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Original poster

Dd2 wants some guinea pigs - good idea / any advice?

413 replies

ElectraInExcelsis · 23/12/2008 23:10

The only thing I know about them is that you should get two because they otherwise get very lonely...

Anyone have them? I had hamsters as a child but don't know about humane ways to keep guinea pigs, etc which is important to me. Dd2 is 5. I don't mind cleaning them out for her etc.

Any advice? TIA...

OP posts:
thumbElf · 23/12/2008 23:15

two girls - less hassle than boys.
Indoor cage if you can, they're more sociable that way.
Keep them on straw and hay, not woodchips (lost one from using woodchips, got a splinter stuck in its tongue and died of septicaemia)
Use this website for really knowledgeable info and get a good book on them
Don't let any vet inject them with penicillin - they are all congenitally allergic to it and have anaphylaxis.

Enjoy - lovely little animals!

Yorkiegirl · 23/12/2008 23:26

Message withdrawn

smurfgirl · 23/12/2008 23:43

We have three boys (two is better than three though, ours are very unusual in coping with each other). I have heard that boys make better pets but have to be socialised really early or else they fight.

We keep them indoors in this cage:
www.petsathome.com/find/keyword-is-cages/brand-is-savic/product-is-16909

They are very very friendly and lovely to hold, they will sit on your knee and chat to you. Ours live on fleece - pretty easy to keep clean.

We got ours from a breeder, I would strongly recommend this route, the ones at Pets at Home are often sexed wrong and not very tame. We found our breeder here.
www.freewebs.com/cavy/index.html

If you live in N.Yorks I would reommend the one we got ours from.

sphil · 24/12/2008 00:07

They are lovely! It's a shame you're not nearer - we have two very pregnant sows atm (hoping for Christmas Day babies). Ours are outside, but very near the back door so they get some heat from the house and see us all the time. DH has lagged their hutch and put a rain cover on the front, so they're protected from the weather.

thumbElf · 24/12/2008 00:08

the only hassles that I wanted to avoid with boys were:

  1. possible fighting
  2. faecal impaction, more of an issue with boys than girls - something to do with a gland in the bum.
sphil · 24/12/2008 00:10

PS Our male is smellier than our females - well they don't smell at all but he does have a bit of a whiff (and we clean him out a lot too). Boys eh?

Sparkler · 24/12/2008 00:15

We have two male guinea pigs - they are brothers. They are absolutely adorable and I love them to bits.
We have an outdoor cage for them and a seperate run but as it is so cold this time of year I have an indoor cage which they are in most of the time but do try to put them in the outdoor run during the day when I can.
They are messy little creatures so be prepared to keep their cages cleaned regularly as they will smell.

Original poster
ElectraInExcelsis · 24/12/2008 11:00

Thanks for replies - yes that is a shame, sphil, have you mamaged to find any homes for them?

OP posts:
Original poster
ElectraInExcelsis · 24/12/2008 11:03

managed!

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christywhisty · 24/12/2008 11:19

We had two boys which were brothers. They did use to chase each other a bit but didn't fight as such but did try and dominate each other.
One sadly died in the summer and we got a 6 week old boy to replace him, he is satin peruvian and quite small compared to the other one so I think there is a distinct pecking order.
Ours live outside in a hutch with a protable run which they go into every day, we also have shelter in the run for them.
They come in every evening for cuddles and are very affectionate. They can be left on the living room floor and they won't disappear under the settee.

NomDePlume · 24/12/2008 11:25

Don't use wood shavings, they are linked to respiratory problems in guineas that can often be fatal

I am getting 2 girls after christmas for DD, they will live indoors.

Thanks for that link, smurfgirl. Very useful

Original poster
ElectraInExcelsis · 25/12/2008 00:06

Well thanks - you have all sold me on the idea. So....what do you need to have in preparation to buy some? Also, what's the best thing to feed them?

OP posts:
reindeersnake · 25/12/2008 01:20

A cage, water bottle, guinea pig food (NOT rabbit food which is not the same, alhough often cheaper), some straw and some hay (again, not the same thing). They also love fruit and vegetable scraps eg apple cores and mango peel. Decide whether they will live indoors or outdoors. They are very placid and tolerant (dd is 2 and carries Pig everywhere in a bucket) but they have brains the size of peas and can be hard to house train. We have a low box (actually an old drawer) where we put Pig in the living room when we are not actually playing with him. Box needs a good layer of newspaper or they wee in the box and are wet when you pick them up. Ours normally lives in an outside cage with lots of straw for insulation.

