Guinea Pig novice looking for advice

[fingersonbuzzers]

We're planning to get guinea pigs later on in the year.

I've never had guinea pigs before, though had rabbits when I was younger.

Both the rabbits I had had the run of the garden and spent a lot of time in the house.

I want any guineas we get to have all the exercise they need, but I'm confused about how they get this - would free range be better like the rabbits had, or would they be ok in a run for most of their exercise.

I'm prepared to commit to doing whatever's needed to keep them happy and healthy, don't know if I should be looking for a run and then also to bring them indoors to run free for a few hours a day?

Or is there a run big enough that they can do most of their exercise outside when the weather is ok?

Also, we'd be looking for rescue guinea pigs - any tips?

Thanks!

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Firstly I'd be very dubious about letting them run free in the house. I know some people do but they are messy little blighters . A large run in the garden is fine. They tend to wander round grazing, so we just move the run along to fresh grass every so often. They don't move much so a run is fine. Put hidey holes in it so they can laze about.

I have an indoor run for wet days which I put on a hard floor with old towels in it. The poo shakes off the towels easily.

A rescue is definitely the way to go. You can get a bonded pair and if they are past the skittish piglet stage they are a lot easier to handle.

Thanks fernieb - sorry, no plans to let them have the run of the house, I didn't word that very well -w e have a large, laminate floor hallway though so I meant containing them in that to run around for a bit. Though an indoor run sounds like a better idea.

I am a new piggie owner too, we got our two six month old girls from a rescue a few weeks ago. They have a hutch in the garden and I put them in their run whenever it's dry. The problem is, so far there's not been many dry days. I'm using a kids ball pool inside, lined with a plastic picnic mat and then newspaper, so they can have a run round. I might try Fernie's idea of lining it with towels rather than newspaper and then washing them. They wee and poo everywhere and in great quantities! TBH they only spend a short time running/exploring, and much more time sitting/dozing/nibbling.

They have really settled down the last couple of weeks and I can sit and cuddle them now. I have got a bit too attached - already decided I'd prefer them being in the house so I've bought an indoor cage on ebay. I'm not sure how we'll fit it in living room, it's 4"x2" which was the smallest size I thought would be fair on them.

I used to have house guineas as a child (there were so many wires and cables in the house then ) they do chew pretty much anything.
Two of ours found some flour in the pantry and ate the bags, I thought they had sore little eyes and kept cleaning them till I found flour in their fur.....

They will hide under the sofa. They pooh/pee as they walk, not in a nice clean litter tray.
They don't really 'excercise' apart from a mad Popcorn, but in the run or the hutch they do pootle about , so they're quite active.

For their accomodation, go as big as you can. GPs aren't really fond of ramps, they like all feet on the level/

Our boars have a haybox in their outdoor Pighouse and 3-4 boxes, trugs, wicker hedgehog house (change them round to keep them interested but try to give 1 house each + 1 spare )

Outdoors, ours have two Hop Inn tubes fastened together.

Rescue GPs - there are loads of Rescues, depending on if you want males/females/babies/adults they will tell you what's available and give you lots of advice (you might need to get everything ready first and have a home visit)

How to choose your pigs? No idea my DD wanted a boar (either a neutered boar + sow or two boars). A rescue had two brothers and as soon as she saw the photo, she was smitten.
They were a year old, so bonded and 'mature' . They did have the odd spat, but we dealt with it.

When one piggie died last year, we had to get a boar piglet (again from a Rescue) we were matched with our piglet who is now nearly 1.

DD had never had the Piglet Experience so was delighted with him (he was 6 weeks when we got him) now he's bigger by far than our older boy.

Another new piggie owner here

We have 2 rescue boars, got them aged approx. 3 months and have had them for 2 months.

We have a C+C cage (2x3) which is borderline small for them, but I am plotting planning an extension and they are not fully grown yet.
I also have a fox-proof, roofed run in the garden which they have not been in much because we are in Scotland, the weather can be v variable (and cold) and I would want to be around when they are out which limits their outside opportunities.
The couple of times they have been out, they seem utterly petrified . Just huddle together and don't graze or move about much. I hope they will just need time to get used to it so will persevere.

Thanks all!

Tbh, I don't really want them in the house so I'm pretty relieved that this isn't mandatory. It's just I'd read that they need 4 hours exercise per day and I can't picture how I'd do that in the winter unless they came indoors?

But hadn't thought of an indoor run..what kind of size would that need to be? And what sort of size outdoor run would do them? Thinking we'll only get 2 (unless there are 3 together who can't be parted but is that likely to happen or do they group in pairs? Sorry I really know nothing about gps!)

We won't be getting them til the summer holidays but I want to make sure I really know what I'm doing and have got all the stuff in first.

Does anyone have any recommendations for where to buy hutches online?

Would something like this be ok?

I'll look up the site where we got our rabbit run (it was eBay/Amazon , it's 84" long and IIRC 46" wide. We peg it down with tent pegs)

Your guineas will probably need to come in for winter, maybe you have garage space if the car doesn't live there. You can insulate with hay, a duvet, carpet to keep them warm and put SnugglePads inside.
We bring ours in for Guy Fawkes then about the end November/early December they come in at night (out in the Pighouse by day with heating)

C&C cages are recommended (they have a website ) , I bought a shelfing unit from Costco (it is being used as a shelf) but I could adjust it and make C&C stylee cages (I put a tarpaulin with cardboard, puppy pads and newspaper inside on the floor)

You might get 3 bonded - most likely 2 girls and a neutered boar or 3 girls.
Don't get 3 boars or 2 boars + a girl, that way madness lies.
Two boars can be a harmonious pair if they have enough room and 'Get Out of My Face Space' and no laydeez.

Thanks 70, we do have a garage, and also an insulated shed. Would they be ok in either of those in winter? But I worry about lack of light in the garage?

Those c and c cages, are they ok for outdoors?