New to Guinea Pigs. What do i need to know?

[SomethingNarstyInTheWoodshed]

I have raised 2 children, numerous dogs, cats and fish but not ventured into the world of pigs until now.

We have a hutch (nice and big). A run for the grass. Hay, food, a nice house, tube thing, and a fridge full of vegetables (for the humans, but the pigs can share).

All that is missing is the pigs. I’m waiting until it is warmer so they can go outside and then plan ahead for winter quarters.

What else do I need? What do I need to know?

You will become their slave

Lol We have 2 boy guinea pigs (our 5 yr olds) & you will indeed become their slave! They are demanding, noisy little monkeys & know exactly when breakfast or dinner time is even though they have no means of telling time. They're cheeky & will try making noise just to get an extra nibble or two but don't underestimate them, they're clever & very loving. I think you've got pretty much all you need so enjoy all the love, cuddles & chatter they give you.

Face the fact they may eventually live indoors. I had an amazing outdoor set up for mine which they inherited from their rabbitty predecessors. 3x3m secure run, 2 hutches, landscaping.. the works. They have STILL managed to convince me they need to live indoors.

They just seem so much happier in the kitchen where everybody talks to them and they can shriek every time anybody opens the fridge. I am now one of those nut-jobs with an open C&C and elaborate no-sawdust bedding system.

You need to change your attitude, for a start:

"and a fridge full of vegetables (for the humans, but the pigs can share)."

Awww Lowdoor, that's adorable! I've had house bunnies before (and you're right, once you bring them in there's no going back!) but house piggies never occurred to me!

Sorry, posted too soon (much was my shock at the above statement!!!).

Said vegetables, in said fridge, will not be "for the humans". They will be for the pigs. You humans may, if you're well-behaved, be allowed to have the odd one or two, but you will be reminded, whilst you do so, that you are keeping food from poor, starving, piggies, and thus made to feel ashamed of your actions.

You see, piggies are masters of starvation. Mine squeak at me when, having fed them, I then take food in for the rabbits who are currently sharing their bedroom. Even though they have a full bowl of food, the fact that they can hear food going elsewhere reminds them that they are, in actual fact, being starved and they need to stake their claim on said food. Even food which, previously, was absolute poison (in their view, such as kale) has now become the only thing keeping them from Death's door, (purely because they heard it being fed to the buns, so they've decided they NEED it!).

Having guineas does mean your shopping makes you look like the most virtuous, clean living family on the planet. Roughly 2/3 of our weekly shop is fruit or veg, most of which goes to the guineas (and rabbits, but mostly the guineas). I may be allowed to take some for my packed lunch, but generally only the stuff which is past its best. And if, by the end of the week, supplies are running low, I switch mine and DP's diet to freezer food to make sure the guineas don't miss out.

They are wonderful animals who, once they've got over their natural fear of you, make the most delightful companions. Be prepared to be kept on your toes, mind!

littlemiss - I don't know, whilst I love house rabbits I can't wait to get the two I currently have inside back out. I love them lots, but the pair of them are having far too much fun destroying whatever they can get their teeth into. They're only inside as they were recuperating over winter, and now I'm just waiting for the weather to improve so they can join the other two outside again. Since one was born in a burrow, and the other is the digger of said burrow, I'm sure they're just as happy outside as in.

The guineas, however, are perfectly happy in the house, within wheeking distance of the kitchen. Plus they're caged, so less destructive!

You’ll need to plant some parsley as it’s rather expensive to buy, but absolutely essential if our experience is anything to go by.

They are addictive!!!

They much prefer to select their own carrot/Brussels sprouts/everything and may shun the idea that you select and give them such things...

Oh and the newborn babies are just so adorable...

Oh and they love cuddles and being stroked!

Yes, yes to growing parsley, mine would sell their soul for a whiff of parsley, they like the flat leaf stuff but will tolerate curly if the world is about to end.

DH had trays of it on every available window sill.
(He also grows them seedtrays of fresh grass in the winter)

DH didn't want guinea pigs, wasn't going to look after them etc etc. He is the one who sings to them when cleaning them out, consults them on the crossword each morning, reads and discusses cricket with them, and has recently been outed as fetching large bags of grass from the local park for them.
Of a morning, when I hear ' good morning sweetheart, how are you?' I know it is Sadie Guinea Pig he is speaking to and not me 😃

They're lovely, such great characters. A word of warning for the summers - one sting from a wasp (or bee, I'd assume) can kill them, so be careful leaving fresh fruit lying around in the warmer months that might attract the wasps too. We used to bring ours inside for snacks in the summer, just to reduce the risk. Sounds like you've got a good set up though, enjoy them!