Original poster
ElectraInExcelsis · 25/12/2008 01:28

Yes, I was just reading about how their nutrition requirements differ from rabbits. Thanks - some good ideas. It sounds as if they are reasonably easy to look after.

OP posts:
sandcastles · 25/12/2008 01:40

If you let them wonder around inside be careful...they will chomp on anything & I mean ANYTHING! Including electrical cables!

Make sure there are no little gaps they can get into!

If they are indoor pets, keep a black bin bag under the cage to prevent urine getting on the floor. The tend to 'go' in one corner & excess can leak thru on some cages.

sandcastles · 25/12/2008 01:48

Give them a settling in period of a couple of days & then spend lots of time handling them. They become tame through contact, so the less you give, the less tame they are.

When handling be clam & firm [but not too firm] to make them feel safe. Lift under/around abdomen. If the DCs are young then it isn't a good idea for them to hold them too soon, as they are jumpy at first & will jump out of little hands/laps! IME this leads to squeeling of children = frightened animal.

My dd holds them really nicely now & they feed from her hands too!

If you decide to go for a plastic cage then you won't need the black bag. We keep ours in a wooden one, as we found they loved to munch thru the plastic.

whispywhisp · 25/12/2008 15:31

sphil - where abouts are you? I may be interested in homing some more pigs!

I also recommend you get an indoor cage...pigs lovely company - both other pigs but also humans. They love to sit and squeal when food is on the horizon. We've got two sows in the kitchen, two boys in the playroom and a boy in the lounge - he's a special one - been poorly (albino) and loves to run around and watch tv!

I don't have a problem with woodchip and its excellent for soaking up wee etc....but I would recommend you use meadow hay - not the processed stuff from Pets at Home which is very dusty/musty.

Original poster
ElectraInExcelsis · 25/12/2008 19:33

Ok, final question - how much are they? I have absolutely no idea. Thanks again.

OP posts:
littletownofmeglethem · 25/12/2008 19:36

i got mine from a guinea pig re-homing charity and they were both £10 I think.

If you have any health problems with them the Cambridge Cavy Trust are geniuses, they can trim teeth without aneasthetic.

whispywhisp · 25/12/2008 19:59

All mine have been rescue pigs too...look on the internet and put in 'guinea pig rescue' - they are an organisation that cover most of the country. If they can't help I'm sure they'd put you in touch with someone who can.

Pets at Home sell them but you're looking at about £30 for two.

NomDePlume · 25/12/2008 20:11

Pets at home sell them at
£19 each ! But as mentioned earlier in the thread you'd be better getting one from a breeder. There are couple local to you electra (if you are who I think you are). Looking at our county on the link given by smurfgirl will point you in the direction of a couple.

whispywhisp · 25/12/2008 20:29

Oh well! I was only a few quid out! I have bought pigs at PAH in the past and they have lived to a good age and have always been fit and healthy.

As regards dried food...I would definitely recommend you giving pellet only food - it contains the necessary vitamin c that they must have and it also stops selective eating...ie leaving bits they don't like and eating the bits they do! They can be messy little eaters and if they don't like something in their bowl they just throw it everywhere! Pellet only stops them being so fussy.

littletownofmeglethem · 25/12/2008 21:18

agree with whispys pellet food advice. and it works out cheaper as they can't waste it. this stuff is widely available...

www.burgesspetcare.co.uk/small/index.php?page=supaguineapig_excel&expand=guineaPig&expandRange=supag uinea

sphil · 25/12/2008 23:20

Whispy - we are in Somerset. It depends how many they have - we want to keep a male and two females if possible, DS1's best friend is having two and our hairdresser another one. So if they have more than six between them we'll need to find homes. We are going to try to introduce a male baby to Horris, our male who's on his own atm. Hope it works, as I don't like him being alone.

whispywhisp · 26/12/2008 09:26

sphil - let me know if you need to rehome any more...I live in Hants and would gladly take on any that need homes. I love guineas. I have 5 atm. If you aren't successful in putting a baby with Horris I'd have him if you need to get him a new home because I have Hugo, a male of about a year old, who is also on his own.