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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

I'm thinking of getting guinea pigs. Please educate me!

90 replies

Smudggle · 16/04/2019 11:59

As title said, something I'd like to do. I've never had any pets before so I'm treading carefully here. I have multiple DC (who are all sensible and caring) aged between 8yrs to teenager.

I literally know nothing. Can someone enlighten me on living arrangements, potential vet bills, seasons (indoor or outdoor), vaccinations, food, costs etc.

I won't be buying any for another 6 months or so. I want to feel confident first!

We are a very loving family and any we get will be utterly worshipped, that I can guarantee

OP posts:

Thread gallery

Ewitsahooman · 17/04/2019 13:58

Following.

The DC went to an animal handling session and were very taken with the GPs. The man who was running it said they make great pets, really placod and are relatively sturdy too so good for little hands to help take care of without being overly concerned about nips or accidentally squeezing too hard like you would with other rodents. I know for a fact the DC will take care of the love and socialising side of looking after them but it'll be me landed with the mucking out!

Can they be up off the floor? I have a storage unit in the front room and the top of it is roughly 145cm x 40cm. This thread has got me thinking whether I could put a cage on top of it or if it would be too small.

brizzlemint · 17/04/2019 14:15

Length wise I'd say it's fine but it's a bit narrow. Yes, they can be up off the floor, though make sure they can't get out - one of ours got out even though guinea pigs can't climb - if they fall from a height they can lose their front teeth.

Mari50 · 17/04/2019 14:21

You can have mine.
They are not the lovely creatures as described by OP’s.
We have made every effort to socialise them and three years in they still hate being picked up/petted/touched etc. They are relatively expensive to keep- easily £50 a month for veggies/hay/treats/bedding etc. They smell, not a stinky smell but the hay permeates. I genuinely would never recommend them as a pet based on my experience, we get nothing back from the little buggers at all despite giving up a room in our house and shelling out £600 a year for the pleasure. Ours are really cute but are hateful little bastards.
But as you can see there are lots of other people who disagree. Good luck with whatever you decide

brizzlemint · 17/04/2019 14:28

@Mari50
Our pigs don't like coming out but when they are out they love it.
Are you rehoming yours?

Danni91 · 17/04/2019 14:41

We have 10 piggies! We did have 12 but sadly lost one last week and one before Christmas.
Ours live outside now but only for the past 2 years. I miss them greatly inside but if you are gonna go for a herd it can get noisy!
We have a group of 5 girls together, 2 sets of 2 and now a lone pig (from last week) we will try bond him with another or rescue another.
10 out of our 12 have been rescued
They are very addictive creatures as each one has a noticeably different personality
Much better to rescue than a pet shop

You are looking at a maximum of 2 boys or a group of girls. Boys bond better from the same litter.
Or a few girls and a king for them. Only 1 boy per herd if girls are involved!

I tell ya, they cost us a bomb and a fucking lot of time, the cleaning out is a nightmare in winter time but we have only ever had guinea pigs as pets and I'm still absolutely gutted losing 2. I have a real attachment to the little wheeking buggers and would recommend them to anybody.

12 guinea pigs later and my son originally wanted was a rabbit! Lol. Would of been less addictive im sure.

Mari50 · 17/04/2019 15:12

@brizzlemint, no wouldn’t rehome them, we committed to giving them a home and i’ll look after them well until the pop off but it would be nice to get some love back. That said I’m really antisocial so I probably got the guinea pigs I deserve. They just don’t like us very much and it breaks my little girls heart. She tries to hold them for a pet and they just head butt her or when they are really miserable they give her a nip. She’s 10 and handles them carefully so it’s not because they are being handled inappropriately.

EastMidsGPs · 17/04/2019 16:35

Mari50
Have you tried bribery with parsley?
Never had a piggie yet that wouldn't sell its soul for parsley! DH even grows it for ours
Have you tried wrapping the pigs in a towel or fleece to let your DD hold them?
Stops them wriggling and nipping.

vampirethriller · 17/04/2019 17:14

brizzlemint the dog was a small Chihuahua and the guinea pig was usually large

Ewitsahooman · 17/04/2019 17:26

Now they would been cute babies, if such a thing was possible. Guinea pigs with Chihuahua ears and tails

brizzlemint · 17/04/2019 17:49

@brizzlemint, no wouldn’t rehome them, we committed to giving them a home and i’ll look after them well until the pop off but it would be nice to get some love back.

@mari50 aww, that's lovely to read. Have you tried bribery with blueberries or dandelions?

Mari50 · 17/04/2019 17:59

@EastMidsGPs and @brizzlemint our pigs absolutely love basil, they go crazy for it and they get very excited when we give them it as a treat but it’s back to normal once it gone! They have just developed a taste for parsley as well after rejecting it when they were younger. They love raspberry leaves and dandelions too. They love loads of food! They just don’t love us. I’ve tried wrapping them in a towel but then they just burrow like crazy into armpits and crooks of elbows. We’ve all learned to live with the grudging acceptance that they give us!!

EastMidsGPs · 17/04/2019 18:27

Oh dear Mari50 you are really unlucky to have grumpy pigs. It is a shame for your DD with all the care, love and work she has put into them as they can be very rewarding pets to have.

