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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To try to hold the guinea pigs?

47 replies

Guineapigquestions · 02/07/2022 18:04

We bought three guinea pigs on Tuesday, they are about 12 weeks old. DD aged 7 is desperate to hold them and keeps getting upset that they aren't letting her hand feed them or stroke them. She's spending so much time sitting next to their cage and talking to them. Helps me clean the cage every day. I had to pick them up to move them into a carrier when I cleaned their cage fully but other than that we haven't picked them up since we brought them home. According to advice I've read online we're doing the right thing in letting them get used to us. They are getting braver and spending more time exploring their cage. DD is worrying that they'll never get used to her and DH thinks we need to just pick then up to start getting them used to it. Are there any experienced guinea pig lovers who can give me some advice please?

OP posts:
GrunkleStan · 03/07/2022 10:48

Hmm, I'm a bit concerned you've been sold 3 boys as a easy option tbh. When we first got pigs we were advised that boars were harder and to stick with a sow herd.

Floralnomad · 03/07/2022 11:10

I think boars are friendlier to humans but you do have the issue that you may need to separate them at some point . I think there are too many people who say that GPs like living in groups - lots do not .

Munchyseeds2 · 03/07/2022 11:47

Have 2 girls living in our kitchen, super friendly but like to pretend they don't like being picked up! They love to come on the sofa for a cuddle
Shout for food when they hear our daughter come in or they hear the fridge/patio door being opened
Has anyone ever heard them sing?? A previous one we had did it just once.
I think the pet shop owner was pulling a fast one and I would be tempted to go back, boys are lovely but they are more work, they also tend to have a stronger smell

AllHailKingLouis · 03/07/2022 12:12

Aww I miss my wiglets ❤️

if I remember right I gave my two a couple of weeks to settle in and then started putting my hand in the cage more and stroking them etc. can’t remember how long it was before I was cuddling them. One was always more tense than the other but both were adorable with not a bad bone in their little bodies.

I have fond memories of setting out a huge salad on the living room floor and just sitting there on the floor watching as they discovered it, they were popcorning so much they couldn’t eat the bloody thing 😂 once they settled down one jumped on my knee and sat there for a cuddle. It was the first time he came to me for contact and it made my day.

have you got blokes or women? My two were blokes and they got on great for years then suddenly one attacked the other and ripped his ear in half. After that whenever I tried to put them near each other the attacker went into kill mode. They couldn’t live together after that and had to be separated. The more passive one got depressed and died. the attacker died soon afterwards.

But yeah, apart from that … great memories ☺️

Blossomandbee · 03/07/2022 12:27

I've always had male Guinea pigs, they're lovely! The main difference I've heard of is their urine can smell stronger than a females and they can be messier. Mine always seemed to have a preferred 'poop' corner so I wouldn't say mine were messy.

If they've been together since birth they will be bonded so that's fine, however any bonded group or pair can sometimes run into difficulties once they reach Guinea pig puberty or if they develop issues with territory as they get bigger, so just be aware of that and keep and eye on them. Watch out for signs of bite marks and any teeth chattering at each tiers! Make sure one isn't being ganged up on as there's three.
As for handling you're doing the right thing letting them settle in first. Babies will always be quick and skittish until they get older. Guinea pigs are prey animals too so they often aren't keen on being picked up no matter how well handled they are.
Keep doing what you're doing, bring them in for lots of lap cuddles and they will soon get used to you.

Blossomandbee · 03/07/2022 12:32

Oh and I will add, they love grass! Grass will always tempt them! Handpicked though, never from mower cuttings. Also dandelion leaves, but not too many as they're high in calcium.
Also I would recommend nice fresh hay if you can find somewhere that sells it, much better than the vacuum packed stuff in big pet shop chains.

AllHailKingLouis · 03/07/2022 12:33

Blossomandbee · 03/07/2022 12:27

I've always had male Guinea pigs, they're lovely! The main difference I've heard of is their urine can smell stronger than a females and they can be messier. Mine always seemed to have a preferred 'poop' corner so I wouldn't say mine were messy.

