Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

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:
NomDePlume · 04/01/2009 10:33

Oh sphil, they are fab

Countingtheflocksbynight · 04/01/2009 13:33

Congratulations on your second brood Sphil

they are lovely!!

Yes - perhaps it is coming indoors that has caused them to be nocturnal. Even when ours live outside during the summer we bring them in every night because as there are lots of prowling cats about here....so they are used to a fairly "human" routine. They've even started squeaking loudly three times a day when we are opening the fridge to prepare meals ... They will be asking for a daily newspaper delivery next

Hi Jux - Can understand why your pigs are uncommunicative. Ours had a bit of a personality change when, because of house renovations + a children's party, we put them down in the basement for three weeks. They kind of went "distant" on us. They immediately changed back to their friendly usual selves once they were back upstairs with us. Can guarantee that if you talk to them a couple of times every day and start off gently feeding them by hand and gradually build it up to holding them in your lap - their personalities will "come alive". I think it will take longer than usual because they weren't socialised as youngsters, but I'm sure it will work eventually. If you get a run for them in the summer btw, make sure it has a covered area that they can "bolt" to if a cat is around and for weather protection + a bowl of water. Good luck with the rehabilitation!! They usually are very responsive animals and I'm fairly certain you'll find it worthwhile ....

whispywhisp · 04/01/2009 18:47

sphil...hows those babies of yours?!

sphil · 04/01/2009 19:01

They've completely forgotten whose mother is whose - just latch on to the nearest nipple . Now no difference between the two sets in size or activity - except for Runty of course. (I'm horribly afraid that the name seems to be sticking). We're handling them every day - they have an endearing habit of licking and gently nibbling your fingers.

whispywhisp · 04/01/2009 19:10

How is Runty? Is he latching on ok? Is it just that he is smaller than the others and is he feeding ok? I showed DH your photos earlier on....and considering the fact he calls guinea pigs 'mini-rats' he thought they were quite cute too!

smurfgirl · 04/01/2009 19:10

sphil they are gorgeous! I want that black Aby, my fave type.

My Milo piggy has started sitting on my boob shelf while I am on the laptop. He cuddles into me and chats away as I type. GORGEOUS!

Ours hide in the pigloo when we come near but don't seem to mind being picked up - they are naturally very skittish though.

How are your pigs settleing in NDP?

Jux - they take time and handling, I really think its worth having them inside for a bit every day

NomDePlume · 04/01/2009 20:21

Hi smurfy. Our girls are doing well, thanks for asking. They came downstairs in their 'playpen' again this afternoon for a good 2.5 hours. They were leaping about like mad. DD and I both managed to get a decent cuddle in with them too. It's still early days but I'm pleased with progress .

I can't believe how much hay & fresh veg they put away though (as well as pet shop piggy mix). Mine have a huge hay rack in their cage and they get through it so quickly that I find I'm replenishing it twice a day ! They don't seem to drink much either, in fact Hattie doesn't drink much at all. Our hamster used to get through more water then the piggies are [puzzled]

smurfgirl · 04/01/2009 21:11

Ours didn't drink much when we first got them but now they drink loads, how old are yours? It seems to build up.

I was amazed at how fast they devour hay and food - crazy crazy.
How old are yours?

smurfgirl · 04/01/2009 21:13

Sorry for slightly confused post above, was talking to DH as I typed and didn't preview.

thumbwitch · 04/01/2009 22:29

Nomdeplume, out of the 7 g'pigs I have had, at least 2 of them barely seemed to drink anything - I only had 1 who was a real guzzler. I think they got most of their fluids from the fresh fruit and veg they got every day.

We used to have gerbils when we were young - they drank far more than some of my g'pigs!

sphil · 04/01/2009 23:47

I read somewhere that they just eat and eat if you put food in - esp veg and hay - so you should only feed them twice a day, once with dry food and once with veg, also topping up hay everyday. But I must admit I tend to give mine little bits and pieces all day long. The little black Aby ate an eighth of a grape from my hand today .