I think I am going to have to let your DD into the EastMids secret weapon. My DH reads, discusses cricket and sings to ours (I am well down the pecking order!!)

brizzlemint · 17/04/2019 18:31

I’ve tried wrapping them in a towel but then they just burrow like crazy into armpits and crooks of elbows

Ours love to go in the hood or pouch of hoodies, they will sit there for ages and groom ears or fingers!

Abi58 · 17/04/2019 18:37

As I'm sure others have said they need to be in a pair.

You need to decide if they would live inside or outside. If inside remember they are rodents so they do smell. Either way as they are rodents they ooo a lot so you need to be prepared to clean their cage/hutch.

They are very nervous as I believe they have very bad sight, so if you approach them gently and speak to them as you are they should be fine.

They are very lovely animals and are I think the most friendly, they don't scratch unless you haven't cut their claws (so not their fault).

They will not bite unless it's the last resort only if they feel threatened or you are hurting them, they will first make noises to warn you (many YouTube videos can help you identify the different types) they will then if you don't leave them be lift their head in sort of a head butt movement.

We have piggies and they will sit in your lap while you stroke them. I had them as a child and have them now (no children of our own yet) but our niece loves them!

Beamur · 17/04/2019 18:48

Mari
You might be misreading the head butting. My friendliest pig tosses her head up quite vigorously when stroked but she's happy to be petted.
I don't pick mine up much as I'm allergic to them but will sit alongside the hutch and feed them treats and give them a bit of s scratch and stroke and they seem to like it.

brizzlemint · 17/04/2019 19:31

Yes, ours head butt when they are enjoying themselves.

Beamur · 17/04/2019 19:41

They could also be nipping looking for food and the burrowing doesn't mean they don't like you, it sounds like they're just quite wriggly. My head butter is difficult to handle because she just does not sit still, I took her to the vets recently to get her nails clipped and the nurse had to disentangle her from my hair, but she was quite happy and was chirping away, just not one to sit and snuggle.

Mascarponeandwine · 17/04/2019 20:02

We love our pigs (2 girls 1 neutered boy), but an unheated shed is too cold in mid winter (anything below 3 degrees not good and when you get into minus numbers you risk pneumonia). Pigs are not very hardy and very susceptible to changes in temperature and extreme temperatures).

Mascarponeandwine · 17/04/2019 20:04

A good guide is that they feel temperatures similar to us. So if you’d struggle in an unventilated shed hotter than 30 degrees, or colder than 2 degrees overnight, so would your pigs.

puppymouse · 17/04/2019 20:13

I grew up with G pigs. Had two litters. As an adult I got two to live together and one day the smooth haired one just wasn't right. We brought him inside and he was having fits/seizures. It was so distressing. Vet gave him fluid but didn't know what was wrong and couldn't save him. Left my long haired fuzzy one alone. I was distraught but he was seemingly delighted. The poorly one had dominated him totally and he thrived for 7 long years before dying in his sleep.

I've always kept mine outside unlike some posters here. But in a sheltered area out of direct sunlight and near the house with portable waterproof layer over the front to stop raining getting in. Mine have had runs growing up - important for shelter and safety but the elderly one I just used to put him on the lawn and stay with him letting him have some grass. See pic!

They loved dandelion leaves, cauliflower leaves and carrot tops

I'm thinking of getting guinea pigs. Please educate me!

Mari50 · 17/04/2019 20:25

I’m pretty sure the head butting isn’t a sign of happiness. The biting might be nibbling rather than outright aggression. They are funny wee buggers and are a lot more tolerant than they ever used to be. They let me trim their nails without too much complaint. But they are part of the family and we’ve come to accept their curmudgeon personalities. I guess it means when we get any affection/acknowledgement of existence we appreciate it all the more- not sure if that’s modelling good relationships for my dd though hahah!

brizzlemint · 17/04/2019 20:31

When they nibble is it licking with their tongue and the occasional scrape from their teeth? If it is then they are grooming you.

1CantPickAName · 17/04/2019 20:36

My personal experience, this won’t be popular....

They poo and pee constantly, it’s unbelievable! They do smell unless you clean them at least every two days. We kept ours in the kitchen and every time we went near the fridge they they whistled, it’s really loud and annoying. We kept ours for two years and we were lucky to rehome them at a local home for people with dimensia where they are well loved.

Do loads of research and be prepared for a big commitment. Before I get flamed, I know all pets are a commitment, I have a cat and a snake, and in the past a dog, tropical fish and a hamster. The guinnea pigs were by far the hardest to look after in terms of time cleaning them. Although they did eat a lot of veg so not much wasted

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 17/04/2019 20:42

This is our last piggie (nearly 5yo) you can just see her original cagemate in the background , then she married our boar when the cagemate died. Our boar died early this year.

Our pig has just been through treatment for an eye ulcer but we're crossing everything that she's through the worst .

Guinea-pigs are lovely little things , noisy, greedy , friendly , shy and 99.9% gentle (there's always a rogue one) . Very untidy though .

Come on over to Pets- Small Pets for more Cavy Slave Chat

lazyarse123 · 17/04/2019 20:48

I don't know if it's been mentioned but they eat their poo. Can't remember why but it is common. They are great pets, we've had 16 over the years.

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