Guinea pig owners ...

[Haudyerwheesht]

Dd would love a Guinea pig as would I. I'd obviously be the one doing most of the stuff for it. I had a Guinea pig when I was very young and all I can remember is that he died when he was only about 18 months :(

So...can you help with my questions? I'm really undecided either way. (For info we have a cocker spaniel and an indoor cat already)

Is it fair and safe to keep GP in a hutch outside? I know people do but is it a good quality of life? We're in Scotland.

Would we need two?

Would it be ok to get two girls?

How much time do your GP take up on a day to day basis?

Pet insurance seems an issue - what do you all do about it? We have pet insurance for our pets and it's been a godsend but it seems like it's trickier with GP?

Health wise do people often spend a lot at the vets?

Is it ok to buy GP from places like pets at home? Are they bred safely?

What do you do when you go on holiday?

What kind of hutch do your GP live in? It would need to be outdoor (so if first answers are that that's not ok then it's a definite no) ...

Scotland is cold and although when I grew up my poor piggy lived outdoors I now know it's safer to have my piggies indoors and cozy. You really must keep pigs in at least pairs. They're a really sociable animal.

Hutches aren't ideal as they are generally too small for a really suitable life. Look into c&c cages which can be done cheaply and allow the pig more space to run around and be active.

Thanks whisky this is my concern - we don't have a garage and I'm not sure outside is fine so think it might be a no to the GP...

I am not in Scotland but I have an insulated cover for my GP cage. It does on in Winter..

I ended up getting a GP that was left over and planning to get a companion..It turned out she was a he so got a male companion they were great mates till adolescence. I only have one left now.. been a full grown male I don't feel I can put anyone with him. He is about 6 now and has been on his own for 4 years and doesn't seem unhappy. If I had my time again I would get girls.Which was my plan.

We have a large two story hutch outdoors. They have a box inside the 'closed door' part of the hutch, stuffed with bedding so they're warm. We let them roam in the garden all day, with constant access to their hutch. I would find it cruel to keep them inside and we have very high secure fences. They go to bed when it starts to get dark so you just need to lock their hutch.

Ours aren't particularly tame, they're basically living lawnmower But incredibly cute and sweet - I've never met a mean one!

We have two girls at the moment. You definitely need more than one as they're highly social (& it's actually illegal to keep them alone in some countries). We've had different combinations of sexes and never had a problem.

They don't really take any time at all. Letting them in/out every day and changing their water and topping up their food. We also give them a fresh bunch of spring greens and hay each day, and treat them with apples/carrots/cucumber. They get a full clean out once a week. Probably 2-3hr 'work' a week.

No idea about where to get them from, sorry. We've had our current for six years and they are the offspring of our previous piggies so it's been over a decade since we purchased/adopted any.

Oh forgot to mention we have a cover for the hutch when it's particularly cold/wet.

We had 3 sisters that lived between 5 -7 years.
They lived in an outside hutch but we moved the hutch into a large shed between November and March.
We put them out in a large run to eat the grass whenever possible.
Daily feeding and water change and regular replacement of straw and hay that doesn't take as long as you think !
We have had hamsters from Pets at Home that lived long lives.
I'm relieved that the last two of ours died close together as winter was coming and the last one would have been lonely on her own.
In the summers they were happy but I did feel guilty when they were in the hutch most of the time during the winters.

We kept guinea pigs outside for years. The hutch had a 'bedroom' area with a solid front which we filled with hay/shredded paper. It was kept in an old log store so protected on three sides, had bubble wrap stapled to the outside and an old towel that we could drop down over the front if it got really cold. They all lived for quite a few years so it was obviously warm enough for them.

I don't think any of them ever had more than one trip to the vet.

Friends would come in and feed them or they would go to stay at their house when we were on holiday.

They don't take much time in terms of feeding and cleaning out but they do benefit from cuddles and interesting activities. I think it would be mean to keep them and not let them out for a decent chunk of time each day in a garden run or in the house.

Our DDs used to make them obstacle courses from empty boxes with food rewards at the end. They seemed to enjoy it.

Thanks all - hmmm I wonder if I could keep them outside.

