Hiya,
We're getting a couple of piggies soon and I'm gathering info before we do. Just wondered how cuddly they are. Are they likely to want to be held and cuddled, i.e. come up to me to be cuddled, or tolerate being held, or does it purely depend on that particular piggie?
Also, I'm going to build a c&c upstairs (panels arrived today, woop!) and had planned to buy a run to go inside or outside depending on the weather. When I'm out they will stay up in the c&c but when in they'll come downstairs into the run. I thought about one of the metal ones with the mesh cover. Obviously outside they would be supervised all the time, but did wonder if any of you let your piggies run free inside? If I kept the living room door shut then I think they'd be ok, they'd probably be too big to get under the sofa and there isn't any other place they could go in the living, perhaps keep and eye on them if they were trying to get behind the TV.
Are your piggies chewers? I used to have chinchillas and they chewed bloody everything so couldn't have let them run in the living room, again does it depend on the animal as to how much it will chew?
Thanks a lot,
x
Mumsnet does not check the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you're worried about the health of your pet, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
Small pets
How cuddly are guinea pigs?
Curlybrunette · 13/09/2012 13:00
Just checked this thread......... I've now got GP6/GP7/GP8 
All of them now about 4yo (had GP6 three years and GP7/GP8 for two years)
They're still cuddly
Jings this thread is old , I had GP1 and GP2, now I have GP4, GP5, GP6.
GP5 isn't a cuddler. She'll sit on my lap or shoulder and chat but I always feel like she's tolerating me till something better comes along .
When I got her (adult Rescue) I couldn't even hold her unless it was with two hands clamped, so I guess she's improved.
And she's happy to let us feel her teeth if she thinks we deserve it, by oh, maybe breathing, sneezing or giving her a wrong look 
Bonky I don't know what my boys would do if I put them on stairs. Probably wouldn't climb them .
I put them on the bathroom floor while I was sorting their bath (thinking they'd scuttle off behind the toilet) but they sat, like the Ying and Yang sign, watching each others backs. Which was quite sweet I thought.
TwoIf my GP when I was 9yo was a lovely little boy, I think I remember him more than any of the rest- he didn't make it much beyond 2 yo (sad tale, he was attacked/bullied by his mate).
One of my present boars is a real wheeker but doesn't purr (Rumblestrutts though).
The other never squeaks but purrs. Weird boys.
One of the GPs I had when I was 13ish- we got a female who was already pg and had a single piglet sow, so we kept the piglet as company for the mum.(Mum didn't get on with our resident mum&DD pigs, they had to side-by-side)
Baby pig never seemed to get very big (her mum was young) my by gum she was active. She could run upstairs.My parents have 6 stairs,a landing then 7 stairs. We could put this one on the bottom step and she'd skip up to the bedroom. But, never downstairs.
She'd walk about the garden on giraffe legs because she didn't like a wet tummy. Her and her mum hollowed out a cabbage to sit inside (it was growing in the garden-it took a while but they were determined)
Our next pair of sows could climb downstairs but never up.
With some we could put them on the half-landing to clean the cage. But not these ones
The Himalayans (or The Moths as they were knicknamed) liked the dark best (pinkeyed) and ate wool carpet.
They would eat the laces from your shoes as you wore them.
One got into the veg cupboard and ate onion skins.
They could eat a paper bag and leave the contents.
And the mum and piglet (the climber) got into the pantry and ate flour bags.We thought they had an eye infection and bathed their poor eyes- until we saw 'dust' -which was flour.
So, you do pays yer money and take yer chances.
Some of these pigs were born in our house, so we can't blame anyone else 
Bonkey, loved your post! Reminded me so much of my first piggy - he was a perisher for jumping off me when he'd had enough! And yes, I was worried he'd hurt himself but luckily he never did - I used to let him slide down my legs rather than kamikaze onto the floor from my lap. He was the only pig who managed to start climbing the stairs as well - very bloody agile, that one was! 
Luckily he only got 2 steps up before he was knackered
Lots of people get them confused with hamsters, God alone knows why 
and are therefore surprised at the size of them. Friends of mine who knew I had guineapigs would still, years down the line, ask me how my hamsters were. And that was after they'd seen them too! 
