Guinea Pig daily routine?

[Sookeh]

What things do you do to care for your guineas without fail, every day?

I'm just wondering if I'm handling/cleaning their bowls etc as much as others .

Bloody hell !
I hope you manage to de code that

Darn phone!

Managed to decode it Bonkey

Yeah, I think I'll sit out there with them then. Maybe put them on the patio after they've been on the grass a while.

I desperately need a bigger cage/run and thought I'd have had it sorted by now but they are so so expensive.

The boys are getting much bigger than I thought they would!

Hi Sookeh-
what's the top of your cage like.Is it the plastic base, metal top that you clip together?

When I got my boars I had one of those as an indoor cage and I put them out in it with a couple of heavy weights on it as an improvised run (they've got a rabbit run now). Have you got any metal tent pegs? That's what was supplied with our run to anchor ir down.

They won't burrow out- GPs are not burrowing animals- wrong sort of paws and far too lazy
Can you catch them easily from the cage top (has it got a door or do you have to lift the whole thing?

Put a towel over one end to give them shade and a box to hide in.
YY to cats and foxes- that's their biggest danger (and magpies keep trying to traumatise my little black boar) but they'll run into their shelter if they're threatened. As long as you can't upturn the run.

And maybe give them a couple of hours to begin with? Check for buttercups on the grass and make sure they can't reach any bulb flowering plants.

Mine were out all day yesterday (GP2 had a bit of soft pooh, but that's him.)I give them a dry supper (no veg) so they were very judgy this morning.

Your not being over paranoid, honestly they are a worry. Nothing worse than thinking "I shouldn't have done that "
But it gets easier, (like children, allegedly) .

If you put them out now, before the high sun (if the grass is dry) they'll eat, run about, rest, eat, chase.

I was watching my boars yesterday (GP2 likes to lie at the side of the wooden box (where the magpies can see you GP2).
They spent most of the time kust snoozing, light grazing.

But always on the alert.

Yes just a plastic base with a metal cage top, but I was thinking of just putting the metal cage top onto the grass and letting them run about. Should I put their hidey house in as well?

Yes, they appreciate a hidey space outside (even just a cardboard box). I cut 2 doors in mine so that they can't trap each other (mine are adult bolshy git boars.

There are dragons out there, Mum. And Pteradactyls. And robots with red eyes and fire. And vampires.

And ooooh, loads of scary things.

Their senses go into overdrive outside

Put them outside for forty minutes and they LOVED it, popcorning and squeaking away.

How should I gradually build up their time outside?

Keep an eye on their dropping (to adjust their veg rations)
I'd rather my boys have longer grass time and less veg (grass is their natural diet) but of course, it depends on how the ground is.

Maybe 40 - 60 minutes, then give them an hours and a half.
Then they'll build up to all day.
Just make sure they're protected from sun.And they have water.

They love the outside space, mine still popcorn (our big GP1 can really throw himself around)

When you do buy a pen, beware of those round ones with a mesh on the top. GP can get out but cats could certainly get in.

Thanks for the tip about the mesh playpen 70, I was looking at some on ebay today. Hadn't even thought about how easy it would be for a cat to get into.

I don't know what I'm going to do about their cage really, it's much too small. My mum gave me another cage which is a few cm bigger but not enough to warrant using it instead. I'm trying to think of a way to fashion it into a two story cage using the two cage tops I have and the plastic base I have. They'd also need a ramp but I could afford one of those.

My gp stayed in today with the door open letting the breeze in

Some of them get softer poos when out for the day but I just give them a dry tea and they look at me like "wheres the veg mum?'

They are out tomorrow as I am cleaning the workshop which I usually do on Saturday but I have something on this week

I spotted two big patches of clover on my neighbours lawn and might ask to put them on that!! My lawns are looking a bit depleted but I have a nice lush patch I have saved for them!

When they were out yesterday I gave each of them a cuddle and they loved it. Trudy was licking my chin when I was tickling her and headbutted it when I stopped.

Having a herd is fascinating as you can see the who's the top piggies and all the young play together. Coco is the grannie and she walks about checking on everyone and chirping at the naughty ones

Felt the tums of the mated girls and looks promising so hopefully some peruvians and lunkyaras late august

I want a herd

I saw a herd at a childrens petting zoo and my dh has regretted that visit ever since

I can barely keep on top of the amount of poo 2 produce let alone a herd!

They do poo an awful lot, I had no idea it would be such a huge amount!

How many pigs constitutes a herd?...just out of interest you understand...

I would say 4.

3 is a trio.

Although you could say that a boar with 2 sows was a herd, a mini one

I used to have 4 sows (2 Himalayan mum&DD) + (1 black/white mum+ tricolour DD)

They were kept in pairs, old Himalyan was not interested in forming a herd with the others unless it was to bite them.

Strangley enough the little DD tricolour was the most trouble.Does that sound familiar Bonkey (love the Olympic name)

Big pig is the tri colour and my angel. I will not hear a bad word said about them!

Little pig is brown (no idea of formal name) and a shit!

I thought Little Pig was a tri

Is Little pig agouti - brown and black evenly flecked ? (That's what GP1 is, handsome chap).

Just brown is merde. (French for shit) Nods sagely.

No he's dark brown with a light brown band and then light brown flecks....hang on will try and find a pic!

4 you say? Well if I got two more how mad could DP really be?

Little pig on profile :)

Give me your expertise!

I told my DH about the baby guineas in Pets@Home and he said "Well we could fit another 2 in our Pighouse".

In theory, but our indoor cage wouldn't.
And my GP1 has enough trouble looking after his brother - guarding him when he sleeps, poison tasting all the food, checking in the haybox for snakes ...

I think I'll stick with my two.

He's gorgeous Bonkey but you knew that already

I Googled, came up with a website (I'm guessing American) that calls it BROKEN.

That's not very glamorous though.

In Essex he'd be brrrrraaaaaaawwn .Wiv a bit more brrrraaaaaawwwwn.But darker in it. Innit?

Yes he is , still a shit though .

Broken?? Is that it? How boring! :(

Not like my Tort and white