I'd like to let them run around inside each day - my dog and cat are both pretty old and I know they wouldn't be aggressive towards GP but would the GP be scared?

We've had boar pairs and neutered boar+sow groups.
My sow pair (well, my sow ) don't get on with our lovely soppy boar so they live beside him.

Its not so much the cold (you can insulate them easily enough) but the damp that knocks them sideways.
Though if its very cold they'll just sit in the hay and inactivity isn't good for them.

One of the most pitiful sights is a Guinea with a respiratory infection , they are lovely animals but have quite specific needs to keep them healthy and happy.

Mine have a wooden playhouse (don't forget they need light too so if you put them in a garage or shed allow for this)
In winter (we're in Essex) they sleep indoors. Guy Fawkes (for noise) and then Dec-March

All ours are from Rescue, all except one (GP3) was a lardy adult.

I'm in Scotland. My boars used to be out for the summer but the girls have always lived indoors, with time in a run when the grass is dry. (One of them is long-haired and I really don't want her covered in mud, she'd be a nightmare to keep clean!)

You definitely need at least 2. But not from P@H - the boars were from there and they all died before they were 2. My girls are ex-breeders, are 3 just now and in perfect health.

Agree with the 2-3 hours per week. They need fed twice a day (well, twice an hour if you go by their reckoning!) - a good quality dry food and lots of fresh veg and fruit (they can't synthesise vit C so this is important). Hay is also vital.

The girls have been to the vet once in the 2 years I have had them - no need for vaccinations. The boys went much more, but I'm convinced it's because of where they came from.

I ask a friend to pop in twice a day to feed them. Guineas are fairly transportable so, if it were just them, I'd be tempted to take their cage to friends. As it is, there are so many other animals that someone has to come to the house.

We have a pair of girls. Not related and quite a difference in age (6 & almost 3).
Usually I get my pigs from the local rescue but Sadie was bought from a pet shop as we were on holiday with them, when our other elderly pig died.

They live in a hutch in an old summer house in summer and the hutch moves into the utility room for the winter - we're in the East Midlands.
They have a large run and are put out to play sit outside everyday it is possible.
Ours are very tame and friendly but we have invested a lot of time in them.

We have a cheapish no nonsense vet in a nearby town.

Ours are very spoilt by DH so as well as the mountains of food and varieties of hay I get them, DH grows seedtrays of parsley and seedtrays if grass for the days when they cannot play out. Fat Mollie can often be found sitting in the middle of one if the trays.
He also sings to them

East your DH sounds fab

I've kept various combinations of guineas in all kinds of accommodation - outdoor hutches, indoor hutches, hutches in a shed - since childhood. Our current foursome (we have two pairs, one neutered boar/sow and two sows) live indoors, with daily run time (outside in summer, we have a big pop up indoor run for winter). I'd say I spend 15/20 minutes a day on feeding and changing water etc, half an hour every 2/3 days on cleaning out and far too much time chatting to them and spoiling them with snacks

We have loads of urban foxes round here which is my main reason for keeping our current pigs indoors. However I do also think they become tamer if they live in the house with all the noises of family life, plus it's easier to do the daily feeding and cleaning if you're just popping into the room they're in rather than trudging out in the rain. Then again, you can usually give more space if they're outside. And if you already have a cat and dog I wouldn't chance it with guineas indoors; the constant presence of cat and dog would be hugely stressful for them. A shed would be a good compromise though.

We've had both rescue and pet shop pigs; two of our current foursome are rescues. I would say avoid pets at home and go for rescues if you can - but I'd be a huge hypocrite for saying so because my youngest girl is a PAH pig - bought when our other boar died and our rescue had no suitable matches for the widowed pig plus she was so gorgeous I couldn't resist her

They are gorgeous little creatures, lovely pets. Good luck with whatever you decide.

diet coke
I am way down the pecking order here

They watch cricket and football with him, I've come home to find him sitting in the garden reading to them and he certainly greets them far more enthusiastically than he does me !!
Sadie dies prefer him, she wheeks whenever she hears him

I wouldn't let the cat or dog in with them. A c&c cage won't keep your dog out for very long. I would keep them outside or in a shed with a fully enclosed run so the other pets or wildlife cant get to them.