I have indoor pigs. One of mine is a chewer, the other isn't, but they pee and poo like they never will again. They will not be trained and more often than not they will run through it and it spreads. Also beware of scent marking with boys . I have laminate floors so its not a problem when they have their free time, however I dread to think what my flat would smell like if I had carpet.
They also only have floor time when ds is in bed. Its not worth the stress otherwise.
Beware of small spaces. Block everywhere with a towel or mesh grids ( spare C&C are fab for this) , if they get somewhere they aren't meant to be then it can be a nightmare to get them out! (Little Pig got behind the washing machine, 2 adults, a 4yo, buckets of parsley, and a hour to get him out!)
As for cuddles, Big Pig luffs to sit on my shoulder or under my chin and watch tv. He will stay there for over a hour if he is allowed. Little Pig has settled more now he is growing up and will snooze for 20mins or so before he gets itchy feet and wants to explore the sofa.
I have heard that Males are more snuggly than females but have no experience of sows so wouldn't know.
I think for a 5yo you may be better getting pigs that are past the baby jumping can't wait to be a pain in the arse stage. I had Little pig from 5 1/2 weeks and I would not have ever let ds handle him that young.
The sod is a jumper and jumped from my arms (standing height) onto a hard floor, luckily he was fine but could have done himself some serious damage. They wriggle like nothing else!
Little Pig is 5/6 months now and is ds's favourite for cuddles.
Little Pig is also more confident and will come over for food or a fuss/stand still to be picked up/try and jump in the salad bowl. Big Pig is the opposite. Hates to be picked up, will run around forever if he could. Unless he is on a lap/shoulder then he will not be stroked.
Big Pig is huge and I think he is still growing. Dh also thought they were hamster size, which is odd seeing as we have a hamster too . He was quite shocked when he saw the size of Big Pig when I bought him home, and he was a third of the size he is now .
Good luck at the rescue. They will match you up pretty well I should think. Your piggies will choose you. Some will catch your eye and you will be smitten!
If you can get them now then why not ?
We got the boars last year just before October half term, so my DC had the week to get to know them and they managed a few hour long grazing sessions. (Mine are out at the moment but the grass is looking a bit rough now)
You might find rescues less willing to re-home animals too close to Christmas too.
If I was buying GPs for myself, I would take on a pig who had been neglected or not socialised.
But mine were for my DC (mainly my DD wanted them) so we got the boars who had been in a foster home, so handled and looked after but waiting for their fur ever home.
Give the Rescue a phone, see what they say. The one I phoned had lots of single female guineas (which could be matched up) And the little brothers (which is what DD wanted).
In a way I'm relieved she didn't want to see all the Rescue pigs. How would we have chosen?
When we met them and brought them home, DH said "Oh, I didn't realise they'd be so big ".
No idea what he was expecting
If you go to rescue you can get an established pair (either 2 boars, 2 sows or a neutered boar + sow)
Most will have been someones pet- they might have been forced to give up due to a move, an allergy or a new pet.
Unfortunately some will be victims of neglect or even cruelty.
They'll try to match you with your 'ideal' guineas.
We have 2 brothers from rescue. They were a year when we got them, so still young but past the arsey teens (they still have the odd spat but it's mainly vocal squaring up and rump bumping )
They are very affectionate. The big boar belongs to my DD. He's a soft as butter with her, she carries him about and kisses him (but she really gets her hands mucky and does her share of helping out).
The little boar is very sweet, quiet (and with a horrific gas problem
I've had mainly females. My very first GP was a boar who was lovely. These 2 are my DD and DS pigs (but really family pigs, we all look after them).
I've had sows that well not huggy at all but like a little shadow following us round the house .
You could tell the Rescue that you'd like really cuddly ones, see what they've got.
(My DD wanted a boar. They had 2 boars. We got them )
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
Curly are you getting baby pigs or older ones? Baby pigs are more skitty as a rule and will try to jump everywhere (especially off your shoulder )
They settle down and become quite sensible- well within reason.
They will walk up to you for food. They might stand still to be caught.
Or like my little boar, they might run round like the last scene in Benny Hill.
And they are just the right size to cuddle. Nice and plump and firm.
Ok some aren't as cuddly as others, but they are all characters.
Enjoy the new piggles
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.