If they've been together since birth they will be bonded so that's fine, however any bonded group or pair can sometimes run into difficulties once they reach Guinea pig puberty or if they develop issues with territory as they get bigger, so just be aware of that and keep and eye on them. Watch out for signs of bite marks and any teeth chattering at each tiers! Make sure one isn't being ganged up on as there's three.
As for handling you're doing the right thing letting them settle in first. Babies will always be quick and skittish until they get older. Guinea pigs are prey animals too so they often aren't keen on being picked up no matter how well handled they are.
Keep doing what you're doing, bring them in for lots of lap cuddles and they will soon get used to you.

My two males were bonded from birth and remained friends for years … then suddenly decided they’d rather kill each other.

OP the females don’t tend to like being handled. I had 6 females at one point living with one neutered rescue male. He was a sweetheart but the females were wild - literally acted like wild rats, you couldn’t cuddle them (well you could but they hated it) and they bossed the bloke around something chronic

AllHailKingLouis · 03/07/2022 12:34

Hay is essential, they need it. It’s not optional

ladydimitrescu · 03/07/2022 12:40

A pet shop really shouldn't have sold you 3boars!! I'm sorry to say it's a disaster waiting to happen. Boars need to be kept in pairs, as they will absolutely fight once they reach sexual maturity. Having them neutered will not help.
You need a lot more space for boars, even a pair. 6 by 4 foot space is minimum recommend for two boars, you'd need a lot more for 3 and even then I wouldn't recommend it.
There's a really high chance you'll need to separate one of them into another living area, and then preferably get him a friend to live with. Guineas are social animals, and need company but boys need pairs only.
A herd of girls can live happily together however.

The other thing with boars that I assume no one told you as the shop sounds like they have no idea what they are doing, is that they will need their perennial sacks cleaned, and also around their penis. You need to press gently on their belly for their penis to pop out, and clean gently around it as they get build ups, and then they are incredibly uncomfortable. Same with the perennial sack. Boars often with age struggle to poop as much as they need to, the muscles become lax and they have huge build ups that need to be cleaned. There are videos on YouTube of how to do this.

The most important diet related info is that hay should make up 85% of their daily food intake. They need piles to eat and piles to burrow In. Swapping out fresh hay needs to be done daily, and preferable twice a day.
Veggies make up 10%, a tea cup of fresh leafy greens per pig per day. Bell peppers are safe to feed every day, along with coriander, chicory, kale, parsley, carrot, cucumber, and romaine lettuce. They shouldn't have the same veg every single day though, and these should be fed on a rota, twice a day, so they have a mixture of the above a few times a week.
Celery, mint, tomato, dandelion can be given a couple times a week, but no more.
As a very occasional treat they can have apple, seedless grapes, watermelon with the seeds removed, strawberries and baby corn.
Pellets should only be a table spoon per pig per day, if more are offered they will fill up on them which is not good for their digestion. They are incredibly greedy, and pellets are basically junk food.

I hope some of this helps x

Nat6999 · 03/07/2022 12:43

Watch Mason's Cavies on Facebook, loads of advice & tips, use bathmats instead of fleece with newspaper or puppy pads underneath, easier for spot cleaning & don't smell as much.

Schmz · 03/07/2022 12:47

Boys fight

very surprised you’ve been sold 3 ….

the fighting can be awful -

upsetting for your DC and very injurious to the piggies -

have a plan ready for when they need separating

Pugfostermum · 03/07/2022 12:58

Pet shops will tell you any old crap to move their stock.
They sell cages that are woefully inadequate for the animals they claim they are for and sell food that will barely nourish your pet.
They are entirely unregulated.

TerffLonDon · 03/07/2022 13:19

www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/boar-care-bits-bums-baths.135661/

Excellent post by ladydimitrescu and yes you’re going to have carefully clean their bums and bits. Link up there for the Guinea Pig Forum. If you haven’t already I’d recommend joining it as there’s a lot of good knowledge and advice there.

