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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:
sphil · 30/12/2008 21:40

I wish we could keep them in all the time but no space really. And MIL is terrified of rodents (though even she is coming round to the pigs - ever so slightly).

I cannot believe that two animals could be so fat and not have given birth! Furball (I know I know - DS1 named them) couldn't even hop over her own food bowl today - I had to move it for her .

Countingtheflocksbynight · 30/12/2008 22:00

We've moved ours indoors too because of the cold.

I wish someone would invent an interlocking cage system joined by tubes for winter ... might design one myself if I get around to it

They make brilliant pets Electra. Ours "sing" in the evenings and are really tame now. They squeak to let us know if they need a wee or poo while they are being handled too ...

Beware of too much parsley ... ok to have a bit now and again but it contains a chemical that builds up in their system ...

Didn't know about their intolerance of pencillin ThumbElf ... that's really good to know

whispywhisp · 30/12/2008 22:01

Furball? Poor piggie!!! My girls are called Peggy and Olive. The boys are Cyril, Henry and Hugo. All named by me....

sphil · 30/12/2008 22:06

Oh you haven't heard the worst of it. Their full names are:

Sarah -Jane Smith
and
Furball Donna Noble

DS1 wanted to call the boar David Tennant but I put my foot down...

Henry and Hugo are both members of my family (human!)

whispywhisp · 30/12/2008 22:12

Hugo got his name off Vicar of Dibley - he was named by the rescue centre he was at when I adopted him. The others we named. As for the full names of your pigs sphil....flipping heck! What some mouthfulls!

sphil · 30/12/2008 22:22

DS1 is avid Dr Who fan

Original poster
ElectraInExcelsis · 30/12/2008 23:08

Hi everyone I have decided to get quite a big hutch - as big as I could afford because I think they will be happier then.

I have looked at a local breeder's pigs - she has Rex ones and they are gorgeous animals. She shows them all. But they grow very big - look about the size of small rabbits.

I have also looked in Pets At Home and they have smaller, smoother haired ones and they sell two together for £24 or £19 each. We will deffo get two because I don't want to end up with a poor, lonely, depressed animal.

I am confused though about the wood shavings issue - PAH and the breeder both told me you should use wood shavings but I'm reluctant after reading about the respiratory problems on here...

Dd2 is so excited - I think it will be lovely for her.

OP posts:
thumbwitch · 30/12/2008 23:13

Electra, I was told by the Cambridge Cavy Trust hospital people not to use them. my first pig died from getting a splinter (from the wood shavings) in the back of his tongue and then getting septicaemia from it.

I switched initially to shredded newspaper (never other paper, too sharp) but that gave them black feet! and then to straw - I would NEVER go back to wood shavings.

just my experience.

sphil · 30/12/2008 23:16

Oh I love the Rex ones. There are also Teddies - or are they the same thing? They're kind of fuzzy rather than long haired.
Does DD1 like animals? DS2 ignores them - to such an extent that we have to watch that he doesn't try to sit on my lap when they're on it. It's as if he doesn't register them at all.

wohmum · 30/12/2008 23:21

gongrats on deciding to get some piggies - weve got 4 lovely girls and keep them in a cage made from interlocking wire cubes like the ones on cavycages.com...

good and spacious and a darn sight cheaper than the cages you can get at PAH. We got one when we had 2 piggies, but now they are fully grown it would be way too small for them was ok while they were still babies tho'

Original poster
ElectraInExcelsis · 31/12/2008 00:07

Ok, wood shavings are definitely out then! Sphil- dd1 is not really into animals either but her tutors suggested to me that we could work on that a bit if we get guinea pigs. Thanks again for replies - this thread has been so interesting. Yes, the Rex ones were kind of thicker furred. They are cute little things aren't they?

OP posts:
whispywhisp · 31/12/2008 11:01

I've used wood shavings for as long as I've had pigs/rabbits - about 15yrs - and never had a problem with it but then I don't use a huge amount because my lot get cleaned out every other day and wood shavings are expensive. I use a lot of hay and always a good covering of newspaper. Using shredded newspaper is a good idea because not only does it soak up their wee but also keep them warm. Only use newspaper tho...not magazines because once shredded its quite sharp edged. There are other alternatives to wood shavings in places like PAH...but, again, quite expensive.

So any babies yet then sphil? Tell them to get a move on cos I want to see piccies!

Original poster
ElectraInExcelsis · 31/12/2008 11:40

Yes, good luck with the babies

OP posts:
smurfgirl · 31/12/2008 13:24

We have a rex one he is not huge at all, normal GP size. The pets from PAH at not very good quality imo, and often come pregnant no matter what sex PAH say they are. The ones at our local store seem so sad.