Also, fleece. Guinea pigs LOVE fleece. A couple of fleece pouches for them to sit in for lap time will be popular. Have a look at Ziggies Piggies.

Yes they are addictive, you end up with an ongoing cycle of hogs. We have GP6 (neutered boar) and 2 sows (GP7/GP8) who don't get along with our boy so we have 2 accomodations side-by-side.

Downside- the hay gets EVERYWHERE

Ours have their Winter Residence in the small bedroom (no door on it , radiator off , they can whitter away to DD while she does homework and wake me at 6am for breakfast).
They hay was all over their floor , even though we put covers down , and got walked across the hall to bedrooms.

Now they're in the Pighouse , I don;t have to get the vacuum out daily.

They don't smell as animals but the hay does and they need cleaned frequently (we do daily/alternate day depending how mucky they're being)

They need protected against everything - cold, heat, damp, draughts, foxes,cats,random birds like magpies or prey birds.

They love to eat so of course they pooh (lots) but its the most inoffensive pooh.
They will happily mow and fertilise the lawn, its just our lawn is cut in rectangular patches where the runs sit.

They have specific diet needs (hay , Vit C, not too much root veg -high in sugar, or fruit, not too much calcium - dark green veg is calcium rich)

They can get ill very quickly (literally "Well-To-Dead" ) so you need to 'know' them to pick it up.

You will be rewarded by the sweetest, noisiest little greedy rodents. Our boar sings like a little chirping sparrow .

Ours are all 4yo this year , so getting middle-aged .

Lovely. Can’t wait.

Would it be terribly bad to put the hutch in the kitchen and track some down now? Rather than waiting til spring?

Not at all, try find your local piggie rescue?

Why don't you get a C&C for the kitchen, then you will be ready for winter. The thing with a hutch, if you are on shavings type bedding is that they will kick it out all over your floor.

candcguineapigcages.co.uk/

I think a couple of months in a C&C would be better for the 'getting to know you' period anyway. They are so much easier to access and chat to. You can learn their habits and they can learn yours.

They take a good few weeks of regular petting to make them tame, so you could start now with them in the kitchen.

They love to eat kale, and dandelion leaves and bamboo leaves from the garden as a treat.

Enjoy!

Joining to convince my partner

Aaahhhhh we love piggies!

We bought two girls 5 years ago - they had babies .... and realised Lollipop was in fact a boy .... !! Unfortunately the female got pregnant before we could split them up (literally just after we realised there were three babies following mummy around! ) but it was too late and she had another 5 babies!

We kept one from the first litter as the vet told us she was a girl - nope! Another boy who got his mum and one female we kept from the second litter we had pregnant .... we ended up with 13 babies along the way that spring/summer ..... and both me and my husband have degrees and postgrad degrees in biology!!

Cardboard boxes, they love sitting in cardboard boxes ... and peeing and pooing in them!

and both me and my husband have degrees and postgrad degrees in biology!! That made me laugh flumpy

Here's my kitchen-pigs' house. No pigs in situ as it's just been cleaned. I love it- it's so easy to keep clean, 10mins for a full change out. I change everything every other day and they don't smell at all. You do need a horsebag if you are putting them on fleece/ vetbed though as you need to be able to just sling in in the wash.

We have a large indoor cage on a metal stand in our kitchen. I initially bought a hutch with a view to it bring it in over winter, but we couldn't see or interact with them, and as babies they would just hide.
So we have always had ours inside, and spent hours researching indoor set ups. There was so much to learn.
C+c cage not for us because we have cats and dogs.

Sad bit
Our boy died this week, and for now his brother is alone, but being in the kitchen he's got so much company.

They are lovely creatures, so sweet.hope you find yours soon!

We have two that were kept outside and then the snow came. In they came, outdoor hutch and all until we got an indoor cage. Now, we don't want them to go back outside - they seem so much happier inside. They are great creatures who love chattering to you each time you go past.

See that C&C set-up Low , photograph it 20 minutes after your piggies go back in ................................