uk.kavee.com/pages/best-selling-guinea-pig-cages?utmsource=google&campaignnid=21651578064&adid=715395552896&utmmmedium=cpc&utmcampaign=EX%20%7C%20Cages%20%7C%20UK%20%7C%20Search%20%7C%20Generic&utmmcontent=169885896427&utmterm=&gclid=CjwKCAiAtYy9BhBcEiwANWQQLLPOtrCXZV0kptHrrGZAlEGViKpMC2XKL1ZLRimXaEgiYUgvkSS9RoCQcEQAvDDBwE&gadsource=1&gbraid=0AAAAADKPFg06LAWqEnvWxSbnCakRzEyum

We have two and they are the best pets I've ever had. Like others have said, they have such big personalities and really brighten up our lives. They are also incredibly messy m, loudly demanding and constantly pooping!
We keep ours inside and I wouldn't have them outside except for short periods on a sunny day to get some grass. They need a lot of space - ours are in a one that's probably 2ft x 3ft. They eat constantly and are pretty fussy about what hay they'll eat so it can be expensive. The main thing is how often you need to change their bedding. So yes they're a lot of work but they're absolutely worth it!

we managed to litter train ours to only wee in a litter box which was lined with newspaper and hay and changed daily. That means that we just need to do a quick poo sweep every couple of days and wash the fleece once a week.
we have a pet laundry bag otherwise your washing machine ends up with hay in it.
ours go in a run in the summer for a couple of hours a day and come in so stuffed with grass they can barely move.

i love the squeaking as you open the fridge (or anything that sounds like it might be food for them)

Also please factor in vets bills for 6 years i used to spend at least £2000 a year at the vets. Even small procedures can cost up to £1000 with a overnight stay and medication. I lost my last girl in august and i spend thousands in her last 12 days trying to make her better in the end she had to be put down. Then it costs about £200 for a cremation if you want their ashes back. They are the most wonderful pets ever but they are very time consuming and expensive so please bear this in mind. I always had a piggy fund put to the side for mine.

They’re lovely little things, but we pet sat two for a friend, the smell was awful, we were cleaning their enclosure out twice a day but within a few hours the room would already smell again. We ended up taking them back to our friends house and going there 2-3 times a day to look after them instead.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-02/furry-farm-workers-are-great-at-keeping-weeds-away/103269464

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-04/meet-the-tiny-residents-of-guineavale/101824768

Ours poop in each corner of the hutch 🤣 I don’t understand the people saying they don’t smell. They definitely do.

Ds1 kept some in his room when he was a child (along with hamsters and a rat). His last pair died while he was at university studying to be a vet. His love of animals and affinity with them started with him taking care of his small pets.

My neighbours had outside guinea pigs with a nice double decker cage and run, but the run had side mesh which was only a couple of feet high and we live in an area with a lot of foxes. They never seemed to shut the cage door either. We got used to hearing the piggies squeak (they are quite noisy) and then one day they weren't there any more.

So - anyone considering having outside animals - their run should be completely enclosed, including the top! And the mesh at the side should be buried as well. Your animals may or may not dig, and may or may not be able to jump, but foxes certainly can and will. And foxes live everywhere, in the countryside and in cities (we live in the edge of a city right next to a conservation area, so we get lots of them!)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Washable-Bed-Protector-without-Tucks/dp/B008JEUG6W/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_pp?crid=22Q9NCTLLMIBD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.c1BJ4fGBuBJuAtQxgAp_yb6m5dzUO8e4doLnQ6V7qz6yoy_d9LIrKSF9QKakGiyKvZOp6lKD3VjmF4fr08BXmfp-fgDBeRmUMkL_i146gys0jito1V5UJWdNlTs0jMP73_pJbrX3wQbJLwADGWVj-u6t6Wfzp5jbjFybQiZQRCBsPV9m2N_P4cPwpZlG8UZZUK1A72jnYl7K1rt0DW50Rw.UGQW_THia9UjAe_JPTOMzdtRKlcLqlKzbLzDrJ0pzuk&dib_tag=se&keywords=washable+bed+pads&qid=1739174047&sprefix=washable+bed%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-3

I use washable bed pads. Very absorbant and 2 fit in a 4 x4 cage with a but tucked under. I cover them in fleece/bath mats/old teddy fleece bedding squares so they are comfy.

They are very absorbant, can be washed and tumble dried. And are cheap, long lasting and don't go to in the landfill every week.

All the hay waste/poo/cardboard goes in the composting. I bulk buy brown boxes for them to hide in, and line with squares of cardboard from boxes. I cut holes in the boxes, stuff with hay and bulk bought forage.

Oh wow! I never knew they could live that long!! They must have had very comfortable lives