This is our rex Bertie. He is very talkative!
i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/applegrl7/Guinea%20piggles/boarshelen20012.jpg
i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/applegrl7/Random/DSC01255.jpg

Our satin haired is the biggest of them. Our long haired is the smallest.

whispywhisp · 31/12/2008 13:51

I've heard quite a few horror stories with buying pets from PAH...pregnancies, illness etc etc...but I've rehomed a few rescue ones from their rescue section and they've been fine. I had a pig live until almost 7yrs old that I bought from there too. My only concern I have with PAH and their rehoming procedures is that they do absolutely no form of pre-home check visits...ie making sure the buyer has a suitable hutch etc.

Only a few weeks ago I saw a rabbit cage for sale on eBay and the listing said 'what you see is what you get'...I emailed the seller and asked if the sale included the lovely little black and white rabbit in the cage in the photo and the reply was 'yes'. So I bought the cage and the rabbit and took the rabbit back to PAH where she'd bought it from and they paid me my money back. The cage it was living in was the size of a cat basket...I took it to the local dump.

Atleast if you rehome a pet from the RSPCA/Blue Cross etc they insist you have a 4ft hutch (minimum) and they do a pre and post home check visit, in most areas of the UK and they also try to spay/neuter where possible before rehoming so to avoid any unwanted litters.

sphil · 31/12/2008 15:58

Smurfgirl - they're gorgeous! I wonder if Horris might be carrying the Rex gene (hopeful emoticon). We're going to get a real hotch potch of babies - Sarah is smooth haired white with patches of grey agouti and a crest on the top of her head. Furball is a brown part Abyssinian and Horris has an Abyssinian head (various shades of brown) and a longish haired white bottom!

And no, they're not here yet. I've only peered at them about 50 times today . They're much more active now they're indoors - but SO waddly

whispywhisp · 31/12/2008 16:07

I think one of the most amazing thing about baby guineas is that they are born fully furred and with their eyes open. Amazing. I'd love some more...I'm getting broody!

thumbwitch · 31/12/2008 16:07

smurfgirl, your Bertie has very similar colouring and marking to my second piggy, Polly, except she was a silky cross.

God, can't wait til i get to Australia and can get some more piggies!

smurfgirl · 31/12/2008 16:50

Thanks he is a gorgeous boy!
This is my satin Milo.
i164.photobucket.com/albums/u15/applegrl7/Random/DSC01242.jpg

rodentswithattitude.com is very useful.

NomDePlume · 31/12/2008 17:11

Well, we have our girls. They are called Hattie & Moondust (DD named them). Both are short haired, Hattie is ginger/black/white tortoiseshell & Moondust is a black self colour.

They are so beautiful ! But v shy. They've only been here since about 2pm yesterday so they've got to settle in a bit. DD reports that Hattie, the braver of 2 was popcorning in her cage last night, hopefully that's a sign that she likes her new home.

I've hand fed them a couple of bits of carrot today and they seem quite happy, although they did fight over the first piece. Lots of wheeking and rustling about in their den.

I'll get a couple of pics when they've settled in a bit.

DD adores them.

smurfgirl · 31/12/2008 17:34

Awww lovely names NDP! Can't wait to see photos. My Milo is on my knee right now.

NomDePlume · 31/12/2008 17:38

Milo is a cutie

DD is desperate for them to be tame and play, she's struggling to grasp the concept of taming ! We've sat with them just talking and trying them with treats and DD thinks that after 20 mins of chatting they should be ready to sit on her lap. She thinks they don't like her , she's just an impatient little menace !

sphil · 31/12/2008 18:24

Here's a picture of ours - from the front: Furball, Sarah and Horris.

www.flickr.com/photos/sphilphotos/?saved=1

chopchopbusybusy · 31/12/2008 18:50

Well, I'm even more confused now about what should be in their cages. We use wood shavings, was told never to use straw as it could hurt their eyes. We did try using just hay, but it was too smelly and probably too expensive. Obviously, they have hay to eat and some in their cage which they snuggle into. I seem to remember reading that the ink on newspaper was poisonous to them...AAARGH

If you use shredded newspaper - do you put it through the shredder or what?

In defence of PAH, we bought our piggies there and the girl who served us wouldn't sell us the first hutch we chose because she said it would be too small - now the piggies are adult sized, I completely agree with her. I'm sure it depends on the individual branch and assistant.

whispywhisp · 31/12/2008 18:51

What some gorgeous guinea pigs we have! Absolutely lovely photos....I will try and get some piccies of mine, if they stay still long enough.

We ought to start up our own guinea pig website!

I saw three brothers up for rehoming yesterday on a local guinea pig rescue website...all had to be rehomed together. Oh I wish I had the room.

I bought a new log cabin for the two girls I have that live together - Mother and Daughter, Peggy and Olive. They love it! One goes inside and the other climbs up onto the roof, then they both come out to play and then back on the roof and indoors again. Its funny watching them. Amazing also how agile they can be when they're such dumplings!