New Piggie Checklist!

[tryhard]

I'm due to get 2 girls in a few weeks but I've never had piggies before so I'm feeling a bit lost!

I've got this indoor cage for the winter:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0182JRUM6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This for indoor play every day and while I'm cleaning them out:
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00W6J0I1Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've got igloos for them to hide in and large cardboard tunnels for them to run through. 2 ceramic food bowls & 2 water bottles.

I was going to out newspaper and hay in with them, though I'm not sure which hay is best? And they also need a bed? I've seen little cuddle sacks on eBay and read a lot online about fleece lining for the cage. How often do I need to clean them out? For cuddles, when they're ready, I was just going to sit them on my lap on a towel. Am I forgetting anything?!

My only piece of advice ..... stay away from Amazon ....your bank manager will thank you

Congratulations on your soon to be arrivals

You'll find loads of advice on the various threads here 🐹🐹 🐾🐾🐾🐾

Thank you so excited, will post pics of my girls once they arrive 💕💕💕 Have just ordered some snuggle sacks from Ziggies Piggies, they look lovely, shame they don't do them in human size 😜

Get a vitamin supplement for there water as they need all the vitamin c they can get and also some claw clippers!:)
I wouldn't use newspaper because they're most likely try and chew it and the inks not good for them. I'd use wood shavings or a paper pellet based bedding (breeder celect is a paper pellet cat litter which is safe as small animal bedding), I've seen lots of people use fleece but I haven't so can't comment.

If you're putting the hay on the floor of the cage use bedding hay as its softer and less likely to get caught in there eyes when they burrow into it. If you're putting it in a hay rack use Timothy hay as its thicker so has more fibre .

WRT water, mine never drink, even when it was 30+ degrees here, I dutifully bought new bottles to attatch to their runs .......ignored.

They do eat a ton of veg, you'll find out what your piggies like and don't like through trial.
Sows pee rivers I was saying to DD today that when we had GP1/GP2 (brothers) we could do deep litter and pick out the grubby bits and give fresh paper. Not a chance with the ones we have now , they are mucky pups.
Mine aren't chewers, I use newspaper no problems (just need to make sure there's no staples)

Hay varies a lot, I try to keep between Jolleys and The Range (big 4kg bags) I keep it in a clean locking dustbin in the garage.
Mine have had a rack but don't use it.

I'm currantly using rodent safe wood pellets (huge bag from the Range) I saw some rabbits in pellets in a petshop, they looked so comfy, making a little indentation. Of course bunnies use a litter tray guineas don't so their wood pellets stay nice. When it get soiled it turns to a branlike texture.

Sleeping beds- they like boxes -cut two doors.
Big paper bags without handles - primark are good
those tunnels - cardboard ones and some covered in hay to eat

A towel is good to hold a new or skittery guinea but they'll settle and they'll warn you when they want to pee. It might be noisy chatter and moving or it might be as subtle as three steps back. Heed the warnings they do like to let you know.

Clippers yes, I got some similar to a pair of scissors with a little round 'notch' so you guillotine the claws rather than the way scissors cut, you want a clean cut not to crush the claw,
I just trimmed GP7 and GP8 front claws tonight (they weren't best pleased ). Buy some cornflour in case of bleeds, stops it quickly.
A few months ago I caught GP4 claw (bloody hell, they bleed well ) she bellyached like I'd done it on purpose. Bribe of parsley and she was ok.