You’ve been sold three boars for the shops convenience not yours. Nevermind though, you’ve got them now and it may work well. You’ll have to keep a very close eye on them for signs of them not getting along and separate immediately should that happen.

My DDs work for an animal rescue and we always have foster piggies. We have had three boars before and they were absolutely fine but otoh we had two neutered males that absolutely did not get along and we had to make them a little harem each of friendly sows (current piggie herd at the rescue is 19 in various combos). You’ll just have to see how it goes. In all honesty I’d go bigger on the C and C for three males. We’ve got two males in a 6X2 atm and that’s about right. Something useful, and so we never get caught out, is having a Hay subscription so it’s delivered regularly (we use Nibble and Gnaw and I can recommend them but other are available obvs).

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/07/2022 13:51

Hello Guineapigquestions

I got an alert from GoodVibes Smile

Fiest -welcome to the world of guinea-pigs , they ar lovely , chatty, greedy little rodents ( i havent kept piggies for over three years now since our last oldie died, and DH got his wish to have The Cats . He did like the guineas but he's more a cats person)

The advice to get three boars is rubbish advice and worrying that the PetShop is peddling this . When I see some GuineaPigs for sale on Gumtree in tiny cages with no stimulation, I often think the reason for sale is fighting . When they get to the 4-6 month age its Hormone City .
i think the Boar Trio became popular because when one dies , you don't have a single pig . But managing 3 boars is tough .

Most likely they found the males harder to sell too. When I got GP6 the Rescue had just taken in a huge haul of boars . All the piglet sows were reserved .

I would agree they are friendly and huge character , and IME less untdy than sows ( though a guinea-pig can never be accused of being tidy !)

You do need loads of space , and they need hiding spaces but make sure they cannot trap each other . So two exits to a box for example .
Our first bar pair had my DC old playhouse (it was about 6'6"x6'6" floor space) DH built a haybox from an old cabinet that was about 3'x3' and one side open so easy exit/acess.
They whinged this wasn't enough but slept in the haybox but not together (evidence from pooh nests)
The first winter they had the Mother of All Fallouts (I think they went barmy on coriander , some herbs are like guinea-pig crack)

As your piggies are new and likely scared it'll be a while till they show their personalities .

What to do with your 3 boy group though?
There's loads online ( the guineapig forum is a good start )
Do you want to reduce to 2 ? I don't know if I d want to send one back , but there's an overflow in Rescue .
Are you prepared that they might end up in 2 groups ( I had to do this when one one my sows wouldn't bond , we had a 3+2 ) More cleaning and work but kept them safer and they could chat through the bars .

I'd also want to double check the sex. Should be fairly obvious , they'll have obvious balls by now .

With handling , you need to make them feel secure . Easiest is to corall one into an open top box, block them in then scoop. (Easier for adult hands)
One hand under the belly (I always tucked my index finger through the front legs to stop them slipping forward) and the other under the rump to lift .
Cuddle on a towel - piglets have sharp claws ! and they will pee until they can get you to read their signals .
Little and often handling to begin with .
Ours liked being up at our necks

At the moment , they only know each other . They are scared
They will be thinking that you and your child are eagles who are going to swoop down from above and kill them.
They are (sorry guineas but this is harsh but true ) as thick as mince . But its part of their charm.
They are gentle ( I'm not saying they don't bite people but they rarely do and 99.9% of bites are something a human has done wrng )
They can't leap out of the way , or kick hard . They have rodent teeth and it is all testament to them that they don't bite people .

