has anyone got just one guinea pig or do you have to have 2

[andrea315]

hello my daughter wants a guinea pig can we have one on its own or do i have to get two ??

Don't know, but whatever you do DO NOT feed a guinea pig rhubarb. My niece found out the hard way that it is poisonous to them...

ok thanks for that wont feed my one or two guinea pigs rhubarb if i get them !!

2 is better as they are friendly little souls and aren't hard to look after.

I've always had 2 at a time. Although my piggy is currently single as her boyfriend died last year and as she is quite old I think a new young companion would freak her out and she would keel over, but before now I've always had 2 or 3 at a time.

They are group animals (or whatever you would say to mean they need to live together to be happy). They ideally would have lots of companions, but as a minimum one other is apparently necessary for them to be at all happy.

They should always have a friend. There are usually quite a few pigs needing adoption at animal shelters and the nice people there will have bonded pairs who are already happily living together.

Beetroot tops are toxic to them, too.
So are buttercup and dock, supposedly, although the pigs I look after don't seem to know that .

There's quite a bit to guinea pig care and meeting their needs, I suggest you get some books from the library and research it well before making decisions. You might find that a different animal would be a better pet for your household. They typically live SEVEN years and are not a pet to take on casually or impulsively.

Agree with ragged - they live a lot longer than you'd think (one of mine made it to nine, and the rest all lived to be at least six). They are messy creatures and looking after them properly takes a lot of effort as they poo/wee indiscriminately so the hutch gets dirty quickly. Cleaning them out in the dark, rain and wind is no fun (and it will be you who ends up doing it, not dd...) They have special dietary requirements (they must be fed proper guinea pig food, not rabbit food, and are one of the few animals other than primates that can't make their own vitamin C so must have fresh vegetables daily or they will get scurvy). They need daily access to a secure, cat and fox proof run. They need extra care in winter as they are not hardy creatures (they come from South America originally) so need to be brought inside or kept in a very sheltered spot. And they must live in pairs/small groups - either an all-female group or a neutered male with a female. Boys usually fight once past puberty.

They are lovely pets, but they are not an easy option by any means. They are placid enough to handle, but this must be done very carefully - they have fragile little ribcages that are easily broken by small hands. If you want a more low-maintenance pet, try a hamster or mice first - which also don't live as long, not necessarily a bad thing where children are concerned.

I would definitely recommend getting two but choose carefully (two sows are ideal) ...as said below, they are herd animals and so this is more natural for them..

Personally I would avoid boars because when elderly they sometimes get problems with their rear ends (involving impacted stools) which you have to deal with manually!

Look how the sows interact together in the cage when you first choose them and it's ideal if you can buy a pair that have already bonded in some way (usually one is dominant and the other subordinate) and that way you won't run in to problems later on.

Personally, I find them very easy to look after. We keep them in a cage indoors and they go out for hours in the garden every day (except in extremely cold weather). I clean the cage out every four days or so but it only takes 15 mins if that. I change their water every day and feed twice a day (one fresh feed and one hard feed) and keep their hay racks topped up at all times. Gps quite like routine - mine even have a set bed-time!

As has been said, the vit-c thing is important. There are lots of good brands of food easily available for gps and they need lots of good hay. It's true that they just eat and eat and eat!!! Also, the hardness of the food is important to keep their teeth ground down. It's very easy to toss them the extra broccoli, carrots, corn on the cob, cucumber etc that you already have around when you are preparing meals. (Not too many apples though which can cause them to get sore mouths and go easy on the lettuce which can have sedative effect. Parsley good in very small doses. Avoid spinach and rhubarb as already mentioned because of oxyalic acid. Potatoes strictly forbidden too!)

Also (just my personal opinion) I think they are a more suitable pet for a young child than a hamster. Hamsters in my experience bite a bit more readily than gps and as they are nocturnal, dc don't get to have as much interaction with them. It's true that gps don't "do" much though - they don't run up and down ladders for example or play with toys - but imo their personalities more than make up for this.

We have 7 year old dd and she handles them pretty well although she had to be taught to be very careful at the beginning. Be very gentle with them when they first arrive as they will be nervous (give them LOTS of peace and quiet for the first few weeks - this bit is difficult when you have a young child who is bursting to play with them but it is worth it later on) and lots of treats when you start to gently interact with them. Even though they will always be naturally nervous animals, ours are at the stage where they are pretty unflappable and they sit on our laps every night and enjoy being stroked etc. They even "sing" to us!

They are utterly gorgeous but you have to interact with them every day to stop them seeming "distant". If you really get to know them, their very distinct personalities will soon emerge ...

Apologies for essay. I confess to being utterly besotted!

You must get 2, they love company and one would be so sad on its own .

I have 2 and they are hilarious and very very naughty and cheeky .