Hamster or Guinea Pigs?

[LondonSuperTrooper]

Just that really. We would like to get our 7years old DS his first pet. If you had the choice, which would you get? I've heard that hamsters bite and this worries me. I am aware that if I get guinea pigs, it'll have to be two.

Would we have to get pet insurance for either? From what I've seen, hamsters are much cheaper to buy & maintain - am I correct?

Thanks.

Hamsters are cheaper, take up less space and produce less mess. They only live 2-3 years. They can be bitey and draw blood!

Guinea pigs are poo machines, noisy, cute, friendly and lovely. Live for about 5 years. I have never known one to bite, they are brilliant with children.

Can't comment on pet insurance I'm afraid.

Thanks for your reply. I personally prefer guinea pigs, especially after reading your post!

I'm not liking the hamster biting business.....

gps have more personality and are not nocturnal.

Love my two gp boars. They do like to be in pairs. They are poo machines but they are very funny little animals

Wow, thank you for the replies :)

What exactly do you mean by poo machines? How often should I be changing their cage?

And can anyone recommend where I can buy them from? I was hoping to buy from a breeder but I can't find one in Surrey. There are plenty for sale on Gumtree though...

And where is the cheapest place for buying their cage from?

Thanks.

We've had guinea pigs for the last 9 nine years. We are now on GP4, 5 & 6.
The oldest, a very special boar with loads of personality lived to over 6yo and we cried buckets when he went to the Rainbow Bridge.

Insurance, I've never found an Insurer that will do anything smaller than a rabbit. Best thing to do if you can be disciplined is put ££'s aside each week just in case. When they need treatment it is very expensive.

To give you some idea one of our sows is over 3yo never had a days illness, so never been to the vet. On the other hand, got 2 rescue piggies last September, one of whom has huge eyes and constantly snuffles in hay. So far she has scratched her eye twice. The first time badly and the vet bill was nearly £100 (3 consultations and eye cream). The second time, not as bad (2 consultations and eye cream) nearly £60 pounds. The other rescue piggy has been vet free since she has been with us, we don't know her past medical history other than she had a litter of pups.

Unlike rabbits guineas do not have annual vaccinations.

I would choose guinea pigs over hamsters but I am bias

(been looking at shoes)

Guinea-Pigs (IMHO) ................but read on.
Everything as stated above, they are lovely, cuddly , friendly, very messy and greedy. What's not to love
Some are 'gnawing' types -as an adult you wouldn't bat an eyelid. I'd say they'd only ever bite if severely provoked or if your hands smell of food and they mistake your fingers for veg .

At the moment , we have 1yo neutered boar + 2 sows of about 10 months. Recently 'bonded' and happy, but they have loads of space.
Yes you need 2 (+) they aren't happy alone.

Especially if you have boars, they are gorgeous and real people-pigs but if they have any behaviour problems, it usually boils down to dominance and lack of space.

Gumtree gives me the rage . So many people getting rid because their children have lost interest (Well tell them to Man Up, or as the parent, Man Up Yourself , I reckon) , allergies or getting a dog.

They want a good home. But they also want £25 for an adult second hand guinea-pig (more if you want their shoe-box cage)

If you want guinea-pigs, you are in it for the long-run. When one goes, you need another to keep company.
GP1/GP2 (deceased) GP3/GP4/GP5 are all Rescue. All lovely and snuggly, GP5 has taken a while to settle, but she's sweet and good tempered now.

I did find an Exotics Insurance company for GPs but it was ££.
I paid £58 to have GP3 castrated (general anaesthetic)

Hamsters are (mainly) solitary, you can get hamster palaces to run round, put them in the bath to explore (no water obv) and if you get them from a good rescue or breeder, they'll be handled and sociable.

I want a guinea pig!!! And two sows at that :)

What size cage should I be looking at? I'm aiming to have them indoors and maybe buy an outdoor one once I have the funds (probably next spring!)

So, where should I buy the GP from? And no one has expanded on them being a poo machine

I'm slowly getting excited now....

Put in google guinea pig rescue surrey and it will bring up Guinea Pig Rehome Site. Its a directory of rescue centres. Hopefully there is one near you. Rescues very often take in pregnant sows so have babies to rehome or can offer you a young bonded pair.

When we say poo machines, we mean it . Guineas must have a supply of fresh hay all the time to keep their guts working. Unless their guts are working properly all the time they will become very ill and can die. So what goes it must come out. Good news it doesn't smell bad. The wee not great though. Clean outs vary from hutch to hutch. My guineas are gross after a couple of days (3 sows)

LST I've just had another browse through Gumtree (why, I don't know)

No matter what your DS tells you , that he'll clean it, cuddle it etc, you are buying it for you to do the care.
(Legally you're responsible anyway)
So many of the most recent posts on Gumtree are "Kids lost interest"

And makes sure your DS isn't allergic. My DD is allergic to our Rex piggie (he has a short wiry coat) but fine with our smooths and abby.
I'd have had no idea until we got GP3.

Poo machines......d'you really want to know?

My three live in a 6'x6' wooden playhouse.
I have to spot-clean the house every 2 days (rolling up the top layer of paper/hay) and replace.
Proper complete clean every week.
The girls especially pee rivers .