They love food and routine

they need protected from damp , cold , heat , direct sun, draughts
They eat pretty constantly . They need unlimited hay ( guide id a wedge of hay their body size but in reality , unlimited . They eat , sleep and toilet in it )
C&C are good and you can adapt them but they need a liner , guinea pigs cannot walk on mesh
In the garden , they need a secure covered run with no risk of a fox getting them.
Theres toxic plants to look out for . And the risk of bloat if they gorge on fresh grass ( I told you they're greedy)

Ours had the playhouse (which had haybox in and we cou;d remove the windows leaving a protective bars/mesh.chicken wire screen)
C&C and a 4x2 nightcage (depending on who was sharing) for winter nights in the small bedroom

If you come over to Small Pets there's loads of Piggie Advice -food beding etc

Rainbowdrops2021 · 03/07/2022 13:52

wow i’ve had my piggies for just under a year and they are boys and love adore each other. We let them free roam in the evening and they follow each other every where. I wasn’t aware that they could start fighting I’m a bit worried now.

mycatisannoying · 03/07/2022 13:54

One pet I will never own again! Very sweet, but nature's wimps Grin

AllHailKingLouis · 03/07/2022 14:04

Rainbowdrops2021 · 03/07/2022 13:52

wow i’ve had my piggies for just under a year and they are boys and love adore each other. We let them free roam in the evening and they follow each other every where. I wasn’t aware that they could start fighting I’m a bit worried now.

Mine were best buddies until they were about 3 years old, then one just suddenly turned on the other one. It’s a good job we were home or I dread to think what we would have come home to.

FictionalCharacter · 03/07/2022 14:10

Loads of great advice in this thread. The pet shop conned you I’m afraid, 3 boys is not easy to cope with.
I’d just add one thing, which is to pick them up firmly and hold them to your body if you carry them, because they must not be dropped. They are easily injured and might not survive a fall. Children might be inadvertently rough with them and because they are gentle creatures and don’t bite, there is nothing to deter the children from rough handling. Or they might pick them up too gingerly and drop them. You can teach your own children, but please be careful when other kids are around. Personally I’d allow other kids to have the pigs on their laps but not pick them up.

Rainbowdrops2021 · 03/07/2022 14:11

Oh no that’s horrible 😢.

AllHailKingLouis · 03/07/2022 14:12

Oh btw the males like to scrape their arse along carpets and smear their scent everywhere. They’ll do it on you too, it’s not a nice smell.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/07/2022 14:13

I think this thread neds some Gratuitous Guinea Pig Photos

I present :
Christmas photo- our two lovely rescued sows ( they were ex breeders and very skitty ) who were married to our boar ( originally bonded with one of of boar pair who was bereaved)

Piggies eating grass -
The Wedding That Wasn't . ( On the right was our boar, who was married to the sows in the Christmas Hats when their boar died)

The sows didn't like him (or my other two sows) so they did a shared space in their own groups .

Finally , we married him to the big fluffy sow in the centre when her cagemate died .
They were lovely together till their old age .

They don't always get on, and sometimes you need to re-jig things for their own safety .

To try to hold the guinea pigs?
To try to hold the guinea pigs?
70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/07/2022 14:28

AllHailKingLouis · 03/07/2022 14:12

Oh btw the males like to scrape their arse along carpets and smear their scent everywhere. They’ll do it on you too, it’s not a nice smell.

We had 4 boars and 4 sows (in various groups ) 2 of the boars were castrated ( to bond )

They might scrape their bits if they're itchy or a bit claggy
They have a Grease Gland at the rump . Some have a very active gland , others nought
They can get impaction where the anal muscles get lax and the pooh builds up ( it can stink BTW) . Most common in entire boars , whiich is one of the reasons a lot of rescues will castrate before homing . Makes it easier to bond with new sows
You can give them a little bum-dip in warm water with some piggie safe shampoo (most are 3+months ) Check out Gorgeous Guineas for shampoos etc.. wash round their bits , you can gently expell the penis with lateral pressure (and find all the hay and manky bits there )
Impaction is usually an older , lazy boar issue so don't let them get overweight ( not easy these animals eat Grin )
My tiny entire boar did some huge droppings (Ferrero Rocher size) but they didnt get stuck , he passed them . Only a couple of times when he got to the end I had to intervene <eek>
FlyStrike is a huge risk too especially if they are dirty rund their bottoms

My sows could pee horizontally behind them with force (good defence against a pesky boar)
And I knew when there in season as they were unreasonabe demons with smelly pee for 24 hours , then nice again !

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