Whispy - Runty seems to be feeding fine - he's certainly very persistent! Still very skinny compared to the others though. I've handled them all individually today and it's amazing how they're already showing different 'characters'. The most confident about being handled are the black Aby (Dh's favourite), the smooth one with brown patches over its eyes (Sarah's) and the brindle and white one (Furball's). But we HAVE to keep Runty, I think. And I love the brindle Aby too. Oh nooooooo - I want to keep them all (with the exception of the two white, because I know DS1's friend will love them). It will all come down to gender in the end methinks...

whispywhisp · 05/01/2009 07:18

Must admit I leave their food bowls topped up all day and I'm always putting fruit and veg in as and when I've got it handy, normally when I'm preparing meals or lunchboxes. As for hay they have it as their bedding as well as put in their hay-balls or racks. As for drinking - one of mine hardly ever drank water but I never worried about it - it was there if he wanted it and if he chose not to drink that was up to him! Putting lush, wet grass in their cage is always an option because it contains water and is one form of a liquid.

sphil · 05/01/2009 08:16

Oh mine love grass - it's their favourite thing.

NomDePlume · 05/01/2009 09:07

Hiya, ours are around 14 weeks

NomDePlume · 05/01/2009 09:10

Haven't tried ours with grass yet, mainly because it is buried under an inch of snow at the moment

NomDePlume · 05/01/2009 09:11

Electra, have you decided to get piggies ?

christywhisty · 05/01/2009 09:20

There gorgeous sphil
Our Bruno was the runt of the litter and he is huge now (blond one on my profile).
Ours have never drink very much, but they are outside in the run weather permitting and graze all day on grass.

NomDePlume · 05/01/2009 09:29

LOL @ piggy hitching a lift on tortoise on your profile

whispywhisp · 05/01/2009 09:34

And dandelion leaves too plus the flowers - they contain some water too. Mine play tug of war with the stalks - its so funny to watch!

NomDePlume · 05/01/2009 10:11

Ours fight over everything food wise. They are v funny

whispywhisp · 05/01/2009 10:13

I sat and watched Hugo, our pig that lives in the lounge, last night. He clearly disagreed with what was on tv at the time cos he started doing his guinea pig hopping around his cage turning his igloo upside down in the process! DH gave him a cabbage leaf to calm him down in the end. It was funny. Mind you we were watching Most Haunted at the time so perhaps it freaked him out a bit?!

FioFio · 05/01/2009 10:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Jux · 05/01/2009 10:16

Oh you're all so kind! I really expected to get completely flamed, and please don't apologise Whispywhisp, as I expected far worse than you gave. You've all been terribly restrained. I'm sorry I upset people, but I have felt rather hoodwinked by my friend, who perhaps could have taken a bit of time to handle them more in those first 6m. Of course, it doesn't help that dh won't allow them in the house; but it doesn't help that dd and I get cold so fast and are a bit pathetic about weather.

Thank you all for your advice. I hve felt horribly guilty about them and with the restriction on where we can keep them haven't really seen a way through.

I am longing for spring when we can let them run free (there's a wall all around the garden, and now it's not completely overgrown we will be able to see them; they can't get out unless they burrow which I think they don't, or unless they jump or climb trees). Is it too cold to let them out a bit now?

Electra, thank you very much for not complaining about the hijack to your thread. I'm very sorry, and didn't mean to.

whispywhisp · 05/01/2009 10:18

FioFio....I keep mine indoors - I used to keep them in the shed too but decided during the Autumn to bring them in because 1, it was too cold and 2, they love to see/hear human contact.

As regards your lone female...I've always heard that guineas must have company but tbh I have three that live in their own cages - admittedly two boys are side by side so stand and chat to each other and the other boy is in the main room of our house whereas the girls I have are together.

It's always worth considering getting your female a companion but they can squabble and you must introduce them slowly and watch them carefully. How old is your female? If you do get her a friend make sure they have their own space, sleeping areas etc...so if they get fed up with each other they have somewhere to go to get some peace!

FioFio · 05/01/2009 10:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Swipe left for the next trending thread