WRT cages - for indoors try a C&C , you can adapt the shape and size. GPs don't really cope with steep ramps (some of the double storey ones are like a vertical ladder).
Try and get an outdoor run for them, (look on eBay) it needs to have a top roof, not mesh unless you plan to be with them (cats. foxes, magpies) and no mesh under their paws (they don't dig)

They love grass, they keep the lawn trimmed (if a bit patchy ) and it's part of their natural diet.

I know that I will end up cleaning it and cleaning it every 2-3 days doesn't sound too bad. I think I cope with that, lets hope that they don't smell too much!

I will Google the surrey rescue GP. I am looking for two sows & not 2 boars though... am I being too picky?!

Many thanks for your help - I really do appreciate it

My sows were quarentined in a 4'x2' cage , they were a bit judgey and certainly appreciated being out in the run. Now they are all in the Pighouse, they have lots of pootling about space

It's the hay that smells TBH not the pigs.

If you want sows then tell them that's what you're after. My DD wanted boars when we got GP1/GP2 but GP3 is a huge 3lb sex machine young boar so I didn't want to put him with a teeny boar piglet.

I asked the Rescue for 2 feisty sows who were about the same age and non-Rex (due to DD allergies) . Now that's picky )

A Rescue will give you a lifetime guarentee if at any time you are unable to keep them, you can surrender them.
You can get advice any time (and Super Furry Animals are always here)
You don't get that from a Petshop or websites.

While we are talking of gp does any one know of somewhere reputable where we could leave gp1&2 whilst we go on holiday in the Surrey Hants border

We've had both, Guinea Pigs every time!!

Muskey where did you get you guinea pigs from?

We bought ours at pets at home £20 for the two. The cage also from pets at home £150 but I am sure you can cages much cheaper though. My mum (who pretends not to like them) has added that watching dd face when she cleans them out is priceless

Lots of Rescues will have babies - my two fur babies (sows) were Mum-Pigs who had been weaned away from their litters . There were some lovely little piglets there who were still with their Mum, so you can get ones that have been born in Rescue without the too-ing and fro-ing that some piglets will have from breeder to pet shop.

I'm sure my DD would've loved a couple of piglets (and TBH, who wouldn't) but we needed someone who was on a level with our boar age-wise.

Thanks, I've found a rescue centre nearish to me. They do have GP but they are all boars. A couple of our friends have boars and they said they fight all the time and recommended getting sows.... which the rescue centre doesn't have yet. Speaking of which, the rescue centre wants something like £30 donation for each GP AND want to carry out a home visit

We are on holiday next week so I'll start looking in earnest once we get back :)

I was looking at indoor cages last night & I got bewildered by the choice! I was thinking of buying the cage now and start getting small bits & pieces for our new family members.

Also, can someone please clear my confusion? Last night I was reading online that we have to get hidey spaces for the GP. What are those? Someone suggested a box with hay inside it.... where do you put that? Inside the cage? Won't they get cramped?

Thanks.

Rescues will vary, the ones I have got mine from request a £10 donation.
IIRC I gave £30 for GP1 + GP2 (I'd looked in petshops to see the going rate)
£30 for GP4+GP5 (young adults)
£20 for GP3 (piglet)
The rescue will have overheads and they want you to make a commitment to the animal, the donation shows you are not doing it on a whim (though if I rescued a pig from a private seller, I'd give them bu**er all and tell them to sell the cage)
Yes boars can fight (if they fight all the time, there is something troubling them. They might not get on or they might not have enough room)

Sows can be arsey too y'know

I didn't have a home visit but I have kept guineas as a child (for 13 years) and I took in photos of my garden and their accomodation.

Buy the biggest cage you can. As a guide, 2 pigs are recommended 4'x2' .
I'd say that's minimum. My two boys got really narked in the indoor winter cage (for night time only) .

3 guineas are meant to have 5'x2'
4 guineas are meant to have 6'x2'

My Pighouse is 6'x6' so in theory I could put 12 piggies. No way.

They have a wooden haybox , a tunnel (Hop Inn) and 2 housies filled with hay.
The houses can be a cardboard box or a paper bag. They like hidey spaces but not toys. Don't waste money on balls and definately not wheels (can harm their spines)

If you are going away then have a look at cages online - lots of second hand ones out there, steam clean or get some Virkon to clean.

If you are after sows, then wait for sows. They will turn up
And BTW, don't let anyone tell you that neutering stops boars fighting. It doesn't.
It's a risk. It's expensive. My boar was done only because he has sows. He's still a cheeky little git

OP, I got my GPs from Animal Lifeline, a small rescue in Sutton, Surrey and Bobtails, a bigger rescue in East Ewell, Surrey. Animal Lifeline often has babies. It's run by one person, so you do have to persevere if she doesn't answer the phone.

I also have a wonderful GP holiday home in the next road to where we live. PM me and I'll send you details.

Finally, I have an indoor cage going spare big enough for two GPs. Again, PM me and if we're near enough to each other you can have it

Also, it's worth putting an advert on Freecycle asking for an outdoor hutch and run.